I’m not saying you have to make zucchini bread this summer, but you HAVE to make this Zucchini Bread this summer!😄 It’s made with the simplest ingredients, is perfectly moist, and the best way to enjoy breakfast on the go for just $0.41 per slice! I was first introduced to this delicious zucchini bread recipe by my mom about 10 years ago and I’ve been in love with it ever since. It’s my favorite way to use up extra zucchini during the summertime. But I’ll be honest, this zucchini bread is so good it will have you wanting to make it all year long!
Why Make Zucchini Bread?
If you’re wondering what’s all the hype about zucchini bread, let me fill you in. Zucchini has a fairly neutral flavor and adapts very well to the warm spices, like cinnamon and vanilla, in this recipe. So it ends up being the perfect way to incorporate a green vegetable into a delicious homemade bread recipe. And because zucchini contains over 90% water it also makes this zucchini bread super moist and irresistible!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this easy zucchini bread recipe:
- Zucchini: Zucchini naturally contains a lot of water, but there’s no need to pat or squeeze out the excess water for this recipe. In this case the extra liquid helps add moisture to the bread, saving you an extra step!
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the zucchini bread structure and body.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents to help the bread rise into a pretty doamed loaf shape. I used both due to the extra acidity from the applesauce.
- Eggs: Eggs help the ingredients bind together and help give the loaf strength.
- Sugar: I used a combination of both white and brown sugar to balance the sweetness, moisture and texture of the zucchini bread.
- Applesauce & Oil: The combination of both applesauce and oil keeps the bread moist, but not too oily and also adds wonderful flavor.
- Cinnamon & Vanilla: Simple spices like cinnamon and vanilla extract adds the perfect amount of flavor and richness to this zucchini bread.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts are optional, but I love the contrast in flavor and texture they add to the bread.
Do You Peel the Zucchini Before Grating It?
You don’t have to worry about peeling the zucchini before grating it, saving you another extra step. Just give it a good wash with your hands or a vegetable brush and you’ll be good to go!
Tips for The Best Zucchini Bread!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will cause the bread to become rubbery and dense instead of light and fluffy. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until they are just barely combined and there are no traces of dry flour left in the bowl.
- Grease your loaf pan well with butter or oil to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan.
- Extremely large zucchini tend to have an even higher water content than regular sized zucchini. So if you happened to grow some extra-large zucchini this year in your garden or picked up some from your local farmers market, you may need to squeeze out just a little bit of the excess water after it’s grated.
Storing Leftovers
This homemade zucchini bread makes the best grab-n-go breakfast! To store leftovers make sure the bread is completely cooled after baking, then cut it into thick slices. Place the zucchini bread in an airtight container or a gallon-sized storage bag in the fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, store in a freezer-safe storage bag for up to 3 months. Individual slices can be taken out and thawed at room temperature or briefly microwaved to warm through.
If muffins are more your jam, don’t worry…this recipe also makes perfect, smaller-sized Zucchini Muffins!
Zucchini Bread
Servings 12 slicesIngredients
- 2 cups grated zucchini* (about 1 lb.) ($1.49)
- 2 large eggs ($0.33)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar ($0.20)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar ($0.28)
- 1/3 cup sweetened applesauce ($0.18)
- 1/4 cup cooking oil ($0.16)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.50)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.40)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.06)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.10)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) ($1.20)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Next wash the zucchini well, trim off the stem, then using the large holes on a box grater, grate the zucchini and set it to the side. You’ll need roughly 2 cups of grated zucchini.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add the grated zucchini to the bowl and stir until well combined.
- Now in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until combined.
- Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir them together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this point.
- Add the chopped walnuts to the bowl and gently fold them into the batter until just combined.
- Grease a 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan with butter, then add the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake the zucchini bread in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until it's deeply golden brown on top, has a crack down the center, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (crumbs are okay, but wet batter is not).
- Allow the loaf to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice, serve, and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Zucchini Bread – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Next wash the zucchini well, trim off the stem, then using the large holes on a box grater, grate 2 cups of grated zucchini and set it to the side.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup granulated white sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/3 cup sweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup cooking oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until well combined.
Add the grated zucchini to the bowl and stir until well combined.
Now in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon until combined.
Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir them together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this point.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the bowl and gently fold them into the batter until just combined.
Grease a 8.5″x4.5″ loaf pan with butter, then add the batter evenly into the pan.
Bake the zucchini bread in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until it’s deeply golden brown on top, has a crack down the center, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (crumbs are okay, but wet batter is not).
Allow the loaf to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Could I substitute 1 cup of grated carrots for 1 cup of Zucchini? I only have 1 Zucchini in the fridge and would like to use what I have.
Hi Jody, it’s definitely worth a try! Of course the flavor profile will be slightly different and it might not be quite as moist since zucchini has a higher water content, but I’m sure it will still be tasty. We also have a carrot cake muffins recipe that is very similar if you want to check that one out too! ;) – https://www.budgetbytes.com/carrot-cake-muffins/
If I use unsweetened applesauce, should I increase the white and brown sugar some? If so, how much?
I’m not Marsha, but I wouldn’t add any additional sugar at all. My mom ALWAYS reduced the sugar in recipes, usually by at least 1/4 and sometimes by as much as 1/2. In her case it was because as farmers we raised most of our own food and sugar was both expensive and required a trip to town–she complained like crazy when my sister and I foraged wild gooseberries and made my dad’s favorite pie. The gooseberries needed lots of sugar, but daddy loved them. I still use less sugar than most recipes call for and things always taste sweet enough for me.
Sugar does have a purpose in the chemistry of baking, but in this case, that 1/3 c of applesauce probably has no more than a tablespoon of additional sugar–pretty negligible, IMO. This delicious recipe is very close to the one I’ve been using for years–mine has less sugar.
I used to put some chocolate chips instead of nuts in my zucchini bread–my grandsons wouldn’t eat nuts, but they really gobbled up the chocolate chip version!
I like the sound of this very much but it’s midwinter here so no zukes… wondering if finely shredded carrots would work?
Hi Sarah, we would have to test this recipe using carrots in place of zucchini. But in your case, may I suggest trying our carrot cake muffins recipe instead? It’s similar to this one but uses different spices and a few different measurements for the ingredients, but it’s SO GOOD! :) – https://www.budgetbytes.com/carrot-cake-muffins/
how much sugar did you put in Sarah