Our Best Ever Zucchini Bread recipe is a MUST TRY! This popular zucchini quick bread recipe is easy to make and has the perfect blend of delicious spices.
This moist zucchini bread recipe is a great way to use up all those zucchini from your garden. This delicious zucchini bread is packed with so many delicious ingredients and it tastes amazing!
Easy Zucchini Bread
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.
Moist 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.
- Vegetable oil: Using 1 cup vegetable 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.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
Prep
Grease two 8 x 4 inch bread pans or 6 mini loaf plans, set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Bread dough
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 dough mixture, along with the nuts, until well combined.
Proceed to pour the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake
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.
When done cooking, cool in the pan on rack a for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
Slice, serve & enjoy! 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 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.
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!
Easy Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable 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 you can add a little more, I always do!
- 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.
- Proceed to pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- 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. (See below for my method on making sure loaves are completely cooked!)
- When done cooking, 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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Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe FAQ
I plan on 1 zucchini for each cup of grated zucchini needed in a recipe. Of course, this varies being as zucchini come in all sizes. Zucchini in the grocery store range from small to medium sized.
There’s no need to peel the zucchini prior to grating it for zucchini bread. The dark green peel is very soft so it bakes well and adds vitamins, nutrients and even a bit of color to the bread.
I prefer to grate the zucchini as opposed to shredding it so that bits of green peel remain in tact. They contribute toward the popular look of zucchini bread! Shredding the zucchini causes the zucchini to nearly disappear once the bread is baked. Both will work though! I know when my kids were young, I hid vegetables in baked goods often, so having them disappear was preferable!
Yes, you can squeeze out excess water from grated zucchini before adding it to your batter. Zucchini naturally has a lot of water in it. That becomes quite clear after grating it, if you simply leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes, the water will begin accumulating in the bowl! If I’m using garden zucchini, especially large ones, I like to squeeze as much out as possible before making it into zucchini bread. Store bought zucchini rarely has excess water.
Yes, you can make zucchini bread with yellow squash! You do need to scrape the seeds out since the seeds in yellow squash are much larger. Also, I find the skin to be more tough on yellow squash, so you can either peel the outside to remove the skin, or you can just grate it with a finer cheese grater.
Zucchini Bread should be stored on the counter top in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Keeping it in the fridge can dry it out over time.
Zucchini bread rises as a result of leavening ingredients in the bread recipe being exposed to two things, moisture and heat. We use eggs, baking soda and baking powder as leavening agents. Make sure your ingredients are not past their expiration date as stale ingredients can affect how much the bread rises.
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 2-6 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.
More Zucchini Bread recipes:
- PINEAPPLE ZUCCHINI BREAD
- LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD
- ORANGE ZUCCHINI BREAD
- PUDDING ZUCCHINI BREAD
- ZUCCHINI BANANA BREAD
- ZUCCHINI SHEET CAKE WITH BROWNED BUTTER ICING
- EASY ZUCCHINI CAKE
- LEMON ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
- ZUCCHINI BREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD COOKIES
More amazing quick bread recipes that we love:
- Easy Banana Bread
- Sweet Coconut Quick Bread
- Easy Lemon Quick Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread recipe
- Dutch Apple Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread
- Caramel Apple Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread
- Peppermint Chocolate Quick Bread
- Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
This recipe for easy zucchini bread has been in my family for years, it’s easy to make and you’ll love the blend of spices used. Read the reviews- it’s popular for a reason! It really is the perfect zucchini quick bread recipe.
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! 😉
Chelsea says
In a strange twist of events, I’m nearly out of AP flour but I have tons of bread flour. Can I substitute? I know bread flour has more gluten so I’m worried about the texture being bad.
Alison says
You can use all purpose or bread flour so it should be just fine! 🙂
Marissa says
This is the first time I’ve baked zucchini bread where it wasn’t baked through after over an hour. Divided between two loaf pans, filling each halfway. The outside had a nice crust to it while the inside was still a bit gooey. I will attempt again because others are raving! Bake time could be due to a gas oven!
Jessica says
I honestly think bread is just sometimes weird like this! Try laying some foil over the top and using a cooking thermometer to test the bread. It should register 200°F when fully baked.
Lina says
I made the bread exactly as indicated in the recipe. It was moist with the perfect sweetness. Everyone loved it! Thank you for the perfect recipe. 🌺
Samantha says
I recently made banana bread and it made me crave my Gramdma’s zucchini bread. I found this recipe and I think it came pretty damn close! I even used her loaf pans 🙂
Deondra says
For the apple sauce ratio, is it 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup sauce? Thanks
Jessica says
Yes, I’d do half and half, oil and applesauce.
Sue Peterson says
I made this last night – delicious. We waited for 20 min. cool down turned out of pan beautifully. Had
Kerrygold butter on each slice! Going to have with my coffee this am.
It did take the full 60 min. @325. Don’t overcook. Thanks for sharing
Alison says
We enjoy this one in the mornings as well!
Ellen says
Several comments on this recipe:
1) I couldn’t find my regular bread pan, so I used my Wilton mini-loaf pan which makes 8 mini-loaves. I filled them fuller than they should be and still had batter left over. When I went looking for muffin pans, I found my bread pan, and was able to fill it half full for a somewhat flatter loaf than usual. I think I could have made one regular sized loaf and at least 6 mini-loaves with the batter I had.
2) I think I had more batter than the recipe was supposed to make because I noticed, as someone else commented, that the batter was dry so I added an extra egg and an extra TB of oil. I probably had more than two cups of zucchini, too. I would not recommend adding the extra egg until you see how the batter behaves, but it worked out perfectly for me.
3) My husband loves the finished product. It is really sweet and we’ve been eating it for dessert. (The whole loaf and 3 of the mini-loaves are in the freezer.4) If I make it again, I’ll probably use 3/4 cup of the white sugar but keep the 1 cup of brown sugar.
Cathy Huggins says
Made this today. My son, who does not like zucchini bread, liked this one. Thank you for posting.
Chris Rinaldi says
This is now my go-to recipe for zucchini bread. I especially like the suggestion to substitute applesauce for half of the oil. Made a double batch today and will give several mini loaves to the neighbors.
Kaylie says
So glad you like it. Thank you, Chris!
Linda B. says
I made this recipe almost four times, my husband love this zucchini bread being moist.
I shared one loaf to neighbor and friends at church.
Thank you and I will keep the recipe forever.
Alison says
Thanks so much Linda! I’m so happy you have been able to continue to enjoy this one!