Aug
21
Low carb grain free peanut butter zucchini bread made with simple, nutritious ingredients. There are two options to make it: with coconut flour or with protein powder! Soft, fluffy, moist and a good source of protein & fiber.
Say hello to a fan favorite on Ambitious Kitchen: this one bowl peanut butter zucchini bread. I created this recipe 3 years ago after Tony’s mom gave me 5 large zucchini from her garden. Kid you not they were the size of my arm and I’m pretty sure that was the summer #AKZucchiniWeek started.
MY LATEST VIDEOSAnyway I still wanted to keep a majority of the original post in this recipe, because it’s special to me:
“As I mentioned previously, I’m taking a bit of time off this Summer from blogging. It’s not that I don’t want to because I basically have a million ideas, it’s more that I want to make sure I’m being fulfilled personally and professionally.
So really all I’ve been trying to do is figure out what’s next for myself and AK.
Do you ever find that you get caught up in unique ideas that you just say yes to them without actually thinking it through? This is me MOST of the time. I’m pretty good about testing out thoughts and running with them, but I’m also extremely obedient to my passions and recognizing when I don’t LOVE to do something. I am 100% driven by passion.
I’ve always said that each year I want to do something different to challenge myself. Last year I quit my job to focus on AK full time and it’s been beyond wonderful to see it grow by providing recipes, advice and sharing food with you. This year, I’m have a few special projects happening but I’m thinking bigger. You know like, where do I want to be in 5 or 10 years sort of thing. Do I see myself still regularly blogging? Do I want to move to a different state? Do I want to move to a different country? Do I want to go back to school?
Above all, I always want to be true to myself. And that’s what I promise to continue to be here with you.”
It just goes to show that life changes quickly. Where I’m at now, isn’t where I was three years ago. My heart is in a different place and I’m less concerned about what’s to come next in life. I feel happy and content — thankful for what I have and patient for what’s to come.
I hope this inspires you, especially if you’re feeling lost or unsure of yourself. Know that we all get that way, it’s apart of the human experience and often when we’re growing the most.
Anyway, let’s get back to this bread: I have two healthy versions that I’m sharing with you today… ONE with coconut flour and ONE with protein powder!
Let’s go over the must-knows of this grain free zucchini bread so you can rush and bake it tonight:
Peanut butter: I used an all natural VERY creamy peanut butter with only peanuts and salt as the ingredients. Yes, that’s the stir kind with the oil on top! The brand I use (Trader Joe’s or Smucker’s) tends to very creamy. I would not recommend using a brand like Skippy or Jif. Please stick to the all natural peanut butters. And no, Skippy or Jif Natural does not count because they add stabilizers to the peanut butter to make it thick. I think that a natural almond butter would work quite well too (if you wanted to make it paleo)!
Maple Syrup: There isn’t a ton of maple syrup in this recipe, but it is necessary. I also DO NOT recommend using honey instead of maple syrup as I think the bread may brown too much when it bakes.
Eggs: I have not tested this recipe with a flax or chia egg. I don’t think that you would get the best results from using those, but you can always let me know if you are willing to try it. A few readers have reported using a banana and flax egg, but please refer to the comments!
There are two options when you make this bread (well technically three): You can either make it with a bit of coconut flour or protein powder! It is important to note that you’ll need to use one or the other but not both. I personally LOVED the coconut flour version, but the protein version was INCREDIBLE for a protein baked good — plus I didn’t get any funky after taste from it.
Update: I have also tested this bread with whole wheat flour and got amazing results. I put that in the note section of the recipe.
If you go with the protein powder version: I tested this recipe with both a plant-based protein powder and a whey or dairy protein powder so that I could give you options! The protein powders I tested the recipe with were Aloha Vanilla Protein Powder (plant-based, no stevia) AND Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Honestly, I could not tell the difference between the two when tasting the final product. Both were amazing. If you try the protein version, be sure to let me know what kind of protein you end up using! I’d love to know.
This bread is soft, fluffy, moist and creates a beautiful golden crust. While the chocolate chips are absolutely necessary, they do enhance the sweetness (obviously?) and make it incredibly addicting. Serve it warm with a little slather of extra PB on top and I promise you’ll love me forever.
SEE HOW TO MAKE THE BREAD:
If you make this bread (or them into muffins), be sure to share a picture on Instagram and use the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen so I can see it! xo.
Grain Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread {2 different ways!}
Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1 slice (based on 12)
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 12.2g
- Carbohydrates: 14.5g
- Sugar: 8.8g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 8.7g
Recipe type: Grain Free, Bread, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded & squeezed of excess moisture
- 3/4 cup all natural creamy peanut butter*
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons packed coconut flour OR 2 scoops (about 1/2 cup) of protein powder of choice*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. (It’s easier to get out if you use parchment paper.)
- In a large bowl, mix shredded zucchini, peanut butter, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla with whisk until well combined and creamy. Stir in coconut flour OR protein powder (but not both!), baking soda and cinnamon. You can also add in a pinch of salt if your peanut butter wasn’t salted (mine was). Mix until just combined. Next, fold in chocolate chip reserving about a tablespoon for sprinkling on top.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top and sprinkle the tablespoon of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The bread will develop a nice brown crust, so don’t be nervous if you observe this while baking.
- Once done baking, remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Once cool enough, remove bread from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 12 delicious slices.
Here is the nutrition for the bread made with the coconut flour instead of protein powder based on 1 slice:
179 calories | 12.3g fat | 14.7g carbs | 2.8g fiber | 9.3g sugar | 5.2g proteinTo make these into muffins, use muffins liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-25 mins. Makes 12 muffins.
Most of the options for this bread can be found in the post text, but feel free to try this bread with almond butter instead of peanut butter if you would like a paleo version.
Please do not try and sub any flours for the coconut flour or protein powder, the recipe should be made as written. I did try this bread with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and it turned out lovely!
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