This Greek yogurt zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up summer zucchini. Naturally sweetened with honey, made with wholesome ingredients, and packed with moisture from Greek yogurt, it’s soft, flavorful, and easy to make with just a couple bowls and no mixer required.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips.
This is my go-to, healthier version of classic zucchini bread.
The loaf bakes up wonderfully moist with a tender crumb and lightly spiced flavor. You can enjoy it plain, add chopped nuts for crunch (love walnuts in this), fold in dried cranberries or fresh blueberries for a burst of fruit, or stir in chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.
You can also bake this batter as Greek yogurt zucchini muffins. However you make it, you’ll love how simple, versatile, and reliably delicious it is. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up summer zucchini.
One reader, Ashley, commented: “These are excellent! Made the muffins last night and they’re already almost all gone. I peeled the zucchini before I grated it and it’s the first time my vegetable-hesitant preschooler has eaten zucchini bread (and he asked for thirds). ★★★★★“
And another reader, Val, commented: “Best healthier zucchini bread I’ve made yet. ★★★★★“
Why You’ll Love This Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Naturally sweetened with honey—no refined sugar (coarse sugar on top is optional!)
- Wonderfully moist from Greek yogurt, avocado oil, and zucchini
- Made with simple, wholesome ingredients
- Easy to customize with nuts, berries, or chocolate chips
- Lightly flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and fresh orange zest
- No mixer required
- Can be baked as a loaf or muffins
- Freezes beautifully
5 Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Greek Yogurt: I typically use plain 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt. It adds moisture, richness, and a wonderfully soft texture without making the bread heavy.
- Honey: Honey is my preferred sweetener here because it complements the zucchini and warm spices so well. It also helps keep the bread moist for days. If you’d like to use pure maple syrup instead, many readers have reported excellent results.
- Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to choice, but melted coconut oil, melted butter, or olive oil all work well in this recipe. You could also use canola or vegetable oil instead.
- Zucchini: No need to peel it first, though you certainly can. Simply grate the zucchini and lightly blot away excess moisture if it seems particularly wet. I always use this box grater for prepping zucchini.
- Orange Zest: This is optional, but I never skip it. A little orange zest brightens all the flavors and pairs beautifully with the honey, cinnamon, and zucchini. I know you’ll love it.
Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread Batter
Today’s zucchini bread comes together quickly with just 2 mixing bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients together in another. For the smoothest batter, I recommend starting with room-temperature ingredients, which combine much more easily. If you’re interested, I have an entire page discussing the importance of room temperature ingredients in baking!
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and orange zest. If you’re adding any add-ins, fold them in with the zucchini and zest. The batter will be fairly thick, and that’s exactly what you want.
Feel free to sprinkle the batter lightly with coarse sugar, such as Sugar In The Raw, before baking.
For best results, bake the bread in an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan. Look for a pan labeled “1-lb loaf pan.” This size loaf pan helps the bread bake up taller with a beautiful domed top and a soft, moist center. If using a 9×5-inch pan, the loaf will be shorter and take less time in the oven.
Whether you make it as a loaf or muffins, this is a wonderful recipe to keep on hand throughout zucchini season!
If you have more zucchini to use up, try my zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, or zucchini biscuits next. And for even more inspiration, browse my collection of favorite zucchini recipes, including both sweet and savory options.
Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Greek yogurt zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up summer zucchini. Naturally sweetened with honey, made with wholesome ingredients, and packed with moisture from Greek yogurt, it’s soft, flavorful, and easy to make with just a couple bowls and no mixer required. Bake it as a loaf or turn the batter into muffins.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (76g/80ml) avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil*
- 1/2 cup (180g/120ml) honey*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (130g) shredded zucchini (see note)*
- optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest (so good!)
- optional: 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts, (115g) raisins/dried cranberries, or (135g) chocolate chips
- optional: coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, honey, egg, yogurt, and vanilla together until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Avoid overmixing. The batter is thick. Fold in the zucchini, orange zest, and add-ins (if using).
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar, if desired, before baking.
- Bake the bread for 50–55 minutes, tenting loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. After that, remove the bread from the pan and let it finish cooling directly on the rack.
- Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Bread freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Box Grater | 8.5 x 9.5-inch Loaf Pan (1-lb loaf pan)| Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Citrus Zester | Coarse Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: Prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 13-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 10-12 muffins.
- Oil: You can use avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil. You could also use vegetable oil or canola oil, or even melted butter. I typically use avocado oil.
- Honey: Instead of honey, you can use pure maple syrup (not “breakfast syrup”) or agave syrup.
- Yogurt: I use plain 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt. Vanilla or honey flavors would work wonderfully here!
- Zucchini: If your zucchini is extra wet, blot it a bit before adding to the batter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 14.3 g
- Sodium: 191.4 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.3 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Gluten free flours work great! Like previously stated don’t just use almond flour due to the different baking properties. Bob’s Red Mill, KingArther, Krusteaz all others “gluten free all purpose flour & gf baking flour” (or make your own, easy to do with many online recipes). These GF flours measure 1:1 for baking & act just like regular flours. The added xanthan gum & the mixture several flours is the key to baking with GF flours.
*** also have baked many recipes on this site using white whole wheat for family. This is a healthy version & not as heavy as whole wheat flour.
Hello, I liked it a lot and I was very struck by your comment!❤️ I would like to know how much gluten free flour should I use in this recipe and how much should I use zanthan gum in this recipe? Thank you!!❤️
This bread is so delicious! I love carby, nutty breakfast things but they’re usually so sweet. This is just sweet enough with the nutty, carby appeal 🙂 Can’t wait to try the recipe for muffins!
Have you used frozen shredded zucchini? I have loads of it in my freezer.
Hi Cheryl, you could but you really have to let it thaw and drain VERY well before using since it will be quite wet and heavy.
Had 4 cups of shredded zucchini and made 2 loaves plus muffins, using agave and orange zest. So good and freezer fully stocked. Thx for the easy and delicious recipe.
Thank you! Was wanting to add more zucchini!
Is there any way I can use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? I have some on hand and don’t want to go buy Greek yogurt just for this recipe! Thanks 🙂
Hi Arnima, regular yogurt should work in a pinch. Same amount.
Could I use sour cream if I don’t have greek yogurt? I know it takes away from the healthier aspect of it, but would it serve the same function in the bread?
Hi Courtney, sour cream should work in a pinch.
Hi! Would it be possible to add cocoa powder to this recipe to make it a chocolate zucchini bread? Love the Greek yogurt and agave so want to stick to this recipe but would love it to be a chocolate bread for the back to school treat this week! Thanks so much!
Hi Kari, it would take some recipe testing to add cocoa powder to this recipe – it can be a tricky ingredient. Let us know if you try anything! You may love our chocolate zucchini bread recipe as well.
I use many of your recipes. I would like to know if almond flour could be substituted for the all purpose flour in t he Zucchini bread recipe?
Hi Linda, Almond flour has very different baking properties than whole wheat flour, we don’t recommend making that switch.
Could you make this in a bundt pan?
Hi Sarah, If we have tested a different size pan it will be listed in the recipe notes. For any shapes/sizes that are not listed, you can use our handy Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions post to help calculate how much batter you would need for different size pans.
This came out quite nice, despite a few substitutions. I made two loaves – one for now, one for the freezer. I don’t keep agave on hand because we have beehives, so I used a slightly decreased amount of honey instead of the agave. Instead of adding the 3/4 c. nuts per loaf, I added 1/2 c. (per loaf) of frozen fresh cranberries (not craisins). The combination of orange zest, cinnamon and cranberry makes for a lovely loaf, and the flecks of green make it look a little like Christmas. We are enjoying the brightness the cranberries bring to the loaf -it’s really nice. Thank you for this recipe!
Just wondering if anyone has substituted almond flour for AP and whole wheat? Any suggestions about adjusting wet ingredients if so. Thx.
Can you use nonfat Greek yogurt?
Hi Nicole, absolutely. You can use nonfat, low fat, or full fat Greek yogurt here.
I made these into muffins. I used 4 napkins to blot out the zucchini because it looked very wet. After baking my muffins they were still wet inside because the zucchini had excess water in it. I put them back in the oven for 30-35 min to evaporate the excess water but the muffins were still wet inside. I couldn’t leave them in the oven any longer because they were starting to burn on the bottom. I read on another blogger’s website that you should remove as much excess water from the zucchini other wise your baked good will most likely become gummy, dense or under baked. I’m pretty sure my muffins would have turned out right if I had squeezed out as much water as I could from the zucchini.
Doubled the recipe, one/chocolate chips and one/ craisin . Did not care for either one. Not a fan of agave,
Anyone substitute a oatmeal flour or gluten free flour?
Hi Angela, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
Hey Sally !
I made this bread a few times now and it’s amazing ! The last two times I’ve made it it goes flat though after it comes out of the oven. I made sure this time that I bought new flour baking soda and baking powder… Any thoughts?
Hi Angela! Usually when quick breads deflate, they’ve been under-baked – an easy fix for next time! Are you using the toothpick test? That’s the best way to test for doneness!
I used a fork. It came out clean . It tastes fine
Am excited to try your recipe. Can I substitute almond flour for whole wheat flour. If so, are the proportions the same?
Hi Jane! Almond flour has very different baking properties than whole wheat flour, we don’t recommend making that switch.
If I substitute sugar for the agave would it be the same amount
(1/2 cup)?
Hi Sally, I recently purchased some blood orange olive oil. Do you think I could switch the coconut oil out for it successfully?
Hi Joanne! Olive oil has a very distinct flavor. We recommend vegetable or canola oil in place of coconut but you can certainly give it a try!
Can i use whole wheat flour instead?
Hi Dessa, You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavier with the heavier flour, though.
Hi. Can we sub whole wheat flour for the all purpose? Thank you
Hi Katie, You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavier with the heavier flour, though
Can this recipe be prepared with chopped zucchini versus shredded?
Hi Lori! Shredded zucchini is necessary for this recipe, it adds flavorless moisture.
Thank you. I was curious because I don’t have efficient way to shred the zucchini and I had seen another recipe that used chopped zucchini and chopped apples.
Just curious what is the moisture level difference between shredded zucchini versus chopped?
This bread looks amazing! Is it still going to work if I reduce the agave/honey a bit, so I can get a more neutral bread instead of sweet?
Hi Elena! We haven’t tested it, but you should be able to reduce the sweetener to 1/4 – 1/3 cup without issue.
Oh my God…This recipe is soooo good. I used whole-wheat flour and maple syrup and this bread was half fine before it cooled down. My lil ones and hubby lovedddd it. It’s perfect for breakfast bread too.
I made my first ever Zucchini Bread with this recipe like an hour ago…so DELICIOUS. Made my husband a believer. Hopefully my toddler will eat it tomorrow because veggies, right?! Now I’m making a second to freeze for next week!!! this one with walnuts and chocolate chips on top. Thank you so much for this recipe! Has anyone ever tried it with gluten free flours? also…how are you supposed to freeze bread…hmmm….
oh I did sub regular granulated sugar in the first bread and the second one i used coconut palm sugar which added some really nice color to the bread.
Are you supposed to drain the zucchini of excess moisture?
Hi Michelle! If your zucchini is extra wet, just give it a few blots before adding to the batter.
I have made this so many times and it always comes out! I typically have to bake this for an extra 5-10 minutes but that’s not a problem at all. I follow the recipe exactly as it states and I add in chocolate chips. I have tried it with the orange zest but I wasn’t the biggest fan.
This is a delicious zucchini bread recipe, definitely worth a try! Multiple tries! It will become your go to recipe. Thank you, Sally!
What are the nutritional facts? Calories per what amount?
Hi Amelia! 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://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I’ve made this recipe once or twice before and I love it!!
I was wondering if it would work to add chunks of apple instead of raisins or nuts? I usually always do chocolate chips, but my husband isn’t a fan when I do that, and we can’t do nuts or raisins.
Thank you in advance! ☺️
-Alyssa
Hi Alyssa, so glad to read you enjoy this bread. You can definitely use chopped apple instead of nuts or raisins. Feel free to peel it or leave the peel on, your choice.
Delicious! So moist and flavorful. I used Vanilla Greek yogurt so I reduced the vanilla extract by half. I added the walnuts too. This is my new favorite recipe! I have a lot of zucchini so I’m making more to freeze for later when I have company.