Moist and delicious, this has been dubbed the best zucchini bread by so many people!
This zucchini bread recipe make two loaves that are extra moist with a warm cinnamon flavor (and a handful of nuts if you’d like)!
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Here’s Why We Can’t Get Enough…
- Adding shredded zucchini to bread makes baking extra moist.
- It’s easy to make with ingredients you likely have on hand.
- This zucchini bread recipe freezes well or keeps for a few days on the counter.
- 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
Peeling zucchini: There is no need to peel medium or small zucchini as the skin is very thin and will not add noticeable flavor or texture. If you’re using an extra large zucchini from the garden, it can be peeled and the seeds should be removed by scraping with a spoon.
Grating zucchini: This recipe uses grated zucchini. Use the larger holes on a box grater or a food processor grater (don’t dice or chop it). Once grated, do not squeeze the zucchini dry, as the liquid keeps it moist.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
Like most quick bread recipes, this zucchini loaf is easy to make and requires just a few minutes of prep time. 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 and dry ingredients in separate bowls (recipe below).
- Combine: Stir wet and dry ingredients just until moistened.
- Bake: Pour into prepared pans and bake.
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 The Best Zucchini Bread
- Small to medium zucchinis (or even summer squash) work best.
- Ensure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk, this acts a bit like sifting the flour.
- Do not overmix.
- Cooking times can vary slightly, so be sure to check the bread early and bake just until a toothpick comes out clean.
Freezing and Storage
You can store zucchini bread on the counter for up to 2 days. It’s very moist, so if you’ll be keeping it longer than 2 days, refrigerate or freeze it.
Freezer: Like most quick bread, zucchini bread can be frozen. 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 Treats
Did you make this homemade Zucchini Bread? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini about 2 small
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease two 8×4-inch loaf pans or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt with a whisk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the grated zucchini, oil, and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and the walnuts to the zucchini mixture. Gently stir just until combined.
- Divide the batter 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
- This recipe should be baked in 8×4-inch loaf pans (not 9×5-inch pans).
- Use the larger side of a box grater to shred the zucchini. There is no need to peel it first unless it is a very large garden zucchini with thick skin.
- If the zucchini is extra large (from the garden), you may need to scrape out some of the seeds with a spoon.
- Do not squeeze the zucchini dry, moisture is needed for this bread.
- Store zucchini bread at room temperature for up to 2 days. It’s very moist so if you’ll be keeping it longer you’ll want to refrigerate or freeze it.
- To freeze, cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic, then place in zip freezer bag for up to a year.
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.
I just made a bunch of zucchini bread for my coworkers & they love it!!! I haven’t even had a chance to taste it yet g they’re raving about it. Thank u so much for a terrific recipe!
Outstanding and very easy. My first zucchini bread but it won’t be the last.
looks very good. hope I can make it. I’ve never made this kind before.
It’s easy and so good Karen. I’m sure you’ll make a great loaf!
soooo good!! warm with butter…..will definitely make again!!
zucchini bread is my husband’s favorite. this is the first recipe that I enjoyed too as it was not too sweet. wonderful!
Hi Holly, this is a really good recipe. I did read reviews from others and decided to use 1 teaspoon of baking soda instead of 2 and the zucchini bread didn’t miss it. I also used a cube (1/2 cup) unsalted butter and 1/4 c. of applesauce instead of the oil. It made 4 mini loaves.
Is it right to rate you even if I tweaked the recipe? I don’t know, I didn’t want to mark you down for it. Also I wanted a place to let others know what I tried and it works!! xoxo
Thank you so much for sharing your experience Laurie! I am so glad you are enjoyed the recipe!
What type of pan is best to bake the zucchini bread in?
I use 2 standard 8×4 inch loaf pans.
good morning,’
Thank you for the recipe, it is the best Zucchini bread I’ve ever had!!
I did cut back on the cinnamon and used less than one tablespoon.
Other than that I didn’t change anything.
Just wonderful!!!
Thank you, Betty Pavik
This was terrific! I made one loaf with Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour for a gluten free loaf and it was delicious!
Best zucchini bread ever. No joke!
I’ve made with regular flour and also gluten free Bob’s Red Mill Baking 1:1 baking flour. Awesome either way.
I have made this recipe multiple times. moist and yummy bread. just make sure you bake it completely
Have you tried this in mini loaves? If so, how many mini loaves did you fill? How full? Cooking time?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jackie, 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!
Delicious! So moist, I added almonds and did 4 mini loaves and a full loaf. 40 minutes for the minis was perfect.
the absolute best zucchini bread I have ever tasted, thank you
I love this recipe! I just wondered if there should be baking powder in it as well? I found that my bread was a little flat. I’m surprised it came out as well as it did without it.
So glad to hear that you love this zucchini bread Pam! I do not use baking powder in this recipe.
This bread has too much baking soda and the proportions are off. I didn’t like it.
I have to agree. My husband and I think it isn’t bad. Our child loves it, though. It’s definitely too much baking soda. That’s mostly what I taste.
Made this last night before zucchini went bad. My husband does not like zucchini but he has a sweet tooth and has not stopped raving about it!! Thank you for helping him to eat his veggies. Lol
Loved this recipe . I used some brown sugar in place of regular sugar and used my own mixture of fall spices in addition to cinnamon (half cinnamon/half blend). Not a nut fan so omitted them .
Fantastic recipe. The zucchini bread turned out wonderful! It was super easy to make, simple amount of ingredients and very well explained. Kudos to Spend Pennies.
I lost my zucchini bread recipe so I tried this one. The ingredients seemed the same but the taste did not. I suspect it called for too much baking soda. One teaspoon of bathing soda was probably enough. The taste was very salty and I suspect that was the reason. Also, the time for baking stated 50 to 60 minutes. My bread was fully baked and a little burnt after 47 minutes.
I’ve been using this recipe for zucchini bread for years. It is truly THE BEST recipe! Perfection! I sometimes use half light brown sugar and half white and always sprinkle the tops with a sugar-cinnamon mixture before baking. Oh, and your Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes recipe is the bomb! I made them for the first time last night. Scrumptious! I will definitely be making Spend With Pennies my go-to recipe site!
Thank you so much for the kind words Debbie, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes.
Tried growing zucchini for the first year in my garden and making this bread. Absolutely delicious! I was wondering what a healthier alternative would be for the vegetable oil. Canola oil? Or applesauce and an oil split?
I have only tried the recipe as written Lindsey, so I can’t say for sure. Some readers have tried an applesauce and oil split with great success. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
It was very good but I added a couple of extra spices & 2 types of nuts which gave it a rich flavor.
you can do half coconut oil half olive oil or do all butter!