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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The bread looked beautiful but as it was cooling the center collapsed. I didn’t understand because I had it in for an hour and stuck a knife in it to see if it was done. Barely anything was on the knife but I cut it in half and it was still raw inside. I but it back in the oven for almost another hour continually checking it. By the end it still wasn’t fully cooked in the center and the outside no longer had its soft crumble that it should have.
Oh no, how disappointing. I can’t say for sure what went wrong as you suggest that the bread didn’t fully cook although you baked it for two hours. Did you divide the batter over two 8×4-inch loaf pans?
I just want the best classic Zucchini. bread recipe.
Super tasty! addictive in fact! crunchy crust, soft insides! ooooohhh I need another piece right now. Added extra vanilla, raisins and more cinnamon but that’s just my taste bud loves.
great recipe, I change it up by adding sultanas, using different spices, like ginger or nutmeg and making a Philli cheese icing instead of buttering the slices. Love the walnuts but just as nice without them.
Just beware of how juicy your grated Zucchini is and if you need to drain some excess liquid off.
Can frozen zucchini be used? If frozen, does it need to be squeezed before using?
Yes Ravenn, that will work just fine. I would thaw and drain before using. Enjoy!
I alway make a recipe once following the recipe exactly, then I make modifications based on my taste, this recipe lends itself to modifications and it is very forgiving, here are the modifications I made to this one:
1. Backed off on the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, only because I’m sensitive to salt.
2. I used 1 cup of sugar plus about an additional 1/4 cup of brown sugar, just to see what would happen. Not sure if it’s because of the brown sugar, but the bread had a very nice chewy/crunchy crust.
3. Instead of 3/4 c oil, I used one 4 oz cup of apple sauce, put it into my liquid measuring cup and filled the rest with oil. I’m also sensitive to fat.
4. Finally, I shred all my leftover zucchini (using the food processor) from summer and put 2 cups into ziplock bags and freeze. When it’s time to make this recipe it’s really easy to toss the thawed zucchini (with all the liquid) into the mixing bowl.
This is a very good recipe made just the way it’s written, but will be just as good with any number of modifications as you might do to satisfy your tastes.
Perfect every time. No need to modify a thing. Dont even need a mixer. Love it
This zucchini bread is so good, especially if you use whole wheat flour. You can make it into muffins for breakfast!
how long do I bake using mini loaf pan
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Teresa, but I think this recipe would work well in mini loaves. I would bake it at the same temperature and the time will depend on how small the loaves are and you will want to cook until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!
Just made this. The batter tastes super salty! Hopefully it will be less salty once it bakes.
The preparation time with shredding the zucchini is longer than 15 minutes. Otherwise excellent recipe.
This is now my go-to Z bread recipe. Not a big fan of walnuts in my bread, we tried it without, and then with raisins. I have another recipe that calls for maraschinos, but whatever variation, this is my current favorite. Don’t tell my mother. :)
Best cake I’ve ever made!
Just wondering why the suggestion to use Saran Wrap and aluminum foil to freeze? Why not freezer bags?
Thanks
Freezer bags will work just fine Mark, I would try to get most of the air out of the bag for best results. Enjoy!
Great recipe! This Zucchini bread is excellent with cream cheese.
There used to be a joke about people growing so much Zucchini that they would leave it in your car if u left your doors unlocked!
The best way to give people zucchini is in bread. I had many co-workers that would never eat Zucchini; but once they tried the Zucchini bread, they were hooked!!!
Thanks Holly This turned out great.
Can you add some pineapple to the recipe?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Barb. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
could you use butter instead if vegetable oil? would the measurement be the same?
I have only tried the recipe as written so I can’t say for sure Brit but that should work just fine. I would try a 1:1 substitute. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This recipe is very good I think. I made a regular loaf, and also a 2×4 (8 mini loaf) tin. I have gas oven. I cooked the mini’s for 25 min and the big loaf for about 40 min. I used chopped pecans. Very tastey! I used my mom’s frozen shredded zucchini (from a ginormous piece!) from her garden last summer, which was a little frost bitten by looks of it, but it doesn’t taste weird. Thank you for a solid recipe. If one is trying to cut back on sugar, I think you could get away with halfing it.
Is there a way to add protein powder? Have tried the recipe several times and it’s great! Just wanting to increase protein intake.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jessica. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I changed up the recipe quite a bit but it turned out amazing! for anyone wanting to reduce carbs:
instead of 2 cups AP flour I did 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup almon flour
instead of 1.5 cups sugar, I did 1 cup sugar and quarter cup brown sugar
pressed in frozen banana slices and walnuts
really didn’t think it would turn out as irresistible with the reduced sugar and almond flour but it did!!!
Works out well every time!