This is a family-favorite recipe for homemade zucchini bread. One slice and you’ll taste why! It’s made with brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, cozy cinnamon spice, and summer’s favorite vegetable. See my recipe note for turning this batter into zucchini muffins, or try this similar zucchini muffins recipe.
Comes From An Award-Winning Zucchini Bread Recipe
This zucchini bread recipe is very slightly adapted from an award-winning family recipe. My husband grew up making this zucchini bread with his family, who entered it into the Maryland State Fair. And guess what? IT WON. You know a recipe is good if it’s winning state awards, right?
Now slightly scaled up to yield a taller 9×5-inch loaf (more zucchini, 1 extra egg, and a touch of applesauce for moisture), the quick bread is better than ever and ready to place 1st in your own kitchens too!
Here’s Why You’ll Love It:
- Batter comes together in less than 5 minutes
- Extra moist and flavorful
- Sneaks in veggies
- Can easily be doubled
- Welcomes add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, or blueberries
- Makes great muffins (or try these zucchini muffins which are heartier and slightly less sweet)
- Freezes beautifully
A beginner baker can easily make this quick bread, and it’s a wonderful recipe if you have eager young bakers ready to help!
Why Bake With Zucchini?
Zucchini is one of my favorite ingredients for baking and I have a lot of published zucchini recipes on my website. My recipes for chocolate zucchini bread and zucchini muffins are both incredibly popular with readers. We use an entire zucchini in my healthier greek yogurt zucchini bread and you’ll find a whopping 3 cups of it in my chocolate zucchini cake (you can’t taste it!).
It sounds odd to bake with a vegetable, but here’s why you should use it in your baking:
- There are only so many zucchini side dishes to make (looking at you, zucchini sweet potato fritters). Zucchini is abundant in the summer months, and it’s fun to incorporate this vegetable when baking, too.
- Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. I don’t think I would bake a cake with a green vegetable if I could taste it. You bake carrot cake, right? It’s delicious, right? Well zucchini is even better! Hello, zucchini cake. It’s truly a magical ingredient in your baked goods and this includes zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, too!
Grab These Ingredients
One new addition is the 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. All you’re doing is whisking the dry and wet ingredients together separately, and then combining everything. Honestly, it’s as easy as pumpkin bread and uses a few of the same ingredients.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s zucchini bread comes together in just 5 minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, 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, too.
- How much zucchini do I need? Zucchini can vary in size, but 1-2 medium zucchini are plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/2 cups shredded, which is 180g.
- 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 keep the peel on. Pretty!
You do not need to blot the zucchini dry before using in the batter. (You want that moisture!)
Expect a thick batter:
What Does This Zucchini Bread Taste Like?
Zucchini is like a chameleon and takes on the flavor of whatever’s nearby. Have you ever tried this peanut chicken zucchini noodles dish? The zucchini is basically a vehicle for the delectable savory peanut sauce.
Today’s zucchini bread includes cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar so expect a lot of cozy, comforting, sweet flavors. In terms of texture, it’s not quite as dense as banana bread but not as light as white cake either. It’s soft and moist and actually reminds me of apple cinnamon bread, which is a favorite during the fall months.
And let’s not forget optional add-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or even blueberries. Some readers have turned it into dessert with vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting (I’d halve the cream cheese frosting recipe). Honestly, this quick bread welcomes a bounty of tasty extras!
Can I Reduce the Sugar or Oil in Zucchini Bread?
You can absolutely slightly reduce either or both, but understand that sugar and oil help produce a moist, tender loaf; altering the ingredients may have disappointing results. Or for an option without refined sugar, you may enjoy this Greek yogurt zucchini bread instead!
PrintZucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This zucchini bread recipe yields 1 9×5-inch loaf. With brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a little applesauce for added moisture, the quick bread is flavorful, moist, and a great way to use summer’s favorite vegetable!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) 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
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce (or sour cream or Greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- optional: 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped nuts, raisins, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. See notes for muffins.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together until combined. Whisk in the zucchini. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. Fold in any optional add-ins like chocolate chips or nuts. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-70 minutes. (I like to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top.) Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in pan for 1 hour before removing from pan. 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, continue cooling bread directly on a wire rack and then slice once cooled.
- Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Make the bread ahead of time by freezing it. Bake it, cool it, wrap it up in aluminum foil and freeze the loaf as a whole. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before slicing and serving. Freezes well up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-Inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- Update in 2022: Based on reader feedback and a few disappointing loaves in my own kitchen recently, I revised 2 ingredients in May 2022 (egg & zucchini) so the batter yields more for a taller loaf and there’s more moisture. I also added 1/4 cup of applesauce for added moisture, as you can see in the recipe. Rave reviews from taste testers. The original recipe used 1 egg and 1 cup of zucchini with no applesauce.
- Can I reduce the sugar or oil? You can absolutely slightly reduce either or both, but understand that sugar and oil help produce a moist, tender loaf and the results may be disappointing. For the oil, feel free to swap *some* for more applesauce. Or for a healthier option without any refined sugar, you may enjoy this Greek yogurt zucchini bread instead.
- Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Prepare batter in step 2. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. 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 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 18-21 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Yields 1 dozen.
Keywords: zucchini bread
Help anyone? I love this recipe. The flavor is amazing and I’ve never even liked zucchini bread till now… however, I’ve made this many times and I have a hard time getting the center to cook through. If I leave it in the oven longer, it ends up being dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Bailey, A few extra minutes in the oven should help for next time. Feel free to tent the top of the pan with aluminum foil if you find the top is browning too quickly. This will allow the loaf to continue baking through without causing the top to over bake. Glad you enjoyed this zucchini bread!
Hi Bailey. I have a similar problem with banana bread. It MIGHT be that your oven is dropping down in temp occasionally, causing uneven baking. Just before putting your bread in the oven, Tap bake, then set temp to 350 (again) .You might notice that even though you prehested the oven, and did not open the oven door, the temp dropped. Also invest in an oven thermometor to check the actual temp of your oven.
If that does not work try letting your zucchini sit on 2 to 3 layers of paper towels while you measure other ingredients. DO NOT wring it out. But EXCESS moisture in zucchini ” could” make the center of your loaf wet, while the sides get too dry. .BUT i bet you oven is loosing heat …then regaining heat again. Convection ovens do that, even when covection is not turned on
This is a great recipe! I made muffins instead of the bread and they were delicious. I added chocolate chips. My kids live off muffins and they asked me to make these again in the future!
★★★★★
I made this as muffins and it turned out amazing! I subbed whole wheat flour and used all coconut sugar and added chocolate chips. Such a good one!
★★★★★
Delicious! Thank you!
Loved this recipe so so much and it turned out amazing!! I ended up using crookneck squash instead of zucchini with the greek yogurt and this bread was gone in hours. I’m definitely making this again thank you!!
★★★★★
Hi! This bread sounds fantastic! Congrats to the family on the State Fair award!
I am excited to give this a try. I am definitely a novice baker, and I love to enjoy homemade bread!
I am curious regarding a substitute I am considering using. Are you familiar with Allulose sweetener, and if so, how it might affect the end result of a baking recipes, in general?
Thank you.
Hi Emily! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Let us know if you do end up giving this one a try!
I substituted 100g flour with a vegan protein powder, used only substitute brown and white sugar, used Greek Yogurt, and used egg Whites instead! It turned out so good and yummy!!! Those substitutes worked just fine. I only just would love more zucchini in the bread. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Can I use gluten free flour in this recipe ? Thank you
Hi Eve, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
I have successfully swapped measure for measure G. F. By King Arthur for the 1 3/4C flour listed here. BUT I advise using the gram wt. of 210g b/c that is the wt of king Arthurs brand. IF you do not weigh your flour, then fluff the flour before measuring and the spoon int measuring cup(s) by LIGHTLY SPRINKLING into cups. Just spooning and dumping flour into cups ” could result in too much flour. Which in turn could make for a drier denser loaf. If you use a different brand, the cup measurement will seem the same BUT the weight varies. The rest is the same ingredients. Bake time can varie a little.
Would olive oil work for this?
Hi Sofia, That shouldn’t be a problem!
Hi Sally, quick q. Can I use 1 cup of granulated sugar instead of the 1/2 + 1/2 combination?
Hi Aarthi, the brown sugar adds moisture and flavor, so we don’t recommend skipping it.
This was really good! I loved not having to dab the zucchini. Do you have any specific tips for doubling it? I’m curious if you need to recalculate the baking soda/powder and how it would affect the baking time.
★★★★★
Hi Michelle, we’re so glad you enjoyed this zucchini bread! For best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
I love this recipe and have made it several times. This last time, I used coconut oil as it was mentioned as a substitute. I really don’t recommend using coconut oil. There were pools of oil at the bottom of each muffin. It felt like all the coconut oil was cooked out of the muffin. I would love to use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, but it doesn’t work for this recipe.
★★★★★
OMG. Why haven’t I made this before. Thanks Sally
★★★★★
This is a winner recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
★★★★★
All your recipes looks wonderful. I am trying our zucchini for the first time.
Questions: if using just raisens as an add on do you soak your raisens? I was thinking of trying to drain the zuchinin in a colander BUT use the drained liquid to soak the raisens. But not tossing out any remaining liquid UNLESS there was alot/ excessive. I realize that adds a fair amount to the prep time. Thoughts ?
No need to soak them!
Very nice and easy recipe. My wife really enjoys it as well. Thanks for sharing!
This is hands-down the best zucchini recipe I have ever used. So very moist, not overly-sweet like some can be. This will be my go-to recipe when I’m gift-giving food.
★★★★★
This recipe came out perfectly and it was very moist – I was impressed. The only reason for 4 stars is that we felt it lacked a little in flavor- probably because it was all oil no butter but that did the trick for moisture. I think I’ll try it again and add a mixture of butter/oil/applesauce as well as a couple more pinches of spices. I had some extra raisins on hand so threw those in – It was good, just a little bland.
★★★★
I didn’t have applesauce so grated one Granny Smith apple. Also used twice amount of cinnamon and replaced nutmegs with pumpkin pie spice- one tablespoon. Made a glaze with powdered sugar, orange zest and a splash of milk. Superb!
★★★★★
I used the recommended sour cream, because I never have applesauce in the house. I also grated my nutmeg fresh, because I’m a nutmeg snob 😉 I never comment on recipes, I had to. This is one of the most delightful zucchini bread recipes I’ve ever made. Delightful and devious because you cant stop eating it! My husband who professes to not enjoy zucchini bread has now eaten half the loaf before it cooled.
★★★★★
I loved this recipe! I added sliced almonds to it for some texture. It was amazing.
Absolutely delicious! I always go straight to your recipes because they truly are the best! I cannot thank you enough. Whenever I bring baked goods to a gathering, my items are gobbled up first and always are the best. That’s because it’s your recipes! Thank you Sally.
★★★★★
Just what I was looking for! Thawed grated zucchini from last year’s garden. Went right by recipe and it turned out moist and tasty. Will make again.
★★★★★
I get way to many zuchinnis from my garden every year. This is by far the best zucchini bread recipe I have tried!
Best zucchini bread ever
This loaf turned out great. In the UK I made this in a 2lb loaf pan and baked at 180 fan for 60 minutes which was just about right. Used full fat greek yogurt instead of applesauce as I had it on hand. Added 100g packet of dark chocolate chips. With the leftover zucchini I made a simple Korean style pancake with flour and water.
★★★★★
First of all this bread is like that beautiful thing you see somewhere you must have!
Great recipe. Didn’t use applesauce (those are rare in Kenya…need to make it) just used milk instead. Started with 1/4 cup then added another.
Hi Sally, I just made this bread and it looks so beautiful. It could be in a magazine picture. Also, tastes delicious I just have one question, why do you let it cool in the pan for an hour? I’ve made a lot of quick breads but remove them from the pan after 10 or so minutes. Just wondering if there’s a purpose for leaving it in the pan for an hour. I took mine out after 20 minutes and it came out fine. Tomorrow I’m going to make your banana bread, I can’t wait. I’m going to put mini chocolate chips and pecans in it, thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes. God bless.
Hi Sharon! We usually let the bread cool completely in the pan so we don’t risk it falling apart while removing warm. So glad you love it!
Can you freeze leftover grated zucchini? After thawing do you drain and blot before using?
Hi Donna! Yes, that method should work just fine for freezing and thawing.
Hi! I’ve been using this recipe for a long time and today I’m seeing that you’ve updated it. Can you please tell me what those revisions are? Were quantities updated or the addition of the applesauce? Thanks for all your incredible recipes!
Hi Rachel, see recipe Notes for details on the small changes made to this recipe — Based on reader feedback and a few disappointing loaves in my own kitchen recently, I revised 2 ingredients in May 2022 (egg & zucchini) so the batter yields more for a taller loaf and there’s more moisture. I also added 1/4 cup of applesauce for added moisture, as you can see in the recipe. Rave reviews from taste testers. The original recipe used 1 egg and 1 cup of zucchini with no applesauce. — Hope this helps!
This is a great recipe. I used King Arthur’s Grain Free Baking Flour 1:1, I also added 1 cup of Coconut Sugar instead of the white and brown, I added 3/4 cup of walnuts. It turned out delicious.