Zucchini Bread
I planted my first vegetable garden this year. Now I’m officially one of those people you read about in cooking magazines with way too much zucchini. I think it’s fair to say that you cannot comprehend how prolific this plant is until you have one of your own. I literally can’t keep up with it; I once forgot to check it for a few days and ended up with zucchini the size of baseball bats.
I’ve made my favorite Zucchini Noodles with Pesto, a delicious zucchini frittata, and a whole lotta zucchini bread, which my kids love because it tastes absolutely nothing like zucchini. But for the teeny-tiny green flecks (which any self-respecting picky eater will spot in a heartbeat), you would never even know a vegetable is involved.
A good bit of zucchini goes in, but it sort of miraculously evaporates into the batter, and the result is a delightfully sweet quick bread that tastes more like spice cake than anything else. It’s a great way to get your kids to eat zucchini, though I’m not sure it would count as a serving of vegetables — it’s more like dessert with benefits. Enjoy!
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Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1-3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini (you'll need two medium zucchinis)
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted if desired
- 1/2 cup currants or raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set rack in middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs with sugar until combined. Add grated zucchini, melted butter and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- In another large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix well.
- Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until just combined. Add nuts and currants (or chocolate chips if using), then divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Set pans on wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes, then turn loaves out onto rack to cool completely.
- Note: You can also add chocolate chips to this bread. I typically use between ¾ - 1 cup chocolate chips instead of nuts and currants. Whatever combination you use, just be sure total add-ins (nuts, currants, chips) do not exceed 1½ cups.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1-inch slice
- Calories: 302
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Sugar: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 65mg
- Cholesterol: 252mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Reviews & Comments
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Hi Jenn, I just made these loves tonight. My one zucchini made 2 cups grated; I reduced the sugar to 1 cup as I usually reduce sugar in most of my baking. I also used almond extract as I had no vanilla. I toasted 1 cup walnuts and used 1/2 cup chocolate chips. I gave one loaf to my girlfriend who had me over for dinner. It’s perfect, moist and full of flavour! Thank you, this is my new go-to zucchini bread recipe!
This is the best recipe I found used others and not as good my new favorite recipe.
Hello. I recently tried your pumpkin bread recipe and my kids ate it all it one day! I now wanted to try this one but I have pureed zucchini instead of grated. Would the recipe still work if I used the pureed instead?
Hi Samantha, Glad to hear everyone liked the pumpkin bread! 🙂 I haven’t tried this with pureed zucchini, but I suspect it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you make it!
Hello Jenn – I did make this today but found I only had 2 cups of pureed zucchini and so I added 1 cup of pumpkin puree. As a result, I adjusted the cinnamon down to 1 tsp and added 1/2 tsp of cloves (looking back at your pumpkin bread recipe for inspiration). I left other ingredients the same and it came out wonderfully. I baked ~50 minutes in 4 mini-loaf pans (my kids LOVE mini versions of things) and within 2 hours out of the oven, 2 of the loaves were gobbled up. This zucchini pumpkin bread is one I’ll add to my recipe book. Thank you!
Would like to sub sugar with agave wondering if I need to decrease sugar, lower cooking time
Hi Susan, I don’t have any experience baking with agave, so don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! These tips may help a bit, though. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
This was very, very good. It’s the first time I’ve made zucchini bread, though I do bake a lot. I made a few changes: I only used 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 t. nutmeg (it was plenty!) and used coconut oil instead of butter (didn’t have butter). I put about 1/2 cup roasted almonds and 1/3 cup apple juice sweetened cranberries (they were on the tart side). It is so amazingly moist and flavourful! This is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
So good. Thank you! I made it gluten free and it was lovely. I have so many zucchini right now but managed to use 12 today – zucchini bread, zucchini butter and finally, zucchini based pizzas for dinner. Now I just need to figure out what to do with tomorrow’s crop…
Can I give this recipe six stars? I have been baking zucchini bread for 40 years and I believe this is likely the best zucchini bread recipe ever! I think using butter, rather than oil, makes all of the difference. I made it gluten free by using an all purpose gluten free flour combination. Rather than using 1 cup of walnuts, I used 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts and 1/2 cup of flax seed. This is now my go to zucchini bread recipe. Thanks for another perfect recipe Jen!
I recently made your zucchini bread twice in fact over the past week. I love that it makes one loaf to share and another one to keep. My family fights over it. I love the spice blend of cinnamon and nutmeg. Anytime I make one of your recipes I look like a star. Thanks
just wondering if instead of using all granulated sugar, could I use half brown sugar & half granulated ?
Hi Janet, For the best results, I’d suggest sticking with the granulated sugar – sorry!
This is my favorite zucchini bread for several reasons. First, the recipe makes two loaves, so plenty to go around. Making substitutions is easy. Eggs or eggbeaters results were the same, excellent. I have mixed all-purpose flour with cake or pastry flour depending on what I have on hand, and the loaves turn out perfect. Sometime I use walnuts or pecans, again depending on what’s in the cupboard. Very easy to mix up in minutes. It is sweet as is but if the mood strikes, I will sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top before baking for an added crunch. I have this recipe saved and look forward to the end of summer to make over and over.
This is an excellent bread. Uses plenty of zucchini. Especially like the use of butter instead of oil, because the flavor is richer. I recommend you give this a try.
What could I substitute for Zucchini?
Love the zucchini bread! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The one other option that I’d feel comfortable suggesting here would be yellow squash. Hope you enjoy!
sweet potatoes
This bread was delicious. Splitting the bread into two pans really helped with the evenness of the cooking and I plan on trying that with other breads now! Thanks.
Best recipe ever for Zucchini bread. Delicious, tasty, and above all moist. I used frozen zucchini, thawed and drained. Perfect. First time I’ve been successful making Zucchini bread. Thank you!
Could I add blueberries to this bread?
Hi Kayla, Usually blueberries require a little more sugar in baked goods to balance their sourness, but technically it would work.
Didn’t add the currants, chocolate chips, or raisins but used walnuts and pecans chopped really fine and it was delicious!!!
Forgot to rate! I’m batting a 1000 today!
This recipe is identical to mine, except mine just has 2 cups of granulated sugar. I’ll have to try it with a cup of each! I noticed at least one reviewer saying they had to add more liquid because theirs was dry. I just wanted to mention that usually, the zucchini will add the needed moisture. I have let my batter sit for a few minutes (after the zucchini is stirred in), then stirred it several more times, to coax more moisture out of the zucchini. If that’s not enough, just add milk 1 TBS. at a time to get it to the right consistency.
P.S. I mistakenly sent this comment to you in the form of a “question!” Disregard!
Just made your zucchini bread but added 1/4 of crushed pineapple. Came out incredible!!
Your recipe is basically the same as the one I had but mine is with vegetable oil so I decided to give yours a try but add the crushed pineapple like mine. WOW…loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hi Jenn. I’ve never baked with zucchini before so I’m looking forward to trying this out. Should I squeeze out the liquid from the grated zucchini before mixing with the other ingredients?
Thanks!
Hi GFE, Yes, I would recommend wringing out the zucchini to eliminate the excess moisture. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Thanks for the nice recipe. Because I care about your health, please stop using Gold Medal Flower. It’s genetically modified and contains pesticides and weed killers. Go organic. It’s not much more.
Hello! Thank you for this recipe! Are you meant to wring the zucchini out to get rid of the excess moisture it it, or keep the water content in the zucchinis?
To get rid of the excess moisture; if not the bread would be soggy. Enjoy!
My favorite zucchini bread recipe. I left out the walnuts and added chocolate chips. 5 stars!!
First time making zuchinni bread and it came out perfect! Will be using this recipe time after time! I did use a cheesecloth to drain most of the water out of the zucchini.
What would be the cook time and degree if these were made into muffins
Hi Crystal, The temperature would remain the same and I would start checking them after about 25 – 30 minutes.
Zucchini bread recipe was deeelicious!
I love butter but I just didn’t think that using butter, instead of the usual oil, worked in this recipe. I put half of the batter in a loaf pan and half in a cup cake pan. I used paper liner cups in the cup cake pan and I greased very well, as you suggested, in the loaf pan. The cake still stuck. And I thought it was on the dry side and too dense, although I used a full 16 oz. of shredded zukes. You suggested 10 oz.
too sweet & a little dry- i would revise:
reduce sugar to 1 cup, add 1/4-1/2 cup honey
reduce cinnamon to 11/2 teaspoons
use only 8 oz butter, add 8 oz vegetable oil
I’ve scoured the Internet in search of the perfect zucchini bread recipe (we’re talking at least 20-something recipes tested), and this is–hands down– the best! I was bit confused about the order of operations (egg first? really?), but this somehow works just right. The crumb is perfect, the flavor is on-point, and it came out clean and with a nice brown to it. Butter really makes the flavor– adding oil makes the zucchini somehow taste a bit wetter and sadder. I will never use another recipe again.
I have made much zucchini bread in my near 70 years but this is by far the best recipe I have ever made. Perhaps because it uses butter as opposed to oil. The density of the bread is perfect for our tastes. I wanted to post it on facebook for my friends but could not figure out how. Thank you,
I tried this recipe last night.I followed it to a T. However, I did add some dark chocolate morsels as well. I think it turned out great. It’s very dense, not too sweet, and with just the right blend of spices. Looking at the reviews afterward though, next time I may add applesause to it as well. It’s a easy recipe for a yummy zucchini bread. I appreciate this recipe and people who take the time to tinker with, and perfect something delish. I may have added just a little more zucchini, not sure my 2 that I had were enough. Also, I’m glad that I didn’t drain or squeeze out the juice of the zucchini, to keep the bread more moist.
I’m not a fan of this recipe at all. The batter seemed dry when I mixed it. I even added oil. Stuck to the pan as well. Thought with all that butter it would have been moist but It wasn’t. Disappointed.
Hello! I’m a cook from Budapest and try to lighten up some of my favorite baked things. Still keeping your brilliant proportions for this bread, I replaced the butter with homemeade apple sauce (2 medium sized apples) and replaced one of the cups of flour with almond flour.
As desserts are generally less sweet here, I used only 1 cup of sugar. It turned out lovely, and there is no telling that items were subbed or reduced.
Thanks so much for a lovely recipe.
Have you made these into muffins?
What temp do you cook them at and for how long?
Hi Mari, I haven’t made these into muffins, but I think it would work. I would start checking them after about 25 – 30 minutes.
can you use applesauce in place of butter to cut calories
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried it that way, but another reader substituted applesauce for half of the butter and was happy with the result.
What temperature do I bake it at
Hi Rubymae, The bread gets baked at 325 degrees. Hope you enjoy it!
Does it matter if I use 8.5×4.5×2.5 or 5×9 pan? Thank-you.
You can use either of those M.E. They may be done baking just a tiny bit early, so keep your eye on them toward the end. Enjoy!
Wow!!! What a great recipe! Every recipe that I have tried from your site has been outstanding … better than the Food Network! Thank you for your thorough explanations and measurements … you are spot on!
This is the best zucchini bread recipe on the internet. My picky grandson could not get enough, and when I told him I would bake him another loaf, he went excitedly to his mom to tell her! We all enjoyed your recipe, thank you for sharing!
What degree do you bake
Hi Pamela, the bread gets baked at 325 degrees. Enjoy!
Can this be made with anything but a bread pan?
Yes Shelby, some other readers have used different shaped pans including bundt pans and muffin pans.
Could I add drained canned pineapple to this (chopped into bits) with much success?
Sure, I think you could Deborah; just make sure it’s really well drained before you mix it in. If not, the bread may be too wet. I’d love to hear how it turns out with the addition!
Haven’t tried yet, but would like to try to freeze for church bizzar in the fall. Thoughts?
Hi P, Yes, this freezes nicely!
Yum! Used zucchini from my CSA box. Thanks for the recipe!
Love this bread!! Will this still freeze well as muffins?
Does this bread freeze well? And can you add in yellow squash as well? (the yellow zucchini) I have about 20 pounds of both kinds that I need to use up!
Hi Caren, Yes and yes 🙂
Tried this recipe today. It is delicious.
Can I use toasted pistachio nuts instead of walnuts ?
Sure, Lori — that will work well.
Hi! This recipe is awesome! I have made it twice now (technically 3x if you count doubling the last batch). My sister loves zucchini bread so I make it for her and she shares with coworkers who’ve all raved about it, by the way. I love how flexible the recipe is. I have used part wheat flour. I have subbed the butter for coconut oil (1st time) and cut half of the butter with apple sauce. I’ve used just 1 cup of sugar and it was still Cakey sweet. I’ve added ginger powder with a dash of cardamom while doubling the cinnamon and it’s not too spicy. I’ve used 2/3 zucchini with 1/3 carrot. Listen, this recipe has literally been TESTED by me and it’s been wonderful with every Liberty I’ve taken. KUDOS and 5 Stars! Thanks!
P.s. When I doubled it, I baked in 2 loaf pans, one 9 cup bundt pan and had three muffins left. I told you I tested it lol. Each way came out flawless. Muffins were done in 30 minutes and the bundt pan took 20-25 minutes longer than recommend time for the loaves. Thanks again!
Would like to make mini sized loaves. Any idea about bake time? Should they still cool in pan for 10 min before taking them out?
Margie, I’d start checking the loaves at about 45 – 50 minutes and yes, they should still cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi,
Could you please tell me what the measurement would be in grams?
Thanks,
Aparna
Hi Aparna, The recipe has been updated with metric measurements. There is a button in the top right corner of the recipe that allows you to select metric or cup measures. Hope that helps!
Another great recipe. Followed directions exactly. Bread came out perfectly. Love your recipes.
Thank you, Nicole! So glad you enjoyed the bread 🙂
I made this with some of our summer crop of zucchini and we all loved it – even my 20 month old! Only change I made was I didn’t put nuts in this time, with the baby in mind. Next time I’m making it w/ the nuts though, and that is probably going to be this weekend. If this freezes well i may make a double batch
We tried this recipe for the first time and found the batter to be quite solid. I supervised my husband with measuring. It’s the first time I’ve ever used melted butter to make a zucchini bread. It appeared to solidify after mixing, is that why the “batter” was solid-ish?
Hi Dayle, It’s a thick batter because of the zucchini. How did it turn out after it was baked?
This is my favorite zucchini bread recipe… I enjoyed making it with my grandma!
Love love love this recipe. This is my go to for zucchini bread. My kids love it. I also use same recipe for muffins. Excellent. Sometimes I add flax seed. Makes me feel like I’m adding something extra for the kids and they never know!!
Great recipe, love this bread warm.
This is now my go to recipe for zuchinni bread. So easy and so delicious. Freezes well too.
This was the first (and only) Zuchinni Bread recipe I’ve ever made. The first time, I took the second loaf to a neighbor. Now, they are requesting it. Maybe sharing wasn’t such a good idea. I have just taken a batch out of the oven, and am looking forward to a nice warm slice with a cup of hot tea. \I just hope the neighbors don’t find out. Excellent recipe!
Another 5 star recipe. I think this is like the 20th dish I’ve made from your website in the past few weeks! Loved everything. I made this tonight so the kids could have a special treat for their back to school breakfast tomorrow. I used smaller pans, so it made 4 loaves, which baked in 50 min at 325. My kids are “picky” eaters, so I grated the zuke on the smallest holes of our grater, and ground the nuts down in a food processor. You lose the texture, which I’m sure would be nice, but the nutes and veggies disappear completely, so I know my girls will gobble this up in the morning. Plus, I now have a few extra loaves to freeze….unless my wife and I keep “Sampling” tonight. YUM!
Delectable! So simple and easy, great way to use up your zucchini. Great flavor, wonderful texture. Wouldn’t change a thing!
I really like this bread. it is very moist and it freezes well. I made 10 loaves for my freezer because the family loves it.. I am going to make more, Thank you so much.
I made this yesterday with our homegrown zucchini, white whole wheat flour, and omitted the extra spices and nuts…delicious! My kids (2&4) kept thanking me for such yummy bread. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Jenn! Any tips on subbing in some whole wheat flour here and making this into muffins? Would that work? 🙂
Hi Randi! I’d start with subbing half whole wheat flour (use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour if you can find it) and see how it tastes; if it’s good, you can always increase the whole wheat flour the next time. You want to go easy at first b/c whole wheat flour can make baked goods very dense and dry. Muffins will work fine 🙂
Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes. No doubt this will become a family favorite.
I just discovered this recipe this week. I made muffins instead of loaves, and I also substituted 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of applesauce for the butter, as well as omitting the nuts and raisins. The muffins were moist and flavorful and the recipe was so easy! My 5-yr. old daughter immediately asked for seconds!
I made this recipe a couple days ago, and the bread was absolutely delicious! I did leave out the raisins. I was amazed at how easy it was to grate the zucchini on a box grater. Both of my teenage kids helped, and we had so much fun baking. I look forward to making another batch of zucchini bread!
My husband loved this bread aka dessert!
Our neighbors to either side of us ‘blessed’ us with an armload of zucchini this past week. My kids are not big zucchini fans, but do like zucchini bread. This recipe was easy to make and turned out perfectly. We used the toasted walnuts but skipped the raisins. For quick breads like this, I usually substitute a portion of whole wheat or white whole wheat flours with no change in texture or taste. Delicious and freezes well, too.
I love zucchini bread and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Ihave so much zucchini right now in my garden. This is a must. i remember my grandmother’s zucchini bread in the summer when i was a child. Her recipe was very similar! Thanks.
I am identifying with the baseball bat size zucchini. Can wait to try this recipe!!
Love this recipe will make again for sure!
I remember makiing zucchini bread with my grandma, with her fresh grown zucchinis. This recipe tastes just like it!
I love zucchini bread and toasting it sounds good.
I have never used real butter in this type of recipe, but I have recently switche to butter instead of margarine.
This is by far the best Zucchini Bread I’ve made. The texture was just right – moist without being wet or gummy. We actually fought over the last piece.
Made these into muffins instead of a loaf, and they were great! We’re going to try the loaf next time, but the bread stayed very moist and the zucchini is so colorful in it! Thanks for a great recipe!
My first baking memories were with zucchini bread…however I now have a child with peanut and tree nut allergies. Anyone know of a great crunchy subsitute?? Tia.
Hi Bob, Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! So sorry you found the zucchini bread to be a bit dry. I’ve made it many times and never had that problem. Just wondering, did you measure the flour properly (scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off with knife)? That makes a big difference. In any case, substituting some oil for the butter would definitely moisten it up and increase shelf life, as would adding a bit more sugar. If you have any left, try slicing it into 1-inch thick slices and toasting it – it will help. Also, if you like quick breads, I hope you’ll try my pumpkin bread. It’s very, very moist (more cake-like than the zucchini bread). Here’s the link: https://www.onceuponachef.com/2009/09/spiced-pumpkin-bread.html
Tried this one last night. I was interested that most recipes call for quite a bit of oil, and this one only had better. Alas, I think it is a bit dry? Maybe 1/2 c oil? I have also heard of people substituting applesauce for oil in zuch bread.
Man you are wonderful. Having these cool ideas not to talk about making it. Fantastic!
Yummy bread will try out the recipe soon.
i just made a recipe from Faye Rose Birnbaum Levy’s “Book of cakes” (not the complete title) and she had reduced the amount of suger to a quarter of a cup. I added an extra one and it was fine. It’s amazing what happens to the zucchini. It just disappears into the textire of the cake.
This zucchini bread is delicious!!! Made it plain for the kids but next time I’m going to try the walnuts. Thanks!
Do you know if all-purpose flour can be substituted to make this gluten-free? looks yummy!
Wow. Thanks for this. I made my first zucchini Bread this year. My baby girl couldn’t have any. But I made some baby food so it evens out. Ha!