This homemade Zucchini Bread is loaded with zucchini and it’s delicious any time of day. It’s perfectly soft and sweet with a cozy hint of cinnamon. This bread is so tasty when served warm from the oven but it also stays moist and tender for days.
Our Banana Bread recipe has become a favorite for many of our readers and I think you will love this one just as much. This tried and true recipe is the best zucchini bread recipe out there.
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Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
If your garden is producing more zucchini than you know what to do with this summer and you’ve already made Zucchini Fritters 587 times, this zucchini bread is a smart way to use up those extra vegetables. Plus, it’s a great way to sneak in vegetables for little ones or picky eaters. Even though the recipe has a pound of zucchini in it, you can hardly taste the zucchini – it’s amazing!
Enjoy the bread now, bring a loaf to your neighbors as a gift, or freeze a loaf for later in the year when your garden stops producing (details below).
Need to serve a crowd? This recipe makes two loaves or can be divided into 24 zucchini muffins, which would be great for breakfast on the run, a grab-and-go class treat, church coffee hour, or any other gathering.
Zucchini Bread Video
Watch Natasha make this Zucchini Bread recipe. Head out to the garden and pick a zucchini or two, or buy them at the store (they’re very inexpensive during the summer months) and in just over an hour you will have a delicious treat ready to eat! P.S. I highly recommend serving this with our whipped Honey Butter – wow!
Ingredients
The natural moisture in the zucchini keeps this bread moist for days, and somehow it tastes even better the following day.
- Flour – All-purpose, or gluten-free will work
- Baking powder and baking soda – Act as leavening agents to make the loaf rise
- Sea salt – Balances the sweetness
- Cinnamon – Adds a wonderful, cozy spice flavor to this bread
- Oil – Olive, canola, or vegetable oil- your choice. Using oil instead of butter creates a super moist breadcrumb
- Eggs – Provide structure and helps bind the batter together
- Sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the vegetable and spice ingredients
- Vanilla extract – Use our homemade vanilla recipe for the best flavor
- Grated zucchini – Adds moisture to keep the bread tender and has a subtle flavor that complements the sweetness and cinnamon spice
Pro Tip: If you store your zucchini in the refrigerator, set it on the counter for a few hours before using it to bring it to room temperature. Your zucchini bread will rise better this way.
Variations
Zucchini adds great moisture to the bread, and this is a recipe with so many opportunities to customize the flavor to your taste or your dietary needs with add-ins. We usually do 1 cup of add-ins, whether it’s just one or a combination of things. Here are a few of our favorite variations that help make this the best zucchini bread recipe:
- Nuts – Chopped walnuts, pecans, or both
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (If adding chocolate, you can reduce sugar to 1 cup if desired)
- Raisins or Golden raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Orange zest
The Best Zucchini for Zucchini Bread
Whether you are growing your own in the garden, or shopping at the grocery store or farm stand, the best zucchini for this recipe are small to medium in size. When they are this size, the skin is thin, they are full of moisture, and the seeds are small enough to disappear into the batter.
You can grate them without peeling, seeding, or chopping them. If you miss one in the garden and it’s so big you think your only option is to use it as a baseball bat, you can still use it. You would just need to cut the zucchini in half and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.
Pro Tip: If you have an abundance of zucchini in your garden, or can purchase summer produce inexpensively, consider freezing your grated zucchini in one-cup portions in freezer bags to have on hand later in the year.
How to Grate Zucchini
Using a box grater over a bowl or plate, use the side with the largest holes, and run the zucchini in a downward motion against the grates until you have 3 cups shredded. Be sure not to squeeze or pack the grated zucchini in your measuring cup too tightly. You can also use the grating attachment on a food processor.
Instructions
- Prepare your pans – Butter two 8×4-inch loaf pans and line them with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients – In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. *If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use GF flour and baking powder.
- Wet Ingredients – In a separate large mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until very well blended.
- Combine – Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Grate – Grate the zucchini in the large holes of a box grater. Add zucchini to the batter along with nuts (or any optional add-ins that you are using), and fold until well incorporated.
- Bake – Pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake at 350˚F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in pans for 15 minutes.
Common Questions
There is no need to peel the zucchini before grating them. The skin is thin enough to eat, so peeling does not change the taste or texture either way. I like to see the bits of shredded zucchini show up in each slice.
Nope. Just shred the zucchini and add it right to the mixture. The natural moisture is what gives this bread such a great texture and keeps it moist for days.
This recipe is so simple to make, and can easily be doubled.
Zucchini bread can be relatively healthy compared to other baked goods. Zucchini is low in calories and adds nutritional value and fiber to the recipe. The optional add-ins can be customized to suit your nutritional goals.
Serve with
This zucchini bread is sweet enough on its own, but it’s also great topped with:
- Salted butter (stir in a pinch of nutmeg for the perfect blend of sweet and savory)
- Honey Butter
- Sweetened cream cheese
- A dusting of powdered sugar
How to Store Zucchini Bread
This recipe makes two loaves which you’ll love because it keeps really well at room temperature and is freezer friendly so you can enjoy your zucchini long after your summer harvest.
- Room Temperature: Wrap cooled bread in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you are in an area with high humidity, store it in the refrigerator instead.
- To Refrigerate: Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a gallon-sized zipped storage bag after cooling and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freezing: After your bread has completely cooled, wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil or a freezer storage bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Pro Tip: Be sure to wait until your bread has cooled completely before covering or wrapping it. Storing it before it is at room temperature will cause condensation to build up and affect the texture of the bread.
This Zucchini bread is a treasure of a recipe – make it once and you’ll make it over and over. After watching the video tutorial, I hope you feel inspired to start baking. It’s so easy to make, is kid-friendly, and does not require any fancy kitchen tools.
More Zucchini Recipes to try
If you love zucchini and are looking for more ways to use your summer bounty, then you won’t want to miss these other tempting zucchini recipes.
- Easy Zucchini Fritters
- Pasta Primavera
- Grilled Moroccan Vegetable Skewers
- Fried Zucchini Bites with Dipping Sauce
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
- Zucchini Muffins
Zucchini Bread Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, or use gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup extra light olive oil, or canola or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated zucchini*, from 1 lb or 2 medium zucchini
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8×4-inch metal loaf pans and line with parchment paper for easier lifting.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until very well blended. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Add zucchini to the batter along with nuts (if using) and fold until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake in a preheated oven at 350˚F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature.
Notes
**Nutrition label does not include nuts or optional add-ins.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Thanks so much for the zucchini bread recipe. It’s moist and delicious. I followed your recipe exactly. I used gluten free flour. It came out PERFECT.
No one knew it was gluten free
Waiting for your cookbook to try more GREAT recipes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Irene!
Made this today, was easy and it turned out perfectly. I followed the recipe to a T. Thanks for sharing, it’s delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe today, oh so good. I did add chopped pecans and chopped dates. I even used the parchment paper and weighed the pans to make sure they baked evenly. Also learned to use a serrated knife to cut through the bread. Such great tips and ideas to incorporate into my baking learning journey. Thank you Mrs. Natasha
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cherie!
I made the zucchini bread today. It didn’t rise very much. Great flavor.
Hi Mary! Did you use a larger size pan by chance? If so, it would be flatter.
Also- make sure your baking powder is not expired. If it’s been open for several months, it might not be good anymore either. We used both baking powder and baking soda in this recipe.
Wondering if you can use white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
I haven’t tested it myself but feel free to experiment with it. Here is a helpful guide on how to make those substitutions from King Arthur Baking.
I made this bread this week. The end result was pretty good though just a bit less moist and sweet than we like. Also, there is no way one can whisk the dry and wet ingredients together as it was the consistency of cookie dough before adding the zucchini. Used a silicone spatula. Our stand by recipe is the same with an increase in the sugar to 1 3/4 Cups.
Hi Val! The consistency is thick, but not quite that thick. Is it possible that you used too much flour? Be sure to not scoop it out of the container. Watch my tutorial here on How to measure ingredients for some helpful tips.
You could be right. I stir to lighten, then scoop. I didn’t read your tutorial, so this is on me. Actually, weighing ingredients is my favorite method. Some recipes offer weights. I’ll try this again using you suggestion and let you know.
Followed the recipe exactly, and had very juicy zucchini. Adding 3 eggs and a cup of oil was not enough to get the flour completely moist. Even with the minimum amount of bake time, it was still dry. But with that said, I love Natasha’s recipes and always to there first when I want something that I know will turn out perfectly!
I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out for you. If you followed the recipe as written (prior to your modifications) then it’s likely that too much flour was used. Be sure to watch my tutorial on how to measure ingredients . Often times, you can use up to 25% more flour by not following these steps.
I hope that helps because we have had excellent results with this recipe as written. It’s very moist.
Hi Natasha,
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out Wonderful, I added chocolate chips and also some chopped walnuts. It is so moist but it didn’t last one day at my house:)
I saw Sharky take a piece of zucchini bread, he was pretty hungry!!!! Love You & Your Recipes
Those are 2 of my favorite add-ins and the combination of them is the best! Thanks for sharing your lovely review and I’m glad you spotted Sharky!
Hi, how long do I bake if I want to make this recipe into muffins?, Would the oven temp remain the same?. I’m not the best baker but this looks easy and delicious to try.
You can follow the instructions from my Zucchini muffins recipe.
Can I use glass loaf pans for this recipe as I don’t have metal ones?
Hi Peter, I haven’t tried baking this in glass pan to advise. I have read that a glass pan can cause uneven rising. If you try baking this in a glass pan, I’d love to know how you like it.
I used glass loaf pans for this recipie and it turned out perfectly! Baked for just over 50 mins with both pans next to each other in the center rack of the oven. I didn’t line the pans with parchment, though, only greased them with butter.
Thanks for sharing that, Jay!
This zucchini bread recipe is delicious. The sweetness is perfectly subtle. It is moist, yet has that discernible bread dryness that makes it balance nicely. It’s dense, yet light with each bite. Next time that I make it, I might try something I tried years ago with either zucchini bread or a banana bread, I can’t recall which one I made at the time. I made a light brown sugar crumble and put on top of the bread. It was quite tasty. I really enjoy your recipes.
I’m so glad that you loved it! Thank you for your great comments and feedback, James.
I have grated zucchini in my freezer. How can I use it to make zucchini bread. I know i need to thaw it out but its watery from being frozen, do I need to strain it first so there won’t be to much liquid in the batter. Do I use the same amount called for in the recipe
Hi Debbie! You can use the same amount of frozen zucchini. I’ve see recipes that strain it and others that don’t. The liquid is important for providing moisture, but too much liquid could affect the overall result. I would do a quick strain, to remove excessive liquid but don’t squeeze it out. Let us know know it turns out!
Thank you, Natasha, I am looking forward to trying this recipe out.
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Hello Natasha Love your recipe
Can I make this Zucchini recipe in a bundt pan ?
Valia
Hi Valentina! I think you could, but haven’t tested it myself to advise on baking time adjustments. Let us know how it turns out.
I would like to make just one loaf , have you halved the recipe?
HI Mary, I experimented with this because I wanted to make 12 muffins rather than 24 so if you wanted to make just 1 loaf, follow the recipe for our zucchini muffins which is very similar but accounts for the weird egg measurement when the recipe is halved and replaces it with a little milk. I hope you love the zucchini bread recipe!
Okay thanks so much , love all your recipes. The newest quick chicken soup recipe is a big hit! Very delicious.
You’re very welcome, Mary! So glad you’re loving it!
This zucchini bread is so delicious and easy to make! My family and I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to make it again!
That’s wonderful Olivia! So glad it was a hit. Thank you for sharing!
This is just like my Mothers recipe and it is delicious. I make my version 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of ground flax seed, has more fiber and is a bit healthier, still good.
What a great idea to make it in a healthier version. Thanks so much for sharing.
This zucchini bread is so soft & moist!! We make it all the time. It’s one of those breads that we eat year round & makes a delicious gift!
The most moist and tender bread, and the absolute best way to use up extra summer zucchinis!
I absolutely agree, Maryann! It’s a wonderful way to use up the garden zucchini!
Hi do i need to add anything for high.altitude? Im over 6500.
Thank you!
Hi Susan! I’m sorry, I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking. I would reference a high altitude baking guide for tips. I hope that helps.
Natasha, I think the combination of cinnamon and nuts make this zucchini bread recipe a keeper! Love watching your videos to be sure I’m doing things correctly! You are a hoot to watch on this perfect, use all my zucchini day! Trying the cheesy zucchini rice recipe for dinner!
Aww, thank you, Lynette! I appreciate the kind words. We love this recipe. I hope you’re able to give it a try too.