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.
The BEST.
It an awesome recipe!!
can this be frozen??
Hi Gina, absolutely. 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.
Wow. Like a lot of people on here I found myself with an abundance of zucchini from my garden. Chose this recipe because it had such a high rating and number of reviews. I made muffins per the directions at the bottom and they came out perfect. I was worried they would be dense but they were light and fluffy. Even filling the muffins up to the top they didn’t overflow which was another worry I had. These were so good. I try hard to follow recipes perfectly the first time, the only thing I changed was I didn’t have plain cinnamon so I used pumpkin pie spice instead. Not too sweet and not bland either. My picky toddler gave this recipe a thumbs up too. Will definitely make again.
Made this for my work colleagues trying to use up a courgette glut. They told me I should give up work and become a baker it was so delicious!
My first time making zucchini bread and it turned out perfectly! Moist and full of flavor! I followed the recipe exactly (used sour cream instead of applesauce as that’s what I had on hand) and turned my oven down to 325 because I used a dark pan.
I love all recipes from Sally’s baking addiction They never flop! Consistently excellent
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Cheryl!
Will be trying this delish sounding zucchini bread….sounds tasty. Have lots of zucchini, may try to double and make a “sheet bread’
Used olive oil instead of seed oils and it was perfect.
I just made this recipe with my first zucchini from the garden. It’s the most desserty zucchini loaf I’ve ever baked. It’s a cake, not a loaf. Frost it and it could be a birthday cake.
The recipe takes less than one zucchini. I did the recipe as written and used melted coconut oil and added some chocolate chips on top; I forgot to fold those in before I poured the batter. Excellent recipe!
Question on quantities: the weight and volume equivalents don’t agree for the flour. I ended up using only 1.5 cups of flour because the scale said I had already reached 220 g
I have several cups of zucchini that we froze from our garden, but it has all been very well squeezed out, so it would freeze better.
Any thoughts on how much extra moisture should I be at to make up for the loss of juice from the zucchini, and would extra applesauce do the trick, or should I be adding water or milk?
Hi Rachel, I can’t say for sure, but 2 Tablespoons of applesauce should be sufficient. You could also use milk.
How can I add 4 ounces of crushed pineapple? What would I need to change? I don’t want to reduce the zucchini if possible, but I love the combo of pineapple and zucchini.
Hi Bubbe, we haven’t tested this recipe with crushed pineapple, and it would take a bit of trial and error since it’s another wet ingredient (in an already very moist bread!). You could try swapping some of the zucchini or even the applesauce with some crushed pineapple. Again, we haven’t tested this ourselves so we’re unsure of the results, but let us know if you decide to do any experimenting!
Awesome recipe to use my zucchinis from the garden.
DRAT!! I do not have just 1 ingredient – applesauce – but I see I can substitute sour cream. This sounds like an awesome recipe I don’t want to mess this yummy recipe as I read it. it up – can’t get tp the market – the car is in the shop until tuesday!! But zucchini waits for no man!! Im going to sub the sourcream and be sure to have applesauce on hand this summer as the zucchini grows in the garden!! Smiles, Deb
Hello, I love your recipes and I always come back to them when other recipes have failed me. Question, can I use purée zucchini? I have leftover chopped zucchini that I would like to make into a bread. TYIA!
Hi CH, we haven’t tested this recipe with pureed zucchini, so are unsure of the results, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you have already-chopped zucchini, you can use it in this zucchini casserole recipe, though!
This is my go to Zucchini muffin recipe. Ive just made them again with my overflowing zucchini from my garden and I’m terrible for not sticking to a recipe but i have to say my tweaks have made them extra good… i added 1 grated apple, 1/4tsp ginger about 2 heaping tsp of molassas ( not vanilla). They are good.
Can I add a banana
Hi Deb, We haven’t tested it, but if adding banana, we recommend reducing the shredded zucchini. It would be too much moisture otherwise.
I made so many loaves of zucchini bread last summer using this recipe. My husband never tried it (for whatever reason) until yesterday when he pulled the last loaf out of the freezer. He wants more now! So I just made 5 loaves today using one out-of-control zucchini!! Thanks for the great recipe. I used applesauce and toasted pecans. Perfect!!
Moist and delicious!
Can I use regular vanilla yogurt instead of greek yogurt? Thanks!
Hi Kate, that should work just fine here.
Check the expiration date on your baking soda/powder. I have had that happen.
I tried this recipe my zucchini bread turned out so amazing
I made a loaf this morning and love it. It is very moist, and I loved that you used applesauce, as I almost always replace some of the oil in recipes with applesauce for a healthier and moist recipe.
Tastes fine but only inch tall. Used the modified recipe too.
Thanks for trying it! Did you use a much larger pan? This isn’t a super tall loaf, but the batter yields more than just a 1-inch tall loaf in a 9×5 inch pan.
This was so yummy! OMG! I added the banana and walnuts and some flakes coconut. Lol I wanted rasins but darn it, was out so coconut was what I had. I went with the muffins, to make it easier to share. (Maybe) I’ll be making this one again! Thank you
Another winner!! Made exactly as written (no add ins) and it was delicious and moist , big hit ♥️
My zucchini plants yield so much. I use this recipe often. Usually for mini muffins or mini loaves. They make me very popular with my co workers!
My whole family loves this!! I’d love to double the recipe. Are all ingredient measurements the same x 2 if doubled? Thanks! New baker here 🙂
Hi Aly, yes you can double it!
Loved this! Thank you for sharing! Does anyone have a nutritional value for this?