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This moist and flavorful zucchini bread is the perfect way to use up fresh summer zucchini. Made with warm cinnamon, simple pantry ingredients, and plenty of shredded zucchini, it’s an easy homemade quick bread that’s perfect for breakfast, snacking, or sharing.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Every summer, there seems to come a point when the zucchini in the garden multiplies overnight. If you’re wondering what to do with too much zucchini, this zucchini bread recipe is one of my favorite solutions. It’s the recipe I come back to year after year because it’s simple, reliable, and always turns out perfectly moist.
This week I delivered a loaf to one of the older sisters at church that I often visit. She wasn’t home so I left it on her porch. When I arrived there was also a zucchini on her porch that someone had left. Later that evening I received a text from her thanking me for the best zucchini bread and letting me know that zucchini bread is the way she likes to receive her zucchini!
What I love most about zucchini bread is that it feels like a treat while still making good use of all that fresh garden produce. The zucchini practically disappears into the batter, adding incredible moisture without making the bread taste like vegetables. Even people who claim they don’t like zucchini happily reach for a second slice!
Ingredients Needed
- Zucchini
- All Purpose Flour
- Large Eggs
- Sugar
- Canola Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
How to Make Zucchini Bread
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease or line two 8 x 4 inch baking pans with parchment paper (or 5 mini loaf pans)
- Use a box grater to grate zucchini.
- Mix together flour, salt, baking pwder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl.
- In another large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.
- Whisk dry ingredients into sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Stir in grated zucchini and pour into prepared pans.
- Bake for 40-60 minutes of until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Don’t peel the zucchini. The skin is thin and softens as the bread bakes, so there’s no need to remove it. It also adds tiny flecks of color throughout the loaf.
- Use the large holes of a box grater. Coarsely shredded zucchini provides the best texture and melts beautifully into the batter.
- Don’t squeeze out the moisture. Unlike some zucchini recipes, the natural moisture in the zucchini is what makes this bread so tender. Unless your zucchini is unusually watery, simply grate it and stir it into the batter.
- Mix just until combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make your zucchini bread dense instead of soft and tender. Stir only until you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
- Customize it with mix-ins. Chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, or dried cranberries are all delicious additions. Fold them in gently at the end of mixing.
- Test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached, the bread is done. If you see wet batter, bake for a few more minutes and test again.
- Let it cool before slicing. It’s tempting to cut into a warm loaf, but allowing it to cool for at least 15–20 minutes helps it set up, making it easier to slice and preventing it from crumbling.
- Freeze an extra loaf. Zucchini bread freezes exceptionally well. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil or place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and enjoy whenever the craving strikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my zucchini bread sink in the middle?
This usually happens if the loaf was underbaked, the oven temperature was too low, or too much leavening was added. Be sure to test the center with a toothpick before removing it from the oven.
Can I make zucchini bread into muffins?
Yes! Divide the batter among lined or greased muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake at the same temperature for about 18–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Why is my zucchini bread dry?
Dry zucchini bread is usually caused by measuring too much flour or overbaking. Be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off, and check the bread for doneness a few minutes before the recommended baking time.
What is the best way to serve zucchini?
It’s delicious served plain, spread with butter or cream cheese, or lightly toasted. Enjoy it for breakfast, an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or even as a simple dessert.
Whether you’re trying to use up a bumper crop of garden zucchini or you’re simply craving a slice of homemade comfort, this zucchini bread is a recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again. It’s perfectly moist, warmly spiced, and easy enough for both beginner and experienced bakers. Bake one loaf to enjoy now and another for the freezer—you’ll be glad to have a homemade treat ready whenever the craving strikes!
Check out more of my other favorite quick bread recipes:
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Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups zucchini grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or line two 8 x 4 loaf pans with parchment paper. (or 5 mini loaf pans)
- Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl.
- In another bowl, beat together eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.
- Mix flour mixture into sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Stir in zucchini and pour into prepared pans.
- Bake for 40-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on rack.
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t peel the zucchini. The skin is thin and softens as the bread bakes, so there’s no need to remove it. It also adds tiny flecks of color throughout the loaf.
- Use the large holes of a box grater. Coarsely shredded zucchini provides the best texture and melts beautifully into the batter.
- Don’t squeeze out the moisture. Unlike some zucchini recipes, the natural moisture in the zucchini is what makes this bread so tender. Unless your zucchini is unusually watery, simply grate it and stir it into the batter.
- Mix just until combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make your zucchini bread dense instead of soft and tender. Stir only until you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
- Customize it with mix-ins. Chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, or dried cranberries are all delicious additions. Fold them in gently at the end of mixing.
- Test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached, the bread is done. If you see wet batter, bake for a few more minutes and test again.
- Let it cool before slicing. It’s tempting to cut into a warm loaf, but allowing it to cool for at least 15–20 minutes helps it set up, making it easier to slice and preventing it from crumbling.
- Freeze an extra loaf. Zucchini bread freezes exceptionally well. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil or place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and enjoy whenever the craving strikes.
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Sheila says
Have you had any luck freezing zucchini?? Grated??
Thanks!
Leigh Anne says
Sheila, I haven’t ever tried it. I have made zucchini bread and frozen that and it works fine.