This extra moist apple zucchini bread starts with fresh zucchini, then mixes in crisp apples and a warm blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. It’s perfect for August or early September, when summer is in the air, but fall is just around the corner. Each slice blends fresh-from-the-garden flavor with the comforting warmth of autumn spices.
Moist, tender, and absolutely packed with warming spices, this apple zucchini bread is exactly what we all crave as we look ahead to the fall. I created this recipe by blending my apple cinnamon bread, harvest spice bread, and zucchini bread recipes. And after tasting, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried the combo sooner.
The combination is absolutely perfect.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Zucchini Bread:
- Extremely Simple: No mixer required and the batter comes together quickly
- No Shortage of Flavor: Brimming with spices, applesauce, and fresh apples
- Dairy-Free Recipe
- Versatile Breakfast, Snack, or Dessert: An anytime treat
- Deliciously Moist: Thanks to the zucchini, applesauce, and apples
- Freezer-Friendly: Bake a few loaves while zucchini is bountiful and freeze for later in the season
One reader, Bianca, commented: “Great flavors here, Sally! I think I found my new favorite zucchini bread. And that says a lot, because we love your original! ★★★★★“
One reader, Kiersten, commented: “Wow! This is the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made! The warm spices and apples make it next level. I didn’t change a thing and it was perfection. ★★★★★“
One reader, Patricia, commented: “I made this apple zucchini bread three times. It was a hit for everyone. My family and friends can’t get enough of it. I made more to freeze in slices and easily grab one anytime. This is a keeper for me. Thank you! ★★★★★“
5 Key Ingredients & How They Work
- Oil: Oil is remarkable for keeping baked goods moist. Melted butter or creamed butter simply won’t provide the same level of moisture. In this recipe, you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil. Taste testers and I really liked the version with avocado oil.
- Sugar: Use both regular granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Sugar does so much more than sweeten the bread—it attracts and holds water, helping to ensure that the quick bread stays moist and tender days after baking.
- Spices: Cinnamon (with a bit extra for the apples), allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. If you love the spices in apple pie, this bread is for you. Buy them now so they are fresh for all of your fall baking coming up.
- Applesauce: This, along with the oil, keeps the bread moist. You can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mashed banana in its place if needed.
- Shredded Zucchini: Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. It’s truly a magical ingredient in your baked goods, because you can’t taste it—even in the richest desserts like chocolate zucchini cake or this zucchini cake.
You also need other baking staples including flour, eggs, leaveners, etc.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s bread comes together in just a few minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple of bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You also need a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use.
It’s what I use when making zucchini fritters, carrot cake, and harvest spice bread, too.
- How much zucchini do I need? Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/4 cups shredded, which is around 150g.
- Do I need to peel the zucchini first? You can if you’d like, but I never do. There’s no taste or texture variance either way, but you’ll definitely have more flecks of green throughout the loaf if you don’t peel it.
- Do I blot the shredded zucchini? No, you do not need to blot the zucchini dry before using in the batter. (You want that moisture here! Unlike when we make zucchini biscuits, where ridding some of that moisture is key.)
Best Apples to Use
Chop the apples into bite-size pieces. You’ll need a heaping cup of apples, which is around 125g. Feel free to go a little heavier on the apple chunks, too. 1 to 1 and a half apples is plenty, and I usually use 1 red Honeycrisp apple and 1/2 of a green Granny Smith apple. Feel free to use just red or just green. Other apples that are ideal for baking, especially in quick breads, include Fuji, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady.
See Best Apples for Baking for more suggestions.
Before adding to the batter, toss the apples in a Tablespoon of sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon. This is optional, but adds a kiss of extra flavor.
You can, but taste testers and I preferred the loaf with the chunks of apples, as it gave the bread more interesting texture. Think of the apples as an add-in, instead of blending them right into the batter. Plus, when you shred the apples, you can’t really toss the pieces in the cinnamon-sugar.
Apple Zucchini Bread Batter
For the batter, all you’re doing is whisking the dry and wet ingredients together separately, and then combining everything. Fold in the apples, and then pour and spread the batter into your loaf pan. That’s it!
For a little extra crunch, feel free to top with coarse sugar such as these coarse sugar sprinkles or Sugar In The Raw.
Just wait until you smell this spiced bread baking! I love it when it’s still slightly warm from the oven with butter spread on top. It’s also outstanding on day 2, after the flavors have settled and mingled together.
Can I Make Muffins?
Yes! You can use this batter to make apple zucchini muffins. Detailed instructions are in the Notes below. This makes enough batter to yield 16 muffins.
One reader, Samantha, commented: “I went the muffin route. Easily one of my new favorite recipes. It’s so moist and the spices really hit the spot… I think I’ll make another batch or two and freeze so I can have more later in the year! ★★★★★“
Apple Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This extra moist apple zucchini bread starts with fresh zucchini, then mixes in crisp apples and a warm blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. See recipe Note about turning the batter into muffins. Coarse sugar on top is optional.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1/8 teaspoon for apples
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil or avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, plus 1 Tbsp for apples
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- 1 heaping cup (125g) peeled and chopped apple*
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the allspice, ginger, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the zucchini.
- Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. Toss the apples with the 1 Tablespoon of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. With a silicone spatula, fold the apples into the batter. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–65 minutes. After 30 minutes, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the top from over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then remove the bread from the pan and place it directly on the cooling rack. You can slice the bread at this point, but it will still be warm in the center and may not slice neatly. For neat slices, allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or this 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- Apple Zucchini Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Grease or line 4 cups in a second muffin pan; this recipe yields about 16 muffins. Prepare batter as directed in steps 2, 3, and 4. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with no other changes needed. The loaf will be dense. Or you can use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour, for a less dense version.
- What Can I Use Instead of Applesauce? You can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mashed banana in its place if needed.
- Apples: I say 1 “heaping” cup because this amount does not need to be terribly accurate. Anything from 1 cup to 1 and 1/4 cups works. I usually use 1 red Honeycrisp apple and 1/2 of a green Granny Smith apple. Feel free to use just red or just green. Other apples that are ideal for baking, especially in quick breads, include Fuji, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady. See Best Apples for Baking for more suggestions.
- Tossing Apples in Cinnamon & Sugar: As instructed in step 4, toss the apples in a Tablespoon of sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon. This is optional, but adds a kiss of extra flavor.
- Can I Shred the Apples with the Box Grater? You can, but taste testers and I preferred the loaf with the chunks of apples, as it gave the bread more interesting texture. Think of the apples as an add-in, instead of blending them right into the batter.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this recipe into muffins. They are very moist and delicious. Since I had big apples I have left over apples so I am going to make the bread tonight.
hello! is there a gluten free version of this recipe?
Hi Renny! We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but another reader has reported success using a 1:1 flour substitute (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
This is replacing my old standard zucchini bread recipe. It’s delicious! I doubled it and got three 8×4 foil pan loaves, each weighed about 650 grams including pan when they went in the oven. Baked about 50 minutes, to 200 degrees internal temp. And three muffins which we used for a taste test. This is an outstanding recipe.
I added 1c chopped walnuts, otherwise the exact recipe.
This is replacing my old standard zucchini bread recipe. It’s delicious! I doubled it and got three 8×4 foil pan loaves, each weighed about 650 grams including pan when they went in the oven. Baked about 50 minutes, to 200 degrees internal temp. And three muffins which we used for a taste test. This is an outstanding recipe.
I added 1c chopped walnuts, otherwise the exact recipe.
Hi Sally
Greetings from a lovely hot London. My apple courgette/zucchini (as you guys refer to it) came out the oven about 45mins ago.
Out of greediness I took it out of the tin whilst still warm and cut a slice…and now want to finish this whole loaf by myself!! Thank you so very much for this fantastic recipe, it came out perfect, absolutely love it and so does my family.
I made this recipe—doubled it as I needed 2 loaves. It came out flat and heavy. Why did it not rise?
Hi Janice, I’m so sorry to read that. I wonder if something happened with the leaveners. Do you think you may have accidentally under-measured those? Additionally, perhaps the zucchini was too wet. This bread should have a nice rise. When in doubt, I always recommend making 2 separate batters to avoid any possible accidental under or over-mixing.
Yummy! I used a half a cup of applesauce in place of my eggs.
Everything was good. And I used gluten-free flour. Thank you!
I made a loaf using applesauce and muffins using a banana instead of applesauce. They are both delicious!!
Do you know what the impact would be if I cut back on the sugar? Maybe 1/3 c white & 1/4 brown. I have multiple diabetics in the family so I cut sugar wherever I can.
Thank you for all the GREAT recipes
Hi Cynthia so happy to read this! You can cut the sugar a bit, but the results will vary – sugar adds moisture and texture as well as sweetness. Let us know if you try!
Can I sub additional applesauce and/or Greek yogurt for the oil in the recipe?
Hi Nina, we don’t recommend swapping out the oil for additional applesauce or Greek yogurt. The oil helps keep the bread light and moist.
I took a big chance (based on the fact that all the MANY “Sally’s” recipes I’ve tried have turned out perfectly delicious!) and made 5 loaves last night right off the bat. First try, untasted, 5 loaves. 1 for a new neighbor, 1 for a dear neighbor, 1 for a coworker who is ill, one for my coworkers to share, and one for me.
I am now handing out this web address to coworkers right and left, they DEVOURED this cake!!! It is gone, nothing but crumbs left. It is so moist, just the right amount of spice to give a good taste but not overwhelm, the apple chunks didn’t all settle to the bottom thanks to the zucchini strands keeping them in place, the zucchini baked away perfectly…. I just can’t say enough good about this. It’s the perfect “between seasons” loaf to use up all the zucchini our gardens are now overrun with, and being able to freeze some loaves for later in the fall and early winder makes it even more perfect. I loaded the dishwasher last night with everything I used, may just make 5 more for the freezer tonight when I unload it – everything will already be laid out!! LOL!!
Great flavors here Sally!! I think I found my new favorite zucchini bread. And that says a lot because we love your original!
What type of measuring cup do you use for grated zucchini- dry measuring cups or glass pyrex liquid measuring cups? Thanks
Hi Suzi, We use dry measuring cups, or you can measure by weight.
I went the muffin route. Easily one of my new favorite recipes. It’s so moist and the spices really hit the spot. The apples I used were recently picked from our local farm and they were delicious on their own, so they definitely ramped up the flavor as well. I also used a cinnamon applesauce made from the same farm. So, so good.
I think I’ll make another batch or two to freeze so I can have more later in the year!
I can’t wait to make this recipe! I don’t have all the spices individually but I do have pumpkin pie spice. What do you think the ratio would be if I used that instead?
Hi Amber, You could use one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to replace the allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. You’ll still want to add the cinnamon. Enjoy!
Omg yum!! My neighbor gave me a huge zucchini and this was the perfect recipe. It’s just a hint of fall and I’m in love! Sally, I made 3 batches because that’s how big the zucchini was! One batch I used a banana instead of applesauce and I can’t tell the difference. Made them into muffins. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!!!
Looks delicious, but can I substitute something for the eggs? We are vegan.
Hi Gayle, We haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute, but let us know if you try anything.
Looks amazing! Can these be made into cupcakes, if yes, how long should I bake them for?
Hi Mirna, the batter makes 16 muffins and you could certainly frost them to make cupcakes! See Recipe Note for details on how to make muffins.
Could you substitute apple butter in the recipe?
Hi Angela, you certainly could. Since apple butter is sweeter and more spiced than applesauce, however, you may want to adjust the spices and *very slight* adjust the sugar. I haven’t tested it.
Can this be made with frozen shredded zucchini? Would you blot some of the moisture from the thawed zucchini?
Thank you for your help,
Brenda
Hi Brenda! You can use frozen zucchini. Thaw, then squeeze out most of the excess liquid.
Can this be made in a 8×8 pan or a 9×13 pan
Hi Kato, there isn’t enough batter for a 9×13-inch pan. It’s likely a tad too much for an 8-inch square pan, but you can try it. I’m unsure of the bake time. If you have a 9-inch square pan, that would be a better choice.
Can this be doubled? If so, any additional changes necessary? i’d like to share a loaf with the neighbor who gave me zucchini. Thanks in advance
Hi Marilyn, for best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
Fantastic recipe. Moist and great blend of spices.
Makes 3 mini loaves baked for 40 minutes.
I’d like to add raisins and nuts. How much should I add?
Hi Laurie, You can add up to 1 cup of chopped nuts and raisins. Let us know how it goes!
I’m wondering if you could substitute chunky applesauce for the plain applesauce and peeled and chopped apple. If so, how much?
Hi Richard, I would hesitate to use chunky applesauce to replace both 1:1. You maybe be able to skip the apples and use 3/4 cup (around 180g) of chunky applesauce, but I haven’t tested it to be certain.
The zucchini is always so wet, should you squeeze some of that moisture out? Cant wait to try as my church group is tired of banana bread.
Hi Fran, No, you do not need to blot the zucchini dry before using in the batter. You want that moisture here!
Will adding nuts change the consistency?
Won’t change anything! You can add up to 1 cup (up to around 130g) of chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts.
These came out wonderful and were such a great warm up recipe before the fall baking season! I substituted the applesauce with strawberry Greek yogurt and the allspice for apple pie seasoning and they were still delicious! The batter was just the right amount for 12 (filled to the top) cupcakes. I’ll definitely make these again!
Hi would you have a nutritional value on this?
Hi Joce, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I use yellow squash instead?
Shouldn’t be a problem, Bev!
Is it possible to use mini loaf pans? If so how many would it make and what size minis and baking time?
Hi Sherrie, absolutely. Same temperature but bake time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Let us know how it goes!
I live in a third world country and don’t have applesauce. Is there a substitute or should I just blend a couple of apples in the blender?
Hi Anita, we’d recommend searching for a homemade applesauce recipe and trying that in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
In the post it does suggest using Greek yogurt, sour cream or mashed banana in place of the applesauce.
Thank you for sharing this awesome bread recipe. It’s not only moist but packed full of flavor! So nice to add another zucchini bread to bake and share with family and friends. Instead of one loaf pan, I used (2) 7.5×3.5 loaf pans and baked for 45-55 minutes. Next time I may drizzle a vanilla glaze with a hint of allspice on top!