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.
Jessica says
How many musmffins does this recipie make? Just trying to figure out if I should double it for a large batch.
Jessica says
It yields about 30 muffins.
Shari says
Great idea adding the flax seed!! I had the trinity you get from walmart ( hemp, chia and flax seeds) wonderful addition great nutty taste. Overall great recipe. Thanks for sharing
Kay McNealy says
Absolutely excellent! I also added a very ripe banana to it and that gave it more flavor.
Nellie says
What a great idea to add the banana!
John mcconnell says
I am a 62 year old man that loves great tasting food. I do not bake but I did make this incredible cake . Thank you for this recipe.
Jenny says
I followed the directions for the healthy version (even added ground flax…but left in 1/4 c. white sugar). It is SO GOOD and doesn’t taste at all like a healthier version. The batter seemed a bit heavy, so I was afraid I was going to end up with rocks instead of beautiful loaves. They rose perfectly in the oven and are light and delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
kim williams says
I made this for my very veggie-anything-new-hesitant family. THEY LOVED IT. Your measurements were perfect. Bake time was perfect. Tips were so helpful! thank you!
Jessica says
So glad to hear Kim, thank you!!
Dee Hazelton says
This is THE best zucchini bread recipe ever! I substituted 1/2 the oil with applesauce and it added the perfect touch! Wouldn’t change a thing! 5 star for me!!
Alison says
Thanks so much Dee, I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
Steve Bowman says
I have always loved zucchini bread. My mom made it when we were kids and we all loved it! We get it at county fairs and festivals, but I have never made it myself…until now! We got some gigantic zucchini from someone in church and I decided to give it a go! I made it for our fellowship hour after church on Sunday. I thought it tasted incredible and so did my wife! But the real test was the church ladies who always serve the fellowship snacks. I got so many compliments on the bread! I actually had someone track me down two weeks later and ask for the recipe! She said it was the best zucchini bread she had ever had! And she’s been making zucchini bread for 40 years!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
And i definitely passed along the recipe and your website!
Alison says
Thank you so much Steve, this is incredibly high praise and we appreciate it!
Sharon says
I was intrigued because the author suggested that we could use half the sugar and half the oil and have zucchini bread come out good. I should’ve known better! You have to have at least some of the white sugar in a quick bread in order for it to be tender and have any flavor. I used king Arthur gluten-free measure for measure flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, half a cup of oil and half a cup of applesauce. The resulting loaf is pretty tough and not much taste. So disappointed!
Jessica says
Well, Sharon, it’s not going to taste the same as a full fat, full sugar loaf, LOL. Sorry you were disappointed in a healthier version. 😉
Julie Inkster says
Such an easy recipe to make. Turned out really well and was delicious.
Jessica says
So glad to hear Julie!
Melissa Wood says
I lost my recipe some years ago and have not made zucchini bread since. I saw your recipe and decided to try. OMG it came out wonderful and it almost matches the one I lost (at least in taste lol). Thank you so much.
Roberta Fabrizio says
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but I just had to on this. This was so moist, wonderful flavor & easy. I did not use walnuts because of allergies or nutmeg & it was still delicious. I made them as muffins, 6 large muffins, 12 in all I had 2 pans. What raves I received. I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe, next time I will make the 2 bread loafs>
Alison says
Thank you so much Roberta for taking the time to leave a kind message, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
esther yelle says
I’ve made a lot of zucchini loafs/cakes. This is my favourite.
Cindy says
Hi.if I accidentally put the sugar in with the dry ingredients is that going to mess up my recipe?
Jessica says
It’ll be fine, Cindy!!
Mary Holtz says
LOL. I just made it this morning and did the same thing! Didn’t matter at all.
Carol Vail says
Fabulous bread. I add fat raisins and pecans
Tauri says
Any idea if this can be adapted for a bundt cake pan?
Jessica says
Yes, but you’ll need to divide it. I don’t think it’d make 2 10-cup bundt cakes. Maybe add enough batter to the bundt cake pan, then make mini loaves with the rest?
Carrie says
I love to bake and cook. I have had my mother’s zucchini bread many times, but never really made it myself. I tried this recipe for the first time making zucchini bread seemed easy enough! Let me tell you, it was so good I couldn’t believe it!! My boyfriend and I demolished four out of five of the loaves. No, we’re not that big of pigs that we demolished for regular sized loaves, they were the little tiny well! Anyways I wouldn’t make a review if it wasn’t exceptional. Out of all the recipes online, (granted I haven’t made all those recipes,LOL )this one is for sure the winner. Oh, and by the way….. I’m not a fan of nuts, and I didn’t have any on hand, so I did not use any kind of nuts or anything in the bread ….now when I started eating it I kind of did miss the walnuts that are normally in zucchini bread. But, honestly the bread was so good you really didn’t need them.
Jessica says
SO glad you loved it Carrie! And yes, add some nuts- it just adds a wonderful texture! : )
Nancylee says
The absolute best zucchini bread I have ever made!
So moist, flavorful and delicious ♥️
The only thing I changed was that I used pecans instead of walnuts.
Nellie says
What a great idea – I’ll have to try that next time!
Jen Mazurkiewicz says
I made the recipe exactly as stated, but with 3 farm fresh eggs that tend to be a little smaller than grocery store eggs. The batter was like cement and there was no way I could “pour” it like I am used to with other quick bread recipes I have made. I added another egg to thin it a little but still had to scoop the batter into the pans. The loaves turned out perfectly as far as looks go. The bread is not as moist as I would have liked, but is still very tasty. Maybe thinning it a little with water would have helped?
Jessica says
I’ve never thinned a quick bread with eggs… water or milk would have been a better option.
Debi says
I made this zucchini bread the other day. I have made an many in my life but yours is the absolute best. Texture, flavor, just the right amount of spices are perfect. I will only be baking yours from now on. Thrilled I tried this recipe. Thanks for posting.
Jessica says
You’re most welcome Debi! : )
Casandra says
Loved it! Used aluminum pans, needed 60 minutes. I added raisins and when it was done, I buttered the tops and sprinkled decorating sugar (found at Michael’s craft store, not found at Ralph’s). This touch added texture and a little sweetness but not overload like icing would have. Still bread, right? Lol. Thank you for this recipe. Wrapped in tin foil it stays moist and flavors settle.
Jessica says
So glad that you liked it Casandra!!