This recipe for Zucchini Bread is the perfect way to use up all of the summer zucchini from your garden. It’s packed with freshly grated zucchini, simply seasoned with lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice, and super moist every time.
Jump to:
- The Best Zucchini Bread
- Ingredients in Zucchini Bread
- How to Make Zucchini Bread
- How to Prepare and Grate Zucchini For Bread
- Tips For Making the Best Zucchini Bread
- How to Make Zucchini Bread Muffins
- What Else Can I Add to My Zucchini Bread?
- How to Store Zucchini Bread
- Can You Freeze Zucchini Bread?
- Zucchini Bread Recipe
The Best Zucchini Bread
Even if you don’t have a garden, you’ll want to make this recipe all summer long. Just like banana bread, Zucchini Bread stays super moist for days and magically seems to taste better with time (that is if you are magically able to keep it around for the next day).
We kept the recipe super simple, but have given a few ideas of mix-ins that you can toss into the batter if you’re feeling like you want a little something extra.
It’s a snap to throw together and makes the best easy breakfast or afternoon snack. You can eat it plain, toasted with butter or use to make a breakfast bread pudding or casserole once it's past its prime. Plus, it freezes great.
Ingredients in Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini - you should wash and trim the ends off of your zucchini, but don’t peel before you grate.
- Sugar - we use white sugar for this recipe. You can also try with half brown sugar and half granulated sugar if you’d like.
- Eggs - any kind of large eggs will work.
- Butter - use melted butter.
- Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed is best. You can also add in a tablespoon of fresh lemon zest if you really want to enhance the lemon flavor.
- Flour - this recipe calls for all-purpose flour. If you want to make the recipe a bit healthier, you can substitute half of the flour with white whole wheat flour.
- Cinnamon
- Salt - salt in baked goods is crucial for both the structure and the flavor.
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Allspice - you could also substitute ground nutmeg.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease two 8" x 4" pans, or 6 mini loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and lemon juice together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and allspice and whisk together.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans, then sprinkle a little extra sugar on the top of each loaf (optional).
- Bake 8"x4" loaves in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50-60 minutes (mini loaves for 35-40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges of the bread and tease the bread out of the pan. Enjoy!
How to Prepare and Grate Zucchini For Bread
A common question that we hear is, “Do you peel zucchini for bread?”
Nope! Just give it a quick rinse, cut the ends off, and grate away. The peel helps the grated zucchini keep a bit of structure while baking, and it looks pretty, too.
To grate the zucchini, we find that using a box grater is the easiest. If you notice a lot of liquid being released from the zucchini, you can gently pat with a paper towel. Some have more liquid than others, so this may not be necessary.
Tips For Making the Best Zucchini Bread
- Don’t overmix! Quick breads do not respond well to overmixing. The more you mix the flour, the more gluten develops and the more rubbery and dense your zucchini bread will be. In order to keep it soft and tender, mix just to combine.
- Don’t mix too quickly, either! Mixing too vigorously will add extra air that will begin to rise while the bread bakes, but then fall once it sits and cools.
- Be sure to bake all the way through. It’s crucial to check that your bread is baked all the way through, either by inserting a toothpick into the center or by using an instant read thermometer. After putting in all of the baking time, the last thing you want is to cut into a partially raw loaf!
- Let it cool before slicing. It’s tempting, we know. But the baking process needs to finish, and that happens while it cools, so give the loaves at least 20 minutes before you dig in.
How to Make Zucchini Bread Muffins
To turn these into muffins, you can bake directly in a muffin tin or else use cupcake lines. Either way, we recommend that you spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Your baking time will be closer to that of mini loaves - around 30 minutes - but still, be sure to check either using a toothpick or an instant-read thermometer.
What Else Can I Add to My Zucchini Bread?
For this size of recipe, we recommend adding no more than 1 ½ cups of the following mix-ins:
- Chopped Nuts (walnuts or pecans taste great!)
- Dried fruits (currants, raisins or cranberries)
- Chocolate chips
How to Store Zucchini Bread
Store Zucchini Bread loaves in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Can You Freeze Zucchini Bread?
Zucchini Bread freezes very well. Wrap baked loaves in plastic wrap and then foil, or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can then thaw out overnight in the fridge, or if you want to eat it more immediately, you can also thaw it out in a 325-degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups Zucchini shredded
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 cup Butter melted
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 3 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Allspice ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease two 8" x 4" pans, or 6 mini loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and lemon juice and mix well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and allspice and whisk together.
- Combine the flour mixture with the zucchini mixture and stir together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between your prepared bread pans, then sprinkle a little extra sugar on the top of each loaf (optional).
- Bake 8"x4" loaves in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes (mini loaves for 35-40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges of the bread and tease the bread out of the pan. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
Here are some other great baked goods that we love!
- Triple Berry Muffins
- Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Strawberry Cream Scones
- Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins
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This recipe for Zucchini Bread is packed with fresh grated zucchini, seasoned with lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice, and comes out super moist every time. It’s a snap to throw together, makes the best simple breakfast or afternoon snack and is the perfect way to use up all of the extra zucchini from your garden!
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