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All you need is a few simple ingredients, one bowl, a spoon, and a loaf pan to make the best homemade zucchini bread recipe ever. It’s soft and moist, full of spice and absolutely delicious. This is going to become your favorite quick bread recipe EVER!
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Why My Zucchini Bread Works
I know there are a gazillion zucchini bread recipes, but none of them are like this one. This is the best classic recipe for zucchini bread, with that soft and moist texture you expect and full of flavor. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe – you won’t need another one after you make it.
It’s a tried-and-true recipe. I’ve tested it so many times, and it turns out great each time. It’s easy to make – you don’t have to wring out the zucchini, you don’t need a mixer, and you only need one bowl. I love to make a double batch of this bread and freeze a loaf for later. It’s super freezer-friendly!
Have I convinced you yet? I hope so because you are in for a treat. Once you try this easy quick bread recipe, it will be your go-to, just like it is for me.
Important Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil: Instead of using butter, I always use a neutral oil for zucchini bread. This keeps it moist and soft. You can also use canola oil.
- Sugar: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated sugar. I like the combination for the little flavor the brown sugar gives, plus the color and how the brown sugar helps keep zucchini bread soft.
- Ground Cinnamon: A classic flavor ingredient
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The two act together to create a puffy, soft and moist quick bread.
- Shredded Zucchini: This is the most important part! Be sure to get one large or two small/medium zucchini just in case. Shred it yourself. You don’t need to wring it out unless it’s been frozen and is extra wet.
Variations
- Mix-Ins: Add a ½ cup of mix-ins to give this bread a twist. Add chocolate chips, fruit like blueberries, chopped strawberries, raspberries, or chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans work well). Mix them in when you add the zucchini. See Blueberry Zucchini Bread and Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread or my chocolate zucchini bread recipe.
- Muffins: You can also use the batter to make zucchini muffins instead of a loaf.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Add the oil and both sugars to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir until combined, then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir in the shredded zucchini and pour into prepared pans.
Best Pans for Zucchini Bread
You will want to use a loaf pan for this zucchini bread recipe and other quick bread recipes. There are several sizes, but the most common ones are 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and 8×4-inch. Both will work for this recipe, but I prefer the 8×4” one.
You can see in the photo that the bread baked in the smaller 8” pan puffed up and has that nice domed top. If you use a 9” loaf pan, the bread will bake fine and taste great, but the loaf will be flatter on top. You won’t get that pretty round loaf on top.
You can make mini-loaves in 3 mini-loaf pans (1 regular quick bread recipe = 3 mini loaves).
I don’t usually line my pans with aluminum foil but you can if you want.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- You don’t have to peel the zucchini, unless you want to.
- If you have lots of zucchini from your garden, you can shred it and freeze it to use all year long. Be sure to thaw it first and, if needed, pat any excess water from it before adding it to your batter.
Storing Leftovers
- Store leftover bread tightly covered with plastic wrap.
- Freeze whole loaves tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and stored in a freezer bag. Or you can freeze slices of bread in sealable sandwich bags for easy grab and go snacking.
Recipe FAQs
It will depend on the loaf pan. For an 8×4” loaf pan, it will take approximately 55 to 65 minutes. For a 9×5” loaf pan, it will take about 50 to 60 minutes. This is for an oven temperature of 350°F.
The best way is to use a box grater. Grate the zucchini on the large holes.
Typically for my recipe you do not need to do this, unless the zucchini has been frozen and thawed. If the shredded zucchini is very wet you can blot it with paper towels.
It’s best to loosely cover it in the pan or tightly wrap it if freezing it. Covering it keeps it fresh longer.
Yes you can substitute avocado oil for vegetable oil 1:1.
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (119ml) vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups (approximately 152g) shredded zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add oil and both sugars to a large bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Mix in cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in flour mixture, mixture will be thick. Add zucchini and stir until combined – mixture will get looser and more pourable after stirring in zucchini.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes (9×5-inch pan) or 55-65 minutes (8×4-inch) pan, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
- Cool before slicing or removing from the pan. Store covered for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
• Be sure to shred your own zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Do not drain or squeeze liquid out of the zucchini – you need the moisture to keep the bread moist.
• Sugar: I like the mix of brown and granulated but you can omit the brown sugar and use 1 cup granulated if you prefer.
• The 8×4-inch loaf will bake more domed, while the 9×5-inch pan will be flatter.
• Feel free to add in ½ cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips after stirring in zucchini.
Recipe Nutrition
More Zucchini Recipes To Try
- The BEST Zucchini Brownies have an amazing frosting.
- Zucchini Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies
- Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Banana Bread
I’m not sure why, but the bread came out tasting like flour. Looked great, smelled great.
Perfect… I use this all the time. Its great and I add in pineapple, chocolate chips, carrots, raisins…anything.
This was the best zucchini bread I have made. I made it for my grand kids, and they went “ham” on it. O cource the helped me make it. Sent the rest home with them and i Had to make another loaf for me and my wife. Very easy and came out perfect.
Came out perfectly, although just 45 min needed in my “tends toward more hot” oven. Added chia seeds, chopped walnuts and pepitas as the “add-ins”.
This recipe didn’t work for me, it sank. Needs more leavening agents and a bit of a blotting for the zucchini, I think. The search for a good zucchini bread recipe continues.
When did it sink? When it came out of the oven? Was it fully done (did a toothpick come out clean from the very center of the loaf?) I’ve never blotted freshly grated zucchini but you might need to if it’s thawed frozen.
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