Zucchini Bread Recipe: A Sweet Way to Eat Your Veggies

Name: Zucchini Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 2 eggs; 2 cups granulated sugar; 2 large zucchini (peeled and shredded); 1/2 cup cooking oil

52 Comments / By Stephanie / June 1, 2019

Sometimes you have to hide vegetables in other foods. This zucchini bread masks a sweet loaf you can enjoy for breakfast or dessert.

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Raise your hand if you know you don’t eat enough vegetables in a day! *slowly raises hand* I try, I really do, to get enough vegetables in my diet. But let’s face it, I am just not a vegetable person. I’ve expanded my palette in the last few years, but veggies will never be my go-to choice of foods. But, this zucchini bread is a great way to hide some veggies.

Usually, I don’t care for zucchini. The first time I had it was about seven years ago when my cousin made lunch of chicken with grilled squash and zucchini. I tried one bite then pushed all my zucchini to his plate and enjoyed the chicken.

A few years ago, when we were visiting Justin’s grandma in Missouri, she offered us some zucchini bread that she had made earlier in the day. I told her no thank you, but we got some for Tyler to try, and that boy devoured it and wanted more! If he can eat bread with zucchini, then so can I.

Zucchini on its own doesn’t have much flavor to me. But put it in some bread, and I will eat the whole loaf! And since this recipe uses two medium-sized zucchini, that’s a lot of zucchini in a day. And the best part? This is a sweet bread, so the zucchini is not overpowering.

Moral of the story: don’t let the name of the food discourage you from trying it.

This is kind of like making banana bread, except using vegetables instead of fruit.

Why We Love Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is the perfect balance of comfort, flavor, and simplicity. It’s a great way to use up extra zucchini from the garden while baking something that feels homemade and cozy. The shredded zucchini melts into the batter as it bakes, creating an incredibly moist loaf without a strong vegetable taste—so even picky eaters love it.

One of the best things about zucchini bread is its versatility. It’s delicious as a breakfast loaf, a sweet afternoon snack, or even a light dessert. You can keep it simple or dress it up with warm spices, nuts, or chocolate chips. It’s also a forgiving recipe—easy to make in one bowl, adaptable to different ingredients, and hard to mess up.

We love how a slice of freshly baked zucchini bread fills the kitchen with the scent of cinnamon and vanilla. It’s a timeless, feel-good recipe that brings together the best parts of summer baking and homemade comfort food.

How to measure and prep zucchini so the loaf bakes perfectly

For reliable texture, shred zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (or with a shredder attachment) and lightly press the shredded zucchini in a clean tea towel or a fine mesh strainer for 10–20 seconds to remove surface water — you still want the zucchini to be moist, not watery. If your zucchini is especially large or watery, squeeze it gently until it stops releasing free liquid. Measure shredded zucchini by volume after shredding: aim for 1½ to 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 300–360 g) for this recipe. Leaving the peel on is fine and gives pretty green flecks; peeling is optional.

Variations and add-in amounts

If you’d like to change the flavor or texture, try one of these straightforward swaps or additions: fold in 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet) for a sweeter loaf. For a cinnamon-apple twist, add 1 cup finely grated apple (use firm apples like Fuji) in place of or in addition to ½ cup of the shredded zucchini. To make the loaf extra moist, replace up to 1/4 cup of oil with unsweetened applesauce (same volume). For a Greek-yogurt version, swap 1/4 cup oil for 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; reduce overall liquid slightly if the batter appears loose. Add up to 1 cup total of mixed add-ins (nuts, dried fruit, or chips) so the loaf maintains structure.

Troubleshooting: common problems and quick fixes

If the loaf is too dense, make sure you are not overmixing after adding the wet ingredients to the dry — stir just until combined. If the center sinks, your oven temperature may be too high (causing the outside to set before the center finishes) — check your oven with an oven thermometer and bake at the listed temperature; tent the top with foil in the last 15 minutes if the top is browning too quickly. If the crumb is too dry, reduce baking time by 5–10 minutes or add 2–4 tablespoons applesauce or 1 extra egg for more moisture. If the loaf is excessively wet, next time squeeze more liquid from the shredded zucchini and/or reduce the oil by 2 tablespoons.

Make-ahead, freezing, and longer storage

This bread freezes very well. After baking, cool the loaf completely on a wire rack, then wrap the whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, or slice and individually wrap slices before freezing. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, move the wrapped loaf to the refrigerator overnight and then bring to room temperature before slicing, or unwrap and thaw slices at room temperature for a few hours. For short-term storage, keep the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week; refrigerated slices can be warmed in the microwave for 10–15 seconds.

How to make muffins or mini-loaves from this batter

This recipe easily converts to muffins or mini loaves. For muffins, line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 full; bake at the recipe temperature for 18–24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, divide batter equally into 3 (5×3-inch) mini loaf pans and bake for 30–40 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick. Reduce baking time and start checking earlier since smaller pans cook faster.

Lower sugar and allergy-friendly options

To reduce refined sugar, decrease granulated sugar by up to 25% and add 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for moisture, or replace half the sugar with brown sugar for deeper flavor while keeping sweetness lower. For a dairy-free loaf, replace oil with the same amount of melted coconut oil or neutral vegetable oil (do not use butter unless making it dairy). To make the loaf nut-free, omit nuts and add 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins for texture and chew.

Serving Suggestions & Tips

Zucchini bread is sweet enough that it could be considered a dessert, or you could also eat it for breakfast. I like to put my slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds, just long enough to make it warm again, and put a little bit of butter on the slice.
For a sweeter bread, replace 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup of brown sugar. Or, try adding chocolate chips to the bread batter.
Using fresh zucchini adds the most flavor to the homemade zucchini bread.
Replace the vegetable oil with canola oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil. Otherwise, you can also use Greek yogurt or sour cream in its place.
Serve individual slices with a dollop of cream cheese frosting, maple syrup, peanut butter, softened butter, walnuts, fresh berries, or honey on top of the bread.

Zucchini Bread Step by Step

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large zucchini (peeled and shredded)
1/2 cup cooking oil

Preparation

To make your zucchini bread, start by preheating the oven to 350F and greasing a 5-inch loaf pan. For the zucchini, I recommend using a mandolin slicer or box grater to easily shred the zucchini. Or, if you have one, the grater attachment for the stand mixer works perfectly for this!

Zucchini being shredded in the shredder attachment for a stand mixer

Then, in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.

In a separate medium bowl mix the wet ingredients: egg, sugar, grated zucchini, and oil.

Add the zucchini mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over-stir the mixture.

Pour the bread batter into your prepared loaf pan and back for about one hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Sliced zucchini bread on a wooden cutting board next to a bread knife and glass of milk (vertical)

Zucchini Bread Leftovers

Storage: Let the bread cool to room temperature and place it in an airtight container or cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Keep it on the counter for 2-3 days.

Reheating: The bread can be eaten at room temperature, or heated in the microwave for about 10 seconds if you want warm bread.

Recipe

Originally Published On: April 13, 2018

Last Updated On: October 17, 2025

Zucchini Bread

Sometimes you have to hide vegetables in other foods. This zucchini bread masks a sweet loaf you can enjoy for breakfast or dessert.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Cooling TIme 10

Total Time 1 20

Course:

Snack

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

bread

vegetables

vegetarian

zucchini

zucchini bread

Dietary Needs:

Nut-Free

Servings: slices

5 from 10 votes