Perfect every single time, this is the best zucchini bread we’ve ever had!
An extra moist quick bread recipe with a warm cinnamon flavor (and a handful of nuts if you’d like)!
The zucchini in this loaf keeps the bread moist and light while adding the perfect texture! Much like Banana Bread, this quick bread is even better on day 2!
Here’s Why We Can’t Get Enough
Zucchini is great for baking and can be added to brownies, cakes, muffins, or add it to pumpkin bread.
- Zucchini contains a lot of water keeping baked goods extra moist.
- Don’t worry, you can’t taste the zucchini in this recipe!
- This recipe freezes well and keeps for a few days.
- This zucchini bread recipe makes two loaves, so it’s perfect to make one to enjoy and one to give away (or freeze).
How to Prepare Zucchini for Bread
Most recipes call for grated zucchini, which is as simple as grabbing a cheese grater and getting to work!
To Peel or Not to Peel?
It is not necessary to peel zucchini when you’re making a zucchini loaf. Zucchini skin is thin and softens while baking and it is not noticeable in flavor or texture in the loaf. The skin also contains lots of vitamins and minerals.
To Grate Zucchini for Bread
Grate zucchini with the larger size of a box grater or food processor (don’t dice or chop it). You want shreds of moisture in every bite! Once grated, if can be added to the batter, do not squeeze the zucchini dry.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
Like most quick bread recipes, this is easy to make and requires just a few minutes to prep. I line my loaf pans with parchment paper to make the bread extra easy to remove.
- Grate Zucchini: Use the larger side of a box grater to shred zucchini.
- Prep Wet & Dry Ingredients: Combine wet ingredients & dry ingredients in separate bowls (per recipe below).
- Combine. Stir wet and dry ingredients just until moistened.
- Bake. Pour into prepared pans and bake.
Serve it with apple butter, icing, strawberry butter, jam, or honey butter.
Variations
- add chopped walnuts or pecans
- swap the cinnamon for other warm spices like pumpkin pie spice or add a pinch of nutmeg
- dried cranberries or raisins are a great addition
- swap out the walnuts for chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
Tips for Great Bread
- Ensure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk, this acts a bit like sifting the flour
- Cooking times can vary slightly so be sure to check the bread early.
- Bake just until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Small to medium zucchinis (or even summer squash) work best, larger zucchini may need to be seeded (and peeled if the skin is tough).
To Freeze or Store
Keep zucchini bread on the counter for up to 2 days. It’s very moist so if you’ll be keeping it longer you’ll want to freeze it.
Freezer: Like most quick bread, you can freeze zucchini bread. Be sure to cool completely first. Freeze it in slices wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freezing in slices makes it easy to thaw just as much as you’d like to eat.
More Zucchini Favorites
- Easy Baked Zucchini – Popular
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread
- Zucchini Brownies with 1 Minute Frosting – Chocolate fix fave!
- Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Easy dinner!
- Grilled Zucchini – Quick side.
- Crispy Zucchini Fries (oven baked) – fave summer snack.
The Best Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups zucchini grated/shredded
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Prepare two 8×4 loaf pans with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the zucchini, oil, and vanilla and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Add the walnuts and mix till just combined.
- Divide evenly over the prepared pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Can you use Almond Flour instead of All purpose Flour and Monk Fruit sugar for regular sugar?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say if it would work. Let us know how it goes!
nice flavor. light. and easy.
Perfect. I used 1C sugar and 1/2C dark brown sugar. Plus I added chopped almonds and some raisins soaked in amoretto. I’m making my second batch a week later – VERY popular in my house!
Is this the baking soda a typo? With no acid in the recipe to activate it and create gas, there is no rise. I ended up with two flat loaves and realized while I was putting it in the oven that it wasn’t going to rise. The recipe should call for baking powder if you’re not also adding something else acidic to the recipe.
How disappointing it didn’t work out for you Emma. The recipe is correct as written and most readers have had great success. I can’t say for sure what happened as I haven’t experienced the same problem.
I made this recipe exactly as written and for me it was a bit oily and a bit too sweet, so, I used 1/2 cup oil and a bit less sugar and it was perfect for me. This is a very good guideline for zucchini bread hence the 5 star review, you can alter it to what is right for your family such as using pecans instead of walnuts. I froze a bunch of zucchini in 2 cup freezer bags and used those for this latest batch of bread. I did not remeasure it, I did not drain it, I used it exactly as it came out of the bag and my bread turned out moist and beautiful even with the reduced oil.
I made this once, not sure what to expect and WOW! This is amazing! I shredded and froze packages of zucchini from my garden (thank goodness it was a great harvest this year!) and now I’m making this almost weekly. My husband loves it in his lunches and I just love it all the time. This is one of the most amazing recipes I’ve ever come across online. Thank you so much!
very good
Amazing! I also make banana bread with this recipe just replacing 2c of mashed banana, delicious either way
I followed this recipe quite closely. But the breads barely rose for me. I think it needs baking powder!
Did it with 3/4 cup of sugar. It was just about right amount for us to make it sweet enough.
We haven’t had this issue so I can’t say for sure why the flavor of your bread was off.
I discovered your site and fell in love; what a great place to find great recipes.
This Zucchini Loaf is the best; didn’t have enough walnut; added 1/4 cup dried cranberries. It is moist and tasty good; love that you can make 2 and freeze one.
I have a few more on my list to try out.
I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes Rita!
Absolutely fabulous recipe!
Because of my own needs, I halved the sugar and added dried cranberries and shredded coconut. I used coconut oil for the vegetable oil. So moist and delicious. Holly, you nailed it!
* I mistakenly used baking powder instead of soda and it came out perfect.
I read through a million recipes and glad I chose this one. I did add more cinnamon and vanilla, plus I added pecans with the suggested walnuts and it turned out great!
I have made it a few times now and substitute 1/2 the oil with applesauce. Love it.
This is the best recipe. we added chocolate chips. So very yummy!
Great addition, Joy!
I cut the sugar back to ~3/4 cup. I also ended up using one pan (one of those weird long, skinny IKEA bread pans) and it worked out well. The top of the bread had a slight crunch to it that was delicious and the inside was super moist. Will definitely make again!
I think it tatstes oily. Too much oul
This is delicious! For my sweetbread recipes I always sub unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. The osmotic properties of the apple keeps the bread moist and eliminates all fat except what’s in the eggs, and I use pasture raised free range chicken eggs so the carotenoids in the yolks are about double the usual grocery store eggs. I wasn’t sure how it would work here but no issues! I didn’t have any walnuts, but added some green roasted pumpkin seeds and it’s a hit!
Excellent! This is my new go to recipe for zucchini bread!
Recipe worked great with the 2 the 4×8 pans. Used 3/4c packed brown sugar + 1/4c white sugar bc I prefer slightly sweet quick breads; less nuts as well; and a cap full of butter extract for more flavor. Food processor grater was quick for zucchini. Would def make again! Thnx!
I made this exactly as written. Absolutely delicious. Second time I made it I added raisins as suggested by Holly. Still absolutely scrumptious. Easy peasy and definitely a keeper!