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.
Debbie says
This bread is so delicious! Thank you so much!😋 I have made four loaves and froze two. I added milk chocolate chips! So good!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Patti O’Brien says
I adapted your recipe for GF and sugar-free and it turned out WONDERFUL! Best GF quick bread EVER!! Here’s my adapted recipe:
BEST EVER Gluten-free Sugar-free ZUCCHINI BREAD
Adapted from recipe on butterwithasideofbread.com
The regular recipe is available at:
https://butterwithasideofbread.com/best-ever-zucchini-bread/
Patti O’Brien
Zucchini Bread recipe that lives up to the name, BEST EVER Zucchini Bread!
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Course: Quick BreadCuisine: American Servings: 16 Calories: 264kcal (less with adapted recipe)
Ingredients
1 cup classic Lakanto Monk fruit sweetener (replaces 1 c white sugar)
1 cup Lakanto golden Monk fruit sweetener (replaces 1 c brown sugar)
4 large eggs
1 c melted butter you can replace applesauce for 1/2 the butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups gluten free flour plus 3 T. Xanthan gum
1 tsp nutmeg
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 generous teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 generous teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini you can add a little more.
1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
1. Grease two 8 x 4 inch pans or 6 mini loaf plans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Assemble your ingredients. Grate zucchini and let sit while you mix the other ingredients.
3. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, butter, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. {You can sneak in a few spoonfuls of flax!}
4. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well, but don’t overmix.
5. Drain as much water from the grated zucchini as you can then add the zucchini and stir into the mixture along with the nuts until well combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans. 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 55-65 minutes. Before the last five minutes of cooking I slather some butter on the top of the loaf and sprinkle with less than a tablespoon of Moreno or coarse ground sugar… This is the only sugar in the entire loaf but it adds a nice finish to the top. Then I put it back in the oven for the last five minutes.
Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. Enjoy!
Jessica says
I love it! Thank you so much!
Mary Ann says
Should I put the mini loaf pans on another sheet pan and then bake? Or do I put them directly on the oven rack? Bake in the middle of oven?
thanks,
Nellie says
I just put them straight on the oven rack to bake and my rack is usually right in the middle for baking bread. Good luck!
Margie says
I’m right in the middle of this recipe. I’m always flummoxed when packed brown sugar isn’t directed. I’m so used to recipes indicating packed that I don’t know whether or not to do so . Going with packed and hoping that I don’t screw it up.🙄
Nellie says
Sorry for the confusion Margie! I always assume brown sugar is to be packed when measured so that’s what I usually do. But there have been times I’ve quickly scooped without packing if I’m in a hurry and the recipes usually turn out fine that way too!
Erma says
Yes I did love it very much.
Iris says
I haven’t tried a piece yet but it certainly smells good.
I lessened the white sugar by 1/2 cup.
I put the cake into a bigger loaf pan instead of 2.
Probably should’ve because it’s been in the oven for 75 minutes now. Center is still not cooked.
Alison says
I hope it worked out for you Iris!
Nancy says
Awesome Good
Shannon Gardner says
I’ve made 8 loaves so far. My best friend had a bumper crop of zucchinis this year! I’m just getting ready to make another 8 or 10 loaves. This second zucchini is even bigger than the first one.
I added some sparkling sugar to the top right before baking and it crisps up the top crust just right.
This recipe has just the right combination of spices–not too much cinnamon like others I’ve tried. I’m definitely saving this recipe.
Nellie says
I love the idea of adding the sugar on top – thanks for sharing!
Melanie says
Love this recipe! I make the mini loaves. I did add ground clove to the recipe bu5 kept everything else as is. Definitely my go zucchini bread recipe!!!
Alison says
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Melanie!
Allison says
I did the 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 oil and added clove and extra cinnamon….it was wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Allison!
Wendy Alexander says
Made this recipe and made regular sized and mini muffins that were to die for. I used a cup of crushed pecans and duck eggs rather than chicken eggs which are naturally higher in fat. So delicious. Can’t stop eating them.
MJ says
What adjustment should I make for high altitude in Denver
Jessica says
None!
LJ Sullivan says
This truly is the BEST Zucchini bread ever. I also love that It made 24 mini muffins and TWO loaves. I substituted one cup of almond flour in the flour amount because I add almond flour to almost every recipe, and I cut cinnamon in half, but I will definitely keep this recipe on hand. I made it only because I had left over zucchini after putting together taco zucchini boats This recipe was easy enough to make even after I labored (not really) over putting dinner together for company.
Alison says
Thank you LJ, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Cathy says
Can I use a Bundt pan to make this?
Nellie says
I’ve never tried that, but I think it would probably work fine! Please let us know if you try it!
Thomas Long says
Turn out great 🙂
I replaced 1/2 cup flour with 1 cup of sour dough starter and did 1/2 apple sauce for oil was worried about the extra water from starter but turned out delicious. Might try and extra tsp baking pwd next time
Diane says
I love the flavor of this recipe and that it makes 2 loaves out if 2c. of zucchini, however, my loaves did not rise . Only about 1 1/2 inch high. Please give me any suggestions!
Jessica says
Leavening for this bread recipe comes from the 3 eggs and 1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda. Did you add the correct amounts of all 3? If so, I’d check expiration dates!
Jenni says
This bread is fantastic! I have made at least 8 loaves so far (so much zucchini this year) and all have been excellent. I left out the nuts because my family does not care for them and it seems to take a little longer to bake – more like 70 minutes for the 2 loaves – not sure if it is my oven or leaving the nuts out. Fantastic recipe – will never make another – thank you!
Lanya says
I have just made this recipe and I really like it. I think I will reduce the oil next time to 1/2 cup and add apple sauce. I would recommend this version to others.
Jessica says
THanks Lanya!
Shannon D says
I have been using this recipe for years.! My family and I love this recipe, its quite difficult to mess up. It always comes out perfectly moist and delicious. Over the years I have tweaked it little by little adding less sugar and oil than what the recipe calls for and adding flax seeds! Best zucchini bread recipe EVER!
JaMeese says
I made this recipe today and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did 1.5x the recipe and baked one loaf and a bundt pan. This was perfect. The bundt was taken to dinner and only the pan came back home with me. 1st time making but it won’t be my last. Definitely
keeping this recipe.