This easy zucchini bread recipe is the best I've tried! Packed with zucchini and cinnamon, it's super moist and flavorful. Plan on having a second slice.
This easy zucchini bread recipe is the best I’ve tried.
- It’s super moist,
- warmly spiced,
- studded with crunchy walnuts,
- and PACKED with shredded zucchini, so you can use up a good portion of your summer squash haul in one go.
If there’s something else you look for in a zucchini bread recipe, let me know, but to me, this one is perfection. I love that all the ingredients are pantry basics, that the batter is a breeze to stir together, and that the recipe yields two loaves. Freeze one for later or share it with a friend…and then, if you’re me, make this zucchini bread recipe again. I mean, it’s zucchini season! The more zucchini bread, the merrier, right?
How to Make Zucchini Bread
The great thing about this zucchini bread recipe is that, like other quick bread recipes (i.e., banana bread or pumpkin bread), it’s super easy to make! You don’t need any special equipment here—just a box grater, a couple of mixing bowls, and two loaf pans. The ingredients are simple too.
Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Zucchini, of course! It makes this quick bread amazingly moist.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the loaves rise.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract – For warm, cozy depth of flavor.
- Cane sugar – It sweetens the zucchini bread.
- Vegetable oil – It adds moisture and richness.
- Walnuts – For crunch.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Prep Zucchini for Bread
To make this recipe, you’ll need 3 cups of shredded zucchini, from about 2 medium squash.
If you’ve never grated zucchini before, it’s super easy—just shred it on the large holes of a box grater. There’s no need to peel the zucchini or remove the seeds. You also shouldn’t press or squeeze any of the excess moisture out of it. You want all that to go into the bread!
Once you shred the zucchini, make the batter. Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the zucchini to the wet ingredients and fold to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Careful not to overmix! If you do, the quick bread will be dense.
Fold in the nuts.
Next, pour the batter into two greased loaf pans. It’s ok if the two pans aren’t the same size or material, but keep in mind that the loaves might bake at different rates. I recommend checking them early to avoid over-baking.
Sprinkle more nuts over the tops of the loaves…
And bake at 325°F for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops of the loaves spring back to the touch.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Best Zucchini Bread Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir just until they’re combined. Overmixing the batter will start to develop the gluten in the flour, which can make for dense loaves. We want them to be light and tender instead!
- Give it time to cool. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to want to slice into the bread as soon as it comes out of the oven (heads up: your kitchen will smell amazing). But if you can resist, let it cool for an hour instead. I promise that it will taste even better after it cools. It will have a moister texture, and the flavor from the spices and vanilla will have deepened.
- Use a different summer squash. Green zucchini isn’t the only type of squash that will work in this bread! Sub in yellow zucchini, striped zucchini, or yellow squash instead. They’ll all yield a moist, flavorful bread.
- Change up the mix-ins. Not feeling walnuts? Replace them with pecans, or swap in dried cherries, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips. A walnut/chocolate chip combo is fantastic too!
How to Store Zucchini Bread
Homemade zucchini bread keeps well for up to 4 days after baking. Store it at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Can you freeze zucchini bread?
Yes, this easy zucchini bread also freezes well! Wrap up the entire loaf, or store individual slices in freezer bags or airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I like to freeze individual slices so that I can thaw one at a time for breakfast or a snack. Let them sit at room temperature for an hour to thaw, or zap them in the microwave to quickly reheat.
More Favorite Zucchini Recipes
If you love this zucchini bread, try one of these easy zucchini recipes next:
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Muffins
- Zucchini Brownies
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Zucchini Fritters
- Roasted Zucchini
- Grilled Zucchini
- Or any of these 30 Best Zucchini Recipes!
Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- Loaf Pan (you'll need 2 for this recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ cups cane sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pans
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated zucchini, about 2 medium, don’t press or squeeze
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease two 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the grated zucchini and fold to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops of the loaves spring back to the touch.
This was so easy to make and came out delicious! The raw batter I must say was soooo good too haha.
Ha ha, I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Moist, not too sweet. Subbed out the veg oil for olive oil. One loaf for me and one to freeze.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Why only 2 stars?
My zucchini plants are already producing, and I needed something to do with them. I was so excited to see that this month’s challenge was Zucchini Bread! I’m really pleased with this lovely and oh-so-delicious loaf!
PS- I absolutely adore your cookbook and use it frequently!
Hi Christy, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the book!
I made the zucchini bread today and I have to say that it was delicious. I’m not a big fan of nuts in recipes, butWOW they made a difference in this recipe. I will definitely will make again, probably this weekend. This is a 5 star recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How does this turn out of using butter instead of oil. I really dislike oil in baked goods…
Hi Trudy, I haven’t tried it, but I think melted unsalted butter would work well here!
I LOVE this recipe! Thank you, thank you! I subbed unrefined coconut oil for the vegetable oil, a cup of maple syrup & half cup of light brown sugar for the sweetener, and I was out of cinnamon so I used pumpkin pie spices and it still came out to perfection. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Gabriella! Thanks for sharing your swaps too.
So I made this recipe, but didn’t realize that it said to divide the recipe into TWO loaf pans instead of one (oops). So it took almost double the amount of time for it to bake (one hour and 40 minutes instead of 50 minutes). But, it came out perfectly! Perfectly baked and tender on the inside, with a slightly firm outer crust. Will remember that for next time ? Still a great recipe! My kids and I loved it.
how long and what temp would you cook at for muffins ? also how come this is the only recipe you wouldn’t squeeze the zucchini?
Hi Ashley, we don’t squeeze the zucchini for this recipe so that it can add more moisture to the bread. We typically bake our muffin recipes at 400°F for 15 to 22 minutes. We haven’t tested this recipe as muffins, but we do have a separate zucchini muffin recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/zucchini-muffins/
thank you for the muffin recipe. i’m not able to use that one because it calls for whole wheat flour and being gluten free i was just going to substitute flour for gf flour on this recipe!
Can I use carrots instead of zucchini?
Hi Maria, we haven’t tested this, but I think it would work. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Love this recipe. Thankyou for all your recipes
How can I find out nutritional value. I’m counting calories. I realise the zucchini bread would be up there but needed to try.
Perfect! The best zucchini bread I ever made. Thanks for the recipe.
We…Love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Mandy, I’m so happy to hear!
Can you use a bundt pan, or two, instead of a loaf pan?
Hi Shelly, I think you could make this recipe in one large or two small bundt pans. However, because we haven’t tested it in bundt pans, I’m not sure what the bake time would be.
I was wondering if you would consider adding a conversion button to metric measurements to your recipes? I love your baking and cooking but find it cumbersome to convert everything myself. I know the format you use does offer this as it’s a fairly commonly used framework on the internet. It would make life for your European fans much easier. Thanks
Hi Judith, thank you for your feedback – it’s something we’re considering.
The problem I’ve always had with zucchini bread is that so many recipes result in WET bread, not just moist. It’s very unappealing.
Do you have a solution for avoiding a WET bread?
Hi Donna, give this one a try – it’s moist but not too wet (in my opinion). If you’re concerned, make sure a toothpick inserted comes out dry, otherwise bake a little longer. Hope that helps!
Can you sub Bob’s Red Mill non gluten flour for this recipe??
I haven’t tested it, but I think it would be fine here.
I may give this recipe a try, but have you considered reducing the amount of sugar in your baked goods? I feel that we’ve been taught to use much more sugar than is really necessary. I’ve reduced my sugar intake to the point that I get a head rush when eating a baked good using standard amounts of sugar. I believe it’s time to start tailoring our recipes for a healthier lifestyle, what about you?
Hi Marcia, we try to use less sugar than most other recipes on the internet without sacrificing the traditional flavor of the particular recipe. For me, baked goods are a treat that I enjoy occasionally so I want one slice of zucchini bread to satisfy that craving. That being said, you could probably reduce the sugar here to 3/4 cup or 1 cup… keep in mind that this recipe makes 2 loaves so the amounts here may look high just because the yield is a large quantity.
This zucchini recipe has less sugar than most that I’ve seen. Rather than making the criticizing comment about “healthier lifestyle” on a recipe you haven’t made yet, why not try using less sugar first and skipping your review?
Hello, I love your recipes. We avoid vegetable and canola oil in our home, do you think this could work with coconut oil?
Hi Dayna, yes! Melted coconut oil or avocado oil would work well instead of the vegetable oil.
I look forward to trying this recipe!
Is there an option to make it vegan? Best, BB
I am not an expert but 1/4 c of applesauce replaces each egg. I use that often in other recipes and I think it is better than eggs (and definitely more humane:-) I am looking forward to making this recipe (vegan). It looks great!
Hi, we haven’t tested a vegan version of this recipe, but there is one in the notes of this other zucchini bread recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/healthy-zucchini-bread/