How to make a moist, flavorful, and easy Zucchini Bread from scratch! This recipe is beautifully flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, and is a great way to use up any summer zucchini from your garden! Includes a how-to video!
The Best Recipe of Summer
If you’ve ever planted a garden, chances are you’ve probably grown zucchini.
It seems that no matter how bad you are at gardening, zucchini will still grow. And it’ll grow like a weed. We would grow them every year growing up, and every year we’d have more than we ever knew what to do with (and they were always gigantic! At least 5x larger than any zucchini I’ve ever seen in the store.).
The only problem with this is that once you’ve harvested all 15 billion of your gigantic zucchinis, you have to actually do something with them (and how many times can you really be expected to eat sautéed zucchini with dinner?). And that’s where this recipe comes in.
My mom’s been making this zucchini bread for well over a decade now. She found the original recipe in an old free cookbook (that doesn’t exist anywhere online or I would link to it) and made it her own. It yields a moist, soft, and flavorful zucchini bread that actually doesn’t taste anything like zucchini at all. Instead it’s delicately flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar and its texture is enhanced by this sneaky shredded veggie. It’s a fast and simple quick-bread (much like my banana bread) and I think you’re going to love this recipe, especially as you begin to find yourself buried in zucchini this season 😉
What You Need
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients used and why. For full amounts please scroll down to the recipe card.
- Eggs. You’ll need 4 large or extra large (though I’ve made this recipe with jumbo as well and it’s still turned out).
- Sugar. I use a mix of brown sugar and regular/granulated sugar. I prefer to use dark brown sugar because it gives the bread a richer flavor, but light brown will work instead.
- Oil. Canola oil or vegetable oil will work, as will any neutral oil. I tried this recipe using melted butter instead and just did not enjoy it as much as I did when made with the oil (this is coming from a hardcore butter aficionado).
- Flour. Use all-purpose (aka “plain” flour).
- Baking powder and baking soda. To give the bread just the right lift.
- Salt, Vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. For flavor!
- Zucchini. No, zucchini bread doesn’t actually taste like zucchini, instead the shredded veggie adds a lot of moisture to the bread for a wonderful texture!
How to Make Zucchini Bread
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so incredibly simple. As is often the case, the hardest part is just waiting for it to finish baking. And then to finish cooling. And then being mad at yourself for burning your tongue because you actually aren’t patient at all and couldn’t wait for it to finish cooling after all.
Anyway… Here’s how it’s done.
- Whisk your eggs until they’re gently scrambled. Please note this means the uncooked eggs should just be lightly beaten before you add them to your batter. I used this phrasing in my cheesecake recipe and someone thought it meant they should cook their eggs and mix scrambled eggs into their cheesecake. Please don’t do that.
- Add sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and stir until everything is nicely beaten together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt).
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and gently stir the two together until completely combined. Don’t beat the mixture too vigorously. Over-mixing can leave you with a dry zucchini bread!
- Fold in shredded zucchini.
- Transfer the batter to a greased and floured bread pan and bake until cooked through (about 65 minutes).
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Then just try to wait for it to actually cool completely and don’t just dig in and burn your tongue.
Tips
- Peeling the zucchini is not necessary. You can use a grater to shred your zucchini, but in my opinion the easiest way to shred zucchini is to use the “shred” setting on your food processor. Quick and easy!
- You can add chocolate chips to this recipe for a chocolate chip zucchini bread. Toss in a heaping cup of chocolate chips after you stir in the zucchini.
- Nuts also make a great addition! Stir in one cup of nuts (walnuts are my favorite to use) after the zucchini.
- When testing that your zucchini bread is finished baking, make sure to insert a toothpick as far into the center of the bread as possible (or if you have a long wooden skewer, use that instead to make sure you’re getting a good core sample). Ideally your toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter) but if it comes out clean that also means its finished baking and you should remove it from the oven immediately.
- To make muffins: try my zucchini muffins recipe, which is based off of this bread!
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep for 2-3 days this way. Zucchini bread can also be frozen! Allow it to cool completely, then wrap the loaf (or individual slices) tightly in plastic wrap or freezer-proof bags. When frozen it will keep for several months.
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Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Be sure to check out my video in the recipe card where I make today’s recipe!
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (236 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups (435 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups (260 g) grated zucchini (unpeeled, gently packed into cup)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan (shake out excess flour). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten.4 large eggs
- Add sugars, oil, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, 1 cup (236 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt).3 ½ cups (435 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until just-combined. Do not over-mix!
- Add zucchini and gently fold in until completely combined (again, don’t over-do it when stirring).2 cups (260 g) grated zucchini
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes then run a knife around the inside of the bread pan to loosen the sides of the zucchini bread and carefully invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Bread may also be tightly wrapped and frozen for several months.Gluten free:
This recipe has been successfully made using Cup4Cup flour. It was noted that the batter can become very viscous and difficult to work with, but the bread has turned out!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published June 26th 2019
Paul
If I wanted to add both nuts and chocolate chips, should I add a cup of each or only half a cup of each? Also, which salt do you use, kosher or table salt? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Paul! I think you could probably do about 1.5 cups of add-ins total. I use table salt. 🙂
Stephanie
I didn’t have a bread pan, so I used my muffin tins and my donut silicone pans. they came out perfect.
Maria B Rugolo
Moist and delicious. I didn’t have dark brown sugar, so I added 2 Tbsp of molasses to the sugar. I also added 130g (1c) toasted pecans. my batter made enough for the loaf size given with the recipe and 2 mini loaves! (that was an unexpected treat!)
Deborah Zemek
As usual, a stellar recipe. Even at high altitude it works (4500 ft). I just have one question – how do you wrap it so the top doesn’t get moist. It doesn’t affect the taste one bit and normally we put it in a plastic container to keep in the refrigerator. Believe it or not, my husband eats it weeks later and it’s still good (or he has flawed tastebuds). He warms it up in the microwave and puts butter on it. But when I want to give it to people, I want the top to stay dry and it gets moist no matter what I do. Is that just the nature of quick breads? Nobody has ever complained. They just tell me how good it is. 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Deborah! Unfortunately I’m not sure there is a way to eliminate that moisture when wrapping it. 🙂
Robin
I finally found the PERFECT zucchini bread recipe! The bread turned out picture perfect – I definitely recommend using dark brown sugar as it gave a delicious richness. Also, I made 2 loaves at the same time, so I did add another 1/2 hour to the cooking time.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it, Robin! Thanks so much for the 5-star rating ❤️
Debra Dawn Kendall
Absolutely moist and delicious!
Love your receipes!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked the bread, Debra! Thanks for coming back to comment 😊
Jean Marzullo
Best I have ever had!!
Sam
This is so nice to hear, Jean! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, I really appreciate it!
Koco
This recipe was very simple and straightforward. I pretty much had the ingredients on hand. It came out beautifully. I felt like a certified Baker. I was able to share with family. But I did feel like I was missing something in favor. I will try with dried cranberry or chocolate chips. This recipe is a keeper.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it turned out so nicely for you, Koco! Chocolate chips or dried cranberries would work nicely here 😊
Kathryn
Where did the lemon zucchini bread go?
Sam
I sent it over to you. You may also need to check your spam folder in case it got sent there. 🙂
Rebecca Kelso
Please send both the lemon zucchini and the chocolate zucchini bread recipes. Thank you!
Wendy
Do you squeeze out excess water from zucchini?
Sam
I do not.
Donna Evans
Have you ever tried making chocolate zucchini bread?
Sam
Hi Donna! I do not have one, but it is on my list. I have tried it several times, but I’m not quite happy with it yet.
D. Rodrigues
I made this in a 9×9 square pan and cooked it in my table top convection oven at 325 for about 45 to 50 min. I also added about a handful and a half of cinnamon chips, about 1/4 t allspice and about 1/4 to 1/2t, or to taste, pumpkin pie spices. It was so delicious. My husband, who hates zucchini in all forms also enjoyed it with seconds and thirds. This is the zucchini bread recipe that tastes just like my grandmother used to make. Thank you.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Sally Piccinato
I’m a new follower but a constant one now. I love your recipes and I only use yours. All my recipe books are just sitting there. Thank you so much.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything, Sally! Welcome to Sugar Spun Run and I hope you continue to love everything! 🙂
Marcia
Hi SamThis makes two loaves, right?
Sam
Hi Marcia! It will make a single 9 x 5 loaf. 🙂
Sarah J Copeland
I came here to see if anyone else had a question about two loave because this made one HUGE loaf that took forever to cook. Really no idea why as recipe was followed exactly. Tasted great but next time I think I will try splitting into two loaf pans and seeing how it goes.
Giulia
What happened to the lemony zucchini bread? 😭😭 I can’t find the recipe anymore and it was my favorite ever😭😭😭
Sam
Sent you an email!
carol HOPE Thomas
Thank you, I’m going to make this and pass it on to my girl friend who loves getting new ideas.
Sam
I hope everyone loves it! 🙂
Nada
thanks Sam
Valerie
Very easy and delicious. Made a generous sized 9×5 loaf.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Valerie! 🙂