This easy zucchini bread recipe is your new go-to – it’s sweet, simple, and includes veggies! Whether you have a bunch of zucchini to use up, need a crowd-pleaser for brunch, or just want a new spin on your typical banana bread, this recipe checks all the boxes. This healthy zucchini bread is nut-free and dairy-free and you don’t even need a stand or hand mixer to make this recipe!

If you grow zucchini, you are all too familiar with too much zucchini lying around but even those of us who don’t grow our own veggies (yet! I’m hoping to start a garden soon!) can always use more zucchini recipes! I seem to always have one or two extra zucchini in the fridge so this recipe is a great way to eliminate food waste and enjoy a delicious treat in the process.

Ingredients

Since this recipe involves simple ingredients, it’s a year-round favorite quick bread recipe but, of course, it’s on more frequent rotation during zucchini season. I usually use my favorite KAMUT® White Flour for this recipe but, just like all of my recipes, I also always include measurements for all-purpose flour. I use KAMUT® White Flour because it is healthier and tastes better than traditional all-purpose flour and many people who experience difficulty eating regular wheat can tolerate KAMUT® Brand Wheat just fine. It’s also an easy substitute in any recipe that calls for AP flour. Read more about KAMUT® Brand Wheat here.

Now, back to the main star of this recipe! You will use 1 cup of grated zucchini (which is equal to approximately 2 small or 1 medium zucchini) and you do not need to peel, de-seed, drain or squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini.

The water content in the zucchini, the extra water in this recipe, and the olive oil all contribute to great texture and prevent dry bread. The olive oil, good-quality eggs, and pure vanilla extract all add depth and richness, and the fresh lemon juice and the combination of brown and white sugar (while the classic zucchini bread recipe only calls for white sugar), provide a complex flavor profile.

Technique

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your loaf pan. I used to measure parchment paper strips to line my loaf pan but after too many quick breads sticking to the corners of my old, well-loved loaf pans, I now line them with a full sheet of parchment paper (these pre-cut sheets work perfectly for a standard size loaf pan and they’re compostable). I crumple up the sheet and smooth it out to make it easier to work with then I press it into the pan (some of the parchment will overlap. That’s okay, just try to press any folds down along the edges of the pan). Alternatively, you can line with strips of parchment or skip the parchment altogether if your loaf pan is truly nonstick. With any of the above, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set the prepared pan aside.

Zucchini Bread loaf pan with parchment paper

Cut off one end of the zucchini and grate using a large cheese or box grater. Set aside.

You do not need a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe, just two mixing bowls, a whisk or dough hook and a spatula comes in handy for getting every last bit of batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use a large mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and combine flour, white and brown sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

For the wet ingredients, start with the eggs and slowly add the olive oil, while mixing, to emulsify. Add the water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Add zucchini to the wet ingredients then add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 55-65 minutes. Zucchini bread is done baking when a toothpick tester comes out clean or with a few crumbs.

Let your homemade zucchini bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then you can simply (yet carefully) lift the bread right out of the pan using the parchment paper liner and set it on a wire rack to finish cooling. When cool enough to handle, it’s time to enjoy a slice of zucchini bread!

Storage

When completely cool, I wrap my quick breads in aluminum foil and leave them right on the countertop to enjoy over the next few days. Something about unwrapping the aluminum foil to enjoy a slice brings nice memories of my stepmom’s delicious banana bread and it lasts great this way for up to 5 days. These loaves also freeze well in an airtight resealable freezer bag so this is also a great make-ahead recipe. This bread can be frozen in individual slices but I think the best way to maintain taste and texture is to freeze the entire loaf and make sure there’s as little air as possible in the freezer bag.

Commonly Asked Questions:

Do you remove seeds from zucchini for bread?

No, you do not need to remove the seeds from the zucchini to make this delicious zucchini bread.

Do you leave the skin on zucchini when making zucchini bread?

Yes, leave the skin on the zucchini to make this bread. Leaving the skin on the zucchini gives it more speckles of color in the bread, increases the nutritional profile of the finished recipe, makes for quicker prep, and decreases food waste.

Do you squeeze out the liquid from zucchini for bread?

One of the reasons this is the best zucchini bread recipe is that you don’t need to squeeze out the liquid from the shredded zucchini. This saves time and the naturally occurring water in the zucchini (plus the olive oil and the addition of brown sugar) results in a moist zucchini bread that tastes great the next day or even a few days after baking.

Can you make this recipe into zucchini muffins?

Yes. However I do not think it’s as simple as pouring the batter into a muffin tin and baking for less time. This recipe needs a few changes to make the best possible muffins. Let me know if you’d like to see a zucchini muffin recipe post!

Can you double this recipe?

Yes, you can absolutely double this recipe without any other changes. Just prepare two loaf pans instead of one and make sure you use a very large bowl for the dry ingredients. When I make two loaves, I also use my kitchen scale to make sure I put an equal amount of batter into each pan to end up with loaves the same size.