This is a family-favorite recipe for homemade zucchini bread. One slice and you’ll taste why! It’s made with brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, cozy cinnamon spice, and summer’s favorite vegetable. See my recipe note for turning this batter into zucchini muffins, or try this similar zucchini muffins recipe.
I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. I’ve also made a few improvements to the recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
Comes From An Award-Winning Zucchini Bread Recipe
This zucchini bread recipe is very slightly adapted from an award-winning family recipe. My husband grew up making this zucchini bread with his family, who entered it into the Maryland State Fair. And guess what? IT WON. You know a recipe is good if it’s winning state awards, right?
Now slightly scaled up to yield a taller 9×5-inch loaf (more zucchini, 1 extra egg, and a touch of applesauce for moisture), the quick bread is better than ever and ready to place 1st in your own kitchens too!
Here’s Why You’ll Love It:
- Batter comes together in less than 5 minutes
- Extra moist and flavorful
- Sneaks in veggies
- Can easily be doubled
- Welcomes add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, or blueberries
- Makes great muffins (or try these zucchini muffins which are heartier and slightly less sweet)
- Freezes beautifully
A beginner baker can easily make this quick bread, and it’s a wonderful recipe if you have eager young bakers ready to help!
One reader, Emma, commented: “Zucchini bread is my absolute favorite, so I’m quite picky about how one tastes, the amount of spices, etc. This recipe yields a very moist and super flavorful zucchini bread! 5 stars from me. Everyone else thought so too! Definitely a keeper. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Linda, commented: “This was delicious and oh-so moist. I made it exactly per your recipe, adding walnuts as an extra ingredient. This zucchini bread recipe is a keeper! ★★★★★“
Why Bake With Zucchini?
Zucchini is one of my favorite ingredients for baking and I have a lot of published zucchini recipes on my website. My recipes for chocolate zucchini bread and zucchini muffins are both incredibly popular with readers. We use an entire zucchini in my healthier Greek yogurt zucchini bread and you’ll find a whopping 3 cups of it in my chocolate zucchini cake (you can’t taste it!).
It sounds odd to bake with a vegetable, but here’s why you should use it in your baking:
- There are only so many zucchini side dishes to make (looking at you, zucchini sweet potato fritters). Zucchini is abundant in the summer months, and it’s fun to incorporate this vegetable when baking, too.
- Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. I don’t think I would bake a cake with a green vegetable if I could taste it. You bake carrot cake, right? It’s delicious, right? Well zucchini is even better! Hello, zucchini cake. It’s truly a magical ingredient in your baked goods and this includes zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, too!
Grab These Ingredients
One new addition is the 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. All you’re doing is whisking the dry and wet ingredients together separately, and then combining everything. Honestly, it’s as easy as pumpkin bread and uses a few of the same ingredients.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s zucchini bread comes together in just 5 minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, 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, too.
- How much zucchini do I need? Zucchini can vary in size, but 1-2 medium zucchini are plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/2 cups shredded, which is 180g.
- 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 keep the peel on. Pretty!
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 of that moisture is key.)
Expect a thick batter:
What Does This Zucchini Bread Taste Like?
Zucchini is like a chameleon and takes on the flavor of whatever’s nearby. Have you ever tried this peanut chicken zucchini noodles dish? The zucchini is basically a vehicle for the delectable savory peanut sauce.
Today’s zucchini bread includes cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar so expect a lot of cozy, comforting, sweet flavors. In terms of texture, it’s not quite as dense as banana bread but not as light as white cake either. It’s soft and moist and actually reminds me of apple cinnamon bread, which is a favorite during the fall months. Combine them both in this apple zucchini bread!
If you love peanut butter and chocolate, be sure to try my peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread, too!
Let’s not forget optional add-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or even blueberries. Some readers have turned it into dessert with vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting (I’d halve the cream cheese frosting recipe). Honestly, this quick bread welcomes a bounty of tasty extras!
And if you’ve been itching to make some homemade honey butter, this zucchini bread is the perfect canvas to enjoy it on!
Can I Reduce the Sugar or Oil in Zucchini Bread?
You can absolutely slightly reduce either or both, but understand that sugar and oil help produce a moist, tender loaf; altering the ingredients may have disappointing results. Or for an option without refined sugar, you may enjoy this Greek yogurt zucchini bread instead!
Print
Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This zucchini bread recipe yields 1 9×5-inch loaf. With brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a little applesauce for added moisture, the quick bread is flavorful, moist, and a great way to use summer’s favorite vegetable!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) 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
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce (or sour cream or Greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- optional: 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped nuts, raisins, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. See notes for muffins.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together until combined. Whisk in the zucchini. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. Fold in any optional add-ins like chocolate chips or nuts. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-70 minutes. (I like to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top.) Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in pan for 1 hour before removing from pan. 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, continue cooling bread directly on a wire rack and then slice once cooled.
- Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Make the bread ahead of time by freezing it. Bake it, cool it, wrap it up in aluminum foil and freeze the loaf as a whole. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before slicing and serving. Freezes well up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- Update in 2022: Based on reader feedback and a few disappointing loaves in my own kitchen recently, I revised 2 ingredients in May 2022 (egg & zucchini) so the batter yields more for a taller loaf and there’s more moisture. I also added 1/4 cup of applesauce for added moisture, as you can see in the recipe. Rave reviews from taste testers. The original recipe used 1 egg and 1 cup of zucchini with no applesauce.
- Can I reduce the sugar or oil? You can absolutely slightly reduce either or both, but understand that sugar and oil help produce a moist, tender loaf and the results may be disappointing. For the oil, feel free to swap *some* for more applesauce. Or for a healthier option without any refined sugar, you may enjoy this Greek yogurt zucchini bread instead.
- Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Prepare batter in step 2. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. 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 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 18-21 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Yields 1 dozen.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Loved this! Thank you for sharing! Does anyone have a nutritional value for this?
I love your recipes and made this zucchini bread. I was wondering if you have one using zucchini and pineapple. Thanks so much!
Hi Becky, we don’t have one, but it’s a great suggestion!
I made your recipe today…delicious, and easy to follow! I’m always looking for quick bread recipes that uses the metric system I used sour cream and followed your instructions
Delicious!! Can’t wait to bake another loaf
Great recipe, thanks! I’ve made these twice in the last week, and they turned out wonderful each time!
The first time I left out vanilla because I didn’t have any, and they were a great savory muffin.
The second time I used mostly white wheat flour (again, using what I had available), and they were still amazingly light!
Glad to read that you enjoy this recipe! It works nicely as muffins.
This was a complete disaster and went straight to trash can… I have a good oven and baked this for 70 min just in case, but it was still a soggy mess in the middle.
Hi Ollie, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Did you zucchini seem especially wet/moist? We don’t typically blot the zucchini for this recipe (some moisture is good!) but if your loaf was underbaked, it’s possible there was just a but too much moisture in the bread. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I’ve made this and other recipes of yours, and they’re great. However today I had all my dry ingredients in one bowl, then added most of the wet ingredients in another. Unfortunately when I measured the oil I poured it onto the dry ingredients. Hopefully I did not overmix when i added the mixed wet ingredients. I have 50 minutes in the oven to see if it turns out!
If this should happen again what would be the best thing to do?
Hi Debbie, gently mixing is the best course of action in that case. Happy baking!
Freezes great! I had a couple of zucchini that needed “cooked up” so I doubled the recipe and used half size bread pans. Really shouldn’t have bothered. Family ate it too fast! I added raisins to the batter. Very good!
Why are your recipes encrypted? I cont print them a d its hard to bake from my phone..im old and grouchy..and yiyr recipes lookamazing. I love your baking site and its my go to when looking for a recipe.. Thanks
Hi Vicki, we’re happy to help. Are you using the “Print” button at the top of the gray recipe card? That will take you to a new window/tab with an easy printable version of the recipe. Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes!
I loved the Zucchini bread.. It turned out great,
I made this recipe today and it is simply one of the best zucchini breads that I have made! Since there was applesauce in the ingredients, I decided to mince a medium honey crisp apple as my add it. Perfection! My husband said “delicious”.
Made recipe today, added 1/4 cup coco powder! Made recipe in muffins. THEY ARE A HIT!!!! Got 14 muffins. Wish I could have added a pic! Definitely a keeper recipe!
I made this yesterday & used 1/3 c truvia instead of the granulated sugar. It was delicious!
This zucchini bread is something special! I didn’t have applesauce so I used sour cream as a substitute and it did the trick. If I had to change anything it would be to make it a little less sweet. Would it still come out okay if I halved the sugar? Or at least cut the sugar down 25%?
Hi Shannon, so glad you enjoyed it! Sugar plays an important role in the texture and moisture of the bread, too, so reducing it will make the bread a bit drier. Feel free to experiment with reducing the sugar, knowing the final bread will be a bit different. Thanks again!
This recipe is amazing. I made muffins and a mini loaf, SOOOO moist. I can’t wait to make them again!
This bread is delicious! Easy to make!
Delicious!! Thank you!
I also really enjoy your Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread- are there any changes in this recipe?!
Super flavorful! I didn’t have Apple sauce so I just omitted it and slightly increased the amount of zucchini to compensate for the moisture. I made it into muffins. The high to low baking temps made the muffins super tall!
I made this with a GF flour blend, accidentally doubled the applesauce, and it cooked in 60 minutes and turned out great. I may have been short 1-2 tablespoons of oil – I used coconut oil. I was really worried the extra applesauce would mess up the recipe. This recipe has good flavor, but I might add some cardamom next time to experiment. I didn’t add chocolate chips but will add them in a future loaf. Recipe is a keeper.
This recipe is amazing. I made some adjustments as I’m trying to watch my sugar intake. Sweets are still my weakness, so I tried to tweak it a tad bit. I used only used 1/2 cup brown sugar, no white sugar, and I used lilys chocolate chips (sweetened with stevia. They taste just like regular chocolate chips). It tasted amazing. It was the right amount of sweetness and everybody at home loved it! 5/5!
I made muffins with this recipe and got a yield of 14 tall muffins. I didn’t have the plain unsweetened applesauce, so I used the cinnamon applesauce that I had on hand. The muffins were delicious! I also added a cup of chocolate chips. I baked following the recipe. So good!!
Very good. I reduced cinnamon to one teaspoon as a personal preference and added toasted walnuts.
I made this with mayo instead of applesauce (thank you Tosh!) and chocolate chips. Everyone loves it! This recipe is a keeper.
Absolutely THE best zucchini bread I’ve ever had!
So glad you love it, Leslie!
Trying for the first time but it already smells amazing. I did mini loaves and it makes 3 perfectly. Ok yum. They are amazing. The timer went off while I was typing lol.
I think I know the answer but just wanted to ask…can I use Self-Rising Flour & leave out the baking soda & powder?
Hi Laura, we don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
Okay, Thank you!
I used self-raising flour to make it and it was perfectly fine.
I had fun making this bread. I used fresh blueberries and walnuts. The blueberries gave it more moisture but it didn’t fall apart. I also liked putting in the applesauce. I can see a vegan variation with egg replacer. Yum!
I have successfully swapped measure for measure G. F. By King Arthur for the 1 3/4C flour listed here. BUT I advise using the gram wt. of 210g b/c that is the wt of king Arthurs brand. IF you do not weigh your flour, then fluff the flour before measuring and the spoon int measuring cup(s) by LIGHTLY SPRINKLING into cups. Just spooning and dumping flour into cups ” could result in too much flour. Which in turn could make for a drier denser loaf. If you use a different brand, the cup measurement will seem the same BUT the weight varies. The rest is the same ingredients. Bake time can varie a little.
I am considering adding both some chopped walnuts or pecans as well as either raisens or cranberries. Would I add appx 3/4 to 1C. each OR limit the combination to 1 ish C TOTAL
.( I usually soak & drain well the raisens or dried fruit before adding )
turned out great! i didnt have applesauce or any of the replacements so i used 1/4 cup of butter. the bread still came out fine and took less time to bake. definitely recommend