Our recipe for Zucchini Bread is a MUST TRY! Uses fresh grated zucchini, along with classic ingredients including brown sugar, olive oil, eggs, cinnamon & nutmeg. Moist & flavorful!
Zucchini Bread is the perfect way to use up all that zucchini in the garden! My squash plants have not been as fruitful this year, but even so, I suddenly find myself with a lot of zucchini! As a matter of fact, I look forward to it each year so that I can fill my freezer with loaves of this delicious zucchini bread. I can’t remember where the original recipe came from, but I have changed it over the years. This produces the Best Ever Zucchini Bread. Try it- you will love it.
Spiced Zucchini Bread Ingredients
Sugar: You will need 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar to add a bit of sweetness to this bread.
Eggs: Use 3 eggs to help bind the dough together well for this recipe.
Light Olive oil: Using 1 cup oil (you can substitute applesauce for ½ the oil) will help give great moisture to this treat.
Vanilla extract: You need 3 teaspoons vanilla extract to help enhance all the wonderful flavors.
Flour: Use 3 cups all-purpose flour for the base of this bread recipe.
Seasonings: You will need 1 tsp nutmeg, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt for a perfect combination of flavors in this delicious bread.
Leavening agents: Using 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda will help the bread to rise properly.
Zucchini: You need 2 cups grated zucchini for an amazing blend of sweet and savory flavors (you can add a little more, I always do!)
Nuts: Use 1 cup chopped walnuts for a wonderful balance of crunchy texture in this recipe.
Tips for Making Fantastic Zucchini Bread
Quick bread requires no yeast, but instead uses other ingredients for leavening. You want the bread to be soft, tender and moist with great flavor. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that:
Make sure it’s fully baked! Most quick breads need to be baked until 200°F. I like to use a cooking thermometer and insert it at an angle pointing towards the middle of the bread- which is the part that bakes last. If it’s not fully baked, the loaf will sink in the middle. I had no idea the pan you use makes such a difference too! I prefer glass or ceramic bread pans, but you can read all about the best bread pan.
Don’t use an electric mixer! Just mix by hand in a mixing bowl with a whisk or even a spoon. When you overmix quick bread, the bread is tough and doesn’t rise as well. It’s almost impossible to not overmix the batter if you use an electric mixer.
Don’t feel like you have to whisk out all the lumps! Most quick bread has something in it that helps the bread be moist and flavorful. So mix just to combine, then let it be.
Let the batter sit before baking. I swear by this! Just mix all the required ingredients by hand, then let the batter sit for a good 5-10 minutes. The flavors meld and the batter rests, and the result is a higher rise once baked and a delightful crumb.
Remember: quick bread is generally EVEN BETTER TASTING the next day! So make a loaf in the evening, then enjoy it for breakfast the next day!
How to Handle the Zucchini — The Most Important Step
This is the step that separates a perfect loaf from a dense, wet, never-quite-cooked-through disaster, so pay attention here.
Zucchini is mostly water. After you grate it, if you just let it sit in the bowl for 5-10 minutes you’ll start to see liquid pooling at the bottom — that’s how much moisture is hiding in there. Too much of that liquid in your batter and the bread won’t set properly in the center, no matter how long you bake it.
How to squeeze out the excess moisture:
The easiest method is to grab a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth, pile the grated zucchini in the center, gather the edges, and twist and squeeze firmly over the sink until no more liquid comes out. You can also press it firmly into a fine mesh strainer in batches. Either way, squeeze harder than you think you need to — you can’t over-squeeze zucchini for this recipe.
One important note: zucchini from your garden has significantly more water content than zucchini from the grocery store. If you’re using garden-fresh zucchini in peak summer, squeeze it twice. Grocery store zucchini is usually drier and easier to work with.
How much zucchini do you need?
This recipe calls for 2 cups of grated zucchini, which works out to about 2 medium zucchini. Medium zucchini are roughly 6-8 inches long — the sweet spot for flavor and water content. Very large zucchini (the ones that sneak up on you in the garden and turn into baseball bats overnight) have more seeds and higher water content, and the flavor can be slightly more bitter. Use them if that’s what you have, but squeeze extra thoroughly.
Do I Need to Peel the Zucchini?
Nope — and this is one of the best things about zucchini bread. Just wash the zucchini well, cut off both ends, and grate the whole thing, skin and all. The peel is thin and tender and completely disappears into the bread as it bakes. The only evidence it was ever there is the pretty little flecks of green throughout each slice, which is part of the charm. No peeling, no extra dishes, no fuss.
How to know if the bread is done
Your bread should register about 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer to ensure that it has been cooked fully. Not only that but the top should appear to be a nice golden brown color and as the bread cools, it shouldn’t sink, but should instead remain well-shaped with a rounded top.
Troubleshooting — Why Did My Zucchini Bread Come Out Wrong?
This is such a reliable, forgiving recipe that most problems trace back to one of a handful of fixable things:
The center is raw or sunken. Almost always means too much moisture in the batter — the zucchini wasn’t squeezed enough. The fix for next time is to squeeze more aggressively. For the loaf in front of you right now: tent it loosely with foil to prevent the top from over-browning and return it to the oven in 10-minute increments. The most reliable way to know when zucchini bread is truly done is an instant-read thermometer — the center should read 200°F. Don’t trust a toothpick alone here, because the moisture from the zucchini can make a toothpick come out clean even when the center isn’t fully set.
The bread is too dense. Overmixing is the culprit. Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry, stir just until combined — a few streaks of flour in the batter are completely fine and actually desirable. The more you stir, the more gluten develops and the denser and tougher the finished bread will be. Stir, stop, pour, bake. Remember to NOT use an electric mixer! That will almost always guarantee that you’ll over mix the batter.
The bread didn’t rise properly. Check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda. Leaveners lose their potency over time and expired ones are the number one reason quick breads come out flat and heavy. To test baking soda, drop a small amount into a bowl of vinegar — it should bubble vigorously immediately. To test baking powder, drop a small amount into hot water — same thing. If either one just sits there, it’s time for a new container.
The bread is too wet even after a long bake time. The zucchini released too much moisture into the batter despite squeezing. This can happen with particularly watery garden zucchini or in humid climates. Next time, squeeze more thoroughly and consider adding an extra 2-3 tablespoons of flour to the batter. You can also let the squeezed zucchini sit on a paper towel-lined plate for a few minutes after squeezing to absorb any remaining surface moisture before adding it to the batter.
The bread tastes flat or bland. Under-seasoned quick bread is a common issue. Make sure your cinnamon is fresh — ground spices lose potency after 6-12 months and old cinnamon tastes like almost nothing. Also make sure you used both white and brown sugar as written — the brown sugar adds a depth of flavor that white sugar alone doesn’t provide. And don’t skip the vanilla, even if it seems like a small amount.
Can I make this vegan? Yes — several readers have done it successfully. Replace each egg with a flax egg: stir 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes until it becomes gel-like. Use one flax egg per egg in the recipe. The texture will be very slightly denser but the flavor is completely intact. The oil in the recipe is already dairy-free, so no other substitutions are needed.
BEST BREAD PAN?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
Viral Zucchini Bread recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup light olive oil you can substitute applesauce for 1/2 the oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Grease two 8 x 4 inch pans or 6 mini loaf plans. Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Next, in a separate small bowl, beat the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and sugars together.
- Then, add the wet ingredients to the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- After that, grate the zucchini using a box grater. Add to the bread batter, along with the nuts, until well combined. Let batter sit 5-10 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, filling them about ⅔ full.
- Place bread into the oven and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. My mini-loaf pans take about 35-40 minutes. Large sized loaves take about 55 minutes.
- Cool in the pan on rack a for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Zucchini Bread Variations — Ways to Make This Recipe Your Own
This recipe is the perfect canvas for mix-ins and variations. The base batter is sturdy enough to handle a full cup of add-ins without affecting the bake time or texture significantly.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread — fold in 1 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips along with the zucchini. This is the most popular variation by a mile and it’s easy to see why — the warm cinnamon spice against the chocolate is incredible. Mini chips distribute more evenly throughout the loaf if you have them.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread — replace ½ cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder and add ½ cup of chocolate chips. The zucchini keeps it incredibly moist and you’d never guess there’s a vegetable in there.
Zucchini Bread with Walnuts or Pecans — roughly chop ¾ cup of walnuts or pecans and fold in with the zucchini. Toast them first in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes until fragrant — it makes a noticeable difference in flavor. Pecans give a slightly sweeter, butterier result than walnuts.
Raisin Zucchini Bread — soak 1 cup of raisins in warm water for 10 minutes before adding to the batter so they stay plump and soft during baking rather than drying out. One of our readers makes this version every single time and swears by it.
Lemon Zucchini Bread — add the zest of two lemons to the batter and substitute lemon extract for half the vanilla. The brightness of the lemon against the warm spices is a surprising and delicious combination. A simple lemon glaze drizzled over the cooled loaf takes it over the top.
Cream Cheese Swirl — beat 4 oz of softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 egg yolk until smooth. Pour the zucchini bread batter into the prepared pans, dollop the cream cheese mixture over the top, and use a knife to swirl it gently through the batter. The cream cheese bakes into a rich, tangy ribbon through the center of each slice.
Zucchini Muffins — the same batter makes excellent muffins. Fill lined muffin cups ⅔ full and bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes. Makes about 24 standard muffins — perfect for school lunches, freezing individually, or bringing to a neighbor.
Want even more zucchini bread ideas? We have a whole collection of variations on the site — our Pudding Zucchini Bread uses vanilla pudding mix for an incredibly soft texture, Pineapple Zucchini Bread adds tropical sweetness, Zucchini Banana Bread combines two classics in one loaf, and our Zucchini Cheddar Bread is a savory version that’s incredible alongside soup. And when zucchini season really hits, our Easy Zucchini Recipes roundup has everything you need to use up the whole harvest.
Storing this Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe
After the bread has cooled, store it in a gallon size ziplock bag or similarly sized airtight container. We bake bread often, so I purchased bread bags and love them!
Can this recipe for zucchini bread be frozen?
I love freezing loaves of zucchini bread! How you prepare zucchini bread for freezing really depends on how long you intent to keep it frozen. If you just want to freeze it for a week or two, I’d wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and place the loaf in a large freezer ziplock bag. Most often, when I bake zucchini bread to freeze it, I’ll bake mini loaves so that they fit in the ziplock bag easier. If you want to freeze it for 2-3 months, I’d wrap it more securely, making sure it’s airtight and wrapping it in a double layer of foil or plastic wrap, then place it in a ziplock bag.
How do you make Healthy Zucchini Bread?
If you’d like to make a few changes to my recipe to make a healthier version of zucchini bread, I’ve got great news- this recipe is incredibly versatile! I suggest leaving out the 1 cup of white sugar, replacing half or all of the oil with apple sauce and using half whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose. Then you’ll have a traditional healthy zucchini bread recipe!
Can zucchini bread be made into muffins?
Zucchini bread muffins are our favorite muffins! Simply use my recipe above, then spoon 3 tablespoons of batter into each greased or lined muffin cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes. There are several benefits of making zucchini bread into muffins. First, I like that they cook faster! Where a full loaf of zucchini bread bakes for up to an hour, zucchini muffins bake for only 20 minutes, which is a fraction of the time. They’re also easy to freeze! I like to bake a batch of zucchini muffins and then freeze them just in a layer in a large ziplock freezer bag. I pull them out one or two at a time for breakfast. You can let them thaw on the countertop, or you can microwave them or toast them to heat them up. Yum!
Why does my zucchini bread fall in the middle?
Here’s how to help your zucchini bread not sink in the middle after it’s baked. This happens to me occasionally too! Often it’s because I’ve over mixed the batter. Quick bread (referring to a bread recipe that doesn’t use yeast) does not like to be stirred too much, so try to just barely mix all the ingredients together. Another culprit could be overfilling the pan. The bread pan should be only half full each time. The recipe below makes 2 loaves of bread, or you can make 1 loaf of bread and 3 mini loaves… or 6 mini loaves. As always, make sure your baking soda isn’t too old- it should only be on your shelf for 6-9 months before purchasing new. Lastly, make sure your bread is fully cooked. Uncooked batter in the middle of the loaf will cause bread to sink.
Your bread should register about 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer to ensure that it has been cooked fully. Not only that but the top should appear to be a nice golden brown color and as the bread cools, it shouldn’t sink, but should instead remain well-shaped with a rounded top.
For the love of homemade bread
Once you make one loaf of homemade bread, you’ll be hooked and want more! Our Buttermilk Bread is always a big hit, as is our Soft White Bread which is perfect for sandwiches.
If you love banana bread like we do, you’ll want to try our White Chocolate Banana Bread as well as our Caramel Banana Nut Bread. Yum!
Zucchini bread is a classic! We have so many incredible variations- Pineapple Zucchini Bread has great flavor, this moist zucchini bread is made with pudding mix & how about our savory Cheddar Zucchini Bread!
Come Fall, baking apple breads is just tradition! Our Dutch Apple Bread is always amazing, as is our Caramel Apple Bread. Happy Baking!
Stacey says
What did you use to line the pan?
Jessica says
I use parchment paper! https://amzn.to/2KlSoFC
Gillian Collins says
I’ve never had zucchini bread, but this recipe was AMAZING! If this is how all zucchini bread tastes, I am hooked! It was easy to make and made a LOT of it. And by the way, I hate zucchini. Kudos to whoever made this recipe!!
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it! Zucchini bread is the only way I’ll eat zucchini too! 😉
Carl says
I made it and added chocolate chips, coconut, chia seed and hemp seed. Was a hit. I used a very good olive oil for 1/2 C and apple sauce for other 1/2C.
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Carl! All of those add-ins are great ideas!
Amy says
Unfortunately this did not come out as hoped, it was not dense and delicious. Followed the recipe to a tee with no substitutions. I knew I was not going to have the end result I remembered my mom having when the batter was more like dough. After this I checked other recipes and I found that they didn’t included baking powder AND as much flour. If you like “cakey” zucchini bread this is for you, if you want a dense moist bread that melts in your mouth, try a recipe without baking powder and a bit less than 3 cups of flour. Sorry.
Jessica says
Did you read my notes about the water content of different types of zucchini? And that letting the dough sit for 10 minutes or so helps?
Alyssa says
I really want to try this!! I don’t have zucchini, but I do have yellow squash. I wonder if I could substitute it for the zucchini? Any thoughts?
Jessica says
You can- I just try and pick the seeds out since they tend to be larger than in a zucchini.
Carlee says
Could I make this in a 8×8 square pan? How long would I bake it for?
Jessica says
It’d likely bake in shorter time. Try 45 minutes, then test for doneness using a cooking thermometer. It needs to register 195-200 degrees F to be done.
Carey says
This really is the best ever zucchini bread. My SO said that it was better than Mom’s banana bread – *that* is a high compliment! Thank you for this recipe.
Jessica says
You’re welcome! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy it! Thank you so much!!
Penny Steinberg says
If I only have one zucchini in the house, can I use it to make a single loaf by cutting your recipe in half?
What is your advise?
Alison says
Penny, that should work great!
Melissa says
Delicious! I did use the applesauce then also added a just under half a cup of mini chocolate chips. The kids love this moist bread! Thank you.
Nellie says
Chocolate chips are always a good idea!
Vera says
Mine was really sick how do you make it to where it’s not so thick what can I add Or take away
Jessica says
Often if you let the batter sit for 10 minutes or so, the grated zucchini releases more water. However if you bought your zucchini from a grocery store, this might not happen. You can add 1/2 cup milk or just bake it!
Afua says
cut the recipe in half and it came out great. only issue was needing 1.5 eggs lol so I used 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk, then saved the egg white for breakfast 🙂
Alison says
Brilliant! Glad it worked out for you 🙂
Robin Frank says
this bread is WAY too dry! I followed the recipe exactly…very sad, as I was looking forward to having some to freeze. Not worth saving.
Kat says
I followed this recipe and it is so dry. Any way to fix this?
Jessica says
Zucchini has varying levels of water. Add a bit of milk to the batter next time until it’s the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Dawn Bliesener says
I am not confident..I am thinking I will have the same experience as you. This was a MUCH thicker batter than I am used to and before baking I couldn’t come up with a way to thin it..Now that I am sitting thinking I could have added some yogurt perhaps..
I’m reserving judgment and hope I am wrong!
Kim Raymond says
It is a good recipe, but the reason it is dry is because you are not adding the liquid from the grated zucchini. This will help immensely. I also reduced the white sugar by 1/2 cup.
Uzoma says
I had never eaten or baked zucchini bread before. While buying zucchini for a Mediterranean dish, I was made aware zucchini could be used in bread. Your recipe is the first one I found and tried. I made mine vegan, substituting flax seed for eggs. I also made other adjustments based on what I have at home: only brown sugar, almond extract, and 50:50 ratio of coconut and vegetable oils. Loved, loved, loved it! Thanks for the recipe
Kaylie says
So glad you liked it! Thank you, Uzoma!
Steven says
We were hoping this recipe would get us through the weekend. We followed the instructions with half applesauce. As the oven was about half way through the bake cycle we realized that we were in trouble. The smell was just so unbelievable. Waiting 20 minutes for the loafs to cool down wasn’t gonna happen, nor did it happen. After 5 minutes we served up out plates and put a nice big slice of butter over the top. A few minutes later, as we headed back for seconds, we realized this wasn’t going to last long. An entire half loaf vanished before our eyes. The good news to report here is that the flavor was just as awesome as the smell while baking it. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe.
Alison says
Steven, we have decided that the speed of disappearance is a good indicator of taste! So glad you enjoyed this one!
nilia says
loved it. My first time ever making this. How do you store it?
Jessica says
So glad you liked it!! You’ll store bread in an airtight container. I bought bread bags off Amazon. https://amzn.to/33GlGrm
Danelle says
Omg!!! Craving for zucchini bread for a while and wanted to try it homemade. Came across this recipe and wow! I must say delish!!! Super yummy and easy too make !
Alison says
I regularly crave Zucchini Bread too! Glad this could hit the spot for you!
Kim Wu says
It came out moist for sure, however, the center was undercooked, so I think it was my pan. Also, can this recipe be used for bread machine? Or what do I need to adjust?
Thank you!!
Nellie says
I’ve never used a bread machine for quick breads before – they don’t require much mixing, so I would probably just make as directed for best results.
Kim says
Thanks, Nellie!! I actually went ahead and used my bread machine today to make this. It came out a bit dense and dry 😕
Nellie says
Oh, bummer! Well, now we know what happens-thanks for letting us know!
Jillian says
Just want to confirm it’s one teaspoon of nutmeg? It’s indicated as tsp here, but all other instructions don’t abbreviate. Thanks!
Nellie says
Yep, 1 teaspoon is correct!
KFranklin says
Love this zucchini bread recipe…have baked these four times!
Alison says
We make it often too! I’m so glad you are enjoying it!
Laura says
I’ve tried this twice. Wrung out the zucchini and all. Both times it still wasn’t cooked through after an hour and 30 min. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. It tastes good but the edges are a little too well done because I had to cook for so long.
Jessica says
What size of bread pan are you using? It sounds like yours is an 8″. Next time, divide the dough into 2 bread pans and see if that helps. Sounds like your loaf is really thick.
John says
Your oven may not be calibrated correctly
Dawn Bliesener says
I think you are having what I am about to have. The batter was far too thick. I have the feeling in an hour or so this is gonna be like a rock. AND YES I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE TO A TEE! And my oven is just fine thank you very much!
Jessica says
Did you read what I wrote about moisture in the zucchini? It varies! Add a bit of milk, problem solved.
Maria says
Best honesty family favorite making it tomorrow!!
Alison says
Thank you Maria! Our family devours this one too!
Lisa says
Holy @$#%^!! This really is the best ever! My family gobbled this up. With 2 cups of sugar, however, it is no wonder. I’m going to try the “healthy” variation next.
Nellie says
The healthier variation is good too, I promise! 😉