Sweet and moist Zucchini Bread filled with freshly grated zucchini, walnuts, and cinnamon. A great summer dessert cake when you have garden veggies or all year round for a breakfast or brunch. This easy quick bread recipe makes two loaves, so you can freeze one for later!
There’s nothing like a good loaf of zucchini bread. I think everyone should have a zucchini bread recipe in their arsenal – this is mine!
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients you’ll need:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Zucchini
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
- Large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped walnuts
How to prep Zucchini for Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini do not need to be peeled for zucchini bread – the skin on zucchini is actually quite tender and softens up nicely when baked. Plus, you get those lovely flecks of green throughout every slice!
- Wash and trim your zucchini – just like any produce, you’ll want to rinse and dry the zucchini to get rid of any potential bacteria. Trim the ends, too, since you won’t want to use those in the bread.
- Shred and squeeze out any excess moisture – zucchini naturally has a lot of water in it, which becomes obvious once you grate it and let sit for a bit. Make sure you squeeze any excess water from it before adding it to your other ingredients.
Recipe Variations
- Add in some chocolate chips, because chocolate is always a good idea! 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips will give just the right amount speckled throughout the loaves.
- Swap out the zucchini with yellow squash, or use a combo of both! Unlike zucchini, yellow squash has tougher skin, so you’ll either want to peel it or use a finer grater.
- Make the zucchini bread healthy by replacing half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, replacing half of the vegetable oil with applesauce, and reducing the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup.
- Muffins: Simply use my recipe (complete printable below), then scoop 3 tablespoons of the batter into paper-lined muffin tins and bake for about 18 minutes (depending on your oven.)
- Mini loaves: You’ll follow my recipe but instead of using 2, 8×4-inch loaf pans, you’ll need to divide the batter evenly among 6 mini loaf pans, then bake for 35-40 minutes and cool for 20 minutes before releasing.
How to Store Zucchini Bread
- Storing leftovers: Baked and cooled, this bread can sit (tightly wrapped) on the countertop for 2-3 days. After that, you’ll want to refrigerate it, which will extend its life a few days longer.
- To Freeze: You can also freeze this zucchini bread recipe. Wrap the loaves in plastic, then in foil, and transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
If you’ve got garden zucchini, this is one of the best ways to use it up! Luckily, zucchini is available year round at the grocery store, so you can make this zucchini bread recipe all year long.
Zucchini Bread Video
Other Zucchini Recipes We Love
- Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Zucchini Ricotta Pancakes
- Mini Chocolate Zucchini Cakes
- Zucchini Lasagna Rolls
How to Make Zucchini Bread
To make this zucchini bread recipe, follow the steps below included in the printable recipe card. Make sure to refer back to the article for all the helpful tips and variations!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 2 cups shredded zucchini , excess water pressed out
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 2, 8×4-inch loaf pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, oil, both sugars, and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in walnuts and zucchini.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not over-mix or your bread will be tough.)
- Pour equally into the loaf pans and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a tester in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes.
- Carefully turn your cake bread out of pans and let cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy!
- {NOTE: Instruction on how to convert this recipe to muffins or mini loaves is included in the full article.)
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
If I am using frozen how much liquid should I squeeze out? Or use before it gets to soft?
I’ve never used frozen zucchini in this, but you’d want to squeeze out all the liquid just as you would with fresh.
I just made this recipe. I did follow the “healthier” options by using Truvia instead of sugar (1/2 c), homemade applesauce for 1/2 the oil and whole wheat flour for 1/2 the flour. I made 24 muffins. The flavor is great, but they’re a little dry which is to be expected since I didn’t use all the oil called and changed the flour. Definitely will make these again.
I’m from the north (MA) now living in NC. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a decent recipe for Zucchini Bread!? I bought a yloaf at a local farmers market from a vendor touting the best (far, far from the best – could not tell it was really zucchini bread). Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for posting.
I am saving this recipe to bake with my son – he is obsessed with baking!!
Hi Amy! I’m hoping to make this bread very soon, thanks. But I have a question: if I leave out the nuts, should I increase the measurements on anything else?
Hi Chris! Omitting the nuts will not alter the recipe (other than slight flavor and texture), so you don’t need to change anything else. Enjoy!