Made with ingredients like cinnamon and applesauce, this Zucchini Bread Recipe is perfectly spiced, moist, and beyond easy to make. Enjoy a slice for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
The Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
Perfectly moist and soft, this homemade zucchini bread will all but melt in your mouth. It’s a simple recipe made with pantry staples plus zucchini, applesauce, and pecans. The applesauce is key to adding moisture and pecans add a nice crunch, though you can leave them out if preferred.
Like most quick bread recipes, the prep is easy too – just mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them together and bake. Easy peasy!
I love to bake with zucchini. It’s one of my favorite ways to sneak in extra veggies and due to high moisture content of the vegetable, it helps make super moist baked goods. In addition to this bread, I also love Cranberry Lemon Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Both are super tasty and easy to make!
What You’ll Need
This easy bread recipe is made primarily with pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe box for measurements.
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda – Ensures the bread rises in the oven.
- Cinnamon – Adds a warm flavor throughout.
- Zucchini – You’ll want to use grated zucchini for this recipe – not diced or chopped.
- Eggs – Helps hold everything together.
- Applesauce – One of the secrets to moist zucchini bread.
- Oil – Both vegetable and canola oil are good options.
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Chopped pecans – These can be omitted if desired but I love the added texture.
Can I use frozen grated zucchini to make zucchini bread?
Yes, you can use frozen zucchini for this recipe. You will want to thaw the zucchini before using it. Use a paper towel to remove any excess liquid.
Recipe Variations
There are a few ways to switch up your zucchini bread and customize it to your preferences. Here are a few ideas.
- Try different nuts. Walnuts are a great alternative to pecans.
- Switch up the spices. Other warm spices can be used instead of cinnamon, like pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.
- Add some raisins. For a sweet twist, stir in some raisins – or for a tart surprise, dried cranberries are a good option!
- Add some chocolate. Chocolate chips (regular or mini) can be added for a chocolate-y twist, either in addition to or in place of the pecans.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
This homemade zucchini bread recipe is quick and easy to prepare.
- Prepare the pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the loaf pans with cooking oil or butter/shortening and dust with flour.
- Make the bread batter. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add in half of the dry ingredients, mix completely, then pour in the remaining dry ingredients. Beat for 30 to 60 seconds until fully combined. Stir in the zucchini and chopped pecans.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the bread to cool for 15 to 20 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Tips for Perfectly Moist Zucchini Bread
Here are a few tips for ensuring you end up with a perfectly moist loaf of bread every time.
- Do I need to remove the liquid from the zucchini? Zucchini naturally contains a lot of moisture. I have found it helpful to press the juices out of the shredded zucchini before measuring it, just by squeezing it between paper towels. It’s okay to keep some of the juice but if you don’t remove any of it, the batter will be too liquidy.
- Do not overmix the batter. Once all of the dry ingredients have been added to the wet ingredients, beat the mixture for just 30 to 60 seconds. Then stir just enough to fold in the zucchini and nuts.
- Be careful not to overcook the bread. I recommend checking the bread at 45 minutes as the exact baking time will depend on your ovens and the pans used. I used dark loaf pans and my cooking time was exactly 48 minutes.
- How do you know when the bread is done? The easiest way to tell is to poke the top of the bread. If it springs back and is firm to touch, it’s ready.
Serving Suggestions
Sweet and moist, this zucchini bread truly needs no accompaniment – especially when served warm from the oven. (Which I highly, highly recommend!) However, feel free to add a dab of butter or, for more flavor, cinnamon honey butter.
Proper Storage
Zucchini bread is best enjoyed within two days, as it’s very moist and can go bad quickly. Keep it wrapped in plastic on the counter for the best results.
Can I Freeze Homemade Zucchini Bread?
Yes, this bread freezes beautifully. In fact, I almost always freeze the second loaf! You can either freeze the whole loaf or slice it before freezing, which makes it easy to thaw just a serving or two at a time. In either case, you want to wrap it in plastic wrap then in foil to prevent freezer burn.
Thaw on the counter and enjoy! You can pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, if you’d like to enjoy it warm.
More Easy Bread Recipes:
- Japanese Milk Bread Recipe
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Chocolate Mocha Banana Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups grated zucchini about 3-4 medium zucchini
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare two bread loaf pans by lightly spraying with cooking oil and then adding a light dusting of flour, or coat the pans with butter or shortening and then coat in flour. Set the pans aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, then set the bowl aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or using a stand mixer, beat the eggs, apple sauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla until they are well combined. Add in half of the sifted ingredients, while continuously mixing them together. Pour in the remaining flour mixture and beat on low to medium speed until all of the ingredients are combined for about 30-60 seconds.
- Using a large spoon or spatula, stir in the zucchini and chopped pecans, evenly distributing them throughout the batter.
- Divide the batter and pour into the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top of the bread, springs back to the touch and is firm.
- Remove the pans from the oven and allow the loaves to cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing them from the pans.
Notes
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