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.
Pat Roberson says
Substituting 1/2 cup apple sauce with oil. I’m assuming you mean use 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup apple sauce. Please clarify for me before I make a mess. Thanks
Jessica says
Yes, you care correct Pat!
dorothy brady says
this was by far the best I have had, not too sweet, perfect balance of flavors
Jessica says
Agree Dorothy! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Nell says
I substituted honey for white sugar and add 1/2 tsp. of clove. It was delicious!
Nellie says
Great additions – so glad you enjoyed the bread!
Tricia says
This really is the best zucchini bread! Lots of flavor from all the spices! I used a mix of avocado oil & coconut oil and left out nuts…turned out perfect!
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Tricia!
Laurie says
When your recipe calls for brown sugar, do you use dark or light brown sugar? I think light might just be a milder version of the flavor. Is that right? I’m looking forward to trying your recipe!
Thanks,
Laurie
Jessica says
I buy whatever Costco carries… I think it’s light brown sugar!
Barbara J Hodge says
I made the muffins. I used raisins instead of nuts. They were amazing!
It made 24 muffins
Shirley Bottoms says
I made this today and it is the best Zucchini Bread I have ever made. I ate a slice warm, with a small amount of real butter and it was delicious. I will make this again and share the recipe with others. Thank you!
Nellie says
Warm zucchini bread with butter is the best!
Terry says
First time using this recipe with first zucchini of the season. Was not disappointed! Very moist and just the right amount of spice. Next time I’ll add nuts. I used almost 3 cups zucchini so added a little more flour and yum!! Thanks!
Angie Flores says
Yes!!! My very first zucchini bread that I ever made! It came out delicious!! I followed recipe & added an extra half cup of shredded zucchini and added crushed walnuts.
Angela Ulrich says
I made this today, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I left out the nutmeg because I was out of it, and I substituted pecans for walnuts because that’s what I had on hand. I made three mini loaves and one regular loaf. My mother lives across the road from me. She brought over a zucchini from her garden that I used in this. I shared the bread with her this evening. I’m sure I’ll be making more of this soon. Mom’s garden is loaded with more zucchini.
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Loren Bettermann says
How many servings in a loaf? It says the calories, but not what a serving is. Thanks
Nellie says
The nutrition info given is based on 16 servings (8 slices per 8″X4″ loaf).
Angela Jackson says
I love this recipe my zucchini Brit came out wonderful. It was a hit with my coworker and husband.
Jessica says
So glad to hear Angela!
Melissa says
I have always made zucchini bread and this is the best recipe I’ve come across yet! Thank you for sharing! I made a batch for my nephews graduation party and they were a hit.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Melissa!
Suzanne says
Best ever! my husband and I enjoy it at the breakfast table. Our friends say they can smell the
bread when it’s in the oven!!! We know they’re
waiting for another loaf😊
Jessica says
LOL! I love that the neighbors can smell it! So glad you all enjoy it!
S. Jeanne says
This recipe is heavenly. I’ve never made zucchini bread before and I’m not a great baker. I do have an abundance of fresh zucchini so desperate times call for desperate measures. I followed this recipe using the 1/2 cup apple sauce substitute, I reduced the sugar by half and omitted the nutmeg (because I didn’t have any on hand). There was enough batter for one regular loaf and 12 regular sized muffins. My finicky husband and daughter asked what I was making and were horrified to hear I was making baked good with zucchini. Three warm buttery slices of bread and two muffins later they’re both eating their words (literally). Thanks for sharing this recipe – it’s a big hit even in my picky household.
Alison says
It’s my very favorite when even the picky eaters like these recipes! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this!
Patty Evanko says
I give this zucchini bread recipe 5 stars. It is the very best i have ever made.
Nellie says
Thank you Patty! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread!
Maryjo Walker says
What adjustments should I make for high altitude I live in Denver
Nellie says
You may have to add a little bit more flour, but I live at a fairly high altitude and the recipe works as is for me so it should be fine!
Sue Agnes says
The absolute BEST Ever !!!!!!
Sharon Santoya says
I made this and it was great. I know that I will be making it again.
Nellie says
I’m so happy you enjoyed the bread!
Kelly says
This turned out amazing!!! We will definitely make this again!!
Carey says
OMG this really is the BEST EVER! I subbed one of the cups of AP flour with a mix of bread and rye flour and it didn’t seem to do any harm 🙂 This bread is light and spongy and moist (sorry!) and not too sweet and just gorgeous all around. The walnuts are a big plus too. Thanks for this great recipe!
Jessica says
You’re most welcome! Glad to hear you love it too!
Carla Wagner says
We really like this recipe. I made a mistake and put almond extract instead of vanilla and really liked it.
Nellie says
Sometimes mistakes in the kitchen are the best ideas! 😉