This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
This super moist Zucchini Bread was adapted from my grandmother’s recipe, and it’s exactly like the one you grew up eating, too. No need to squeeze or dry the shredded zucchini—the extra moisture is welcome here!
Meggan’s notes
Born and raised in the Midwest, I grew up eating zucchini bread every summer when our garden was exploding with zucchini. This recipe is adapted from my grandmother, and I made it over and over again until I achieved the texture and flavor that I remember from my childhood.
I love putting my culinary background to work when recreating recipes from childhood. I had a vision in my head of how the bread should taste, smell, and feel, and I was ready to dive in and create it. I tested it with 8 ounces of zucchini, then a pound, and finally settled on 12 ounces. I also made it with white sugar, brown sugar, and a combination of both. Brown sugar was the winner.
My chef’s secret? This zucchini bread tastes even better the next day, after sitting wrapped in plastic or stored in a plastic bag. It develops a shiny texture on the outside and tastes even more moist on the inside! Trust me, this is the BEST zucchini bread recipe you will find.
Use a food processor here to shred the zucchini (a box grater works too, but it takes a little more time). There’s no need to peel the zucchini—the flecks of green in the bread make a pretty addition. And you don’t need to squeeze or dry the zucchini. The extra moisture is good!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Eggs: To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place the eggs (still in their shells) in a small bowl and cover with warm water.
- Zucchini: Trim the ends off the medium zucchinis. Using the large holes of a box grater or with the large-holed shredder blade of a food processor, shred the zucchini. Measure out 1 ½ cups and don’t worry about squeezing or blotting the extra moisture.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment and coat with nonstick spray (or grease and flour pan generously).
- In a large bowl, add brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With an electric mixer, or vigorously with a whisk by hand, beat until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir grated zucchini into the wet ingredients.
- In a second bowl, stir together the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. And the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined; do not over-mix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until the bread is firm and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, place on a wire rack, and cool completely.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This loaf of Zucchini Bread yields 8 slices.
- Storage: Wrap in plastic wrap or store in a large plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
- Make ahead: This recipe should be made in one sitting, but does taste better the second day.
- Freezer: Wrap individual slices plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place in freezer bags to store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before warming in the microwave, if desired.
- Nuts: Walnuts or pecans can be mixed into the batter if you want a bit of crunch! Dried cranberries are nice too.
- Add frosting: Cream Cheese Frosting would pair well with this bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no need to peel the zucchini, as the skin adds some nice color to the bread.
Zucchini bread will keep for 3 days at room temperature.
You don’t need to drain or dry the zucchini in this recipe. The extra moisture is great!
I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it is worth a shot! Use a 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour.
More quick bread recipes
Breakfast Recipes
Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
Muffins and Quick Breads
Pumpkin Bread
Brunch Recipes
Banana Bread
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
Join Us
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (from 1 large, about 12 ounces, see note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment and coat with nonstick spray (or grease and flour pan generously).
- In a large bowl, add brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With an electric hand mixer, or vigorously with a whisk by hand, beat until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in shredded zucchini.
- In a second bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. And the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined; do not over-mix. Scrape into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until the bread is firm and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, place on a rack, and cool completely.
Notes
- Eggs: To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place the eggs (still in their shells) in a small bowl and cover with warm water.
- Zucchini: Trim the ends off the zucchini. Using the large holes of a box grater or with the large-holed shredder blade of a food processor, shred the zucchini. Measure out 1 ½ cups and don’t worry about squeezing or blotting the extra moisture.
- Yield: This loaf of Zucchini Bread yields 8 slices.
- Storage: Wrap in plastic wrap or store in a large plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Iโve made a good handful of Culinary Hill recipes and theyโve never done me wrong, so I wanted to try this recipe against my original. It absolutely did not disappoint. The notes are a must: wrap it overnight to preserve moisture, and it gets better with time.
Thank you so much, A. Lance! I appreciate you trying my recipes. Take care! ๐ – Meggan