This easy Zucchini Cheese Bread is a soft, fluffy, buttery quick bread loaded with cheese, and speckled with zucchini. Perfect served as a side with a nice pat of butter or amazing used for grilled cheese sandwiches.
If you love Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits, you will love this quick bread, which tastes just like it with added zucchini!
Zucchini Cheese Bread Recipe
I didn’t think I could possibly love my cheese bread recipe more than I already do, but I added some shredded zucchini to it, which just took it up another notch. It’s extremely moist and flavorful with tons of cheese flavor and bits of fresh shredded zucchini throughout – each bite practically melts in your mouth.
Bonus, this cheesy quick bread goes with just about everything. Serve as a side with soup or pasta, or you can make the most epic sandwiches between two slices. Or simply enjoy a slice with some melted butter for a snack. It’s so good!
What is Cheese Bread?
No kneading or rising required for this cheese bread because it’s a quick bread made with a simple dough and baked in a loaf pan. Loaded with…yep, cheese! In this case, we’re using a lot of cheddar cheese, a bit of shredded zucchini, and a melted herb-butter mixture that gets basted on top of the bread right out of the oven. It’s soft, tender, buttery, and cheesy!
Ingredients Needed
This cheesy quick bread is made with lots of cheese, zucchini, and pantry items.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Freshly shredded cheddar cheese off the block will get you the absolute best flavor and melts better. Avoid pre-shredded.
- Zucchini – The zucchini should be grated but not peeled. You want the green! Then squeeze out most of the moisture.
- Milk – We recommend whole milk for optimal moisture.
- Egg – This helps bind the bread and hold it all together.
- Unsalted butter – I prefer unsalted butter to control the level of saltiness of the bread.
- All-purpose flour – Properly measured by the spoon and level technique, not scooped.
- Sugar – A small amount of sugar balances the savory flavors.
- Baking powder – This leavening agent helps give the bread lift.
- Sea salt – Just a pinch for flavor.
- Seasonings for the topping – A combination of garlic powder, sea salt, onion powder, and dried parsley.
How to Make Zucchini Cheese Bread
Making this cheese bread, like most quick breads, is super easy. Just mix together the dough ingredients, bake, and serve! Here’s a brief summary:
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and measurements, and don’t miss the video below.)
- Prepare the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients then stir in the cheese to coat. Whisk the wet ingredients together, along with the shredded zucchini, then combine with the dry mixture.
- Use a 9×5 loaf pan. Pour the dough into a standard loaf pan that’s been coated with nonstick spray.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven.
- Add the topping. Whisk together all the topping ingredients and immediately brush over the bread while it’s still warm.
- Serve. Allow the bread to cool. Slice and serve.
Tips for Success
For the best cheesy zucchini quick bread, keep these tips in mind.
- Remove excess moisture from the zucchini. After shredding the zucchini, squeeze out most of the moisture using paper towels.
- Spoon and level the flour. Too much flour will make the bread dry, so spoon and level, don’t scoop.
- Avoid pre-shredded cheese. Shred the cheese fresh off the block. Packaged shredded cheese doesn’t have as much flavor and is also coated in cellulose, which doesn’t allow it to melt properly.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Mix the ingredients until just combined, but avoid overmixing. Overmixing can result in less tender bread.
- Add the butter topping immediately. For best results, add the butter topping just after removing the bread from the oven. It will absorb into the bread better than if you wait for it to cool.
Video: How to Make Zucchini Cheese Bread
Serving Suggestions
Cheese bread goes so well with soups, salads, and pasta as a side dish. And you simply can’t beat a warm slice with a pat of butter melted on top. Or try it as sandwich bread with your favorite sandwich toppings. Better yet, try making a grilled cheese sandwich with this bread. So good!
How to Store
- Storing leftovers. You can store this bread on the counter or in the fridge. Cool completely, then wrap in foil and place in a well-sealed ziploc bag or airtight container. It will last for up to 4 days. If you keep it on the counter, be sure to keep it cool and out of humidity.
- To freeze zucchini cheese bread. Allow to cool completely before freezing. You can freeze either the entire loaf or slices so you can grab what you need at any time. Store tightly wrapped to avoid freezer burn and thaw on the counter.
More Zucchini Recipes:
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Italian Stuffed Zucchini
- Zucchini Bread
- Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Zucchini Lasagna Rolls
- Shrimp Tostadas with Zucchini
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 TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Zucchini Cheese Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup shredded zucchini , excess moisture removed (see note)
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Using a pastry brush, brush the spray all over the loaf pan to make sure it is covered up the sides and in the corners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add the cheddar cheese and stir it together so the cheese is coated in the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, unsalted butter, and shredded zucchini; pour into the dry mixture and stir it until just combined and there are no dry patches (don't over-mix.)
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the bread is baking, make the topping: whisk together the butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and dried parsley.
- Remove loaf pan from the oven and set on a wire rack. Immediately brush the bread with the butter topping.
- Let the bread cool for 5 minutes in the pan then take it out of the pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
- Slice and serve.
It was very good, I added few black and green olives and 1 extra egg
Wow this recipe exceeded my expectations – it was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it!
Super moist and delicious
Tastes awesome! Mine fell when I took it out of the oven, Any idea how to prevent this?
Mine fell as well! I think next time I will use a brand new container of baking powder.
Made as directed. So good!
Loved this! Big hit with the family. I served it with quiche and a side salad.
Reminded me of Red Lobsters cheddar bay biscuits…I am not really a fan of those, but my husband loved the bread!
This was GREAT!! Whole family loved it. Going to make another loaf.
What an awesome way to use up all of that excess zucchini! Delicious
This was AWESOME!! Light and fluffy. Loved the herb butter topping. Great way to use up some garden zucchini. Thanks for sharing!