The BEST Zucchini Bread Recipe
I’ve tried A LOT of zucchini bread recipes in my day, and I mean A LOT! This recipe is, by far and away, the best one I’ve ever made. It’s fantastic.
It’s the kind that gets better with age. The first day it is good, but the second and third day it is AMAZING (Note: It must be stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.) The outside edges become soft, and the moisture from the zucchini has had longer to do its magic. I have no self-control when it gets to that point and have been known to eat an entire giant loaf myself.
I first had this bread at a friend’s house and literally begged for the recipe. I was anxious to see what made it so different from my go-to recipe my mom has made for years. My friend e-mailed me the recipe, and when I got it I was shocked at how similar the recipe was to my mom’s. But they tasted so different. The only differences in this recipe and the one my mom has made forever, is an extra 1/4 cup of sugar and baking it at 325° instead of 350°.
I can’t believe the difference it makes. I like my mom’s, but this bread….this delicious bread……I have to be so careful about how often I make this bread. If I were to make it as often as I crave it, I’d be at least three times my size….
….there are days that I think the extra weight would be worth it. 🙂
Just wait until you taste it; you’ll feel the same way.
I like to use stone loaf pans. Mine are from Pampered Chef. But I also love these Kitchenaid ones you can order on Amazon.
FYI: There is a little situation that happens sometimes with this recipe. It’s important not to over cook this bread. Because of that, occasionally the very top center middle section of the loaf is a little under-cooked and comes out a tad doughy, even after it has completely cooled. If/when this happens, I just cut that little section off and carry on with the binge eating…believe me it is a small price to pay.
More Awesome Zucchini Recipes
- 2¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray two 8x4 loaf pans with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a mixer, or with a whisk and a strong arm, combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla, mix until creamy.
- Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda (you can mix them in a separate bowl first if you want...I never do. I don't see a difference in results either way, and I hate making extra dishes), mix until almost combined and add shredded zucchini. (if I use thawed, frozen zucchini I dump it all in, liquid and all)
- Mix until combined and pour evenly into the greased loaf pans. Depending on the size of your pans, you may need a third loaf pan. Never fill a loaf pan higher than ⅔ full.
- Bake at 325 for about 45-55 minutes, being careful not to over cook.
- Remove from oven and cool on cooling racks. I like to remove mine from the pan immediately, because I use stone loaf pans and they stay hot for quite some time. It can be tricky to get the loaves out without damaging them or leaving half of them in the bottom of the pan....so you can use your judgement on whether or not you want to leave them in the pan to cool or not.
- Let cool completely and store in a Ziploc bag.
Enjoy!
don’t forget to pin this awesome recipe to your favorite pinterest board!
More Fabulous Quick Breads
I was wondering how to tell if it was all the way cooked without over cooking. If the middle is still sometimes doughy, I’m guessing the toothpick test isn’t accurate.
Unfortunately you just have to guess until you get a feel for what it will look like. The tooth pick test is pretty accurate, the nature of the bread is so moist though that after sitting over night the top center inch or so will sometimes be a bit doughy, sounds kinda crazy til you see it. but it’s worth it, the bread is sooo good!
What if you have a different size loaf pan?
Fill it 2/3 full and check it at 30 min-45 min and so on until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
That’s the way I like mine too, a little doughy in the center. That way the bread stays really moist. But some of my friends don’t like it that way, so I do bake it until a toothpick comes out clean some times. But this is definitely a great recipe. The one I’ve used for years! Love it!
I’m trying to stay away from white flower. Could you recomend a similar Zucchini bread recipe?
You can substitute wheat flour with no problem. It will just be a bit more dense.
I mixed half and half with almond flour, and also put an extra cup of zucchini. Also 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white or used splenda with BR sugar. Been expairimenting.
Awesome! I love that you are experimenting with the recipe!
I love almonds and walnuts in my zucchini bread. This morning I felt like zucchini muffins …so, I added 1 Cup of a crushed walnut/almond mixture with the shredded zucchini and filled 15 large muffin tins (oiled with coconut oil) 3/4 of the way full. Baked for 30 mins at 325. The family was waiting for them when they came out of the oven. No complaints!! They probably won’t last to confirm that they are better the 2nd or 3rd day!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
I know Right! 🙂 Glad you like it as much as I do.
I made this recipe this afternoon. I added 2 carrots, just because I had them to use…and I subbed dark brown sugar for 1/2 cup of the white.
I saved time by whirring everything up in the foods procesor, and folding in the zucchini shreds at the end.
Baked it in an 8×8″ dark metal pan with baking sprayed parchment liner. Baked 44 minutes at 320°. Toothpick came out clean, top was evenly done.
It smelled too good, so I snuck a taste of the corner after about 5 minutes. Oh man. Perfect. I like the extra sweetness. It reminded me if my late grandma’s.
Can’t wait to have a slice after dinner.
Delish!! I had insides of zucchini left over from boats I made so I just chopped fine. This recipe is perfection! I did add nuts. Love it!!
Yay! Glad you love it as much as me. I can’t get enough of it!
Can Splenda be replaced instead?
Hi Lupe, I don’t know if splenda will work as a replacement. I haven’t ever tried it. However, If you have had success using splenda in other quick breads it will probably work.
Thank you Maria. I was just wondering. My daughter made the Zucchini bread yesterday and it was delicious!!!!!
You’re so welcome. Glad you liked the bread.
This is not a sugar substitute but I do put in one cup of brown sugar for one of the white, it comes out great! Everyone loves this bread, it is my favorite to make!!
Good Idea, I’ll have to try that. I love this bread so much too. It is definitely my favorite to make.
This was so amazing!! First time trying and making zucchini bread!! Going to be making a lot more of these with the abundance of zucchini in my garden. Bonus: it’s dairy free!!
Yay! Isn’t it delicious? I can’t get enough of it.
I am afraid to make it too often because I can’t stop eating it!!!!
Haha! Me too. 🙂
I must try this, we grow courgettes (as they are known in the UK) on our allotment, and they are so plentiful this year. I’m always looking for new ideas to use them up.
Hi ..was wondering if frozen zucchini can be used for this recipe? I have some in the freezer and want to use it up…Thanks for your time
Shelley
Yes! That’s exactly what I did. I just used them straight from the freezer.
I baked mine in an 8×8 pan , because that’s what was handy. (*Should mention that I got 2 pans worth)!
Came out perfectly. THANKS AGAIN.
Awesome! 🙂 So glad you like it!
Hi again sorry I just seen you can use frozen now I was wondering about the size of the pan ..the ones I have are a 9×5
Thanks Again
Shelley
My pans are 9×5 too. Good Luck Shelley! You’re gonna love this bread!
I’ve made this exact recipe for 26 years and it is divine!! I divide this recipe into 3 loaf pans and then you never have to worry about over or under baking them. Use the exact same kind of pan and weigh each for better control. Thanks for sharing.
I wanted this recipe to work because it looks SO good! However, my two loaves made a huge mess in my oven (overflowed and is now stuck to the bottom). After an hour and half and it still not being cooked I gave up. What in the world went wrong here??? The little bits that did cook around the edges were delicious- but the loaves would not cook??
This is so sad Ariel! I can’t imagine what might have gone wrong. How big were your loaf pans? Did you fill them more than 2/3 full? I am sorry to hear this happened. I hope you will try the recipe again. It sounds like you need to try 3 loaf pans or possibly try to 8×8 pans.
This is why I don’t like to share recipes. Some people can not follow them and it is my fault for leaving something out. Maybe the oven was not turned high enough.. If you made it just like it said you had to done something wrong, try again. Did you leave out the soda.?
????
I don’t know what you mean by waiting moderation.
It means the comment doesn’t show on the post until I have approved it I usually only get around to answering and approving comments every few days.
Not sure what zucchini bread your used to but I made this instead of my grandmothers because of the comments and it didn’t turn out aswell as everyone claims …….I’m very disappointed
I’m sorry to hear that Jay, I’d love your grandmothers recipe, it must be amazing!
Try it with one cup of brown sugar in place of one of the white, that is how I do mine and it is so very good. Also I cook mine in a bunt pan, it does take longer to cook. I would start watching it after about 50 minutes, check on it every 5 minutes and when it is done to your liking take it out! I sometimes cut mine in half and freeze half for a later date. I need to do it right away or I will eat it all…too good not to!
Would coconut oil work or does it have to be vegetable? Thanks
I have done half coconut oil before, I have also used butter with good results. Maybe try half coconut oil half butter. 🙂
I HAVE TO SAY I HAVE BEEN IN THE KITCHEN SINCE I WAS 5 YRS OLD, I HAVE TASTED ALMOST EVERYTHING MYG MA AND MOM EVER MADE AND THE ZUCCHINI BREAD WAS AWESOME , I ADDED SOME RAISINS …DELICIOUS
Can I use self rising flour and leave out the salt, baking soda and baking powder ?
You could try it. I have never used self rising flour so I wouldn’t want to say yes and have it be a disaster, but it should work…..
Yum! Made this today, thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂 I added a tablespoon of maple syrup and it is delicious! Really enjoyed it and looking forward to another slice (or two) tomorrow.
Okay…. 2 days later there is only half a loaf left (out of 2!) because this bread is SO ADDICTIVELY DELICIOUS!!! My hubby and I are both very impressed and thank you again for sharing this recipe. It gets better and better!
Right!? I have to fight myself not to eat an entire loaf in one sitting. It’s the best!!! Glad you both it too. 🙂
So glad you liked it. Maple Syrup eh, I’ll have to give that a try. 🙂
Can you do a cinnamon crumble on top?
Yes, I am sure that would taste delicious.
Zucchini bread is the bomb-diggity!!?? Try adding some grated orange rind. YUM!!
Never thought of that. YUM!!! Thanks for the tip, sounds delicious!
Anyone know how many calories this recipe is?
This really is the best!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m glad you think so too Kristina 😉 I love it!!!
I went to make this (cannot wait!) and realized I only have 2 loaf plans. One glass (1.5 qt) one tin (91/4 x 51/4×23/4). Is that ok?
Yes, those should be fine. If they look like they are more than 2/3-3/4 full you may want to take some out and put it in a small glass bowl or something and cook it in that. I have done that before and just watch it and pull it out when it looks done, because it is usually done before the loaves.
Amazing!!! I had to stop my husband from eating a whole loaf in one sitting! Seriously, best zucchini bread I’ve ever had!!
Haha! I love it! I am the same way. This bread is not safe around me.
If using fresh zucchini, should I squeeze it in cheesecloth first, or throw it in unsqueezed? Thank you in advance! My husband has been begging for zucchini bread!
Just throw it in, no need to squeeze. You and your husband are going to love this bread!
Hello….I finally got around to making this today and boy does my kitchen smell awesome and just had to take a small bite and love love love it Thanks for a wonderful recipe
You are so welcome! I love this recipe SO much! It is on my all time top 10 favorite recipes, which is really saying something. 🙂
I love this recipe….I also love my mom’s recipe but this one is my favorite to make…but I do use Bread flour instead of regular….moist and delicious
Yum! Never tired it with bread flour. I’ll have to give it a try.
Hi, I was wondering when using fresh zucchini from the garden do you peal the zucchini first before you grate it or use the peal and all when you grate it.
Thanks
Melinda
Hi Melinda, I always leave the peal on the zucchini.
Our moms have must have had the same recipe! I got mine out and mine is exactly the same as your mom’s .. 1/2 cup of sugar less. It’s in the oven now so I’ll let you know how it turns out! I subbed half applesauce for half the oil trying to make it a little bit healthier..
I mean 1/4 cup more sugar
How funny! It must have been on the back of something back in the day. 🙂 Hope you liked it.
I’m attempting this gluten free.. so I’ll let you know how it turns out. And the changes I made to make it just as moist. :-). Thanks for the recipe
great! how did it turn out?
what can you substitute for the oil…apple sauce and how much can be substituted and how much oil would I still use.
thank you very much
mary
Hi Mary, I don’t substitute for this particular recipe, because I love the texture so much and subbing applesauce changes it a little. If you don’t mind the slight change of texture you can substitute up to half of the oil with applesauce.
Great recipe! Delicious! Thank you for sharing. I did a 1:1 substitution of oil with applesauce and my particularly picky eaters LOVED it! All of my regular eaters liked it, too! 😉
YAY! So glad the picky eaters liked it too! 🙂
I made this last night and it tastes great but I had trouble getting the third cup of flour incorporated. It was so thick it was more like a cookie dough. The result was a very dense (but delicious) bread. Anyone else have that trouble?
Hi Stephanie, it is a very thick batter, especially if the zucchini is fresh. When I use frozen zucchini the batter is runnier because of the liquid that has seeped out of the zucchini as it defrosts. And it is meant to be a dense bread.
I haven’t had zucchini bread since I was a child and my mom used to get it at the farmer’s market. Oh.my.goodness O.O I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire loaf is gone by the end of the evening. I was going to freeze the second one, but that will be entirely unnecessary!
Haha! I have the same problem with this bread, I literally can’t stop myself once I have one slice.
Can we add nuts to this recipe?
Yes, definitely
I made this..careful to add each ingredient precise because my daughter asked me to make zucchini bread for Easter. It didn’t rise and collapsed in the middle. The batter was so thick my mixer had a hard time mixing it..I tried putting some in muffin pans and the tops were flat all over and didnt rise. And all I taste is cinnamon and sugar..very disappointed. .
So sorry you had a bad experience Kim, that really surprises me. I haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else. It sounds like the zucchini you used didn’t put out much extra liquid causing the dough to be very thick. If that happens again, you can add a splash of milk or water to help the batter. Also, this particular recipe doesn’t rise as much as other quick breads, it is supposed to be a bit level topped.
Has anyone made this recipe using 1 to 1 gluten free flour? If so how did it turn out?
I haven’t but I think it would be very successful.
I made it with spelt, as my husband has a wheat allergy. I substituted the same amount of spelt for wheat. It is baking as I type. Looks good so far.
I made this bread and it turned out fabulous! In fact, I have 2 loaves baking right now. Thanks for the great recipe.
Yay! This makes me so happy Sheryl! I love this recipe so much!
I was wondering about adding a banana into this recipe.
You could give it a try! I am sure it would be good.
Do you know the nutritional information for this? I just made it and it came out amazing! Wondering if I could substitute the sugar with apple sauce?
I’m sorry Amanda, I don’t know that info.
Delicious!! My family loves zucchini bread. In your recipe you mention it might be a little tricky getting the bread out of pans immediately. Just cut a piece of wax paper and place in the bottom make sure you grease it to. Turn it out and cool a couple minutes and peal off wax paper. Thanks for sharing all your delicious recipes.
So glad you like it Stephanie, and thanks for the tip! 🙂
Loved this classic receipe that tastes so much like my grandmother’s did. I included it in a round-up of fabulous zucchini bread recipes here http://wifesense.com/10-absolutely-fabulous-zucchini-bread/ Hope your recipe gets the Pinterest traction it deserves!
Thanks for including me in your round up Alexandra!
Do you have to cinnamon in this recipe? I can’t have cinnamon. Is there a substitute or can I just leave it out.
Thanks
You can leave it out, but the flavor will be slightly different. It will still be good though. I have also seen some recipes for lemon zucchini bread that look good. Try searching pinterest or google for one.
I was looking for a zucchini bread recipe to incorporate the zucchini from our garden and this is perfect! Thanks for the delicious zucchini bread recipe, Maria!
Yay! So glad you found it. It’s one of my all time favorite recipes!
Looks great! I can’t wait to try it!! Can you tell me the reason for decreasing the cooking temperature from 350 to 325? Thanks!
I’m not exactly sure why the temp makes a difference, but I’ve tried it both ways and it really tastes better cooked at 325. 🙂
My husband from England calls this cake. I call it quick bread. Either way it tastes great. I did 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup carrot sprayed the bread tins with Pam and sprinkled sugar around it. We both love it.
I call it quick bread too, but it is delicious enough I think it could pass as cake with a layer of frosting. 🙂 So glad you liked it! Carrot was a great addition!
This really is the best Zucchini Bread Recipe!!! I tripled this recipe to use up lots of zucchini.
Had plenty to share with family and friends. Everyone said it’s the best I ever made.
Thanks for sharing.
Yay! This comment makes me so happy! I love that you shared with your friends and family! I just made a batch yesterday and ate an entire loaf by myself….no will power over here.
I made muffins and a small loaf. Next time I think I’ll scale down and just make muffins since this is what my family seemed to like the most. Muffins are also quicker and seemed more moist than the loaf. This is an excellent recipe but I made some changes to lower the oil (replaced 1/2 cup with mashed banana) but then I added mini chocolate chips, haha. It worked perfect. Great recipe, thank you!
Glad you liked the recipe Chelsea! Another substitution you can try for the oil is plain or vanilla yogurt. I did that for half of the oil in a zucchini cake I made yesterday and it turned out awesome!
I also am using a Pampered Chef stone bread pan. I do not have 2 though. Can I put it all in one dish? It fits . . . will it just take longer to cook?
Hi Kathy,
No, I wouldn’t suggest putting it all in one loaf pan. You will need to do it in two pans. If you don’t have a second loaf pan you can do it in a round cake pan or an 8×8 baking dish, it will just be thinner and take a little less time to cook.
Try using a muffin tin as well!
First time making zucchini bread and love this recipe. But I accidentally put in a 1 tsp of almond extract before i realized it wasn’t vanilla. So I just continued to add the rest of the 2 tsp of vanilla the recipe calls for and it really ended up tasting delicious. Yum!
Yum! I have almost done that before too, maybe next time I’ll try it on purpose! So glad you like the recipe!
I tried your recipe and have to say that even the batter is delicious!! We could hardly wait for it to finish baking and the house smells amazing! I added pecans and a couple of raisins and since I started late and didn’t want to clean 2 pans, I poured the whole amount of batter into a bundt pan hoping it would work as no one has mentioned that option in any comments I read (filled it 2/3 exactly)- it came out PERFECT!!! It’s pretty AND yummy-I love bundt cake slices! The family is lovin’ your recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Yum! I love that it worked in a bundt pan! I am so glad your family loves it! This makes me so happy, Julie!
I made this yesterday, I added two cups of fresh blueberries to it. All I can say is AMAZING!!!!!
This makes me so happy! This recipe really is a keeper. I’ll have to try adding blueberries sometime.
I made this with zucchini I had in my freezer. only had just shy of 1 1/2 cups of zucchini once it thawed so I made up the rest with pumpkin puree (grew the pumpkin myself!!). It was amazing! I also had some leftover cream cheese frosting in the fridge so I smeared a little on the bread. OMG Heaven!!
That sounds FANTASTIC!!! So jealous I wasn’t there to have a slice! 🙂
Sooooo yummy!!! I used applesauce instead of eggs and wheat flower but it turned out amazing! I’m going to have to be careful how often I make this as well. Thank you for the great recipe 🤗💗
Great! Your version sounds super healthy! I’ll have to give it a try.