This is truly the best zucchini bread recipe! It's dense and moist with a beautiful crumb, perfectly spiced & sweet and loaded with zucchini! This easy zucchini bread comes together so fast (no mixer required) and will become your favorite way to enjoy the abundance of zucchini in the summer months!
Is there a better way to enjoy the abundance of summer zucchini than to make a gorgeous, moist loaf of zucchini bread (or chocolate zucchini bread)? This right here is the best zucchini bread recipe ever!
My mom is famous for her zucchini bread, she always made it when we went on road trips in the summer and it never lasted long. I tweaked her recipe to make it just perfect (had to add some butter, obviously), and I'm certain you will love it.
This zucchini bread is dense and moist with a beautiful crumb, perfectly spiced & sweet and loaded with zucchini! It's easy to make and only takes 5 minutes to put together - no mixer required!
Zucchini Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes about the ingredients and possible substitutions in this zucchini bread recipe.
- Butter/canola oil. This recipe calls for a total of 1 cup of fat - half butter half canola oil. I truly believe this ratio and combination yields the most delicious results. However, you can use all butter, or all canola oil. Coconut oil and ghee are also acceptable substitutions for both ingredients. You can replace up to ½ cup with applesauce.
- Granulated sugar. white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices for this zucchini bread recipe.
- Brown Sugar. both light and dark brown sugar work perfectly.
- All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Sea salt. If you use regular table salt I recommend cutting the amount in half.
How to make Zucchini Bread.
Making the best zucchini bread is surprisingly easy! You don't need a mixer and it comes together in 5 minutes (plus baking time). As always, we'll walk through it step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video.
Combine wet ingredients & sugars
Begin by whisking together melted butter, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
Add white and brown sugars and stir until the mixture is smooth. It's important to add the sugars with the wet ingredients to ensure they are fully incorporated and that there are no lumps.
Add Dry Ingredients
Combine dry ingredients and then add them to the wet ingredients. You can either do this in a separate bowl, or just right on top of the wet ingredients (to reduce the amount of dishes)!
Add Zucchini
Next, gently stir in the shredded zucchini until it's evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and bake the zucchini bread on the lower rack in a preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool
Let the baked zucchini bread cool completely in the loaf pan for about 6 hours or overnight.
Serve
Once it's cooled, remove the zucchini bread from loaf pan, releasing the sides with a sharp knife. Turn it out onto a cutting board, slice and serve with a generous slather of this homemade cinnamon honey butter - yum.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
How to freeze zucchini bread:
Cut the zucchini bread into slices. Individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
FAQs about Zucchini Bread
Here are some commonly asked questions about making this best zucchini bread recipe!
Nope! There is no need to peel the zucchini. Many of the nutrients are found in the skin, and it is tasteless. So perfect for adding a pop of color and nutrition!
In my experience, 2 medium/small zucchini equals two cups. But it's always important to measure the zucchini after it is shredded to ensure you have the correct amount.
No! In this recipe, the moisture from the zucchini is necessary for a moist loaf!
Yes! I often shred and freeze the zucchini harvest from our garden so I have it on hand to bake with all winter long. To use frozen zucchini, simply transfer it to a colander and let thaw in the sink. As it thaws, excess moisture will be released. Once it is no longer frozen, use it in the recipe as directed.
More Zucchini Recipes
Here are a few more of our favorite zucchini recipes!
- Try these zucchini brownies - they're fudgy and so yummy.
- We love muffins around here. Some of our favorites featuring zucchini are: paleo zucchini muffins, carrot zucchini muffins, healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins, and these pumpkin zucchini muffins.
- This chocolate zucchini cake with a fudgy chocolate ganache is seriously the best.
- Who doesn't love healthy zucchini cookies?
- We love making these corn and zucchini fritters in the summer.
- Want to add nutrition to pizza night? Try this zucchini pizza crust!
- The simplest way to use zucchini is in this zucchini smoothie - it's delicious!
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 TBS ground cinnamon
- 2 cups zucchini grated (about 2 medium zucchini)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9x5” loaf pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
- Add white and brown sugars and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until combined and there are no lumps or pockets of flour.
- Gently fold in the grated zucchini.
- Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake on the lower rack in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely in the loaf pan (about 6 hours or overnight).
- Remove from loaf pan, releasing the sides with a sharp knife. Turn it out onto a cutting board, slice and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.How to freeze zucchini bread:
Cut the zucchini bread into slices. Individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.To use frozen, shredded zucchini:
Place frozen zucchini in a colander. Let it thaw and drain, pressing out some of the water. Use in the recipe as directed.Ingredient Substitutions:
- Butter/canola oil. This recipe calls for a total of 1 cup of fat - half butter half canola oil. I truly believe this ratio and combination yields the most delicious results. However, you can use all butter, or all canola oil. Coconut oil and ghee are also acceptable substitutions for both ingredients. You can replace up to ½ cup with applesauce.
- Granulated sugar. white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices for this zucchini bread recipe.
- Brown Sugar. both light and dark brown sugar work perfectly.
- All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Sea salt. If you use regular table salt I recommend cutting the amount in half.
Nutrition
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Ivis
This is the best zucchini loaf recipe I've ever tried. It is delicious and so moist.
Matt Robinson
The boys and I would love this all summer long. It looks amazing!