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.
CookieToddo says
I love it! I didn’t have the walnut but instead I used pecans. I didn’t squeeze the store-bought zucchini and I packed down 2 cups of grated zucchini plus maybe about 1/4 cup more. I am waiting for my friend to tell me how she likes it. This recipe is a definite keeper!
Kaylie says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed making it. Please let us know what your friend thinks!
Barbara C Palmento says
Yeah, not only my friend liked my zucchini bread but her Alzheimer’s disease mother also liked it. She ate the whole slice.
Alison says
That is wonderful to hear Barbara!
Linda Burchell says
This is my new favorite recipe for zucchini bread. I baked 4 loaves for my son to take home and share with friends. He declares it to be the best recipe ever. I made it exactly as written and both times it came out perfect. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Brenda says
Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses. Dark brown sugar has more and might be a little strong.
Andrea says
Sent a loaf with my daughter to college and her roommate asked for more! I’ll be making it again soon!
K R Walford says
This recipe was amazing! My husband loved it, one of his favorite. So delicious.
Alison says
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this one!
Cathleen says
This is great! I made a stupid mistake by using my 3/4c rather than cup, and so it was about 1/2 as much flour! I used applesauce with the oil. My son eats whole mini loaves in a sitting, he loves them!
Joan says
Made this as written with just a little less sugar. An excellent loaf that is perfect with morning coffee. Will be making this one again and again.
Ellen says
This recipe is too dry and too sweet. Would not recommend it.
Nellie says
You could definitely reduce the sugar a bit if you feel like it’s too sweet, and maybe add a little bit more moisture? With zucchini bread, you often run the risk of it being too moist because of the liquid from the zucchini, so it’s rarely too dry!
Jen says
A solid zucchini bread! I’m in Montana and our elevation is a bit higher so I needed to bake longer than the recipe states. I think I would probably go at 350 instead of 325 next go round to save time. Otherwise it was very good!
Nellie says
I have found a higher elevation requires a bit more time too! I’ve baked many quick breads at 350 and it usually works great – if the bread starts browning too much on top before the middle is done, you can just cover with foil for the last part of baking.
brenda says
I liked this recipe. I will cut down on the sugar next time, I didn’t this time because I didn’t have any applesauce in the frig. I really liked all of the tips from the author on the baking time difference with muffins & mini loaves.
Carlotta says
For the oil in the recipe, where you can use 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce can you use regular applesauce or does it has to be unsweetened applesauce.
Nellie says
Either is fine!
Jeff S says
Can I sprinkle sugar on top to get a crunchy coating?
Nellie says
Sounds like a great idea Jeff!
Marianne says
I have made other zucchini bread before but this has to be the best ever!
So easy to make also.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Marianne!
Deborah Bastacky says
This was delicious! The only things I changed were the oven temperature (to 350 degrees) and I substituted pecans for walnuts. I used about 3 cups of zucchini. This was very easy to make. I had all the ingredients at home which was very convenient. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Nellie says
Thanks Deborah – so glad you enjoyed the bread!
Connie says
Just made this. When I first took it out I tested it with a toothpick and it came out clean, but when I let it cool and went to cut it, it wasn’t done. Put it back in the oven. I cooked it for 10 more minutes but it came out dry. Had excellent flavor, but it was dry. Maybe just because of letting it cool then baking it again
Jessica says
I’m a huge fan of testing the internal temp of baked bread! That way there’s no guessing if it’s cooked or not.
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
Jackie says
Made this recipe yesterday and shared with friends and family and had to make another double batch today bc it was high demand.
The absolute best thing (not just zucchini bread but “recipe”) I’ve ever made. Easy for even a beginner to make. Can’t express enough how moist, and perfectly spiced this bread/cake is.
Alison says
This is wonderful to hear, thank you Jackie!
christine says
This recipe is great. I have used it twice now- the first time as it was but substituted the nuts with pineapple chunks and raisins; the second time I added grated apples. Both times it was delicious.
Thank you so much!!!
Nellie says
Sounds like lots of great additions – thanks for the ideas Christine!
Jins says
First time making zucchini bread. Great recipe. Friends and family loved it!
Alison says
Thanks so much Jins, I’m so glad you and your loved ones enjoyed it!
Mary Colvin says
This is definitely the best ever zucchini bread recipe! Instead of regular white sugar and brown sugar, I used 1/2 cup Splenda blend white sugar and 1/2 cup Splenda blend brown sugar. Instead of 1 cup of oil, I used 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup applesauce. My friends and family tasted it and loved it! I was wondering how it would taste if I used almond flour instead of white flour?
Nellie says
I’ve never tried almond flour, but please let us know if you do! So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Nikki says
Turned out GREAT! Super easy, awesome tips and delicious bread. I did bump the oven to 350 and cooked a little longer, but just kept monitoring. Took some to work to share and everyone asked for the recipe. Will definitely make again.
Alison says
That is great Nikki! It’s always a success when everyone loves it!
Julie says
What about Hight Altitude. I live in Colorado.
Jessica says
No changes needed!