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
I think overall it was a good recipe. I felt like the coconut oil was too much and overpowering. I might try with applesauce instead or way less oil. I should have trusted my gut and put in way less chocolate chips as it overpowered the zucchini. I added some walnuts too. First time using agave. Worked well.
My wife is not a vegetable person, so she was a little shy about tasting this bread, but it was love at first bite. It takes a bit longer than some breads, but it is worth it. It is a healthy alternative. If I don’t have enough zucchini, I make up the difference with carrots.
This recipe will get lots of use!! I squeezed out the grated zucchini in a paper towel and just used my cashew yogurt I love so much. Dark choc chips and the honey u suggested. My favorite recipe thus far! THANK YOU
Love using yogurt in recipes.
Added blueberries and nuts.
Tastes great but slightly undercooked. I baked as instructed for a total of 22 minutes. Maybe I should not reduce 25 degrees for a convection oven. Next time I’ll reduce the 5% fat plain yogurt to 1/3C or use 2%. I also reduced the walnuts to 1/4C to lower the calories by 35 per muffin. I have to use gluten free flour, this time Bob’s Red Mill. Could I reduce the oil to 1/4C?
Best zucchini bread I’ve ever had. I used honey, walnuts and stone ground 85% whole wheat flour – so delicious.
Would love the nutrition facts.
Hi Belinda, 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
Excited to try the recipe. Wondering if I can substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream .thank you
Hi Natalya, sour cream should work just fine in a pinch.
Oops… I meant 1/4 cup coconut oil and topped to 1/3 cup with the blood orange olive oil!
This is a fav of ours! I’v made a loaf, mini loaves and muffins. I love the orange zest!! This time I didn’t have oranges so I used 1/3 coconut oil and the balance blood orange olive oil and the muffins are amazing!!
Really yummy, easy and moist muffins. I made mini muffins and added pecans and chocolate chips and they turned out really good. I see in the comments to bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Mine needed a little longer. Will make again!
I’ve made these as regular muffins (now a family fav- the orange zest is amazing) but do you think it will work as mini muffins? Would you still do the first five minutes at a higher temp?
Hi Emily, absolutely! For mini muffins, bake for about 11-13 minutes at 350 degrees the entire time.
Could I substitute almond flour for the ap flour? Thanks!
Hi Gabriella, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. Best to stick with all-purpose flour here.
I hate Sally, this is so good my husband always wants it on hand!! This is really good. I haven’t tried it with the orange zest yet, but, WOW, so good!! Can’t imagine it being better, but one day i will try adding the orange zest.
Forgot to add my rating. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. The orange zest is very good but we like it just as much without
This was another great one from Sally. Personally, I will omit the orange zest next time to see what I think. I used honey and added dark chocolate chips. I think it would be great with cinnamon chips as well.
This recipe was superb! We are lovers of banana bread but this beat my recipe. Just excellent First recipe of Sally’s that I tried and was so pleased that I’ll be making more. Love the fact that she gives alternate ingredients. Also, oven temp reduced is perfect for these muffins or any muffins for that matter. Great baking tip.Try ‘em you’ll like em!
Have made this loaf several times – It never disappoints! And as Sally stated – the orange zest is amazing. Thanks for sharing 🙂
So good! Was planning on making this so the kids would have after school snacks for next week, but 1/2 the loaf is gone. I’ll be making several more. Made the recipe as is with orange zest and raisins.
This recipe is one of my favorite. I almost always use Gluten free flour because of celiac and it works well. No one can tell the difference. Well today, I took this recipe, used GF flour, added a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice along with the cinnamon , and swapped the zucchini for same amount of pumpkin. They turned out so good. My family agrees! Thank you for your delicious recipes!!
Thank you for sharing that you used pumpkin instead of zucchini. I was wondering if pumpkin could be used instead of zucchini for a healthier, fall treat.
Loved this recipe, I actually omitted vanilla and added instead maple flavoring, also half zucchini and half chopped apples. Sooo good
Can you swap out Maple syrup for the honey in the same quantities?
Absolutely!
I have made this TWICE within 2 weeks! Delicious! I added chocolate chips the 2nd time and it was perfect:)
This will be my “go to” zucchini bread recipe going forward. So good and moist. I love the hint of orange flavor. It smells so good when it is baking and we couldn’t wait for it to cool completely before we sampled it!
Hi Sally, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you think I could use lemon zest instead of orange zest?
That would be delicious! Zucchini and lemon make a great pair.
This recipe is amazing!! I made muffins and used vanilla greek yogurt. So fluffy and moist! I will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Delicious! I used chocolate chips and did one teaspoon of vanilla and a half teaspoon of orange extract. This is a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
Could you use applesauce in place of the oil?
Hi Lauren, we haven’t tried it, but some readers have reported that they’ve had success with subbing half applesauce for half the oil. Let us know how it turns out for you!
This recipe is really delicious. My two year old is already on his second piece.
Whenever I make it though, it always falls and becomes more like a bread pudding consistency.
What can I do to make it rise? What might I be doing wrong?
Love your recipes. Thank you so much!
Hi Serena, so glad to hear this bread is a hit! If it is sinking and still seems a bit wet inside, it’s possible it just needs a few more minutes in the oven to fully bake through. Also, be sure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. We find they start to lose their leavening power after about three months. Hope these tips help for the next batch!
I second what she said! It smelled so good and was so promising out of the oven. Crumb test was great. It just totally deflated while it cooled. I did have to tent it for the last 15 min, did this make it fall? So sad because I can’t handle the texture.
Hello what is the macro breakdown for this recipe please
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
Hi. These are my go-to zucchini muffins and I make them often, using the recipe exactly as written. (the orange zest adds a nice flavor)! However I’ll soon be entertaining a guest who needs to eat dairy-free foods. What would be a good sub for the yogurt, do you think?
Hi Teresa, we’re so glad you love these muffins! We haven’t tested it but a dairy free yogurt like a coconut based yogurt should work. Let us know if you try it!
My plain Greek yogurt is fat free. Will that work?
Hi Bee, Yes, we use use plain nonfat Greek yogurt.