This extra moist apple zucchini bread starts with fresh zucchini, then mixes in crisp apples and a warm blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. It’s perfect for August or early September, when summer is in the air, but fall is just around the corner. Each slice blends fresh-from-the-garden flavor with the comforting warmth of autumn spices.
Moist, tender, and absolutely packed with warming spices, this apple zucchini bread is exactly what we all crave as we look ahead to the fall. I created this recipe by blending my apple cinnamon bread, harvest spice bread, and zucchini bread recipes. And after tasting, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried the combo sooner.
The combination is absolutely perfect.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Zucchini Bread:
- Extremely Simple: No mixer required and the batter comes together quickly
- No Shortage of Flavor: Brimming with spices, applesauce, and fresh apples
- Dairy-Free Recipe
- Versatile Breakfast, Snack, or Dessert: An anytime treat
- Deliciously Moist: Thanks to the zucchini, applesauce, and apples
- Freezer-Friendly: Bake a few loaves while zucchini is bountiful and freeze for later in the season
One reader, Bianca, commented: “Great flavors here, Sally! I think I found my new favorite zucchini bread. And that says a lot, because we love your original! ★★★★★“
One reader, Kiersten, commented: “Wow! This is the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made! The warm spices and apples make it next level. I didn’t change a thing and it was perfection. ★★★★★“
One reader, Patricia, commented: “I made this apple zucchini bread three times. It was a hit for everyone. My family and friends can’t get enough of it. I made more to freeze in slices and easily grab one anytime. This is a keeper for me. Thank you! ★★★★★“
5 Key Ingredients & How They Work
- Oil: Oil is remarkable for keeping baked goods moist. Melted butter or creamed butter simply won’t provide the same level of moisture. In this recipe, you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil. Taste testers and I really liked the version with avocado oil.
- Sugar: Use both regular granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Sugar does so much more than sweeten the bread—it attracts and holds water, helping to ensure that the quick bread stays moist and tender days after baking.
- Spices: Cinnamon (with a bit extra for the apples), allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. If you love the spices in apple pie, this bread is for you. Buy them now so they are fresh for all of your fall baking coming up.
- Applesauce: This, along with the oil, keeps the bread moist. You can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mashed banana in its place if needed.
- Shredded Zucchini: Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. It’s truly a magical ingredient in your baked goods, because you can’t taste it—even in the richest desserts like chocolate zucchini cake or this zucchini cake.
You also need other baking staples including flour, eggs, leaveners, etc.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s bread comes together in just a few minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple of bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You also need a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use.
It’s what I use when making zucchini fritters, carrot cake, and harvest spice bread, too.
- How much zucchini do I need? Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/4 cups shredded, which is around 150g.
- Do I need to peel the zucchini first? You can if you’d like, but I never do. There’s no taste or texture variance either way, but you’ll definitely have more flecks of green throughout the loaf if you don’t peel it.
- Do I blot the shredded zucchini? No, you do not need to blot the zucchini dry before using in the batter. (You want that moisture here! Unlike when we make zucchini biscuits, where ridding some of that moisture is key.)
Best Apples to Use
Chop the apples into bite-size pieces. You’ll need a heaping cup of apples, which is around 125g. Feel free to go a little heavier on the apple chunks, too. 1 to 1 and a half apples is plenty, and I usually use 1 red Honeycrisp apple and 1/2 of a green Granny Smith apple. Feel free to use just red or just green. Other apples that are ideal for baking, especially in quick breads, include Fuji, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady.
See Best Apples for Baking for more suggestions.
Before adding to the batter, toss the apples in a Tablespoon of sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon. This is optional, but adds a kiss of extra flavor.
You can, but taste testers and I preferred the loaf with the chunks of apples, as it gave the bread more interesting texture. Think of the apples as an add-in, instead of blending them right into the batter. Plus, when you shred the apples, you can’t really toss the pieces in the cinnamon-sugar.
Apple Zucchini Bread Batter
For the batter, all you’re doing is whisking the dry and wet ingredients together separately, and then combining everything. Fold in the apples, and then pour and spread the batter into your loaf pan. That’s it!
For a little extra crunch, feel free to top with coarse sugar such as these coarse sugar sprinkles or Sugar In The Raw.
Just wait until you smell this spiced bread baking! I love it when it’s still slightly warm from the oven with butter spread on top. It’s also outstanding on day 2, after the flavors have settled and mingled together.
Can I Make Muffins?
Yes! You can use this batter to make apple zucchini muffins. Detailed instructions are in the Notes below. This makes enough batter to yield 16 muffins.
One reader, Samantha, commented: “I went the muffin route. Easily one of my new favorite recipes. It’s so moist and the spices really hit the spot… I think I’ll make another batch or two and freeze so I can have more later in the year! ★★★★★“
Apple Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This extra moist apple zucchini bread starts with fresh zucchini, then mixes in crisp apples and a warm blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. See recipe Note about turning the batter into muffins. Coarse sugar on top is optional.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1/8 teaspoon for apples
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2Â cup (120ml) vegetable oil or avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2Â cup (120g)Â unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, plus 1 Tbsp for apples
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- 1 heaping cup (125g) peeled and chopped apple*
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the allspice, ginger, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the zucchini.
- Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. Toss the apples with the 1 Tablespoon of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. With a silicone spatula, fold the apples into the batter. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–65 minutes. After 30 minutes, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the top from over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then remove the bread from the pan and place it directly on the cooling rack. You can slice the bread at this point, but it will still be warm in the center and may not slice neatly. For neat slices, allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or this 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling RackÂ
- Apple Zucchini Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Grease or line 4 cups in a second muffin pan; this recipe yields about 16 muffins. Prepare batter as directed in steps 2, 3, and 4. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with no other changes needed. The loaf will be dense. Or you can use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour, for a less dense version.
- What Can I Use Instead of Applesauce? You can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mashed banana in its place if needed.Â
- Apples: I say 1 “heaping” cup because this amount does not need to be terribly accurate. Anything from 1 cup to 1 and 1/4 cups works. I usually use 1 red Honeycrisp apple and 1/2 of a green Granny Smith apple. Feel free to use just red or just green. Other apples that are ideal for baking, especially in quick breads, include Fuji, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady. See Best Apples for Baking for more suggestions.
- Tossing Apples in Cinnamon & Sugar: As instructed in step 4, toss the apples in a Tablespoon of sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon. This is optional, but adds a kiss of extra flavor.
- Can I Shred the Apples with the Box Grater? You can, but taste testers and I preferred the loaf with the chunks of apples, as it gave the bread more interesting texture. Think of the apples as an add-in, instead of blending them right into the batter.
Reader Comments and Reviews
How do I find the recipes I’ve saved? I don’t see a link anywhere. Thanks
Hi Kathleen! Once you are on my website, you can save any recipe from the recipe card. Or, click on the heart icon on the lower right-hand corner of the page. Then you can ​create an account​, and find your saved favorites by clicking on the saved tag next to the heart, or click the magnifying glass at the upper right hand of the page.
This bread was absolutely delicious! We will be making more to freeze with the zucchini and apples from our yard. Thanks, Sally!
Hi Sally and team!
I absolutely love your bakes and I’m sure this one is a winner! Can I replace some or all of the refined sugars with maple syrup/honey/coconut sugar? Just wondering!
Hi, We haven’t tested this recipe with any sugar substitutes, but let us know if you try anything.