Classic Zucchini Bread
This classic zucchini bread is so easy to make and only takes about 20 minutes to throw together. It stays incredibly moist thanks to the oil and applesauce in the batter, and the dash of cinnamon and nutmeg gives it so much warmth!
This is the new and improved version of my homemade zucchini bread recipe I first shared in 2019. The ingredients are all still pretty much the same, but I scaled up the measurements to create a taller loaf of bread.
Instead of using just oil though, I decided to add a little applesauce. This helps the bread stay nice and moist as it sits on the counter, but prevents you from having to use too much oil and ending up with a greasy loaf of zucchini bread.
I also love to add some chopped walnuts to this bread, but you could leave them out or swap them with some semi-sweet chocolate chips. This is such a great recipe to keep on hand if you find yourself with lots of zucchini and have no idea what to make with it!
Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Zucchini
You will need about one large zucchini to get 1 ½ cups (or 190 grams) of grated zucchini. I suggest either measuring it out in a measuring cup or weighing it with a kitchen scale.
Note: You do NOT need to squeeze any of the moisture from the zucchini or peel it! Simply grate, measure, then fold it into the batter.
Oil
It’s best to stick with a neutral-flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. You can also use melted coconut oil, but the other ingredients need to all be at room temperature to prevent it from hardening back up.
Applesauce
I didn’t use applesauce in my original recipe, but in my recipe testing I found that just ¼ cup keeps the zucchini bread moist and not too greasy (I use this same trick in my carrot cake recipe!). I recommend using unsweetened applesauce so you can control the amount of sugar. If you can only find sweetened applesauce, you can either reduce the sugar by 1 to 2 tablespoons or replace the applesauce with an equal amount of sour cream/plain Greek yogurt.
Tips For Making This Zucchini Bread
- Use a light metal pan. Dark colored pans retain more heat and cook faster, which creates crispier (and sometimes burnt!) edges. A light colored metal pan will bake your bread more evenly.
- Line your pan with parchment paper. This makes it MUCH easier to remove the bread from the pan. I like to spray my pan with some nonstick cooking spray then line it with parchment paper leaving a little overhang so it’s easy to lift the bread out.
- Don’t over mix. You only want to mix the batter just until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry; it’s okay if there are a few lumps. If you over mix the batter, your bread can end up dense/gummy and you don’t want that.
- Use the large side of a box grater to grate the zucchini. Thicker shreds of zucchini will add more moisture to the bread without adding too much texture.
- Don’t over bake. If needed, you can tent your loaf pan with foil during the last 20 minutes of baking to prevent the top from over cooking. Once a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, it’s ready to come out of the oven!
Can I Make This Into Muffins?
Yes, there should be enough batter to make 12 to 14 large muffins or you can use my zucchini muffin recipe instead.
Can I Use Frozen Zucchini?
Yes, you can make this recipe with frozen grated zucchini. Just be sure to let the zucchini thaw completely and drain off any excess moisture before folding it into the batter.
I truly hope you love this new and improved version as much as we do! Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you make this recipe, and let me know if you add any mix-ins like walnuts or chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (150 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (60 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (190 grams; about 1 large zucchini)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the pan with parchment paper leaving some overhang for easier removal, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour,1 teaspoon baking powder,½ teaspoon baking soda,½ teaspoon salt,2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract until fully combined.⅔ cup canola or vegetable oil,¾ cup packed light brown sugar,½ cup granulated sugar,2 large eggs,¼ cup unsweetened applesauce,1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then gently fold in the shredded zucchini followed by the chopped walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out into one even layer.1 ½ cups shredded zucchini,1 cup chopped walnuts
- Bake for 55 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If needed, tent or cover loosely with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and return to the wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slice into pieces and enjoy!
I plan to make this using my homemade apple sauce which has chunks of apples in it. The adding should give the bread an interesting flavor!
I live at 3,400 ft elevation, any tweaks I need to make to the recipe to be successful?
I’ve never tested this recipe at a high altitude, so I’m not 100% sure, but you’d likely need to make a few adjustments. Some readers have found this guide helpful for adapting my recipes for high altitude baking.
One of the most delicious zucchini breads I’ve tasted. So moist and full of flavor. I followed the recipe exactly as written and baked for 60 minutes.
Thank you, Norma! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Classic zucchini bread recipe sounds incredible. Can’t wait to make. Glad to know can use frozen zucchini. Zucchini bread year round from garden fresh over sized fruit!!!
Could not post the picture but came out great! Made two loaves!
So happy to hear that, Claire! I don’t have a way to post pictures here at the moment, but you could email me a picture or share it on Instagram and tag me!
This recipe is SOOO good! I did weigh my ingredients to suggested amounts and I had to substitute a few recipe ingredients for ones I had in the pantry and it still turned out AMAZING! I used avocado oil, all spice and Ceylon cinnamon and I omitted the nuts. The bake time for me was 55 minutes. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and baking secrets with the world and for boosting this novice home baker’s confidence.
could honey be used in place of the sugars?
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe.
Hi! This looks so good! Quick question. Do you have to squeeze liquid out of the shredded zucchini or do you just shred and add it?
No, you don’t have to squeeze out the extra liquid. I just shred it and add it straight to the wet ingredients.
Loved it so much that this is my second loaf within two weeks.
Outstanding! My favorite!
Can I make this with whole wheat flour. Also can I replace butter for oil…
Thank you
You can replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour, but I don’t recommend replacing all of it. It should be fine to use 1/2 cup of melted butter in place of the oil.
Can you use 4×8 loaf pan I haven’t tried yet.
Yes, that would be fine! You may need to increase the baking time too.
Loved this recipe. The brown sugar really added to the overall taste. I might experiment next time with allspice instead of the nutmeg. This came together quickly. I love that I didn’t have to pull out a mixer.
This is delicious and easy. I have made now at least half a dozen times, love it!!
I have made this zucchini bread last week. There is one baking right now. It is very good. I add walnuts and raisins to mine. I live in Lancaster county, PA. There are Amish produce stands everywhere in the summer time.
So good and so easy! Didn’t even require a mixer. I added cranberries and raisins and had to stop myself after two slices. Will also add walnuts next time. Thanks for what is now one of my favorite recipes.
Love LIVE WELL BAKE OFTEN – Scones recipe and zucchini bread recipes are easy to put together and always delicious!
Thank you, Sheila! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Good recipe overall but I had to quadruple the recipe to fill two 9×5 loaf pan 3/4 way full. I doubled at first thwn realized it wasnt nearly enough to fill 2 loaf pans so I poured it all into one then mixed up another double for the other pan.
Could I substitute the oil with melted butter?
You probably could, but it will change the taste and texture of the bread.
Made this the other day, my husband is not a fan of zucchini…
I added chocolate chips instead of the nuts and he loves it! I’m going to make muffins next as I have a large zucchini and don’t want it to go to waste . I have tried many of your recipes and love them all❤️
So happy to hear that, Debra!
Can these be made into muffins? If so how long do you think they should bake for regular size muffins not mini muffins. This recipe sounds great. A friend of mine used to make zucchini bread that was so good but she’s long since moved out of state. I want to try to make my own and since I already know my husband is not a fan I want to make muffins out of it so it’s easier to share.
Absolutely! The baking time should be about 20 minutes, give or take a few minutes.
These made great muffins. The time you advised was perfect (20 minutes). Thank you for answering my question. I’m a beginner at baking, so many times I have questions but never hear back from the author of the recipe. I’m so happy you did.
I’m happy to help anytime, Connie! Glad the muffins turned out great for you too.
Hello, I am assembling the ingredients to make your Classic Zucchini Bread and I was wondering if you could use Whole Wheat flour in place of the All-purpose flour??
I wouldn’t replace all of it with whole wheat flour because it would turn out pretty dense. You could use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour though.
Another amazing recipe from you! Super moist and tasty, the brown sugar makes all the difference! I doubled the batch and they both came out perfect
So glad you liked the zucchini bread, Christina!
We have fresh local Zuchini I bought from a fruit stand I’m using.
I have always been a firm believer in getting local if you can.
Your Zuchini bread has great texture and flavor. Yours is the go to recipe I will use in the future.
Thank you so very much.
The bread looks absolutely amazing.. The texture of this bread is beautiful. Love it!
Thank you, Arpita!
Could this be made with almond flour for those of us on Keto?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not quite sure. It’s different than all-purpose flour though so the recipe may need to be adjusted.
This is my second time that I’ve tried a recipe of yours. I made this zucchini bread for my coworkers and everyone enjoyed it! I got so many compliments for this and I will definitely be making this again. Danielle, can you please let me know how I can turn this into a bundt cake?
So glad to hear that, Lisa! For a bundt cake, you can double the recipe. I’m not sure on the baking time, but it should be somewhere between 45-60 minutes.
Your recipes are my go-to favorites when I bake.
I’d like to know if you recommend peeling the zucchini for your bread recipes.
Hi, Ellen! I don’t peel the zucchini, I just shred it and stir it in.
I just took two loaves of this zucchini bread out of the oven. They look great and smell great too. One loaf will be going to our church bake sale tomorrow and the other will be going to my sons group home. The only thing I did different is to add a bit more cinnamon and a bit of cloves.
You can’t go wrong with extra cinnamon and cloves! Hope everyone enjoys the zucchini bread, Patricia 🙂
Yes the extra cinnamon and cloves is a great idea. I was using Saigon Cinnamon which is a pretty strong cinnamon.. I agree a great recipe.