Zucchini Bread

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!

Introduction

This zucchini bread is the ultimate easy, no-fuss quick bread: just a few pantry staples, one bowl, a spoon and a loaf pan and you’ll have a moist, softly spiced loaf that disappears fast. It’s forgiving (no mixer required and you don’t need to squeeze the zucchini dry), freezer-friendly, and perfect for breakfast, snacks or sharing.

• Time & yield: About 15 minutes active prep and roughly 1 hour of baking (total ~1 hour 15 minutes). The recipe makes one loaf—about 8 servings.
• What you’ll need: Basic pantry ingredients plus 1½ cups shredded zucchini. Use an 8×4″ or 9×5″ loaf pan (8×4″ gives a taller, domed loaf).
• The result: A soft, moist bread with warm cinnamon flavor. It’s a perfect base for mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or fruit, and the batter also works for muffins or mini loaves.
• Why it’s easy: No wringing, no special equipment, and straightforward step‑by‑step instructions so even beginners get great results.

Read on for the ingredient list, step‑by‑step photos, pro tips, variations and storage advice so you can bake one now and freeze one for later.

What Makes This Recipe Great

It’s a tried-and-true zucchini bread 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.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 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.

How to Make the Bread

1. It’s best to whisk dry ingredients first, just to make sure the baking soda and salt are incorporated.

2. Once you stir the oil and sugars, the mixture will be grainy.

3. The mixture will turn dark after adding the cinnamon. Once you add the flour it’ll seem too thick.

4. Adding the zucchini will make it wetter and more like a quick bread batter.

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.
• Muffins: You can also use the batter to make zucchini muffins instead of a loaf.

Pro Tips for Best Results

My favorite way to grate zucchini is with a box grater. Use the large holes to shred it. If you have a lot of zucchini to grate, you can use a food processor with the shredder attachment. You do not need to pat the zucchini dry unless it’s extra wet from being frozen and thawed. In that case, pat it with paper towels – you don’t want it super dry – the moisture in the shredded zucchini is what keeps this zucchini bread recipe moist.

You will need 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini for the recipe, which is approximately 152 grams, or close to one large zucchini (but remember “large” means something different to everyone, so be sure to grate enough to measure out 1 1/2 cups).

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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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.

How to Make Zucchini Bread Step by Step

1. It’s best to whisk dry ingredients first, just to make sure the baking soda and salt are incorporated.

2. Once you stir the oil and sugars, the mixture will be grainy.

3. The mixture will turn dark after adding the cinnamon. Once you add the flour it’ll seem too thick.

4. Adding the zucchini will make it wetter and more like a quick bread batter.

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.
• Muffins: You can also use the batter to make zucchini muffins instead of a loaf.

Mix‑Ins and Recipe Variations

• Mix-ins: Fold in 1/2 cup mix-ins when you add the zucchini. Good choices are chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or chopped strawberries.
• Spices and citrus: Add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger for extra warmth, or stir in 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest for brightness.
• Chocolate zucchini bread: Replace about 1/3 cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips for a chocolatey variation.
• Lower fat/sugar option: Substitute half the oil with unsweetened applesauce (measure for measure) and reduce the granulated sugar by 1/4 cup. The texture will be slightly different but still moist.
• Gluten-free or egg-free swaps: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. For egg-free, replace each egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, let sit 5 minutes) — note texture will be a bit denser.
• Muffins or mini loaves: Pour batter into a standard muffin tin (makes about 12 muffins) or three mini-loaf pans. Bake muffins 18–25 minutes; mini loaves will bake faster than a full loaf.
• Toppings and finishes: Sprinkle coarse sugar or a simple streusel on top before baking for crunch, or drizzle a powdered sugar glaze after the loaf has cooled.

Storing and Freezing Tips

• 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.

Answers to Common Questions

• Q: Do I need to drain or squeeze the shredded zucchini? A: No. For this recipe you do not need to drain the zucchini unless it was frozen and is very wet. The moisture from the zucchini helps keep the bread tender.
• Q: How much zucchini do I need? A: Use 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini (approximately 152 g), which is close to one large zucchini depending on size.
• Q: Can I use frozen zucchini? A: Yes. Thaw it completely and, if it seems extra wet, gently pat excess water away with paper towels before measuring and adding to the batter.
• Q: Which loaf pan should I use? A: Both 8×4-inch and 9×5-inch loaf pans work. The 8×4-inch pan will give a taller, domed loaf; the 9×5-inch pan will produce a flatter top and may bake a little faster on the edges.
• Q: How do I know when the bread is done? A: A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The top should be golden and the loaf will spring back slightly when pressed.
• Q: Can I make this healthier or reduce sugar? A: Yes. You can reduce the sugar modestly, replace part of the oil with unsweetened applesauce, or omit the brown sugar and use 1 cup granulated sugar as suggested in the notes. These swaps will change texture and sweetness.
• Q: How should I store and freeze the bread? A: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap whole loaves tightly in plastic and a freezer bag or freeze individual slices in sandwich bags for up to 3 months.
• Q: Can I make the recipe vegan or egg-free? A: To make it egg-free, use flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg) or another egg replacer; texture will be slightly different. To be fully vegan, also substitute a vegan sugar if needed and confirm any mix-ins are vegan.
• Q: Can I double the recipe? A: Yes. You can double the ingredients and bake in two loaf pans. Baking time will be similar for each pan; avoid overcrowding the oven.