Zucchini Bread
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A foolproof zucchini bread recipe with a tender crumb, warm spice, and plenty of shredded zucchini. It makes two loaves, freezes beautifully, and can be customized with walnuts, raisins, currants, or chocolate chips.
Every summer, when zucchini starts piling up, this is the classic zucchini bread recipe I come back to again and again. It’s incredibly moist, warmly spiced, and packed with shredded zucchini, which practically disappears into the batter as it bakes. The result is a tender loaf that tastes more like snack cake than vegetable bread.
Best of all, it’s easy to make and doesn’t require any fussy steps—there’s no need to squeeze the zucchini before adding it to the batter. In fact, its natural moisture is what keeps the bread so tender. Keep it classic with walnuts and currants or raisins, or add chocolate chips for a sweeter twist that kids will love.
“I have made zucchini bread for 50 years, using one recipe. Thank goodness I tried this one—we loved it and will never go back!”
What You’ll Need To Make Zucchini Bread
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure while keeping the bread tender.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: A classic combination that gives the bread its warm, cozy flavor.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Using both leavening agents helps the bread rise evenly and creates a light, tender crumb.
- Eggs: Add richness, structure, and moisture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the bread and helps keep it moist.
- Zucchini: You’ll need about two medium zucchini. There’s no need to peel them or squeeze out the moisture—the zucchini’s natural moisture is what keeps the bread so tender.
- Butter: Melted butter adds rich flavor and helps create a soft, tender crumb.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the warm spice flavors.
- Walnuts, currants (or raisins), or chocolate chips (optional): Customize the bread to your taste. Walnuts add crunch, currants or raisins add bursts of sweetness, and chocolate chips make it feel more like dessert. Whichever combination you choose, keep the total add-ins to no more than 1½ cups.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until well combined. Add the grated zucchini, melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to liquid mixture and mix well. Then mix in your add-ins (nuts, currants, and/or chocolate chips).
Step 4: Prepare the loaf pans. Divide the batter into two greased 8½ x 4½-in loaf pans and smooth the tops.
Step 5: Bake and cool. Bake the loaves for about 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean. Once done, set the pans on wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto rack to cool completely.
How To Freeze Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread can be frozen for up to three months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap, or place in a freezer bag. Thaw the bread overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Lightly toast individual slices for best results.
Looking For More Ways To Use Zucchini?
If your garden is still overflowing, here are a few more of my favorite zucchini recipes: zucchini muffins, chocolate zucchini bread, zucchini fritters, creamy zucchini soup, or ratatouille.
Video Tutorial
More Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini (you'll need two medium zucchinis; do not wring out the liquid)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted if desired (optional; see note)
- ½ cup currants or raisins (optional; see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8½ x 4½-in (22 x 11-cm) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix well.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the grated zucchini, melted butter, and vanilla extract; using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the nuts and currants, then divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can also add chocolate chips to this bread. I typically use about 1 cup of 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.
- Freezing 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 it in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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.
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Hi Jenn is zucchini bread not as moist as banana bread? This was my first time having zucchini bread and I was just wondering if it’s supposed to be as moist as banana bread.
Generally, I would consider them to be equally moist, but I suspect it varies a bit based on the recipes of both.
Lovely recipe. Mine looked just like the photo. Tasted great. Didn’t have walnuts but toasted pecans were perfect.
Delicious!
This recipe is very good!
Hi Jenn,
Once again another delicious recipe. I made five mini loaves versus the two big loaves since it is just my husband and me. I will freeze four of them and take them out of freezer as needed. I liked this recipe so much with the walnuts etc. Will make one day with just the chocolate chips and use it more for a dessert. Some zucchini bread recipes have too much cinnamon and nutmeg. Yours was absolutely perfect. I baked the mini loaves about 40 mins. I checked several times until they were just perfect. LOVE YOUR RECIPES.
💕
In making your zucchini bread, is there a good substitute for the butter? I have high triglycerides and trt not to eat fat. Would applesauce or canola oil be a substitute and if so what amount? Thank you
Hi Mary, You can replace half the amount of butter in the recipe with applesauce; so in this case, use half a cup of butter and half a cup of applesauce. I’m not sure how coconut oil is in regard to triglycerides, but I believe you could successfully replace the butter with it. Hope that helps – please let me know how it turns out if you try the bread with either of these tweaks!
Jenn. so easy, so GOOD! The best zucchini bread I have ever made. Butter makes everything so much better. Used fresh grated nutmeg and chopped walnuts. Would have put in chocolate chips, but had none in the house. Fifty five minutes for two beautifully browned loaves. Am going to try it with some drained crushed pineapple. Would you say about 1/3 of a cup? Sending one to my granddaughter and the other is quickly disappearing.
Glad you like this Carol. 🙂 I think crushed pineapple would work here; just make sure it’s very well drained so it doesn’t add too much moisture to the batter. And I think 1/3 cup is perfect. I’d love to hear how it is with the pineapple!
Finally did it with crushed pineapple, well drained, lovely. However, while in the past 55 minutes has always been perfect, this time around, although it tested done, it needed another five minutes as there was just a little touch of wetness in the center , so little that we are eating around it. I am assuming it was because of the pineapple.
Yep, I assume that’s what it was. 🙂
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!