Best Zucchini Bread Ever

If you only bake one loaf this summer, make it this zucchini bread. It comes out soft in the middle, golden on top, and smells like cinnamon for hours after it leaves the oven.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Like This Zucchini Bread
• What You Need to Make Homemade Zucchini Bread
• Zucchini Bread
• How to Make Zucchini Bread Step by Step
• Storage and Reheating Tips for Zucchini Bread
• Simple Variations for Your Homemade Zucchini Bread
• Zucchini Bread FAQ
• Recipes You May Like
• My Final Thoughts on This Zucchini Bread

Here's how it started. Last August, my neighbor Rita knocked on our door holding three zucchini the size of my forearm. She grows them on her tiny Manhattan balcony, and every year she runs out of people to give them to. I said yes before I really thought it through.

So I spent that whole weekend grating zucchini at my kitchen counter while Alex sat on a stool asking if we could put chocolate chips in it. We baked four loaves. Three of them went to friends in the building. The fourth one? Gone by Monday morning.

This recipe is what I landed on after making it more times than I can count. It makes two loaves, which sounds like a lot until you realize one of them disappears while it's still warm. My mom taught me to bake quick breads when I was about fourteen, and she always said the same thing: don't overmix, and don't peek too early.

The zucchini keeps everything tender without tasting green at all. Honestly, Sarah has no idea there's a vegetable in it, and I'm not in a rush to tell her.

If you like this one, you should also try my chocolate zucchini bread. Same idea, same grated zucchini trick, just deeper and richer for the chocolate lovers in your house.

Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 60 minutes Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes Yield: 2 loaves, 8 slices each

Why You Will Like This Zucchini Bread

• Simple to make. One bowl for dry ingredients, one mixer bowl for wet, and that's it.
• Makes two loaves. Keep one, share one, or freeze one for later.
• Soft and moist for days. The applesauce and grated zucchini do that work for you.
• Warm cinnamon flavor. Four teaspoons sounds like a lot. It isn't. Trust me here.
• Kid approved. My kids eat it for breakfast, snack, and dessert. Same day.
• Forgiving with measurements. Anywhere from 2 to 4 cups of zucchini works fine.

What You Need to Make Homemade Zucchini Bread

Everything here is basic pantry stuff, which is part of why I keep coming back to it.

• Butter and flour for the pans
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 ½ cups grated zucchini (2 to 4 cups both work)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup applesauce
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

A few notes from my kitchen. I use unsweetened applesauce because the batter is already sweet. Walnuts work just as well as pecans, and you can leave the nuts out completely if someone in your house doesn't like them.

Also, use small or medium zucchini if you can. The giant ones have big seeds and more water inside.

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How to Make Zucchini Bread Step by Step

I split this into short sections so you can read a step, do it, then come back.

Get Your Pans and Oven Ready

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter two 8x4 inch loaf pans generously, then dust them lightly with flour. Tap out the extra.

I learned this part the hard way. Skip the butter and half your loaf stays in the pan.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

3. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon into a medium bowl.
4. Stir gently until everything looks even.

Sifting takes an extra minute and gives you a lighter crumb. Worth it.

Shred the Zucchini

5. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Pack it down lightly as you measure it into the cup.

No need to peel it. The green flecks look pretty in the finished slice anyway.

Beat the Wet Ingredients

6. In a stand mixer bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and slightly pale.

Give it a good two minutes here. The sugar needs time to dissolve.

Bring the Batter Together

7. Add the dry mixture slowly, about a third at a time, mixing as you go. Beat well after the last addition.
8. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Fold in the grated zucchini and pecans until just combined.

The batter will look thick and a little lumpy. That's exactly right.

Bake and Cool

9. Pour half the batter into each pan and smooth the tops.
10. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto wire racks.

Bake time shifts depending on how much zucchini you added. More zucchini means more moisture and a few extra minutes. Start checking at 45.

Let them cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. I know that's hard. Donald once cut into a loaf after five minutes and it crumbled all over the counter.

Storage and Reheating Tips for Zucchini Bread

Wrap each cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days. Mine never lasts that long, but it holds up beautifully.

For the fridge, use an airtight container and it stays good for about a week. Cold slices are a little firmer, so I warm them up.

Freezing works great too. Wrap the whole loaf in plastic, then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight on the counter still wrapped.

To warm a slice, 15 seconds in the microwave does it. For a crisp edge, toast it lightly and add butter.

Here's something I noticed after all that testing. Day two tastes better than day one. The cinnamon settles in and the crumb gets softer.

Simple Variations for Your Homemade Zucchini Bread

Want to make this loaf your own? Here's what has worked for me.

• Add chocolate chips. One cup of semisweet chips, folded in with the nuts. This is Alex's version.
• Swap the nuts. Walnuts, almonds, or nothing at all.
• Try brown sugar. Replace 1 cup of the white sugar with light brown for a deeper, almost caramel taste.
• Make muffins. Fill lined muffin cups two thirds full and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
• Add citrus. The zest of one orange brightens the whole loaf.

One thing to watch out for: don't overmix once the flour goes in. I did that in my early days and ended up with a rubbery loaf that Sarah politely called interesting.

Also, if your zucchini is really watery, blot it with a paper towel. Don't wring it dry though. That moisture is doing a job.

Zucchini Bread FAQ

Do you need to squeeze the water out of zucchini for zucchini bread?

Not for this recipe. The applesauce and oil amounts are already balanced for wet zucchini. If your squash is unusually juicy, press it lightly between paper towels, and stop there. Squeezing it dry gives you a drier loaf.

Do you peel zucchini before shredding it for bread?

Nope, and I never do. The skin is thin, it softens completely while baking, and it adds those little green specks people love. Just wash and dry the zucchini before you grate it.

Why is my zucchini bread dry or soggy?

Dry usually means too much flour or too long in the oven. Spoon your flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping, and check at 45 minutes. Soggy usually means underbaking or too much zucchini. The toothpick test settles it every time.

How should homemade zucchini bread be stored?

Cool it completely first, because warm bread creates steam and steam creates soggy crust. Then wrap it tightly and leave it on the counter for up to 4 days, refrigerate for a week, or freeze for 3 months.

Recipes You May Like

• Moist Cottage Cheese Banana Bread if you want another soft loaf with a little protein hiding inside.
• Moist Cranberry Orange Bread for a brighter, fruitier slice with your morning coffee.
• Golden Cinnamon Swirl Bread when you want that same cinnamon warmth in a softer, swirled loaf.

My Final Thoughts on This Zucchini Bread

So there it is. Grate the zucchini, mix the wet, mix the dry, fold them together, and bake two loaves at once.

I keep making this zucchini bread because it's the rare recipe that pleases everyone in my house without any negotiating. Alex wants chocolate chips, Sarah wants it plain, and Donald just wants it toasted with butter. Same batter, three happy people.

Give it a try this week, especially if someone hands you more zucchini than you know what to do with. Save this one to Pinterest so you can find it when that happens.