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.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
I want to make this bread but am afraid to go ahead because I don’t see baking powder in the recipe. isn’t it needed? thanks
We make this as written, baking powder is not needed.
Haven’t made it yet but it sounds good. Any changes for high altitude? Usually I have to add flour and increase liquid but I’m afraid to since this is very moist already.
I have not tried baking this at high altitude so I can’t say for sure Suzanne. Maybe another reader can offer some insights.
Delicious and the only changes I made was butter instead of oil melted and no nuts…. perfect Thanks it’s a keeper.
Easy and delicious! Thanks!
I’ve used the same recipe for over 30 years and thought I’d try this one. This is definitely the best. My husband said why did you do different? This is great!
Not sure what happened here. I made the recipe and it’s liquid in the middle and smells over cooked on the outside. I made a double batch and it’s ruined
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that Angie. When you made a double batch did you make it into 4 loaves? If you filled the pans extra then the outside would definitely cook faster than the inside.
2nd time making this…so delish…this time I added walnuts and raisins…my family loved it!
This was terrible
Not enough sugar ? Needs some brown sugar ?
Just awful
I made this today and felt like it needed brown sugar. Very dense and a bit bland. Maybe it will taste better tomorrow
Hello! I am wondering how many medium sized (just the regular store bought sized) zucchini would create the amount needed for the recipe?
Zucchini can vary in size but this should need 1-2 medium sized zucchini.
This was awesome. Quite a different recipe from others- (don’t drain the zucchini, uses lots of oil etc-) but is really great. Mine only needed 48 minutes! I added sliced almonds and craisins. The craisins plumped up and explains the timetable.
This WAS GREAT.
Holly I prepared this bread it was amazing. I prepare Christmas dinner for families in domestic violence shelters. I will make these for their Thanksgiving dinner in a few weeks. I am sure they will love it. @lifebloggingwithdamien
Very tasty zucchini bread. I did not use parchment paper, I always lightly grease my pans with crisco then dust the pan with a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Gives the bread a nice crust and releases from the pan easily. I also added dried craisins.
I do the same thing dust the bottom with flour and the sides with cinnamon sugar… taste great with banana blueberry bread with the cinnamon and sugar and wedges of banana across the top with the cinnamon sugar mix!
Makes a lot of Recipes taste great
So very moist and delicious. I didn’t have vegetable oil and used avacado oil. Also added dried cranberries and substituted one half cup brown sugar for the white.
I was wondering actually I’m going to try it use half brown sugar and half white
All I taste is baking soda. I had to throw it out. I thought 2 tsp was too much.
I thought so too.. it tasted salty to me. I’m thinking the 2 t b soda and a whole t of salt was a bit too much. Maybe reducing the salt to half a teaspoon. IDK. Anyone else experience this? Going to make a glaze for the top to hopefully camouflage that taste.
Delicious. I made muffins and they were perfect.
I combed the internet for recipes because this would be my first time making this bread. I highly recommend this recipe. I only had one loaf dish so I did the second portion in an 8×8. The 8×8 took about 50 minutes almost exactly and the regular loaf pan was closer to 65 minutes. I added a teaspoon of cardamom and reduced the sugar by a half cup. I think I could’ve used the sugar I left out. I did a half tsp of salt also as it’s kosher salt (many other recipes warned about the salt/grain size ratio). The parchment paper liner really helped. Overall, I think it’s a flexible recipe and even with my slight changes it turned out really nice! For my bread because it was slightly less moist and less sweet, a cube of butter would be perfect here. Go for it!
good recipe, but questioning the amount of oil used, can it be reduced and does zucchini need tk be squeezed of its moisture before adding?
Hi Susan, I have only tried the recipe with the amount of oil as written. And the zucchini does not need to be squeezed. Enjoy!
Most amazing and moist recipe. I’ve never tried such a more perfect zucchini bread recipe. Thank you.
can you use a bundt pan for the bread
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but other readers have had success using a bundt pan. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Alva!