This moist and flavorful zucchini bread is the perfect way to use up fresh summer zucchini! Lightly spiced and perfectly sweet, it’s a simple recipe that comes together quickly. Whether served warm with butter, or loaded with chocolate chips, this classic loaf is sure to be a favorite!
Our family started a garden for the first time this year, and our zucchini plants have gone out of control! With more zucchini than we know what to do with, I’ve been trying out all kinds of recipes to use it up. Out of everything I’ve tried, this zucchini bread is definitely one of my favorites — it’s simple, delicious, and a great way to use our garden's surplus.
Ingredient Notes
- Shredded Zucchini: The thickness that you grate the zucchini may change the amount that you use. If you grate the zucchini into thick pieces, add another ¼ cup (1 ½ cup total). If you prefer really small chunks, feel free to use a zester. If you use a zester, you'll only need 1 cup of zested zucchini, and you'll need to gently blot off some of the excess liquid with a paper towel. I used a smaller grater (smaller than a large cheese grater, larger than a zester) for this recipe because I prefer my chunks of zucchini to be small but still part of the overall texture.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Make sure to use plain Greek yogurt instead of flavored Greek yogurt. I like to use yogurt as one of the liquid additions in my bread recipes because it has a lower fat content, keeps the bread moist, and helps create a softer, lighter crumb.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: I love the pairing of these two spices in this recipe, but if you're not a fan of nutmeg, feel free to leave it out.
- Unsalted Butter: If you only have salted butter on hand, make sure to decrease the amount of sea salt that you add (take out about ¼ teaspoon).
- Baking Powder: Some recipes use baking soda, or a combo of baking soda/baking powder, but I love using only baking powder in this recipe because it makes the crumb light and soft.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray a metal bread pan with cooking spray and set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then set it aside for later.
Add the melted butter and sugars to a separate large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until all the butter is incorporated. Then add the eggs, plain Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until smooth.
Next, add the shredded zucchini and mix on low speed until incorporated throughout the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir by hand with a rubber spatula until there aren't any more pockets of flour. Don't overmix! Also add any other optional mix-ins at this point.
Spoon the batter into the oiled bread pan and smooth over the top. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. The bread will be done when the center is set and firm. Another test to see if the bread is done is if you can poke the center with a toothpick and there are only a few crumbs on it, the bread is cooked through.
Immediately remove the zucchini bread from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is full of moisture--that's the main reason to add it to baked goods (and to sneak in some veggies!). Adding the right amount of zucchini keeps the bread moist without making it soggy.
No, you do not need to peel the skin off. Zucchini skin is very thin, so it doesn't affect the texture of the bread. Plus, it adds some color!
The short answer is, it depends.
If you're using a standard cheese grater to shred the zucchini, there's usually no need to squeeze out any moisture — it works perfectly as-is. Sometimes, though, I like to use a zester for a finer texture. When I do that, I make sure to blot the zucchini a few times with a paper towel, since the extra-fine pieces tend to release a lot more moisture, which can make the bread too wet. I also reduce the amount slightly, removing about ¼ cup, because the finely zested zucchini is more compact and packs more densely into the measuring cup.
Similar Recipes
If you're looking for other bread recipes, make sure to check out these ones as well:
If you try out this zucchini bread recipe or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe. Or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Now get baking, and enjoy!
Zucchini Bread Recipee
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup finely grated zucchini*
Optional Add-ins
- chocolate chips
- chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a metal bread pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In one of the bowls, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside for later.2 cup all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add the butter and sugars to a separate large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until all the butter is incorporated. Then add the eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until smooth.⅓ cup unsalted butter, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the shredded zucchini and mix on low speed until incorporated throughout the batter.1 ¼ cup finely grated zucchini*
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir by hand until there aren't any more pockets of flour. Don't overmix. (Add in other optional mix-ins at this point.)
- Add the batter to the oiled bread pan and smooth over the top. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. The bread will be done when the center is set and firm. You can also test if the bread is done by poking the center with a toothpick--if it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs on it, then the bread is done.
- Immediately remove bread from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before eating.Enjoy!
Notes
Equipment
- metal bread pan
- cooking spray
- 2 large mixing bowls
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- electric hand mixer
- silicone spatula
Leave a Review