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A dense, delicious, and moist zucchini bread recipe that’s easy to make. Uses fresh or frozen shredded zucchini. Goes perfectly with a bowl of soup or a salad!
I have been making this moist zucchini bread recipe for so long, that I almost know it by heart. Nevertheless, I still get the old, tattered recipe card out to make sure I don’t make a mistake…or heaven forbid, forget something! I first published this recipe back in 2012. This original recipe is the version that is found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. In the years since, I have changed a few ingredients, and those changes are in the notes of the recipe card. No matter what version you follow to make this quick bread recipe, it’s delicious!
Why This Recipe Works So Well
If you have zucchini, the rest of the simple ingredients are pantry staples. This is the best zucchini bread recipe because it’s quick and easy to mix up, and it’s a definite crowd pleaser. Absolutely everyone loves it!
Should I Use Fresh Zucchini or Frozen Zucchini?
This moist and delicious zucchini bread comes out perfect every time, and it doesn’t matter if the zucchini is freshly shredded or shredded previously, and frozen. Both fresh and frozen zucchini work equally well. Use a box grater or small food processor to make the shredding process easy and quick. As you can see in the ingredients image below, my zucchini measures slightly less than 2 cups. That’s because I used frozen zucchini, and it does shrink a bit as it thaws. When the shredded zucchini was measured out before going in the freezer, it measured 2 cups.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil/applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two increments.
- Fold in zucchini, nuts, and lemon peel. (If using.)
- Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake.
- Bake time for mini loaves is 20 minutes, small loaves is 30-35 minutes, and large loaves is 55-60 minutes.
- Loaves are done when a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Helpful Tips
- It’s really important to prepare your pans so the loaves of bread fall right out. I use Baker’s Joy, and have had excellent results. You can also coat your bread pans with butter, topped by a thin dusting of flour.
- Measure the ingredients accurately. Use measuring cups and spoons for dry ingredients, and a liquid measuring cup for liquids.
- Pan measurements:
- mini: 2.5 x 4 in.
- small: 3 x 5.5 in.
- large: 5 x 9 in.
- This easy zucchini bread recipe yields:
- 16 mini loaves
- 5 small loaves
- 2 large loaves
- Test for doneness. To check if your zucchini bread is fully baked, insert a toothpick, knife, or skewer into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it, the bread is done. If the toothpick comes out wet, continue baking for a few more minutes and check again.
- After the baked loaves of bread have been removed from the pans, place them on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Wrap them in plastic wrap or Press n Seal while they are still warm. This is the best way to lock in the moisture, and the bread slices melt in your mouth!
Substitutions + Variations
- Substitute 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 cup of the canola oil.
- Vegetable oil or liquid refined coconut oil can be used in place of the canola oil.
- Replace 1 cup of the white sugar with 1 cup of brown sugar.
- Add mix-ins if desired: consider adding chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to the batter for added texture and flavor. Fold them in gently to evenly distribute throughout the bread.
Tips from Readers
- An equal amount of eggplant can be substituted for zucchini in this recipe.
- The sugar amount can be reduced without affecting the taste of the bread. An OSP reader said she cuts the sugar to 1 1/3 cups, and the bread is delicious. (I recently tried this and even though it’s not quite as sweet, the bread texture is perfect, and the taste is wonderful.)
Frequently Asked Questions
1.) Place the baked loaves wrapped in plastic wrap in freezer safe resealable bags. Make sure to mark the date. Place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
2.) Another reader tip: you can also freeze the zucchini bread batter. Place the batter in a large resealable freezer bag and place it flat in the freezer. It stores easily, and fresh bread is just a thaw away!
Place the loaves wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container or aluminum foil. Store the loaves at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that, place them in the refrigerator.
Yes! This recipe makes delicious zucchini muffins. Using a large scoop, drop the batter into the vessels of muffin pans. Bake the muffins at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Pan Sizes + Loaf Yields
- To make the mini loaves of moist homemade zucchini bread, I used a bread pan plaque. One batch of this batter makes approximately 16 mini loaves. They are great for freezing, and are about the size of a large muffin.
- For small loaves, I use the Goldtouch mini loaf pans (set of 4.) This recipe makes five small loaves. For this post, I did a little bit of both. I made 8 mini loaves, and 3 small loaves.
- Get a large loaf pan HERE. (9 in. x 5 in. or 1.25 lbs.)
- This pan will also make a stunning loaf of zucchini bread!
Related Posts
- How To Freeze Zucchini
- Skillet Zucchini Lasagna
- Squash Blosson, Zucchini, + Tomato Salad
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon peel (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Add flour mixture to sugar mixture in two increments.
- Fold in zucchini, nuts, and lemon peel.
- Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake.
- Mini loaves: 20 min.
- Small loaves: 30-35 min.
- Large loaves: 55-60 min.
- Loaves are done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
Baking zucchini bread offers a way to spend time in the kitchen, and enjoy the abundance of this versatile summer vegetable. Remember to measure ingredients accurately, and bake at the recommended temperature for best results. Whether enjoyed as a quick and hearty breakfast, afternoon snack, or meal accompaniment, zucchini bread is a delicious way to savor the flavors of summer year-round.
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Thanks, Ann, for another great recipe! I have been printing your recipes for years as they are always so yummy! Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
I made this recipe with Japanese eggplant that I grew in my garden and it was really good! Thanks for the recipe!
I planted several Japanese Eggplants and have baskets full of the eggplant. I am going to try the Bread recipe using the eggplant! And if that works—-I’ll try one of your other zucchini recipes with eggplant 😉. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I love how you give baking instructions when making the mini pans and regular! How rare to see this and yet how grand as it makes my life less stressful when baking!! A friend just gave me two large zucchinis so will be making this in the morn! As always, thank you so much!!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is always good. I reduce the sugar and often add in a ripe banana if I have one.
I use olive oil in all my baking recipes.
Over the years I have come to understand that sugar is a bigger problem for our health than any of the fats, so quite regularly reduce listed amounts by at least 1/3, sometimes a half. I have been doing this for a long time, and none of my family has noticed! In this particular recipe I found 2 cups of sugar quite a lot, so reduce it to about 1 1/3.
Thanks for all the good recipes over the years!
I’m an avid baker, and have read sugar use can be cut by half and not impact the taste! Means I have more sugar to bake with before needing to run to the store. haha