If you still have leftover zucchini from your summer abundance, this bread is for you. My deliciously moist, fluffy spiced apple zucchini bread with luscious cream cheese glaze is just a beauty if I do say so myself.
I knew I wanted to make a fall twist on my famous healthy zucchini bread and with September upon us, I’m ready for all things fall. SO we’ve got a whole fresh zucchini in this gorgeous loaf, plus sweet chunks of apple and tons of warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Don’t forget the crunchy chopped pecans and, of course, that thick, wonderful cinnamon cream cheese glaze!
Not into glaze? Enjoy a warm slice with a pat of butter on top. OMG so good. I included plenty of options for making this healthier apple zucchini bread gluten free, nut free & dairy free, so be sure to read the full post before baking and devouring. I know you’ll love this one!
What you’ll need to make this apple zucchini bread
Get ready to fall in LOVE with the flavor and texture of this apple zucchini bread. It’s filled with cozy spices and deliciously moist thanks to zucchini and applesauce. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Zucchini: you’ll shred a whole zucchini for this loaf, which adds moisture and packs some sneaky veggies.
- Applesauce: I love adding unsweetened applesauce to baked goods for even more moisture and subtle apple flavor.
- Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs in this bread.
- Maple syrup: we’re naturally sweetening the apple zucchini bread with pure maple syrup.
- Coconut oil: a little coconut oil ensures that the bread stays moist over time.
- Flour: we’re using good old all purpose flour in this recipe.
- Spices: get ready to ring in fall with warming flavors from cinnamon, allspice, ginger & nutmeg.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the salt, baking soda & vanilla extract!
- Mix-ins: add texture and flavor with chopped up apple pieces and pecans. YUM.
- For the glaze: the coziest, most delicious glaze made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and a little milk to thin.
Easy ingredient swaps
Looking to make some changes? Here’s what I can recommend for substitutes in this apple zucchini bread:
- Make it gluten free: this bread should work with gluten free all purpose flour.
- Make it nut free: simply leave off the pecans.
- Go dairy free: use a vegan butter stick like Earth Balance, and a vegan cream cheese for the glaze.
- Try it refined sugar free: you can also try my paleo powdered sugar in the glaze if you’d like to keep the bread refined sugar free. Or skip the glaze altogether.
Can I make this bread vegan?
I haven’t tested this zucchini apple bread using egg alternatives like flax eggs, but let me know if you give it a try in the comments! Be sure to also use vegan butter and vegan cream cheese in the glaze.
Turn it into apple zucchini muffins
Yes, this bread can easily be turned into muffins!
- Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or use muffin liners. To be safe, I always spray the inside of the liners too.
- Prepare the batter as directed, then divide evenly between liners.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool, and top each muffin with the glaze, if you’d like!
Our best tips for baking with zucchini
- Use the small side of your grater so that you get perfect shreds of zucchini. No one will be able to tell there’s a veggie in the bread! Honestly, a simple cheese grater will also work well.
- Squeeze out your zucchini shreds as much as possible using a cheesecloth, clean dish towel or paper towel to get all of the excess liquid out. This is VERY important so that the bread has the right texture.
- Shred zucchini first, measure it out then squeeze off excess moisture.
- Feel free to shred a bunch of zucchini and freeze it for later! Follow my tips and tricks here.
How to store apple zucchini bread
Feel free to store this healthy apple zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temp for one day, then transfer it to the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze it for later
Bake up this gorgeous loaf and freeze it for whenever you want a sweet treat or snack!
- To freeze: let it cool completely and either cut it into slices before placing it in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag in the fridge, or freeze the whole loaf for up to 3 months. I recommend glazing the bread before serving.
- To serve: let the zucchini apple bread thaw at room temp for a few hours. You can do the same with the individual slices, or you can reheat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Recommended tools
Check out our favorite kitchen essentials here.
More quick breads to try
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Bread with Strawberry Glaze
- Chickpea Flour Banana Bread (gluten free!)
- Healthier Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Get all of our delicious bread recipes here, and even more zucchini recipes here!
I hope you love this delicious spiced apple zucchini bread! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Spiced Apple Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini)
- 1 cup (250g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (156g) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (56g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (melted butter will also work)
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup (210g) all purpose flour (or sub gf all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Mix-ins:
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped into ¼ inch pieces (about 1 cup chopped apple)
- ⅓ cup (37g) chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired
- For the cream cheese glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (85g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-3 teaspoons milk of choice, to thin glaze
- To garnish:
- Extra chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 ¼ x 4 ½ inch with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Prep the zucchini: First, measure out 1 heaping cup of shredded zucchini, then place shredded zucchini in a paper towel, clean dish towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out ALL of the moisture/water. This is very important!
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add shredded zucchini, applesauce, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix well to combine. Next, add in the melted coconut oil and mix again until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger nutmeg, and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well combined. Fold in pecans and chopped apples.
- Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Mine took an hour, but this will vary based on your oven.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then remove bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Make cinnamon cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and milk together on medium speed for a minute or until smooth. If you want a warm glaze, you can warm in the microwave in 10-20 second intervals until warm. Pour or spread over cooled bread. Sprinkle chopped pecans. Cut into 10-12 slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 23rd, 2021, republished on August 21st, 2022, republished on October 2nd, 2024, and republished on September 4th, 2025.
I made this gluten free for my husband who has celiac and used King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour and it turned out great! So flavorful and moist. Pecans were my nut of choice. Will definitely make again
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!
Hello! Instead of coconut oil, would avocado oil work? Or would you suggest olive instead? Very excited to try this recipe with zucchini from my garden and apples from a friend’s tree!
Hi! I’d suggest melted butter or melted vegan butter to get the right flavor, otherwise, feel free to try olive oil (but please note that I haven’t tested it!)
I’ll be making this until the Zuchinni runs out. It’s perfect
Agreed!! Glad you love it 🙂
I just made the bread without the glaze and it’s delicious.
Perfect!
Hi, I don’t have any baking soda, can I use baking powder instead? If I do how much should I use? Thanks.
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend swapping baking powder as they’ll likely bake up differently.
Hiya! wow this looks so good! I have been craving both apple and zucchini muffins / bread so this is high on my list to bake! quick question – I only have some homemade apple butter (apples, spices and a little honey) on hand…it is similar to apple sauce so I’d like to use it. Do you think then reducing the maple syrup by just a bit would be ok or would that throw off the liquid ratio? Thank you for your help!
Hi! Yes, I think that should work – let me know if you give it a try!
Smells great, super moist bread. For me, 70-75 min cooking was better. I added the apple inclusions which I definitely recommend!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Okay, this is delicious. Super easy to put together with hidden veggies for my kids. Mine was perfect at 50 minutes.
So happy to hear that!
SO GOOD! I made it with Gluten Free flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour) and it turned out fantastic!!! No other adjustments made except just used toasted pecans on top and not in the bread – personal preference. Such a great bread on a cool morning with coffee!!!
I made this, following the recipe, but with gf flour. I used walnuts instead of pecans, and I didn’t make the glaze, It came out perfect – 50 mins in the oven. It is delicious! Another 5 star recipe! Thank you!
I’m glad the gf flour worked out well!
Just made this. I made it written and added a handful of flax. Used butter instead of oil. I actually forgot vanilla which would have made it even better.
I added chopped frozen cranberries and walnuts on top. And of course apple. It really didnt need a topping. Next time i will try making it with part white whole wheat flour. Its a keeper!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This caught my eye and was delicious, it was really light and tasty, def making again. I thought it was as light as red velvet sponge. VERY IMPRESSIVE. Thank you xx
Amazing! So glad you found this one!
May I use Almond Flour, for the zucchini, apple bread,if so how much?
I wouldn’t recommend it – sorry! It’s much more absorbent so the texture will greatly change.
This recipe is next level. I didn’t have applesauce, so I puréed a raw apple. I did everything else according to the recipe, and it was delicious! Definitely a repeat. Thank you for sharing!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This was divine! I was feeling lazy and didnt want to deal with slicing the apples etc.. so I didnt add them in…HUGE mistake. While this was so good without them, it needed the apple to sweeten it a bit. I will be making this again…the proper way lol.
Let me know if you give it a try with apples! They really do add a lovely flavor 🙂
Amazing! So tasty and not too sweet. It smelled so good that I couldn’t wait for it to cool entirely before I had to cut a slice to try. It is perfect! Didn’t even need the glaze if you don’t want to add it. I will admit that I probably added a few extra apples and pecans than the recipe called for because I didn’t really measure them. I used two kinda small Granny Smith apples and the tartness was an excellent contrast to the sweet and spice in the loaf. I also toasted my pecans before adding them in which I always recommend. Great early fall recipe that really hits the spot for a perfectly spiced baked good appropriate for either breakfast or dessert.
Perfection! So glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you, Britt ❤️
The icing for this is delicious! I asked my son what his rating out of five is and he said 15! Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Perfection! So glad this recipe is a hit and you both loved the icing as well 🙂
I baked two small loaves using King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour (Name mentioned since GF flours can differ so much), slightly tart apples from my garden (no idea what type), and I added a touch more powdered sugar to the frosting. I brought them to a church potluck and they were polished off. I received compliments from both GF and non-GF eaters (the bread/cake turned out moist and fluffy). I will definitely make this again!
WOO! This is so great, I am so glad this bread turned out great for you and this recipe is a hit!
I tried the receipt with coconut flour and coconut oil.
The texture was very dry but flavor was nice.
The bread literally fell apart so I turned it into a crumb cake and served it with ice cream.
Hi! Unfortunately coconut flour is much different than all purpose flour, which is why your bread became extremely crumbly. I always recommend sticking with the recipe as-written unless there are recommended substitutes listed in the Notes section.
This was a delicious starter recipe! I changed quite a few things but wanted to leave a comment to help me remember how I did it for next time. I used 3/4 cup AP flour, 3/4 cup protein flour, and 1/4 cup of cinnamon roll protein powder. I also used No Sugar Added apple pie filling instead of chopped apples and applesauce. Lastly, I used one egg instead of 2. I was going to add another one if it looked like it needed it, but I didn’t! I also didn’t have Allspice so I just used extra cinnamon and ginger. It baked for around 45 minutes and it could’ve probably been taken out around 40, but still delish! Thanks for this inspiration!!
Ah yay! I am so glad you found this recipe and were able to adjust it to your liking. Happy it turned out great 🙂
I made the Spiced Apple Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze today and simply loved it! I made it GF and it came out moist and just yummy. the only adjustment I made was to not put powered sugar in the icing of glaze and instead to make a cream cheese, butter and maple syrup icing. So good!
This looks amazing.
I wanted to know if I can substitute all purpose flour with Whole Wheat flour??
Thanks!
I haven’t tested this recipe with whole wheat flour, but it should work. Let me know how it turns out!
Could you make this as muffins and put icing on each muffin?
Do you think these would make muffins instead of the loaf? If yes, what changes would you make?
You will most likely just want to adjust the baking time, keep a close eye on them because muffins will bake much quicker. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness! Spiced yummy goodness. There goes my diet for the holidays. I love this recipe and am sharing it now to my friends.
ANOTHER HOME RUN!!! If I could give it 10 stars I would! Everyone loved this, it will become a regular at our dinner table. Only 1 modification made, when using GF flour, I substitute about 20% of the flour amount called for with oatmeal flour, this results in a more moist bread (read this in a baker’s website, don’t recall the name). Thank you for so many great recipes, you are my “go to” for meal planning!
AHH YAY! SO glad to hear it came out great. Appreciate your comment ❤️
Love this recipe, so good! Will definitely make it again! 🙂
I didn’t peel the apple which I think is fine, I hardly notice it. And I made only a half batch of the cream cheese glaze because I like it a little less sweet.
So glad you loved it! It should be just as delicious with unpeeled apples 🙂
Loved the flavors in this bread, I subbed Greek yogurt for apple sauce because I didn’t have any and this may have been my downfall!
The bread took 50-60 mins to cook and it’s still so moist, almost looks uncooked (but wasn’t). Maybe I should have added more flour??
Either way, it still tastes yummy and will be eaten anyways! Next time I make- I’ll ensure I’ve got all the ingredients! 🙂
Hi! Mine comes out like that, too! It’s just because of the moisture from the zucchini + apple. Glad it tasted great 🙂
This looks so good, and I have all of the ingredients but only a 9×5 loaf pan. Do you think that would work? Maybe I can just reduce the bake time a little?
Hi! I haven’t tested it but I think it should be alright (if a bit squat!) if you reduce the baking time. Let me know!
Made it without the frosting and LOVED it!
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
I think regular whole wheat flour will make the bread too dense. You could use a mix of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour to keep it light and fluffy!
Wow!! So delicious! Did not last more than 24 hours in our house. Our kiddos loved it! I didn’t do as much powder sugar bc I love the cream cheese taste with it and it was perfect.
So glad it was a hit – even with the kiddos (love those sneaky veggies!)
This is amazing. So moist and delicious. Really brings all the fall vibes.
Absolutely! Perfect for fall.
Could I sub the 1 whole zucchini with some zucchini cores? Just made the pesto chicken boats today and have the cores left to use!
Hi! You’ll still want to shred it up and measure out 1 cup, but that should work 🙂
Super easy & delicious. I used flax egg and didn’t even need the glaze… super moist and yummy on its own without being too sweet. Definitely keep an eye on your oven though! Mine barely took 30 minutes vs. the 50-60. (I am guessing the oven and pan can make the time vary greatly) Great breakfast option- will definitely make again!
Happy you enjoyed it! And good to know about the baking time. What size pan did you use?
What do you recommend to substitute eggs?
Flax eggs might work! Here’s how to make them 🙂
Hi, what would you recommend to replace eggs in this recipe?
I followed the recipe precisely, and it turned out perfectly! I took it to a potluck and got rave reviews. It is quite sweet for my taste, so next time I will adjust the sugar or possibly try monk fruit sugar. Thank you for such an excellent recipe!
So happy everyone loved it!
Delicious, just like all of your baking recipes!
Aw thank you, Leah! So happy you loved it!!
This recipe hit my email and I audibly moaned because it sounds sooooo amazing. I’m really excited to try it because I’ve been having to limit my sodium and most baked goods are a no-no. This looks relatively low sodium! Can’t wait to actually give you my usual 5 star review 😊
Haha AW thank you!! Can’t wait for you to try it!
I tried this recipe and was not impressed. I made sure my zucchini was dry and the bread was still to moist. It looked coming out of the oven but fell after 10 mins.
Sorry to hear that! I actually just made this bread again this morning and that didn’t happen to me, so I’m wondering if something went wrong. Did you test the loaf with a knife/tester to make sure it was done before taking it out of the oven? The tester will come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Excellent! I just made a double batch and will try to freeze some.