I have a few complaints about zucchini bread and I bet you cannot wait to hear them. I bet you were thinking “I was hoping to hear more complaining today than I usually do.” Or, “Wow, Deb is really going hard on the zucchini content this summer, isn’t she?” It’s all fair — and true. But if you, like me, couldn’t help but notice that a lot of zucchini bread recipes could be better, well, pull up a chair, you’re among friends.
The first thing that I’ve never understood about 90% of zucchini bread recipes out there — including my own earlier one — is why they make two loaves, but two squat ones. Why do we settle for this when we’d rather have one great one? Can’t we decide for our own selves when the time is right to scale it up to two? I like loaf cakes that are filled out and domed; I like craggy, crunchy tops you have to constantly swat hands away from picking off in bark-like flecks, usually failing, but who can really blame anyone.
I’ve never understood why zucchini bread doesn’t have more zucchini in it. Is it because “cake with a few disparate flecks of zucchini in it” is less intimidating? Is it because “cake with a substantial amount of vegetables inside” doesn’t rally the base? My goal was never to replace my salad quota with zucchini bread, but the presence of zucchini actually makes for a better, more tender, cake. We should embrace it.
Some recipes tell you to grate zucchini just to wring it out, which, to me, is a monstrous extra step. This style of cake is called a quickbread; I take the “quick” to heart, and I see no reason to dry out your zucchini when the moisture within it is what makes zucchini bread great. Also, every recipe that tells you to grate “one zucchini” should be cancelled. Zucchini can range from a few ounces to a couple pounds and I doubt any recipe could use both interchangeably.
I like one-bowl cakes. I don’t think anyone making zucchini bread is hoping to get all fancy with it. What if you could just mix it with an electric mixer, no wait, a whisk, no wait, a fork? I want want more fork-mixed cakes. It’s homey food; it should be hurdle-free.
Finally, every single recipe, including my earlier one, lies to you when it fails to tell you that the best time to eat zucchini bread is one day after you make it. While this is true for many cakes, for zucchini bread, the difference is so significant, it should be nonnegotiable. I also think we need to talk about how to wrap it so it’s not compromised in any way when you eat it tomorrow. I hope you’re ready for this: we’re not going to. If you wrap it, you lose the crisp top — why achieve it just to give it up? I have not found the moisture of zucchini bread to be notably compromised by keeping it unwrapped on top, especially not with this recipe. But I do leave it in the pan; this is all the protection it needs.
The result, the one you see here, the one I’ve been tweaking now for two summers and am finally happy enough to share it with you, is my zucchini bread best-in-show, is my zucchini bread mic-drop. It’s clutter-free — you can schmear chocolate or sweetened cream cheese or salted butter on top, where it has the most impact. It’s tall, so crunchy you can rap on it like a loaf of bread, and epic, with two full cups of packed zucchini inside. I hope it’s the last zucchini bread recipe you ever need.
Elsewhere: In the NYT this week, I talking about meal planning strategies for real life and they sent a photographer over to take pictures of my sous-chefs and me cooking dinner. I’m a little biased, but it was pretty cute.
Previously
One year ago: Marbled Raspberry Pound Cake
Two years ago: German Chocolate Cake + A Wedding Cake
Three years ago: Blueberry Bread and Butter Pudding
Four years ago: Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles with Cucumber
Five years ago: Three-Ingredient Summertime Salsa and Blueberry Crumb Cake
Six years ago: Banana Nutella and Salted Pistachio Popsicles
Seven years ago: Zucchini Bread Pancakes and Zucchini, Tomato and Rice Gratin
Eight years ago: Corn Buttermilk and Chive Popovers
Nine years ago: Nectarine Brown Butter Buckle and Sweet and Smoky Oven Spare Ribs
Ten years ago: Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie
Eleven years ago: Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons and Sour Cherry Slab Pie
Twelve years ago: Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte and Garlic Mustard Glazed Skewers
Thirteen years ago: Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Salted Peanut Tart
1.5 Years Ago: Luxe Butterscotch Pudding
2.5 Years Ago: Pomegranate Grapefruit Paloma and Butterscotch Pie
3.5 Years Ago: Everyday Meatballs and Roasted Yams with Chickpeas and Yogurt
4.5 Years Ago:
Ultimate Zucchini Bread
- 2 cups (13 ounces or 370 grams) grated, packed zucchini, not wrung out, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) of a neutral oil (I use safflower), olive oil, or melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (95 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) raw or turbinado sugar
Let cool completely in the pan. Leave in pan, unwrapped, overnight or 24 hours, until removing (carefully, so not to ruin flaky lid) and serving in slices. Zucchini bread keeps for 4 to 5 days at room temperature. I wrap only the cut end of the cake in foil, and return it to the baking pan, leaving the top exposed so that it stays crunchy.
I think you’ve talked me into it.
Well crap, I just made your other one this morning before I saw this! Guess I’ll have to make another batch with my next zucchini!
You’ll get the best results with small to medium zucchini.
Sorry that was meant for SALLYT.
Thanks Andy! It worked out fine with my large zuke
Thanks for this no fuss, one bowl recipe. Every year I try a new zucchini bread recipe, in search of “THE ONE”. Well I just found it! Hands down best ever! Followed recipe exactly, although I had light brown sugar on hand not dark. Used refined coconut oil (melted) for the oil. This will be my go to zucchini bread recipe for now in🥰
I made these as muffins and they were amazing! My 3yo requested rainbo sprinkles on top which served as our raw/turbinado sugar – work with what you got, right?! :)
How Long did you cook them as muffins? Thanks!
I made them as muffins last night! Filled them to all but a quarter inch from top and baked for 35 minutes. I’ve now made as a loaf and muffin. I think muffins come out fluffier where as as a loaf it’s silky and dense. Both delicious!
going to go one step farther and our them to cupcakes with yummy frosting and some sprinkles :)
Hi Bernadette
Do you remember how many it made?
thanks
This recipe just made me 18 muffins in a standard cupcake tin, I filled them maybe 2/3 to 3/4 of the way each. Can’t wait to dig into them tomorrow
This is, hands-down, the best zucchini bread I have ever made and it will be the only recipe I use from now on. Heavenly!
My only advice is to not use cupcake wrappers. I lost a lot of the bread on the cupcake wrappers when I made them into muffins.
Actually, I take it back. Next day, barely anything stuck. Just needed to really cool off.
I made 2.5 times recipe, based on how much zucchini I had (long neck squash actually) and it made 24 muffins and a big loaf.
This zucchini bread is perfect… love not having to wring out zucchini!
I have a courgette glut and this recipe came along just at the right time. Made it exactly as the recipe says, other than subbing mixed spice for nutmeg as, meh, not a nutmeg fan. It’s sublime and I will never have too many courgettes again.
Thank you!
This zucchini bread is so good, and I’ve tried a lot of zucchini bread recipes! I completely agree about adding more zucchini and was glad to see that’s what this recipe called for – it’s the best part! I wonder if you or anyone has tried it with less sugar? I may experiment with that next time to see if I can get away with it. (Only because of a Doctor-ordered low carb, low sugar diet right now while pregnant). Thanks
Have you tried allulose? We use it a lot for baking and it’s great for blood sugar issues – typically I’ll do a one for one match and then add a tablespoon of brown sugar for flavor and because the allulose is less sweet than revolve sugar.
Sarah S — I made a savory version with sundried tomatoes and cheese and used about 1/3 cup of sugar and it turned out fine. I also used half white whole wheat flour, which might help with your diet as the whole wheat flour doesn’t digest as quickly so shouldn’t spike sugar as fast. :-)
I substituted Monk Fruit sweetener used a gluten free flour, and used maple sugar for the crunch on top it was fantastic.
I’ve been making all sorts of quick breads using fruits and vegetable because my grandson hates veggies. I’ve never been satisfied with my old zuchini bread recipe so I have been on the hunt for a new one. This was OK, but not great. Not enough flavor for me. Texture was a little heavy. I loved the sugar crust, but it crumbled off when the bread was sliced. Thanks for trying, but this just wasn’t ‘the one’.
But why do we have to wait overnight or 24 hours before eating?!? It’s torture’ Deb please respond!
The texture is so much better on the second day. You can eat it right away, but I promise that the piece you have on the second day will be better.
Deb! You replied!!! Thank you! Now I love you even more! Hehe, and…you were so so right, leaving it IS worth it and it was better the second day. I made this with my 21 month son, and he was so exited about it that when it went into the oven, he lost it-huge fat tears because he wanted to keep mixing and didn’t know what was going on. When it came out, he was so happy! We all loved it! Thank you! xx
The flour ended lumpy in the zucchini mixture as it was a thin mixture. Will it be okay and mix in the zucchini bread when cooked ?
This is so good. I added fresh blueberries and baked it in my Pampered Chef (4) mini loaf pan. Everyone wanted their own little loaf! Thank you for sharing!
I want to add blueberries too… just add in a cup or so? Do I need to change anything else?
No, that should be fine. Maybe even 1.5 cups.
I grabbed one of those mini loaf pans at Goodwill but have yet to try it, this sounds perfect! Can you please share how how long it took for them to bake this way?
I *needed* 6 zucchini muffins so cut the quantities in half. A small zucchini yielded 1 1/2 cups shredded so crossed my fingers and threw it all in. Had to use gf flour so also added 1/3 tsp xanathan gum. The batter exactly filled 6 standard cupcake holes and baking 28 minutes in a convection oven resulted in beautiful rounded and leavened tops. Could not wait. They have a slightly moist center, probably from the extra zucchini which might have been solved by 5 min more time. They have a cupcake texture and the taste is wonderful – as usual w Smitten Kitchen! Can’t wait until tomorrow!
So excited to hear that it came out well with gf flour. Think I’ll try it in my airfryer convection oven as donuts with glaze on top, will post results!
I made this today, and went a little crazy by adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips (I was craving chocolate zucchini cake!)-it did not disappoint, so delicious!!
We’re thinking chocolate zucchini bread here too. How much cocoa powder did you add? Did you have to adjust the recipe at all?
Thanks!
Just made this – phenomenal! I realized as I was grating that I didn’t have a zucchini – it was a zucchini-colored winter squash- more of the texture of butternut. Skin was thin so I kept going. I made 12 muffins (baked at 375 for 24 mins) and they lasted about an hour after cooling. Family devoured them. Sugar crust on top is a plus. Love that it’s one bowl too. Yes, this is ultimate!
How does it freeze? My son will be visiting for Thanksgiving and he wants to take it back with him!
Didn’t have raw sugar, so no crunchy top. Overall a nice recipe, but I’ll add less salt next time since I could still taste it, while the cake itself turned out not very moderately sweet.
These are fabulous with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and made into 12 muffins! YUM
How much applesauce did you use? Did you cut the oil completely?
I always substitute 1/2 the oil with unsweetened applesauce in all my baking recipes.
I’d like to add a cup of walnuts coarsely chopped.
I can’t wait to make this!! I have an enormous zucchini from my garden that has been asking to be made into zucchini bread.
Mines in the oven now! Can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious! My garden has an abundance of zucchini and I’m trying to find ways to preserve it. Do you think that this bread would be good if you froze it in slices and thawed in the oven at a later date?
I think so!
Thanks! Since I always weigh my flour in a separate bowl, I think I’ll just combine the leaveners with the flour at that point
I lived in New Hampshire Nd learned there to grate it and freeze it. Then slightly squeeze out excess liquids before using in bread.
You can freeze the zucchini! My mom always grates it and then freezes it in smaller amount (whatever her recipe calls for) so then she can just take out a bag and defrost. We would have zucchini bread all winter long!
This really never works for me…..does she use the juices from the bag when it thaws? Maybe that is what I’m doing wrong as I usually thaw it in a colander and it is SOOO dry!
follow the recipe?
I made two – do they freeze well? Do you slice or freeze as a whole loaf for best results. Thanks!
I LOVE freezing quick breads and muffins for later! I slice loaves and put pieces of wax paper or parchment between the slices so that they stay separate.
Thaw in the bag and toss it all in, don’t drain it! the moisture is important for the texture of the cake (“bread”).
Would love to try to make a vegan version for my mother. Does anyone have a suggestion for replacing the eggs? TIA!
Vegan egg replacement: One T of ground flax seed mixed with three T water will replace one egg.
Good luck!
3 tablespoons of the liquid from canned chickpeas.
That’s 3 Tbs per egg.
Hi! Can you make it with stevia and almond flour instead?
I wrap my bread tightly with plastic wrap, then freeze it.I remove it from the freezer then wrap it tightly in foil, back in the freezer. Make sure you label with the date and contents. I have kept “quick” bread for 7 months this way. I have even done this with Costco pound cakes. Our Costco does not make them after October.
I have frozen whole loaves of sliced zucchini bread many times — it works beautifully! You can just set it out to thaw on the counter the night before. No need to thaw in the oven; that would likely dry it out!
Has anybody tried using the food processor rather than a grater for an even lazier approach or does that just produce too much liquid?
I use the food processor for grating 99% of the time. It works the same.
I freeze Smitten’s other zucchini bread all the time. I slice it, wrap each piece in wax paper, and stick it in a freezer bag. Then take a piece out and toast it (my toaster has a defrost setting). Delicious.
Yes! I do it all the time, mainly to keep myself to a slice at a time. You know, unwrapping, defrosting, schmearing with cream cheese takes time and effort. Try thawing in the toaster but only if your slices are thick enough.
I froze leftover bread from thanksgiving and my son loves it for breakfast he asks for thanksgiving bread all the time. I defrost a little then warm on a pan with a little butter to toast slightly
I regularly make quick breads with summer produce and then freeze them as a whole loaf in a plastic bag. I defrost them overnight in my kitchen and they are perfect for breakfast.
This recipe sounds and looks delicious. I will definitely try it with the zucchini I bought to try your fritters. Sorry, there’s no contest when choosing bread vs fritters! Any reason I s/chouldn’t add walnuts? We do like the crunch plus they’re good for you.
You can add them here.
I also got some zukes after reading the fritters post. Now I just don’t know…
I’m making it now. The dude asked for walnuts so I added. He’s a recent illness survivor. Doing it fir a favor for his brother. Batter is scrumptious. I’ll let u know!
Trying this this weekend! One question: Does letting it cool in the pan compromise the height of the loaf at all? I made a lemon-zucchini bread last weekend and it looked beautiful coming out of the oven but totally flattened when I accidentally left it in the pan instead of cooling on a rack and ended up unpleasantly dense. Thanks!
No. I find the opposite. That removing loaf cakes from the pan before they’re cool can let them collapse a little. They’re tall and the crumb isn’t really set yet.
Thanks! I suspect that wringing the zucchini too hard may have had something to do with its collapse as well.
Would it work to replace a cup of zucchini with a cup of mashed super ripe bananas?
I think it will work! You could do a mash-up with this.
@Deb and @Cara – did you adjust the sugar then, with the added banana?
It looks delicious. I wanted to ask if You have a good, moist fruit cake recipe? I don’t want to just have it on holidays. Your reply would be heart fully thankful.
Enjoy Everyone,
Jeanette
Jeanette, I don’t know if Deb has one, but if not, I have found Alton Brown’s “Free Range Fruitcake” (recipe easily found by googling that) is amazing and delicious, and converts non-fruitcake lovers. I have been making it yearly for over ten years now!
Jeanette Hamilton — King Arthur Flour has a recipe for Irish Tea Brack that is a great substitute for fruit cake — you soak several types of dried fruit in hot tea (I’ve added 1-2 Tablespoons brandy if you want the boozy flavor) until cooled then add rest of ingredients and bake. Delicious and stays moist for several days!
I had the same question! I wanted to sub apples. I love this recipe I just don’t have zucchini right now!
is it possible you over mixed the batter? These types of quick breads should be folded just until all the flour is wet.
It looks great and I want to try this recipe, but I am wondering why you don’t combine the baking powder and baking soda with the flour.
It would require an extra bowl. I find that as long as you disperse the leaveners very thoroughly into the batter, you can skip it.
It’s in the oven. Can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow to try it!
Zucchini bread was already on my list to make this weekend – you made deciding on a recipe much easier!
Do you think it would be ok to add chocolate chips to the batter?
Yes, it should work. Maybe 1.5 cups?
One cup of chocolat callets.Made it today witn callenaut chocolate amd walnuts . DIVINE
Yes, worked perfectly! Though I had to cook it for a little more than 60 minutes. Still very delicious – best zucchini bread that I have made. Thanks!
Could add cocoa powder to this to make it a chocolate bread? Also, how long would you bake for muffins?
I would swap it in for flour. Perhaps 1/2 cup cocoa, or up to 2/3 if you want it very brownie-like.
Excited to try this with the zucchini’s that arrived in our imperfect produce box. We only have light brown sugar – and this isn’t the time to run out to the store. Any suggestions? Don’t think we have molasses either. I can’t imagine lighter brown sugar is awful- but figured I’d check.
Thoughts on making this into muffins?
I haven’t but I bet they’d work. Let them rest for half a day.
If you make mini muffins, does that mean they only have to rest a quarter of a day? LOL
But seriously, we make quick breads (banana, pumpkin, zucchini) double batch in bundt pans, regular loaf pans, texas muffin pans, regular muffin pans, mini loaf pans… the baking times are all a little different (just test with a toothpick), but all the recipes seem to work in all of the different sizes.
I made them as muffins today and they turned out great! I reduced the cook time…I made 12 muffins pretty full to the brim and mine were done in 35mins. I also did not have any white sugar so I doubled the brown sugar…which is probably not what I was supposed to do but they turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
I love this recipe! How would I make this as muffins instead?
Sophie –
I’ve been making these muffins all summer. They are a lot like Deb’s bread – a bit less sweet (and I only use 1/2 c of brown sugar), plus the addition of ground ginger (which i really like). For the fat, I use all evo, 1/2 c.
You can use this recipe as a muffin making guide.
https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/zucchini-muffins/
Would this method of leaving the bread in the pan pan also work for your pumpkin bread? Love the crunchy top there too but get ruined if I store it in a dome.
Optional solution: slicing off the top for me to eat. :).
I … I think it does. I haven’t made it in a while but I use this a lot. I think only the banana bread risks cementing itself to the pan, but I use a nonstick and if I’m worried, I’ll put a rectangle of parchment in the bottom.
If this crunchy lid is like the one on your pumpkin bread, I just died.
YES! One-bowl recipes mixed with a fork is THE BEST way to go. I am an avid baker and my friends know that I am but are shocked when I throw the steps out the window to make a recipe one-bowl and when I mix with some random fork in the drawer (or dish-rack) rather than some fancy whisk or electric mixer. Glad to add another recipe to my list.
Any thoughts on using whole wheat flour?
Hey MP! From my own experience I tend to do half all purpose and roughly half whole wheat–and I substitute 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour for every 1 cup all purpose flour. This method has worked pretty well for me when I’m making quick breads–hopefully it will help you too!
I use 1/2 flour at a 1:1 ratio. I use whole wheat pastry flour (from Whole Foods but I expect other brands would work too) for quick bread substitutes and it keeps it all light and fluffy. This recipe is so delicious!
I’ve been using coconut oil in my quickbreads, less tendency to be greasy.
I’d find it also contributes nicely to a glorious lid.
I loved the NYT article! What knife is Anna using?
Anna got this set for her 4th birthday.
How many pounds will I gain. Love your description of the cooking. I really want to break off that crispy top. Does it matter that I live in LA? I want it. I think I’ll make it for my husband who does not eat anything green. Won’t tell him what’s in it. I’ll just break off the top. YUM 😋
What changes would I have to make when baking this batter into muffins?
None, but I’d still let them rest a bunch of hours.
Will this work in a glass loaf pan or is aluminum preferred? I read that for glass you generally lower the temperature by 25 degrees.
I haven’t made it in a glass pan but, yes, I would reduce the temperature to be safe.
I just made this at 350 in my Pyrex glass bread pan and it came out perfect!! The same pan I have used for years always at 350, never knew otherwise! Took 55 minutes!!
Can I replace the flour with coconut or almond flour?
Those ingredients definitely do not swap 1 for 1 with wheat flour. If your concern is gluten, it would be simpler to try a gluten free baking mix that is labelled for 1:1 substitution. Switching for coconut or almond flour would require a fair amount of experimentation around other ingredient amounts.
Here is a great recipe for almond flour zucchini bread. https://comfybelly.com/2012/09/zucchini-bread-using-almond-flour/
Deb can you comment on zucchini size/a rough number of zucchini to yield the recipe amount? I find the larger ones just have more and more water, but maybe an excessively small zucchini wouldn’t hit the right amount of moisture for this recipe.
I can’t — the sizes are all over the place. I’d buy just over 1 pound (maybe 17 ounces) to make sure that you have 13 ounces once trimmed.
How would I go about freezing this properly if not using right away? Trying to plan ahead for upcoming holiday!
I sorta feel like you just told me to give up my most favorite blanket in favor of something new. Not sure I can leave the original recipe of yours that has me squeeze the 1 1/2 lb. grated zuchinni. This posting made me panic to be sure I had your old one printed in case you delete it forever. Because I deeply love your other one. Not so sugar filled that I feel horrible eating piece after piece, and so full of veggies I very superior and healthy with my snack choice.
Deb, you are simply the best. Been following for YEARS. Please, keep cooking.
This is in the oven now. But the chance that I let it sit in the pan overnight is hovering around 0%. Do I really have to??
I’m about to make this, and I also know I can’t wait until tomorrow. It will be hard enough letting it cool first.
I’m in the same boat- and three young children hovering around the delicious smell coming from my oven will make it impossible. I have a hard enough time keeping them from burning their mouths off let alone cooling it, 24 hours forget about it. Sorry Deb, that last step stinks.
I was in the same situation: I made a loaf and NO WAY could I let it sit. I had one shabby piece left over the next morning (I shared with a book group). Perhaps next time I’ll do a double batch, so I can have instant gratification AND a properly-aged loaf.
I increased the recipe by 1/3 so I could make one loaf to rest until tomorrow for breakfast with company, and a smaller version in a round cake pan to snack on in the meantime :)
We have impatient little ones too! We double the recipe, make muffins (bake about 35 minutes) and one loaf for tomorrow!
Do you find that using more zucchini (and not wringing it out) means you also need less oil/butter? Sorry if that’s an inane question–baking novice here.
I don’t find it here. I find when I try to take down the sugar or oil much, it just gets dry. The oil and sugar amounts might sound high, but this is a much bigger than usual loaf.
Can I swap carrots for the zucchini?
I have not experimented with it here at all. I think they provide less moisture. I might use less — maybe 1 1/3 packed cups to start?
Hi Deb! I’m seriously interested in using carrots, having successfully made this with zucchini several times. I appreciate your providing some info.
I’m curious as to why less moisture from carrots would lead to a lower quantity included.
Many of the carrot bread recipes I’ve looked at have similar ratio to your suggestion…I’m just trying to learn more about how you reached that quantity, to hone my baking and substitution skills.
Thanks for any info you can provide!
Again, I haven’t made the swap, haven’t tested it, so I cannot say for sure how it will work. My best guess is that the moisture might be an issue, but give it a spin and see how it goes.
This is the second time I’ve made it. I added ginger and pinch of allspice. The big change I made was to wisk all the dry ingredients together before adding to wet ingredients. A big improvement. No baking soda bursts of well, I guess unincorporated baking soda. A lovely recipe that I will make agsin.
I made it with carrots and it was delish! I used 2 cups of carrots, honestly because I forgot that I planned to use less, and it worked out well.
I did reduce the granulated sugar by half a cup – since the organic carrots tend to be so sweet. And it was perfect.
I used un-peeled organic white, purple, and orange carrots from a local farmer, and grated them in the food processor.
I’ll definitely be doing this again. It’s not better than the zucchini, just different.
I’m so sorry – I meant to say I reduced the granulated sugar BY half, to 1/4 cup. Whoops.
This looks amazing. You have probably considered this, but I wanted to mention it: I used to love a towering loaf of quick bread, but I often struggled with a mushy interior and an over cooked crust. So I started baking large quick breads (those with 2 c. + flour) in square baking dishes (like a deep 8×8 Pyrex dish), and I find this works out so much better, not just because the interior and exterior cook more evenly, but because you I get more of the crunchy crust on each piece.
Agreed! I have a note in my zucchini recipe that I added blueberries and walnuts and baked it in a 9 inch round pan to serve for brunch. It’s a very fancy. And there was lots of crunchy top.
Also agreed! I pretty much always make Deb’s marbled banana bread in a square pan! It’s great that way. I have the zucchini loaf in the oven now – if only I’d thought of this before I put it in!
This is really helpful and I might try this next time. I’ve made this at least 5 times now (garden of abundance!) and I’ve had really inconsistent results. The first time was nirvana and the next four… underbaked, even in for 1 hr 20 minutes!
I’ve also found the weights and measure of the zucchini to vary widely. Sometimes 2 c = 370 g, sometimes 250! The water content in the zucchini obviously varied widely and I’m trying to figure out how to account for this.
Zucchini thoughts: I have a nearly identical recipe I acquired from a professional family cook in the 80’s- it’s delightful, just as your looks. My alternate choice for a zucchini bread is from Food and Wine, called Yogurt-Zucchini Bread With Walnuts. It’s really wonderful, too, especially if you use those tiny diced walnuts some nut producers sell. It’s less sweet that your recipe, perfect for adults who want to drink sweet tea, a cola, or sweet iced coffee with it. Best of all, my smarter, older sister gave me a zucchini cake recipe using cocoa powder and ground cloves. It makes people frown, trying to figure out where the flavors come from, and then they smile while asking for a second, bigger slice.
Smart. I’m gonna look for that ground cloves and cocoa recipe!
I once tricked my friend (who notoriously hates veggies) into eating beets by shredding it (raw!) into a chocolate muffin recipe! He was stunned, and after that, actually started to eat his veggies! Now he voluntarily blends veggie shakes!
Amen to your approach to meal-planning. It’s really similar to my own. I’m a SAHM to three under 5. I feel a lot better about our nutrition and finances when I cook our meals, but I know that I get burnt out if I try to cook ALL of them. I start by looking at my husband’s work schedule (retail, so inconsistent) and then plan things that will be good for the nights we all get to sit down together and for nights when he’ll be eating later. On his days off, we usually do family fun things or I plan for Dad to grill. Making the grocery list and summoning the energy to cook is SO much easier if I’ve planned.
Also, can’t wait to make this bread. :)
I just took this out of the oven, and the heavenly smell, combined with the knowledge that I have to wait until tomorrow to try it, is KILLING ME. Oh well, I trust you, Deb. I’ll try to wait.
Does anyone know if you can use thawed (previously frozen) grated zucchini? Thanks!
I use thawed, previously peeled bananas in banana bread all the time, and find it makes for an even better banana bread texture. So while I can’t say I’ve done it with zucchini, I can say for sure that if I had it on hand, I would try it!
Should be fine; just don’t wring it out. Might not need to defrost it either.
I love the list of complaints! It made me laugh.
Here is a great recipe for almond flour zucchini bread. https://comfybelly.com/2012/09/zucchini-bread-using-almond-flour/
It’s 110 degrees outside, but for a crunchy top I’m willing to turn on the oven. I even made a special trip to the grocery store for zucchini and raw sugar.
The crunchy top will not make it until tomorrow. Of this I am certain.
Wow, where to start! I could write you a book, but I won’t. I create recipes too, and I teach occasional cooking classes. I weigh just about everything in my recipes, which is how I I teach and how I prefer to cook. It drives me wild to see recipes that call for “1 zucchini” or “2 carrots” (particularly when baking), but without listing the weight of the item.
Thanks so much for doing it right. I have zucchini producing in my backyard as I write, I will be giving your version a spin on our next cool Victoria, B.C. day.
I will report in! Thanks again,
Gail White
Would it be too much to include a few tablespoons of cacao nibs?
I’m sure it would work.
Made this today because I grew zucchini in my garden and have it coming out of my ears. Couldn’t wait 24 hours to eat it though. It’s so wonderfully delicious! Tried it with Nutella too…heaven! My loaf looked just like the loaf in your picture. Love how easy it was to make and that I only had one bowl to clean. I’m going to make a few more tomorrow to share with neighbors. Thank you!
So excited to bake zucchini bread for the first time with some beauties from our CSA haul this week. Quick question: must it be all zucchini for this recipe to work or can there be some yellow summer squash in there as well?
I made it with all yellow squash and it was tasty. I like it for a variation and would make it this way again. I did use half olive oil and half canola oil and wish I used part butter. My spices are fresh from Penzeys but I felt like something was a little lacking and maybe using butter would help.
I admit, I never buy Nutella. But since I read this comment and have a giant zucchini to use up, I am adding this to my shopping list!
I literally just made your previous zucchini bread yesterday. Good thing I have a couple more zucchini ready in the garden so I can try this recipe and compare!
I made it too, but will make this next time. I Deb’s pumpkin bread recipe, that makes one large, lidded loaf!
Would this recipe work in a 6-cup bundt pan?
I think so, because my loaf pan holds 6 cups (exactly).
AMEN TO NO WRINGING OUT THE ZUCCHINI!!! :)
I agree wholeheartedly, such a waste of nutrients and effort to wring out zukes. Lots of recipes in Cook’s Illustrated insist, but so glad that this recipe does not and I will certainly be trying it because I haven’t found any recipe that really is particularly great for zucchini bread. Let’s hope this one really is the ultimate! Thanks, Deb!
This looks fantastic. Congrats on the NYT story, as well. Very exciting!
Holy COW, is Jacob really almost as tall as you, Deb?! I saw that Anna was on a stool but Jacob seemed to tower on his own lol! In any case, thanks for sharing your article, it’s always a pleasure reading your work~!
I had the same “whaaaat?” reaction to seeing Jacob in that photo. Somehow when he is alone, or in a photo with Anna, that new “young man” thing doesn’t resonate as much. Can you make him sleep in some kind of vise contraption so he doesn’t keep growing like this? So mature looking. Egads! we are all getting older with him too, DANG!
He’s getting close but was on a step. No way he was going to let his sister be on a stepstool and not him. :)
I have never made zucchini bread. I don’t eat breakfast (I know, just saying) and I don’t bake because I’m lazy and I prefer savory (vs. sweet) as a rule. I mentioned the lazy part yes?
I am going to Bed Bath Beyond tomorrow, buying a loaf pan, the ingredients, and making this.
Grammar correction: “my sous-chefs and ME.”
Why did you feel this was necessary to comment?
Because grammar IS important! The correction is not meant as a negative comment, just a correction.
Would live to make as mini .muffins. any tweaks/suggestions on bake time? Thanx!
What’s important is enjoying Deb’s latest blog entry. What’s NOT important is commenters whining about Deb using I or Me correctly.
Seriously, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to send a private message advising Deb of her minor grammatical error? Discussion of this great recipe should be the focus, not a reader making editorial comments.
And if we want a chocolate zucchini bread?
I would try subbing about 1/3 cup cocoa for the same quantity of flour. Chocolate chips optional, but likely good too.
I’d probably start with replacing 1/3 the flour with your best dark cocoa powder.
Just tried replacing 1/3 of the total weight with cocoa powder and it turned out way too bitter. However I think 1/3c of cocoa powder (about half of what I used) would be the perfect amount! I’ll give it another shot this weekend.
Hi! Can gluten free all purpose flour be used? Thank you!
Deb or anyone – is the main difference between dark brown and light brown sugar the intensity of the molasses flavor? Or do they have different cooking properties, as well?
Mara
Both dark and light have baked up the same for me. If I’m out of one, I use the other until shopping day. Only minor different is, as you mentioned, the intensity of the molasses flavour will be weaker in the light brown sugar.
Has anyone successfully tried using regular granulated sugar on top vs raw/turbinado (in case I am too lazy to buy the latter)?
Sorry, didn’t mean to put this here!
Probably the darker is slightly more moist. I used dark here because I find darker zucchini breads more appealing, although a whole lot of the color actually comes from cinnamon.
How many zucchinis is 2 cups?
Depends on the size. Above Deb alludes to the fact that she starts out w about 16-17oz in order to get the requisite 13ish oz needed. I weighed a zucchini from my garden yesterday at 3.5 lbs. it’s not large, it’s jumbo. Using sizing on zukes is tough because there is SUCH a wide range.
I doubled the recipe and made two anyway! So many zucchinis from my garden to use up. Love the crispy top!
Did you bake them at the same time? My kids gave asked I bake 2 next time…
This is why I have never made zucchini bread!! And my carrot cake always generously measures carrots!!
My question, though, is by how much do you feel I could cut the sugar? For all my sweet tooth eating, “breads” and muffins are often more sweet than I care for.
I am thinking down to only 2/3-3/4 cup? Would all brown sugar keep the moisture high enough?
Thanks for thoughts!
I made these into muffins this morning. I used a full OXO 3T scoop and baked at 22 minutes– they were perfect!
Any thoughts on gluten free success?
I love your precise directions (grated on the large holes of a box grater) and your alternate measurements. So helpful!
So making this right now, but the torture of waiting…I like immediate gratification food!
This Zucchini recipe is fantastic. The best ever crunchy top and moist inside.
We have a ton of zucchini in the fridge we need to use up! Perfect Saturday activity!
I’ve been wondering about doing a zucchini bread variant with eggplant instead of zucchini. Any suggestions? I was planning on just substituting 1:1 (zucchini: eggplant) with this recipe to start.
Update: don’t make it with eggplant
Oh no — what happened?
It was flavorless and not as moist. The eggplant was almost foamy? Like styrofoam. So it was a fail.
You are such a radical nervy woman, Deb! Our zucchini thank you. My also radical grandmother (born 1892) taught me to omit some of the brown sugar in a banana bread recipe and add it to about 1/4 of the batter that you smear on the top. Does the same crunchy thing and makes a quick bread even more exciting.
Two loaves just came out of the oven. Now we wait until tomorrow…..torture!
I usually cut the sugar in my recipes by one third or one half. Is this bread very sweet? or have you already adjusted the sugar?
@Elisabethwarcher & @SaraB1313 — So….this is sitting on a cooling rack on my counter. I reduced the white sugar to 75 g and the brown sugar to 65 g. I know that’s not a lot, but I didn’t want to go half….yet. I also made other modifications (wheat flour added….flax meal…I just can’t leave a recipe alone! LOL!). I prob won’t wait until tomorrow to try it, hahaha! But I will wait for it to cool completely, and will let you all know about sweetness. It looks AMAZING. Just like the picture. My go-to banana-bread recipe is from the King Arthur site (Sorry, Deb!), and I literally reduce the sugar in that recipe by 1/2 or more. So….report coming in a few hours on sweetness!
I have adjusted it. You could maybe go down a few tablespoons, but it’s truly not, to me, overly sweet. There’s a lot of zucchini and flour in there.
E- I made the bread and only dropped the sugar by 25grams. I did find it sweet. Can’t say if I had sweet zucchinis? They were farmers market fresh picked :-)
But I will make it again, and given the sugar on top, and the excellent moisture from the zucchini, will cut by 50%. It is definitely like cake, and I think it’s delicious, but I also would like it less sweet. When decreasing sugar, I worry about the moisture but that is definitely not a problem with this moist bread. Full disclosure I tend to go over with the fruit additions so there was likely about an extra 1/2 cup (about 60grams) of zucchini which obviously will add to moisture as well.
When I read this recipe this morning, I knew I had to make it. I made my way to our local Farmer’s Market where freshly harvested zucchinis were waiting for me. It’s just out of the oven, it’s beautiful and smells delicious. I pray that God will give me the strength to wait till 4:30 pm tomorrow to devour a great big slice. Thanks again Deb for giving your all – all of the time.
I just made this recipe, putting it into a dozen muffin tins and a 4×4” ramekin. They took 30 min to bake. The aroma coming out of the oven was intoxicating! The somewhat unintentional mods were: very grassy olive oil and about 1/2t of grated nutmeg, and sanding sugar for the tops. We sampled the bread from the ramekin after it cooled about an hour. Heavenly! I will wait til tomorrow to have a muffin. So delicious, Deb!
Laurine, I plan to make these tonight and use muffin tins to bake them up. I’m curious how you stored the muffins to keep the crunchy tops intact and crunchy?
Wonderful recipe! I think what is part of the appeal is the true “one bowl” concept! Amazing, fast, delicious and so easy!
I also made 12 muffins plus a ramekin. i liked the look of the ramekin, it might be fun to use a variety of small dishes. I baked them for a least half an hour.
I like zucchini bread and will definitely try this recipe. I was just in Edinburgh to visit my sister and brother-in-law, who live there and love to cook. Your first cookbook was on their bookshelf so I leafed through. I am regular follower here and have bookmarked a dozen of your recipes. We talked about how much we all enjoy not just your recipes but your sense of humor and how to realistically cook tasty food. We appreciate your generous sharing of what works in the kitchen and what you’ve tried that doesn’t. Thank you. I’m going this week to my favorite bookstore to buy one of your cookbooks.
That was truly great Zucchini bread, thank you! I followed the directions EXACTLY, even that insanely painful part of WAITING A FULL DAY BEFORE EATING – Whoa! That crust is worth preserving!
Made this yesterday and just dug in! -But for some reason My bread is rather crumbly and not as moist as it ought to be- any reason this could be? Followed the recipe exactly!
Maybe try again and wait until the next day to eat it? That’s what I’m doing…so, so reluctantly.
Made with 1/3while wheat flour and 2/3 AP, and turned out great! My only concern is that there is SO much sugar in it, it’s definitely more like a cake. Also, I only had Demerara sugar and the top is crusty but not craggy. So there must be a big difference between turbinado and Demerara.
My fridge has been freezing some of my fresh vegetables lately (ugh!), and this morning I had two sad, half frozen zucchinis that we’re just begging to be made into bread. I have to say, this is the best zucchini bread I have ever made! I didn’t have any turbinado sugar…so I ended up sprinkling some thinly sliced almonds on top. Served it up warm with a little butter and a drizzle of honey! YUM. I’m putting your cookbook on my Christmas list!!
I made 3 of these. I loved the crunchy top, the bread is very tender for a quick bread. This recipe uses less oil than the recipe I had been using. Next time I will add a dash of cloves as I like a little more spice in my zucchini bread. It was delicious.
OK you are correct this IS the best zucchini bread/cake EVER!!!! Love the crunch and the texture/moistness! It is DIVINE………have to stop myself from eating the entire loaf……….with or without delicious salted butter! Thank you so much for the easy and delicious recipe!
Well, shoot. This did not work at all for me. I have no idea what I did wrong. I measured carefully, I weighted the zucchini even! It just rose to the level of the pan but flat – not the beautiful dome yours made. I know my leavenings work as I go through them quickly and the muffins I made for breakfast this morning since we weren’t getting zucchini bread looked perfect. It tested done at just over an hour. But when I sliced into it, the top half looked ok-ish but the bottom half was eraser. Just rubbery, gluey yuck.
Glad so many are finding zucchini nirvana. Maybe another try another time.
Oh, and my usual recipe from my sister is one of those two loaf recipes. However, they aren’t squat loaves because the two loaf recipe is for two 8×4 pans. I think that’s an issue with a lot of recipes. They just say loaf pan and that’s become 9 x 5 these days and the difference is significant.
If it didn’t finish rising and was gluey, it might have just been underbaked.
I cooked mine in a ceramic loaf pan it it took a much longer time. Instead of a toothpick to test, I use a wooden kabob skewer so it gets all the way to the bottom of the pan when you have a high rising loaf. I’d give it another go.
Wish I could post a picture of the massive zucchini that came out of my garden yesterday…because it turned into 4 loaves of this bread! I cut back the cinnamon by about 1/4 (my Ukrainian husband and half-English/half-Ukrainian kids are not cinnamon fans!), and reduced the sugars by a (figurative not literal) smidge.
Not sure it will wait until tomorrow to be eaten…we can’t wait!
I made this yesterday and couldn’t wait 24 hours to try it, but I promise I made it more than 12. Last weekend I had a mishap with my favorite zucchini baked good, Bernard Clayton’s zucchini basil muffins. I was glad to have no similar difficulties with this. The recipe worked perfectly for me. But I wish the flavor was more zucchini. I made the SK summer squash pizza this week, and it is so intensely zucchini. The Bernard Clayton muffins are similarly very zucchini-tasting. The zucchini I used for this recipe was pretty big–one supplied all 370g. Maybe smaller zucchinis would give more flavor. I’m totally willing to try again! Even without a super intense zucchini flavor, this is a very tasty quickbread and I love the simplicity of this recipe.
The larger the zucchini, the higher the water content; IME, bigger zucchinis actually taste *less* like zucchini than smaller ones. Maybe retry with a few small ones next time? It could also be that the basil acts a complement/enhancer to the zucchini flavor in the Clayton recipe, much the way that Ina Garten argues that a little bit of coffee in a chocolate recipe makes the chocolate taste more like, well…chocolate. Based on your comment, I’m going to toss in a handful of chopped basil when I make this – I’m a zucchini and basil fanatic and find it utterly unfair that most of the you have to wait until lunch to enjoy them together ;)
Just took the bread out of the oven. Its looks soooo good. I don’t know if i will be able to wait 12 hours!!!
I made this. I didn’t wait until tomorrow to try it, but did wait until it was fully cooled. DELICIOUS! I made a few modifications, including using part whole wheat white flour and adding some flax meal. Used 1 stick of melted butter and then oil to make 2/3 C. I also used 75 g white sugar, 65 g brown sugar and it is plenty sweet with that. I didn’t miss the extra 50 g of sugar that I left out. I will definitely make this again! It’s very moist and just super yummy!
Oh I wish I had read this first! I really wanted to cut back the sugar but didn’t go below 175g total.
In the oven now.
No way i will wait till tomorrow though!! Just one little piece ;-)
me too! i cut the white sugar by half (only put 50 grams) and kept the brown sugar as is b/c I wanted to make sure the bread stays as moist as possible. It was plenty sweet, very moist and absolutely DELICIOUS! Making it again this weekend!
Made this twice in 2 days. The first time I forgot to add the eggs, so added them at the end and then probably overmixed —but it didn’t seem to hurt anything. Very forgiving recipe! I also increased the amount of zucchini to 3 cups — also didn’t seem to hurt! Such an easy recipe — it didn’t last until day 2. Yum!
Excellent NYT article btw – with a 1 and 3 yr old at home I’m all about splitting meals into bowls for everyone to choose their own combinations.
I didn’t get the rise you did, so not pretty picture for you…but damn – it was (note the past tense) so good!
I would like to make this in smaller pans or even muffins or mini muffins.
How long would I bake them in a standard muffin tin?
In a 5.75 x 3 in. pan?
Thanks!
I don’t have baking times until I try it but I bet people will pipe up with what they found. I’d check the muffins at 22 minutes but they might take as long as 30. It will depend on how much you fill them (I’d fill them 3/4).
I didn’t het that rise either. But still fab!
My muffins took 22 muffins. Check them at 20 minutes.
Ugh typo—muffins took 22 minutes!
My kids are literally dying to slice into these beauties!
I told them they had to wait until tomorrow because Deb said so!!
I also cant wait to eat it.
One I baked with mini chocolate chips and it turned out beautiful like the regular ones!!
Thanks Deb!
My muffins took 22 minutes. Start checking them at 20 minutes.
I tried this recipe really good.. I did add a can of crushed pineapples in it… drained of course.
Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks good & is similar to a pineapple zucchini bread I’ve been making for decades, also with shredded, undrained zucchini. Not sure where I got the recipe, but here’s a link to it if anyone wants to see it: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EFDLgMvPbeZpJdLjzaGgKwymqE_otj-nI5Eh34sXnOA
this was so fun! thank you! mine didn’t rise much (think I didn’t put enough baking soda? my fault) and the crust was too moist to become crunchy sadly (waited overnight 12 hours – should I have waited more? or is it possible the weather was too hot/humid in the kitchen?) – shared that batch w colleagues lol and excited to try again w less sugar and more zucc tonight!
EDIT: also maybe bc I used 100% red fife flour – delicious, moist, smelled amazing!
I am excited to try this. I have been having dry Z bread and it is driving me crazy since I have been using the same recipe for years. I will try today!!
I made this yesterday and it is delicious! My picky eight year-old had a huge slice for breakfast.
Best and easiest zucchini bread I have EVER made or eaten! So glad I saw this! Thank you!
I’ve made your Jacked-up zucchini bread many, many times, and have no complaints! I wonder how this one compares in your eyes….?
I like this one more, for all of the reasons I list in the post: size, simplicity, crumb, etc.
Actually, I just realized the jacked up recipe I’m talking about is banana bread! I have also used your previous zucchini bread recipe many times though, mostly as muffins. I am about to try this one now! Thanks, Deb! I love all your recipes.
Made this the day the recipe was posted. It’s super good! My only thought/comment: leaving a loaf of a baked good uncovered, in my house, means a cat will eat it (yes, really). I could never quite keep the sugar coating as the wonderful crisp layer it initially cooled to. I don’t know how best to store this to avoid that happening, but maybe there is a technique I don’t know? Stick it in a bag with another piece of bread?? Silica gel packets pilfered from my mailed goods and purses? Haha, kidding, well, unless it works… :)
In our 3 (mischievous) cat household, if we want to leave food out and kitten free, we store it in the microwave! If the item is still cooling, we leave the microwave door slightly ajar, otherwise we close it for extra security!
Yes, any food is liable for “counter surfing” from the Golden thief. I can’t leave out bread, anything on the counter is fair game. Microwave AKA “food safe” is the solution.
I put mine in the microwave too but it does not stay crisp in there, either.
I’m using those mesh covers like you would use at a picnic to keep the bugs off. Allows for air circulation but keeps the food safe from critters.
I suppose, technically, half of the zucchini bread I made today will rest 24 hours… It’s hard for me to believe the flavor benefits of next-day zucchini bread outweigh those of still warm, freshly-baked zucchini bread, but I’d love to hear your perspective on it. But I will say, it’s definitely a recipe that knocks the others out of the running.
The longer it settles, the better the crumb gets. The first day, it aways tastes more loose and dry to me. The second and third days, it’s perfect.
I couldn’t agree more, Amy!
Hi!
This recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to make it. Would it be helpful or detrimental to put some parchment in the pan before greasing with spray?
Also, I just wanted to say that I read your NYT meal planning piece and it was EXACTLY what I needed to calm my nerves as I prepare to return to work after a wonderful 2-year maternity leave. I loved reading that it’s ok to serve frozen tortellini with broccoli! Also, your one pan farro is in my regular rotation. I serve it with spinach (either mixed in, or as a bed for the farro), and topped with a fried sunny egg. We all love it.
First, thank you. And yes, you can totally do a parchment sling for ease, but no need to do it and spray. Either/or. Just spray the sides that are bare.
Can’t wait to try this. Any thoughts on substituting honey instead of sugar?
It doesn’t work exactly the same in recipes, but I could see swapping up to half and seeing how it goes.
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious! The perfect simple and easy zucchini bread. Thanks Deb!
Made this, love it. (Really don’t like zucchini but we had some). I added walnuts and my husband and I adored it.
I don’t usually post comments here, but I feel like I have to come back and say how amazing this zucchini bread is! So quick and easy to throw together, and it tastes ridiculously delicious. So moist and so flavorful, while not overly sweet. And that crust on the top is just to die for. Definitely the last zucchini bread recipe I’ll ever use! Thanks, Deb!
Made this last night…took it to work today…it’s gone! Delicious and so easy. Loved the cleaning of just one bowl.
very tasty. i substituted 1 cup of the white flour with 1 cup of farro flour with success- nice nutty flavor and not overly dense. thank you!
I’ve been making your other zucchini bread for years and it is my go-to! I usually make it half whole wheat and sub out half the oil for apple sauce. And add chocolate chips on request. Thoughts on whether this recipe will lend itself to those tweeks?
I bought a bunch of zucchini last week (before realizing I don’t really like zucchini…) Turns out this is an amazing way to use them up! I followed the recipe almost exactly, opting for canola oil as the fat, and sprinkling brown sugar on the top. I had the crunchy end slice with some unsalted butter about 10 hours after it came out, and another slice this morning. Both yesterday’s and today’s maintained a nice crunchy exterior but perfectly moist insides. In a crazy turn of events, I may go back to the market for some more zukes, if only to make this bread again.
This was a delicious breakfast! Though no, the flaky bark bit did not survive 😉
My ultimate Zucchini Bread recipe is Jane Brody’s Grate Zucchini Bread. It has minimal sugar, less oil plus whole wheat flour. It is delicious! Perhaps you could modify your recipe to align with hers. It would be infinitely healthier.
Holy cow! If you already love the other one then just use that. Don’t ask Deb to change her own unique recipe just to be like someone else.
Right!!! What the heck !!!
I’m so shocked by comment I don’t know what to write. Unless you were trying to be funny? I’m making this tomorrow Deb. Your recipes never fail me!
Sheila, that was a ridiculous comment. The JB recipe is for a much smaller bread- it has less flour, so of course uses less sugar, oil, etc. Deb’s recipe is for a LARGER BREAD, so has more of most ingredients it takes to make it. If you want to use WW flour, less oil, sugar, etc, then go for it! But telling Deb to use someone else’s recipe is insulting.
AbFab in every way!! Came out beautifully, tasted gorgeous, and is loved by me and by those with whom I shared it (generous of me to share, don’t you agree?). Thank you for sharing it to Facebook, where I re-shared and got a whole cadre of people baking this week! Yay!!
This was the BEST zucchini bread I’ve ever made. I subbed half the flour with some locally milled sonora wheat and it was still so moist. Thank you Deb for making it a one bowl recipe and truly a quick bread!
I made it today and my husband and I enjoyed it greatly! We couldn’t wait the 24 hours to cut into it, and the results were just lovely – crackly lid, tender crumb, and fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg. Such a wonderful summertime treat and one of the only reasons I’d turn my oven on at 12 PM on a 90+ degree day.
It’s funny that you posted this recipe the day that I thought about venturing to make zucchini bread. I’ve been wanting to make a savory veggie-based bread for my almost-one year old who needs to eat more veggies. So I made this WITHOUT any sugar, and used one cup of whole wheat flour and one cup of oat flour. I primarily made it into a loaf but tested some of the batter into muffins. The muffins were done in about 30 minutes and the loaf, done in 55 minutes. Needless to say, the baby loved it! :)
I made this in a small bundt pan, it fit perfectly. And since it is Summer, we don’t use the oven in our house, I used my new “Foodi” on bake. It worked perfectly. Great recipe, and this new kitchen gadget is great.
Takes longer for the oven to preheat than mixing the batter :D
Swapped 60g of almonds for the same weight of flour – tasted great!
Excellent! I made it with coconut oil and it is delicious. The hardest part was waiting until the next day to try it :)
Made this last night and cut into today (~14 hrs post bake). Made as written. The spices are lovely and the sugar on top is tasty but not as crunchy as shown here and it did not rise as much (used veg oil + weighed all ingredients). Will try again with fresher baking powder & soda perhaps.
I seriously think your previous Zucchini Bread recipe is the greatest….but OK…I’ll try this one. We have a front yard farm and OODLES of zukes. I just made EIGHT!!! loaves the other day and boy were the neighbors happy!
All time classic this time of year! This one looks perfect!
Wonderful recipe. Easy and delish. Love the crunchy top!
What I’m most excited about is how low the sugar is here. I love the natural sweetness of zucchini, and so many bread recipes just drown it out with so much excess sweetener (which, as you point out, isn’t even as necessary here for moisture, given the high water content of the veggies). Can’t wait to try this!
Deb, this is the truly the ultimate zucchini bread recipe! I had given up after my last attempt several years ago. So happy to use my garden zucchini here. Perfect blend of flavors, and the cinnamon and nutmeg really add a nice twist. I’m pretty sure a slice of bread equals a daily serving of veggies! 😂
Would it ruin it if I added some unsweetened coconut and maybe some mini chocolate chips? 🤔
Probably not.
Amazing zucchini bread, oh that awesome top crust! And it truly is one bowl and a fork. Love it!
Turned out great with 1.75 cups of white whole wheat flour and 0.8 cups mixed sugars. Fat was coconut oil mixed with canola and some ground flaxseed. 12 muffins baked 30 min.
I added 1 more cup of zucchini, flour and more egg. Not sure what happened but it turn into zucchini bread pudding. It was good but not what I expected. What should I have done?
Followed the recipe? I don’t understand people who post on a cooking blog saying they changed critical elements of the recipe and it didn’t work then question the author. Baking is not like cooking, the portions of each ingredient are important
The recipe was written for 2 cups; 3 cups is too big of a change for it to handle. Probably needed every other ingredient scaled up by 1.5x to ensure it worked. It would then be too big for a single loaf, however.
Deb, I just told my brother that your recipes always come out exactly the way you say they will and this is no exception, right down to the crispy sugar cap–my loaf looks identical to yours and your clear precise recipe gets all the credit. Same with the Crispy Oven Puled Pork which I also made–so thanks for providing the most dependable, consistent recipes I have ever tried. Aloha!
My two year old and I mixed this up. We then shared with her daycare providers and my husband brought two slices to the movies with his friend. Everyone we shared it with was so happy. Thank you for another great recipe. I love this blog.
Made this just like the recipe indicated (ok, I accidentally added a wee bit too much nutmeg because I wasn’t paying attention, didn’t make a difference) and it’s the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made. It’s actually somewhat annoying to look back at all the salting, draining and wringing of this vegetable I’ve done with previous recipes. I used a large yellow zucchini, worked just fine. Stayed moist for several days and the crispy top was fantastic.
Made this yesterday- literally only 10 minutes to throw together and only one bowl to throw in the dishwasher :). It is fabulous! Will definitely make again ( and again )
Hi Deb! So excited to make this today! Any reason I can’t use the grater attachment on my Cuisinart rather than the box grater? The holes are the same size…
Hi Cheyenne,
Did you try on the Cuisinart? I am interested in that experiment!
Abby
Hi Abby, Yes! I did. It worked beautifully. I just weighed the zucchini out to 13 oz., as Deb suggested. This bread is DELICIOUS!
You can but then weigh the shreds, make sure you have 13 ounces. My Cuisinart makes larger, thicker shreds (well, sometimes) so the cups might end up lighter otherwise. The only way to ensure everyones cup measurements work the same as mine did is by indicating the grater used (box) and size (large).
Thank you! I will try the Cuisinart and weigh 13 ounces.
Thank you! I was scrolling to see if I could make this even easier!
Can these be made as muffins? How would you adapt the recipe (temperature, cooking time, etc)?
Same temperature; I’d check them at 20 to 22 minutes.
This was exceptional. Perfectly balanced flavor, tender and not dry, crispy top made it extra special. Loved that it’s not overly sweet as well. Definitely a keeper!
Oh my — I totally understand how Jacob could possibly be nine years old, as I met him (and Alex!) in San Francisco when you were on the book tour for Every Day — but I am gobsmacked that Anna can already be four! What a lovely family you have, Deb!
The NYTimes article is fabulous, those Braised Ginger Meatballs in Coconut Broth are on the menu for this weekend!! I am going to give the zucchini bread recipe a try, using a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour product, and I’ll let you know how it turns out!
My boyfriend declared this the best baked good he’d ever eaten. I don’t think he’s wrong. If you’re thinking “meh, zucchini bread,” you’re wrong! Make this!! Thank you, Deb!
Don’t know why I did not double this recipe, but will do the next time I make this! This has got to be the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made, my family and I enjoyed it. I love the crunchy top and soft inside, definitely worth waiting 24 hours!
Gluten Free Option!! For those needing GF – I made this gluten free substituting the flour for 1/2 Trader Joe’s almond meal (by weight) and half Cup to Cup GF flour (by weight) and it turned out perfect. Added bonus, more protein!
Thanks Deb as always for the awesomeness.
YAAASSS! I made this as soon as you posted it! Here are my notes for myself. First, Deb is 100% correct that it is best a day or even two days later and it is excelllent even further out. Second, when I do that 10 extra stirs, look for little clumps of baking powder and/or soda and smash them. They like to hide. Third, I literally left this on my counter in the loaf pan. I may or may not have been able to get out BUT it also was just fine and kept the nice crispy top for days.
I looked forward to this in my lunch every day this week with my afternoon coffee. Will definitely be making again this weekend.
I made this today. It came together in a snap and is DELICIOUS! I used melted unrefined coconut oil, but it didn’t impart much flavor that I can tell. I threw in toasted chopped pecans, and both light and dark choco chips. It is so, so good. Next time I might experiment with cardamom and/or orange zest. I loved not wringing the zucchini!
Diana (marian’s daughter :))
This was everything I hoped it would be, and more. So so so good. This is my new go-to.
Beautiful and delicious- words I’m surprised to use to describe zucchini bread. Thank you for this great simple recipe. Mine came out with the beautifully crusty top and it’s so delicious!
What sorcery caused this to make my house smell so good?? How does a quick bread’s crust stay this crispy not one, not two, but four days after making it (and previously sliced!!)? How did this have flavor that wasn’t just, well.. sweet?
This was easy, delicious, beguiling. The name is appropriate; if I ever make a different zucchini bread, it will be held to this standard.
P.s. I did half whole wheat, half white flour, plus some flax. It needed 5 more minutes of baking time. The recipe took to those alterations with ease.
I made this last night, and because I dutifully followed Deb’s directions (as hard as it was!), I won’t get to taste the deliciousness until tonight. However, I did have to resort to using a whisk in place of a fork at the end; I needed something to break up the brown sugar lumps that the fork couldn’t manage, but a few pesky zucchini strands did get sacrificed to the whisk crevices. Perhaps the answer to this problem is to not have lumpy brown sugar, but I am an imperfect person :)
How do you think will freeze?
It will freeze well but you will probably lose the crunch on top.
I froze slices of this with wax paper in between and hurrah! The crunchy top stayed crunchy. Yum.
Outstanding recipe! Thank you for making one bowl, so much easier. Also the tips on storage were great and helped keep the bread moist but the top crunchy.
I made these gluten free and they came out great! I used Jovial brand whole grain gluten free pastry flour (sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, xantham gum, tara gum). I used slightly more flour than the recipe called for (it seemed a little wet so I sprinkled on some extra but didn’t measure). They didn’t rise too much but they had a good texture and were yummy.
Other minor changes I made:
– doubled the recipe but only put slightly more baking soda and baking powder
– made half of it muffins and the other half in a loaf pan
– reduced the sugar slightly and added chocolate chips
Yes for a recipe with a legitimate amount of zucchini in it. Love the crunchy top – made it for family and everyone loved it.
I free-styled zucchini bread last summer- just about exactly this recipe- it’s fantastic. I made it a couple days ahead and shared with the group I was camping with. I quadrupled this recipe ( if I remember correctly), baked in several 9″ spring form cake pans lined with parchment, like a panettone.
I added lemon zest, which I think helped bring a little somethin’ extra.
This was the perfect solution for the giant overgrown garden zucchini! I’ve already made the OTHER SK zucchini bread recipe twice this summer, so enjoyed trying something new. It basically came out just like the pictures (yay!) And the crack bark was awesome. I did miss having two squatty loaves (one to keep, one to share) so I don’t think I’ll be abandoning the other entirely. But this was a little showier :-)
Don’t you post weekly? Weren’t you meant to post yesterday? I read a NYTimes article about how you do this all yourself… maybe you should get a bit better about delegating if you’re finding it hard to post ONE cake recipe a week on your blog *SMH*
I really hope this is meant tongue in cheek. You know, this is FREE content – take it or leave it, but no one owes you anything.
I’m flattered I was missed! I aim for a new recipe a week. Sometimes the recipe isn’t ready. Quality over quantity, always. (Or at least since 2006.)
Been eyeing this since it was posted and finally got around to making it, thanks to a good haul of zucchini from the market. Turned out really well! Excellent texture and now I’m just trying to properly ration the rest of it because it’s currently tempting me. Great recipe!
I made this bread yesterday afternoon. It was as easy as it looks, followed the recipe exactly (except for the addition of a few chopped walnuts) and it turned out PERFECTLY!
I am now going to try to make a vegan version using flax eggs rather than regular eggs. I have so many vegan friends that would love this!
Please update with flax eggs results when you get around to it. thanks Anne
I made it into muffins with flax eggs! Baked them about 27 minutes but they probably needed a little longer—the knife came out clean but some were still a little gummy on the bottom, maybe because of the flax goo. The texture of most of them was good though and they tasted great!
I made this zucchini bread today. This definitely is THE BEST zucchini bread recipe I have used. It is super easy and fast to make. The bread turned out nice and moist. I used a 9 x 5 pan and baked it for about 40 minutes and it was done. It is a keeper!
Hi Deb! I just had to tell you that a) I lovelovelove zucchini bread, especially this one; and most importantly (for me) I have been able to make this recipe gluten free. Long sentence there but I feel my enthusiasm is warranted. I’ve used both my own gf flour blend & Bobs all purpose 1-to1 baking flour, which is readily available where I live. I’ve also occasionally added cocoa powder (1/4-1-2c) to the delight of my children. Thanks so very much for this recipe!
It’s been 12 hours since I took mine out of the oven; it is taking every ounce of willpower I have to wait to slice and try! The 24 hour waiting period might possibly be the only difficult part about this recipe…
I like my bread zucchini-heavy anyway, just packing the wet veg into the cup with no problem, but this time my bread seemed quite oily. Also, I know you’re keeping it pure and simple, Deb, but I missed having my usual rubbly texture of chopped walnuts. I did love the crunchy sugar top though, and the recipe is simplicity itself.
Trying hard to reduce sugar while not using fake sugars, wondering whether I can add a mashed overripe banana in place of some of the sugar; anyone tried this with success (or crashing failure)?
Just wanted to report back that I made this gluten free by substituting King Arthur gluten free flour 1:1. I otherwise followed the recipe exactly (other than using regular sugar on top since I didn’t have turbinado), including letting it sit overnight. It was exceptional. I did have to bake about 7 minutes longer than your recipe but that might be my oven. So don’t hesitate to make this GF!
Commenting so everyone can benefit- made a spread of cream cheese mixed with lemon zest, lemon juice, ground ginger, and powdered sugar and it was divine on this!
This really is the Zucchini Bread That Was Promised. So simple and easy, I’ve already made it twice, even with two kids running around. Both times I got distracted (child mayhem) and dumped all the ingredients in at once instead of wet and then dry, and it still came out perfect. The clean up doesn’t make me cry. Thank you!
Flavour is great and passed the 6 year old’s approval as a snack in lunch box. Mine turned out quite dense and did not reach the lofty heights that I was hoping for. I definitely did not overmix. Re-reading the recipe enlightened me in that I forgot the 1/2 c gran sugar. Would that change the crumb result? Also your wet mixture looks runnier than mine, which had more the thick batter consistent of your double chocolate banana bread. Love your recipes.
Yum! Not too sweet, so tasty! I put a little maldon sea salt on the top with the sugar-just a couple of pinches. Made for a crunchy salty sweet top. No way I was waiting 24 hours to eat…
I just made this bread a few nights ago, and I had a couple of ripe bananas to get rid of and in the spirit of experimenting I threw those in as well. I kept everything else the same on the recipe. It is fantastic, and a great thing to get us through lunch time at our jobs! Another benefit, the smell of cinnamon/spice filled the house and made everyone ask me.. “are you BAKING something?” It’s a winner in our house and we will be making this often! Thank you for your creation, we love it!
Followed directions exactly and my loaf looks nearly identical to yours. I did need to cook for 75 minutes for a batter free tooth pick under the dome. For some reason, where the top lifted up, it took a long time to cook fully underneath. I’m going to make my family wait the full 24 hours.
I only waited 22 hours….This is really the Ultimate Zucchini Bread! It is not too sweet and the texture is amazing. Thanks Deb!
I made this last night and it is absolutely delicious perfection. I adjusted the recipe for altitude (I live around 5300ft in Denver) so I thought I’d share what I changed for any other mountain bakers out there! Add one egg white, add an extra tbsp of oil, subtract 1 1/2 tsp of each sugar, reduce baking soda by 1/8 tsp, reduce baking powder by 1/8 tsp, add 2 tbsp of extra flour, increase baking temp by 25 degrees (to 375), and bake for around 45-50 minutes. :D
Thanks for the altitude instructions! About to try this in Boulder…
Thank you! I live in Denver too and have struggled to get a perfect zucchini bread because of the altitude. Love SK recipes and want this to be the one!
This recipe worked fine. I only used half a cup of sugar though because 1 cup of sugar is way too much. I don’t want cloying bread.
Hi, this looks great. Did Anna get a special cake for her birthday this year? I always love seeing them, so I’m just curious. Thanks!
Yes. I made a mini-cake for family tinted with freeze-dried blueberries and strawberries. It was cute but not ultimately special enough to share here. I think there are more effective ways to flavor and tint cakes. Here’s a picture.
Yes please! I really love when you post improved recipes, and all of the improved versions lately have been spectacular. We have puffy pancakes regularly now with the simpler recipe, not just once per year. I’m pretty sure this zucchini bread will also go into rotation – I’ve got plans to try it this afternoon!
I used the food processor to grate the zucchini, and weighed it – worked quite well.
I did mix the dry ingredients, its easy to quickly was a flour bowl, and I was nervous about the leavens not getting distributed.
I didn’t want to heat up the house, so took the toaster oven (which is big) outside, Alas, a portion of the crunchy top burned, but I just called it “caramelized” and everyone loved it!
Quick and easy!
This is such a great recipe, I’ll never use another, as always thank you !
Made this on Friday night as I was hosting house guests and everyone loved it for breakfast the next morning. Perfect with coffee, and my toddler was a big fan as well! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out beautifully – the crunchy top was amazing.
The reports are in and the kids love this! My 2 teens returned today from 4 weeks away at camp and I wanted to have something baked and delicious ready for them at home. I had made a ratatouille and has 2 massive zucchini left over which I wanted to use up. The bread smells delicious and tastes even better! Thanks for a super easy, one bowl, mix with a fork (no mixer needed!), straight into the oven full-proof recipe Deb!
I made this in the 8×4-ish glass pyrex loaf pans, since they’re all I have. They burbled over with oil just a bit (I was glad I had a pan underneath them!) — but ended up turning out very tasty, if not as rounded on top as expected. At 350, they also took about 65 minutes, so a bit longer. I’d definitely use 9x5s if you have them, but if you have 8x4s, put them on a tray and go for it–the final product was delightful!
Also, for those who have a glut of zucchini, the amount to make one recipe fits exactly perfectly in a freezer-safe 16-ounce/US pint wide-mouth canning jar. Your future self will thank you.
This is super good! I made this sunday and took it to work on monday and got tons of compliments on it. I subbed half whole wheat for the ap flour, to delude myself into thinking it’s better for me and I had no issues.
I made this the other day and it’s fantastic. Definitely listen to Deb – DO NOT skimp on the raw sugar you put on top. It will seem like too much but it’s so amazing once baked.
I turned this into muffins, for ease of freezing and doling out to kiddos, and they turned out excellent. The only problem was that they didn’t turn out crisp on top – perhaps the shorter cook time prevented the moisture from evaporating. In any case, the taste and texture are excellent and I will definitely try this recipe again. Next time – loaf!
This was SO good. I was given a calabacitas and was told it’s basically Mexican zucchini. The shape was quite different – it’s much rounder – and the one I had was almost 700 grams, but I ran it along a box grater on all the sides and just as I was getting down to the seedy core, I hit the grams needed for this recipe.
I had only one small piece left after my book group fell on it. Thanks for the recipe!
Love SK and so appreciate Deb’s recipes. This one was fun to make but really was so sweet at the end… I know she says it’s a larger than usual loaf, but for me at least this one really tasted like it had a lot of sugar in it, too. Would definitely experiment with lower amounts if making it again!
Just a note to say I didn’t have a loaf pan, but made it in an 8″ square pan and it was perfect in 55 minutes. Didn’t last the 4 – 5 days, and making batch #2 tonight!
Reporting on Day 4–still delicious, and the crust is still intact! I subbed 1/4 of the flour with whole wheat and added about 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed because my former (note the use of that word!) favorite zucchini bread called for those, and I liked the nutty texture and flavor they added. My husband really liked the fact that this bread was a little less cloyingly sweet compared to others.
I have a request: is it possible to provide the weights for the liquid ingredients you use as well? Being inherently lazy about cleanup, I use my kitchen scale for almost all ingredients. I know that milliliters=grams for liquids like water and milk, but oils are less dense and syrups are more dense, so it would be a huge help to have all of the weights listed in the recipe. Thanks!
Sounds delicious. Have lots of organic blueberries on hand and wondering about adding them to this recipe and maybe some lemon zest. Do you think that would work
Deb, I made this the other day. I had it all ready to go into the oven (the bowl was soaking, etc) and I noticed my Pyrex 1 cup measuring cup filled with oil on the counter. Oy….so I (and I wouldn’t recommend anyone doing it this way because it’s very messy!) poured it on top of the uncooked bread and messily mixed it in. Added another 2 T of sugar to the top and baked it (and hoped for the best). Gotta say….it’s pretty amazing. It came out great. It’s super moist, flavorful and is a hit here. I will make it the ‘right’ way next time ;)
How would I adjust the time if I were to use silicone financier molds?
Such a perfect looking loaf! Can’t wait to try.
This is incredibly delicious! That’s all. No more words necessary!
Well, I am sorry to report I thought this was a major disappointment. Followed recipe to a “t”. Bland, not good enough that even my granddaughters, who had been waiting all day to devour it, didn’t even want to finish their servings.
I normally appreciate SK recipes, this is a pass.
I made this and it was wonderful. The zucchini bread recipe I have used for the last few years was from this site and it was my favorite. This one is better, moist and sweet and crunchy. One bowl and the grater-really easy to make.
I have made this bread twice this zucchini season. The first time I followed the recipe quite closely, with the exception of reducing the sugars a small amount and replacing one cup of the AP for whole wheat. The loaf was almost too moist and sweet for me. So the second time I replaced all of the AP flour with 240g of whole wheat. I also used 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of the sugars in the bread. And because I was adding liquid with the maple syrup, I reduced the oil to 1/2 cup. And this time, I loved it! It was not very sweet and still moist, which I really liked. I think the next time, I will also up the spices in the bread as some other commenters have suggested.
I skipped the crunchy top (I know, I’m a monster) but still let it “set” overnight. I also used whole wheat flour. Delicious. Mine was done in 50 minutes. 🙂
Is there any reason this would not work with yellow summer squash (patty pan squash)? My patty pan squash is far more prolific then my zucchini this year. I know it wouldn’t have the visually appealing green specs but it otherwise seems to me it should be similar. Just wanted to check if anyone had tried it.
I think it would work fine.
Ah, this is why I made sure to review all the comments before posting the same question! Rebecca, did you end up using the yellow summer squash and if so, did it turn out alright?
Hannah, Yes I did and it worked great! Other then the visual difference the taste seemed identical to me. I hope it works out well for you!
I see the NYT photographer fell in love with Anna. Can’t imagine why! Also, Deb, if you are 35 or over and born in the US why aren’t you running for president?
Hi Deb, I can’t wait to make this! Do you think I could swap out the 2 c. of AP flour with 2 c. of whole wheat flour? Thanks!
I haven’t done it but others have. I don’t like doing full swaps without testing — it can end up too dry. I’d start with half.
so so good! new go to recipe. i slightly brought down the sugar amounts but barely
The crunchy top is exquisite! My zucchini hating family loves it! My only change was that I whisked together the oil, eggs, spices, sugars and leavening in a medium bowl. Then I added to the zucchini and had no problem mixing together. I know this dirties another bowl but since I’m just putting them in the dishwasher anyway, who cares if it makes the mixing easier. The resulting loaf is great. Thanks for another memorable recipe!
My new favorite!
I made this two days ago with half grated yellow zucchini and half grated apple, since I’m awash in both these days. Yumm! And so easy! I managed to protect it in the pan over night, but once I made the first cut at breakfast my teenagers polished off the rest of the loaf within 2 hours. LOL – I’m betting no one will complain if I make it again (so much zucchini, so many apples). FYI, I used walnut oil which I think added a quiet richness to the flavor. I sprinkled about a tablespoon of regular granulated sugar across the top because I didn’t have any fancy sugar, and still got a great crunchy crust.
I made this and it was perfect. I’ve never made zucchini bread before and I just so happened to have some extra zucchini from my weekly produce box when this was posted. This was remarkably easy to pull together. I especially appreciated the emphasis at the critical juncture to give it “10 extra stirs”. I have to admit, it felt odd to leave it out and uncovered for so long, but I’m an instruction follower. I took this to a bridal brunch and it was adored by all. I saw some of the attendees a few days after the event and they were still raving. The only disappointment I had was that my sugar encrusted peak didn’t rise nearly as high as the photo here. Of course, no one knew but me, but I’m curious about where I may have gone wrong. I’d recommend this to anyone, and will be personally be passing along to friends (and to one in particular who has coincidentally been lamenting the lack of good zucchini bread).
I just demolished two large pieces of this for breakfast. Best zucchini bread ever. I followed the recipe exactly except for reducing the sugar a tiny bit. Made this last night and left it uncovered on the counter, as instructed. One bowl and a fork is all you need to prepare this which is much appreciated. Perfection. Will be making this again.
Fantastic bread, my third time loaf is in the oven. Our garden is prolific in zucchini, and this was the perfect was to use some, thanks for sharing this!! have a wonderful day!
This is the Zucchini bread of my dreams. No wringing, high volume of zucchini, customizable. I made 2 loaves. First was made with white-whole wheat/AP flor mixture, ½ coconut oil, ½ coconut sugar, and added 2T seed blend of chia, flax, and hemp. Second had (all of the above, plus) added dried cherries and slivered almonds. They rose so high and are perfectly moist even on day 3!!
Will be tucking some of these in the freezer although I know that crusty lid will suffer.
Do you think this recipe would translate well into muffins? If so, what bake time/temp modifications would you recommend?
Same temp. Looks like it took other people about 22 minutes but I’d always check sooner to be safe.
I baked our muffins for more like 30 minutes ( no toothpicks) & they were not overly dry
We made this with whole wheat pastry flour which worked great- I LOVE how fast it goes together & this is my favorite version after years of zucchini bread making! But I didn’t have a loaf pan so I made a dozen muffins & a little cake ( where I added chocolate chips & nuts- definitely a plus in my book) & we couldn’t resist trying a muffin each the first day & then putting away the rest. Have to say, the consensus was that they tasted equally good, but perhaps that was cause they were only a couple of inches deep? Have since bought a loaf pan & will try again. Thanks for all your work – you are my whole family’s favorite (only?) recipe source!
I made it exactly as written and as many others have noted, it was bland. I also didn’t like the texture. My loaf required an a 65 minute bake and ended up quite claggy. I love so many of your recipes, but this is not one of them.
Jason
Not ‘many others’. Just one other person said it was bland. Dozens and dozens of others have said how delicious this is. And I agree with them. So so good and so so easy. Thank you hugely Deb from the UK
Holy cow. This was too insanely good! I initially didn’t wait and ate a piece right out if the oven. It was good but not the crazy deliciousness it developed the next day (and got better each day afterwards). Yum!! I used olive oil.
Absolutely delicious and very forgiving recipe. I spilled a little butter, used almost a cup too much zucchini, subbed cardamon for nutmeg, and had some sugar mix ups and it still came out perfect. YUM.
The best zucchini bread and one of my new favorite recipes of yours. Thanks for being so great.
So easy and 1 bowl, does it get any better? Mine came out of the oven domed, really excited about that, and tho it will be difficult, will wait to taste. Once again, Deb makes life easier and baking for those who are put-off by baking, a no brainer.
I don’t have any raw sugar, do you think sanding sugar would work?
My zucchini bread took FOREVER to bake, and I still ended up with what seemed like uncooked areas, primarily on the bottom of the loaf. My son loved even the “uncooked” bottoms, but I didn’t. I think it was because I used 2 cups of thawed frozen shredded zucchini and didn’t drain enough of the water out of it. My son insists I make the same zucchini bread again, and I will, but next time I’ll drain the thawed zucchini shreds more. I have lots of frozen zucchini as many of us do this time of year. Oh, and I should add, the parts of the bread that were cooked well were fabulous. Best zucchini bread, and I have always used Deb’s recipe (older one) for zucchini bread. I will go with this one from now on
Made this today and it was lovely! Doubled the recipe because I had a monster zucchini to use up. Thank you!
Has anyone made this with thawed frozen zucchini shreds? Did you drain out some of the liquid? or all? or none? I used thawed frozen zucchini shreds, drained out some of the liquid, and the resulting loaf took forever to cook and still had some unbaked soggy bottom parts (which my son still loved, but I didn’t). I want to make this again and I need to know how to proceed.
I haven’t worked with them but my hunch would be to substitute by weight (you want 13 ounces of them), no need to thaw (just give it more baking time if needed) and do not wring out.
I’m puzzled as well about how much liquid to drain out of frozen zucchini to use in baked goods. The discussions I’ve found about it online seem to disagree with one another about whether to use all the liquid that collects from drained, frozen zucchini, or some or none. I don’t know if I’m organized enough to test out different methods on the same recipe, but I hope I’ll find someone else who is at some point to settle the matter!
I made this but substituted the eggs with flax eggs to make it vegan. Turned out great! Maybe it was a bit more dense than in the picture but still very delicious.
Today is the 3rd time I made this. First time was following the recipe except I only buy and use unsalted butter and didn’t add any salt. Loved it. 2nd time, I made it vegan for my friends using flax egg – they loved it. I was impressed. Today I made it again and having read all the comments, I added a pinch of salt. I will notate not to use any salt. I didn’t think it enhanced it and I didn’t like tasting the salt over the bread -maybe in 24 hours I’ll have a different take and will comment if that’s the case. [I’m not much of a salt user tho on choc chip cookies some maldon salt flakes rock. Salt aside, it’s easy and delicious and up there with the easy jacked-up banana bread.
Used half the sugar (skipped the white sugar) but otherwise followed it to the t and it was fabulous.
Made this as written with a baby underfoot, baked it while she napped, but could only manage to wait an hour before I HAD to slice and eat. So good. The baby loves it too.
This was absolutely phenomenal! Super easy to throw together, held up well for days, and gave me a new creative way to use up my MIL’s extra yellow squash from her garden. Definitely will keep this recipe in my back pocket for summertime!
Nice and moist without being overly dense and had a crispy top. Thinking the sugar on top adds a dimension to the crust because I did not have any to put up there and therefore missed the final crunch bit. Used an 8×4 pan instead, so had enough for a mini loaf/cake round that didn’t make it a day cooling (not sorry). The other one is still in pan and looks beautiful. Thanks for the new recipe! And super thanks to how easy it is to prep and clean up. Wondering what using some apple sauce instead of oil might do to it. Thoughts?
Delicious cake. My friend from Boston brought me a loaf, and even though she had to wrap it, it was still great. Wish your website allowed for “print recipe” so I didn’t have to hand copy or print all the ads and commentary.
Paula – Under the recipe, there is a “print” button, which allows for printing just the recipe.
I made this but didn’t have quite enough zucchini and found the final result a bit dry and saltier than I’d like…so don’t skimp on the zucchini and consider toning down the salt if our make this. My old faithful recipe calls for the inclusion of ginger and cloves and I missed them here but I am a creature of habit/tastes.
Id have to agree, you talked me into it once it was mentioned no wringing required. Waited overnight, per recommendations. So moist and tasty with crunchy top still intact. Definitely a go-to. I ended up having to bake it for about 30minutes extra (I think the loaf tin was a bit too skinny). Thank you!
I’m really suppose to wait till morning to eat this!!!
Wow, yum. This really was the ultimate zucchini bread. The combination of the crusty lid with the super soft inside was incredible. We **may** have dropped in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips into the batter too. Love that everything comes in weights. Makes baking with the kids easier!
Yummy! I made this as a loaf (which my friend proclaimed was the best zucchini bread he’s ever had) and as muffins. The muffins took 30 minutes to cook through and I added chocolate chips to those. One recipe made 17 muffins. Fun activity to make these with kids!
Sorry if this has been asked — but I have a ginormous zucchini (weighing in at 4 lbs) that my neighbor gifted me. Would it be ok to use this recipe for a more “mature” zuke without draining the shreds? I heard larger zukes contain a lot more water, so I didn’t want to ruin what sounds like a great recipe! TIA
Hi Tanya
I have successfully used giant zucchini-or courgettes as we quaintly call them here in the UK in deference to our French neighbours! I sliced them into 3 or 4 inch chunks and only grated the outer third or so. In other words used the firm flesh and skin and left the watery core and seeds for the compost heap. Hope that’s helpful.
Barry
made this with a zucchini the size of a small child that had been forgotten in the garden… scraped out the super mushy core and giant seeds and just grated the outer part. turned out beautifully! and the one zucchini gave me enough for a double batch :)
OMG!! Just made three loaves from one giant zucchini…..they look amazing, smell amazing and will soon find out how amazing they taste!! Thanks Deb, there has not been one recipe that has not been…..wait for it…….AMAZING…. since I’ve been following you all these years!! You’re the best!
Baked this using the butter and it is exquisite. You can taste the butter, vanilla and spices and the top crunched up perfectly. It is a scootch sweet for my taste as a breakfast bread, but with a little whipped cream it is the perfect dessert. My bake time was 1:15… I think my oven needs recalibrated.
For some reason, I have struggled with quick breads lately so it was so nice to have a “win”. Definitely try baking this with the melted butter as your fat. You will not regret it.
Have been making the same zucchini bread recipe for decades, but this looked so good, I had to try it. I couldn’t persuade my husband not to try it right away, but he said he really liked it as is. More than the original. I did add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and raisins. It was very easy to make – love the one bowl cleanup. I grated the zucchini in the food processor and grated enough for three more loaves – I’m going to try freezing it in 2 cup portions to use when I don’t have fresh from the garden. Has anyone done that successfully?
Getting ready to make this for the fourth time. It really is the ultimate!
I religiously follow this site, and have made many of the recipes, with universal success. This is the best zucchini bread I have ever had. I took the loaf camping, and maybe it was the Mount Adams view, or the crisp mornings in front of the campfire, but the bread was moist and spicy and everything good.
I’m making my son’s wedding cake next month (2.5 weeks!) and have been scouring the site for tips/recipes. Thank you!!!
I just finished round 3 of this recipe since I found it! After the first batch, I realized the importance of actually following the instruction of mixing the baking powder and soda into the wet mix BEFORE the flour – the next two batches rose way better. I added 1.5 cups fresh blueberries to the loaf I made last night (they were sitting on my counter while I mixed the dough, so I thought why not!) with no other changes and it worked great. Thanks, Deb!
I made this last night and loved that you had to leave it in the pan overnight. My pet peeve of weeknight baking is letting it cool in the pan for a few minutes, taking it out of the pan, then having to wrap it in something which also requires waiting until it is cool enough and doesn’t steam itself soggy! Delicious recipe and something to look forward to this morning.
I’ve made this like 4 times already this summer….. grandkids love it! No nuts, raisins, or pineapple to work around… and yes, I got that crunchy top! I do it exactly as written… let cool, unwrapped… stays 4 days on the counter! Winner for sure!
I added pecan pieces, because everything is better with nuts. Worked fine. A very nice bread.
I’ve made this quite a few times since our zucchini harvest has been coming in, and I didn’t realize until now that it was a recently published recipe since I found it through Googling “Smitten Kitchen Zucchini Bread”! I love how fast and easy it is to make, and the flavor and moisture is perfect. It tends to take 5-10 minutes longer than written for me. I do get the rise, but the whole cake tends to sink a bit as it cools and seems a bit compressed toward the bottom when sliced the next day. I love it, and everyone I’ve served it to loves it too.
I’ve made a lot of zucchini bread, and this is hands down the best I’ve ever had. Thank you!
I made a few minor alterations to baking temp / leavening since I live at ~8000 ft (cut the leavening in half and baked at 375), and it turned out beautifully.
I made muffins from this recipe today, and they’re very good. I had 2 10” zucchini on the way to meet their maker in the fridge; they grated down to just under 2 1/4 cups. 12-cavity standard muffin pan, light brown sugar vice dark and plain granulated vice raw (pantry cleaning), baked for 38 minutes. Eaten warm the cinnamon comes through nicely; I imagine when cold and if I ramped up to dark brown sugar they’d be stronger flavored still. 👍🏻
I made a single recipe with unsalted butter and baked it in 3 cardboard mini “gift” loaf pans that were 2.5x7x1.8 and put 1 tsp of turbinado on top of each loaf.
I wanted to post in case anyone else wants to make minis of this size.
They’re baking and almost ready – I’ll post again when we get the chance to eat them!
The 3 mini loaves mentioned above took 32 minutes to bake (my thermometer said the oven was right at 350).
We were able to wait a whole 14 hours before succumbing – there was a bit of a crust, but it’s possible that part of the issue is weather (it’s been rather humid).
The loaf we cut into is delicious!
To speak to those folks who say it’s bland – I looked through a bunch of other recipes and it looks like the spices in this recipe are scaled way back. My preference is for less warming spices, but perhaps others are so used to overpowering spice that this felt bland?
Thank you Deb, for simplifying things for the rest of us. Perfect for the massive late summer zucchini from a friend’s garden. I made two loaves of this – doing about 40% whole wheat flour and 60% regular flour. I loved the crunchy sweet crust but I thought the cake overall was a bit too sweet- will reduce sugar next time.
I adore this recipe. It’s delicious. I made it as written, using unsalted butter as the fat.
While I greatly appreciate the attempt to keep the recipe to one bowl, I have made this twice and found it’s much less fussy if I mix the dry ingredients together, and separately mix the liquids together without the zucchini. Then mix the two, and then add zucchini.
It was easier to avoid pockets of flour and other ingredients, and washing 1 extra bowl was totally worth it.
Also: thanks Deb for the zucchini quesadilla recipe, which we used for the leftover shredded zucchini!
This tasted great! I made a couple edits (Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten free flour, 1/3c of each sugar) and found it to be too moist even after baking an extra 10 minutes or so. Next time I might try wringing out the zucchini just a bit, but it almost seemed like it was a fat moisture issue. I used 80ml olive oil and 80ml butter. After cutting into it two days after baking to serve and still finding it wet, I ended up putting the slices on a baking sheet and back into the oven at 400 to dry out a bit. I’m new to baking with gluten free flour so I’d be curious if I would have had better results with regular flour, or if increasing the GF flour amount would improve.
One of my favorite new recipes this summer!
Great recipe! I made it exactly as specified, then made one with blueberries in it and a sprinkling of crystallized ginger, then a batch of muffins with the blueberries and crystallized ginger. Making another batch of the muffins (trying to keep up with the zucchini!)
This turned out beautifully. I made this as is (with unsalted butter as my oil) and added three quarters of a cup of dark chocolate chips. I brought it to a family gathering and served it with soft salted butter. It disappeared in about fifteen minutes. It was so flavorful. It didn’t even need the salted butter on top but it certainly didn’t hurt. I’m excited to make it again. So easy! Thank you Deb!
Made it yesterday morning, following the recipe exactly. Tucked into it an hour ago and it was mighty! Very, very good. Bonus: my toddler son ate two big slices while I’ve never got him to eat zucchici before :o) Two pics:
https://i.imgur.com/uk1tbrm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/AngikXB.jpg
Love from The Netherlands!
This was amazing, my whole family gobbled it up, even my 5 year old son!!
I can’t stop making this recipe!!! My husband loves it, my 2 year old son cried for it for three days after we ate the last loaf, and I can buy a huge zucchini for 49 cents at Trader Joe’s right now! I’ve used up all my brown sugar making it three times in the last three weeks. Thank you for this recipe!!
Could you pulse the zucchini in a food processor instead of grating it?
I did! I used the large-grater disc on my food processor and it was incredibly fast. I grated enough for 2 loaves and it took less time than it took me to actually clean up the food processor! It worked great.
I’m actually considering freezing some grated zucchini soon, to be used for bread and/or salads and/or quesadillas.
i’ve made this twice so far. once as written (it was delicious) and once subbing some of the oil for applesauce. i put a snack pack size container of applesauce in my measuring cup and then filled it with oil until it hit 2/3. it ended up being about a 1/2 cup of apple sauce. the texture was a little different but still very delicious.
i also froze half of each loaf. i defrosted at room temp when i was ready to eat them and it worked out great.
Deb- I’m 30 weeks pregnant and I’ve been baking your old version of this since back at 8 weeks when I couldn’t so much as look at a vegetable, carbs were my only friend and this was my way of “integrating more vegetables into my diet”. I always increased the zucchini ratio like this new version does (because it’s “healthier” of course). I’ve probably made at least 15 loaves/batches of muffins since then for breakfast, snacks and dessert, and can confidently say it has been my #1 pregnancy craving/staple. So just wanted to say thanks for being on this journey with me :)
This is it! This is the one! So good…moist, and you can add fruits & nuts. The best I’ve ever had.
Hi Deb! I came home from vacation to a HECKIN’ MONSTAH zucchini in my garden, and decided I wanted to make zucchini bread! I have heard that these gentle giants can be more watery than their younger brothers. Since that’s the case, would you recommend giving my grated zucchini a bit of a wring for this recipe, or should I just scrape out the middle bit with the seeds which is usually the most watery? (This thing is bigger than my not-that-small upper arm, so I think I will still have enough.)
No wringing; yes, you can scape out the seeds.
I just have to come back and say that to my delight, that giant zucchini provided enough for FOUR recipes of this bread! I baked three in regular loaf pans (and topped one with walnuts because I meant to mix them in but forgot), and then the last batch I made into four mini-loaves. It’s utterly delicious! My husband loves a slice as a quick pick-me-up before going for a morning run, and my office-mates devoured a loaf in short order.
This is an excellent moist and delicious zucchini bread. I loved it and will continue to make it.
I took a tip from a prior poster and have a banana/zucchini mix in the oven. I thought a change would be interesting after making the zucchini-only version several times this summer. I used 1 cup of each. It smells great so far. Here’s hoping!
The zucchini/banana mix was wonderful! Today’s mash up – zucchini and coconut lime! I am going to mix / match Deb’s ultimate zucchini and her awesome coconut bread (with addition of lime juice and cardamom) recipes and see how this turns out!
The coconut/zucchini mash up turned out well, but even with 1/2 a lime juiced in and some zest the lime was lost. A good try, though! Now I’m thinking of trying to marble the zucchini bread a la Deb’s marbled banana bread recipe, where you divide the batter pre-flour and replace the flour with cocoa powder in one half. Has anyone already tried this?
Deb, this is a wonderful recipe. I have made it several times. I needed to make it gluten free and followed the recipe precisely only substituting the flour. I used Steves gluten free Cake Flour (http://www.authenticfoods.com) 290 grams instead of 260 (from experience) and we tasted both recipes side by side and they were the same and both excellent. The gluten free version a little lighter in texture. I did kill my ancient Cuisinart food processor recently, and I wonder if you use the current 14 cup Cuisinart food processor? Last comment for those who have the room the grow zucchini. Costata Romanesco summer squash (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/squash/summer-squash/costata-romanesco-squash-seed-2053.html) is so nutty and firm and bar-b-ques and cooks up so well. It is great raw in salads also. Thanks Deb.
This recipe is perfect and does not suffer by having 3/4 c of chocolate chunks added to it! Thanks for another winner!
I made this last night and was fretting for most of the ~60 minutes it was in the oven. I know you told us not to wring out the grated zucchini, Deb, but the second half of the on-the-larger-side-but-not-monstrous zucchini I used contained quite a bit of water (somehow, puzzlingly, more than the first half). So while the first cup of grated zuke was normal-looking, the second cup looked quite wet. But I did not wring. Once everything was mixed and in the bowl, it looked soupy. I came back to your recipe and consulted the pictures to confirm that yours also looked a bit soupy when you poured it into the pan. Even so, I fretted. But at the end of one hour, it came out of the oven tall and golden and a tester came out (mostly) clean. I left it to cool overnight and brought it in to work to share with my colleagues. That crispy lid was GREAT (you’re right, shouldn’t skimp on the raw sugar!) and the middle of the loaf was a teensy bit wet but nothing significant. The rest was so moist and tender, MM! I think I know exactly what to look for now in terms of water content for the shredded zucchini. It’s a super solid recipe and I’ll def be making it again. Thank you, Deb!
We are egg free due to allergy and I made this using the chickpea juice substitute. It came out delicious but did not rise as much. This recipe is a keeper!
(Please forgive the dupe post – I wanted this to also show up in the “I made this” section.)
I made this recipe with carrots and it was delish!
I used 2 cups of carrots, honestly because I forgot that I planned to use less, and it worked out well.
I did reduce the granulated sugar by quarter of a cup – since the organic carrots tend to be so sweet. And it was perfect.
I used un-peeled organic white, purple, and orange carrots from a local farmer, and grated them in the food processor.
I’ll definitely be doing this again. It’s not better than the zucchini, just different.
Batter came together SO FAST it was beautiful. I underbaked it – heartbroken to see that it sunk – so I just started eating the half-raw loaf straight from the pan with a fork. DELICIOUS just make sure you bake it long enough. I didn’t have any toothpicks or skewers but will buy some before I try this again
I made this last night to eat this morning as suggested. The is the best zucchini bread I have ever eaten in my life. My sister and I devoured half the loaf by ourselves. It is incredibly moist with just the right amount of sweetness. I only had light brown sugar and used that. Otherwise, I made it exactly as written. Just amazing.
Thank you so much for this wonderful quick bread. I love reading your comments as much as I love trying your recipes. Keep them both coming!!!
I just made your Zucchini Bread. I used 1/4 whole wheat flour, 1/4 GF flour and 1/2 APF. It is absolutely delicious. Moist and not too sweet. Sooo easy too, I will make it again. Thanks.
Helpppppppp I followed this to the T and my zucchini bread turned a bit dry/grainy! What the eff do I do now? Somebody tell me how I went wrong PLEASE!
Has anyone tried making this with walnuts in it? I’d like to add them and I’m not sure how much to add to the recipe.
I added about ~1/2 to 3/4 cup of pecans and same amount of raisins (just threw in 3 handfuls of each) . Loved it!
It’s a really great tasting and easy dessert to make! I highly recommend it. Not sure I need a crunchy crust that much, but added the raw sugar anyway.
I made it for friends and they raved about it–even better with 3/4 c. chocolate chips. I also made it for a gluten-free friend, using the King Arthur one-to-one mix and olive oil–she absolutely loved it, and thought it didn’t taste like gluten-free. Another excellent recipe from Deb!
I’ve been on the hunt for zucchini bread that I can add some extra brown bananas too- they seem to multiply in squares. Any suggestions? I mean I guess I could add it and see how it goes- haha!
@SJ – Anything to report back? I have some brown bananas to throw in too :)
Zucchini bread is more up my alley! Great recipes :)
Deb, made this version of zucchini bread this weekend at it’s a real winner!
The top crusty part is worth the whole thing and I had trouble waiting to dig in. But, dig in we did and it was wonderful. Thanks for giving us a truly worthwhile, single large, one pan cake/bread that will stay in my permanent collection.
Thanks for this recipe. I doubled and made 2 loaves anyway. Crunchy top is so yummy – I mean, sugar, what’s not to like.
Added raisins and nuts which made it taste a bit like fruitcake in a good way!
Although this was easy to make and texture was fine, it was tasteless! Just blah! What was it missing? Or were my spices too old?
i’m a long time baker, graduated in culinary arts almost 2 decades ago now and finally, now, a seasonal cook at home for my family. This is by far the best zucchini bread recipe in every sense – word for word – conduct the recipe as written with instructions. Thank you so much!!!
Am I missing something, or does the recipe not include mixing in the flour? I did, of course, but maybe correct for others?
Can I (omit 1/2 sugar 1/2 dark brown sugar)and make it 1C sugar & add 2tbls Molasses if I don’t own dark brown sugar? Thx. Long time fan❤️
Yes, absolutely.
Deb, I can’t believe how good this recipe is. I’ve made it a few times now. I typically make two at a time and give one away to some lucky friend or family member. It’s incredibly moist and delicious! Thank you!!
These were really good. I made them as muffins and they baked perfectly with 20 minutes in the oven.
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect!
THANK YOU for making a recipe easy, the way it should be. I love a simple, delicious recipe that is unfussy, but still a winner. I’ve made this bread twice and I will continue to in the future. You’ve solved everything I found annoying about making zucchini bread in one go!
When you say “Leave in pan, unwrapped, overnight or 24 hours” I assume you mean out of the fridge, yes? :D
I made this bread twice. The first time I followed the instructions exactly. It was fine. The second time I added much more sugar on the top, which increased the crunchiness; added 1/8 tsp of cloves because I found the bread rather bland; and did NOT let it sit overnight before slicing and eating. The second bread was much tastier, and I didn’t see any difference in letting it rest overnight. So happy to have a one-bowl zucchini recipe that I can mix with a fork! Thank you!
Would this work with pureed zucchini? I have a ton frozen over from the summer that I need to use.
What about adding frozen blueberries?
I think if you went by weight, that’s your best bet. Blueberries might work too.
Excellent! My zucchini-hating five year old devoured it. Based on prior reviews, I decreased the white sugar to 1/4 c and used 1/2 whole wheat flour.
This seems like a superb recipe.. can we substitute APF with millet flour – no gluten flour.. any tips? Thanks
Just made this and it is terrific! Love the crunchy top!
Love this recipe.
SUPER easy, all in one bowl and tastes amazing.
I used all olive oil. I always add extra cinnamon and vanilla to any and every recipe. I also added some extra zucchini.
*I made this with flax eggs because my son has an egg allergy and the loaves still came out perfect.
This recipe is absolutely amazing! It tastes great and I’ve made it multiple times in order to use up the courgettes from my vegetable garden. I’ve been tweaking it a bit so I can eat this for breakfast, by reducing the sugar and fat content, and by adding whole weat flour instead of all purpose. Delicious!
How much sugar did you eliminate and how much whole wheat flour did you substitute? Thank you.
It IS the ultimate zucchini bread! Everyone loved it and I’m making more now, a week later. The bread was moist, crunchy and very favorable. Thank you. I will stop my search for the ultimate bread recipe.
Wow. Made this (as muffins) today. We love it! Thank you, Deb!!!
Just made this and it’s absolutely the best zucchini bread ever. Thank you for making this recipe better than all the other stupid ones out there. Hip hip hooray!
For anyone looking for possible substitutions right now: I replaced the brown sugar with a little more than 1/3rd of a cup of honey, the vanilla extract with an equal amount of maple syrup, and used regular white sugar on top of the cake. It still turned out phenomenal!
Deb, this recipe is so amazing. Thank you for giving us something so wonderful to make during a pandemic!!
Can some of the sugar be left out? And can I replace any of the flour for whole wheat? Dying for zucchini bread but have to watch sugar and carb w type 2 diabetes. Thank you!
I used less sugar (25%) and it was still sweet enough (for us). I also used white whole wheat flour (that’s what I had). It was delicious.
I used frozen shredded zucchini to make this – I microwaved the 2-cup portion for a few minutes until it was just thawed enough to break apart, then did everything else as written. I had to bake it for almost half an hour extra, with tin foil on top for the last 20 minutes or so.
I’m so glad this worked, since I have lots of zucchini that I shredded, portioned out, and froze for just this purpose!
Turned out wonderful. I shredded all of my CSA zucchini and made this bread plus some zucchini fritters. The bread raised nicely and has a very crunchy top as I was generous with the raw sugar as suggested. Followed the instructions as is. Nice to not have to spend time ridding the zucchini of excess moisture.
This recipe makes excellent french toast! Just set out a few slices to dry out the night before. Some of the best french toast I’ve ever made.
well….you’re a genius. I can’t wait to try this. zucchini french toast would never have occurred to me and sounds amazing.
5 stars. Definitely delicious! Not sure why the instructions recommend waiting 24 hours to enjoy! It was equally delicious last night (2 hours after baking) as it is today. The ‘lid’ sadly didn’t stay crisp (left it uncovered in loaf pan) but it’s incredibly tasty and so easy to make. I love that it’s sweet enough but not overly sweet, is so quick to put together without fuss or special equipment – you only need 1 bowl, 1 spoon, 1 grater.
I doubled the recipe and used two Pyrex loaf pans. It baked for one hour and twenty minutes before the knife that I inserted came out batter free. I’m hoping it isn’t too dry. Can’t wait to taste!
Made this yesterday and it was the best loaf ever! Used coconut oil for the oil. Don’t know why we were to leave it overnight, it was delicious 15 minutes out of the oven! Next I’ll try a vegan version with some flax and water for the eggs.
Exactly what I wanted! Left it uncovered too and no drying out! I had to share my weird partial sub. I didn’t have enough zucchini so I grated some broccoli stalks and guess what? Totally works :) Also used mostly whole wheat flour and the bread was still moist and crumbly. You’re recipes never let down, thanks for your diligence!
Hi there ~ not only has this recipe granted me great results, but I really appreciate the way you have it laid out: when ingredients in the list are grouped according to the order they should be added in, the logic centers of my brain (not to mention, the nervous / newbie / easily-overwhelmed baker that I am) breathe a sigh of relief… it helps me get a better sense for the science of how it all comes together so, thanks for the thoughtfulness you put into your recipes. * Cheers *
Well, I have found my favorite zucchini bread recipe. Perfection! My husband despises zucchini but loves this. We added 3/4 cup total of dark chocolate chips and mini semisweet chips. This loaf will not last long!!!! We will gobble it up straightaway,
This was so good! I used butter!
both the ultimate zucchini(with olive oil) + ultimate banana(with butter) are hands down – gold-standard recipes in both ease + results.
the one tip i would offer is to grate the zucchini only to the core – using only the firmer part helps keep the moisture in check + produces a juicier loaf with a more concentrated zucchini flecks + flavour.
thank you for inspiring a non baker to bake + gift killer edible love !
Extremely delicious and easy to make. I added walnuts and made mini loafs to share with friends.
I made this yesterday with zucchinis I got through a farm share–I hate zucchini, and zucchini bread is the only way I’ll consider eating it. This recipe is delicious, moist and the best part is you can’t even taste the zucchini! Thanks again, Smitten Kitchen, for nailing it!
The old zucchini bread is my go-to recipe and it’s much loved, but I made the Ultimate Zucchini Bread recipe and it is lovely. But why did the spices get halved in the case of cinnamon and vanilla? Is it a bad idea if I mash up the two recipes to get the Pinnacle Zucchini Bread for my tummy?
I made this and it was the best I’ve ever had. Now, I have an abundance of carrots and I know they don’t have the same water content, but could this recipe be used with them? Thanks!!
I can’t honestly say I was happy. I baked it 37 minutes and the toothpick seemed clean, but with the not-sqooze-out zucchini, it was just damp and stodgy, especially in the lower depths.
That 37 minutes was a typo … I let it go 57 minutes. Still don’t know why it didn’t work.
Your recipe is almost like the one I have been baking for years! YUM!
As a matter of fact the photo of yours is exactly like the one I took out of my oven a couple weeks ago. Was your photographer in my kitchen?
Lol, I am my own photographer, probably not. I am glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Made this yesterday with frozen zucchini that I’d bagged specifically for this recipe last summer. Figured I should do this before the new zucchini arrives. ;-) I had a lot of liquid and the bottom of the bread is a solid gummy line. The rest was cooked through although I didn’t get the full rise that I do with the pumpkin bread.
Still eating it as the flavour is excellent, but wondering if I should partly drain the frozen zucchini for next time? How watery is everyone’s batter?
I just made this and it’s definitely a keeper. I subbed a cup of almond flour since it was sitting around and it probably didn’t rise as much as it would have with regular flour, but the top is still crispy and the inside is moist! In order to get around not digging in right away, I took some of the batter and filled 3 muffin wrappers. Not overly sweet and soooo good!! Is there a way to print this recipe?
Amazing, as expected, and also a big hit with my toddler. I used 130g AP white flour and 120g whole wheat; reduced the white sugar to 50g; and used 1 tablespoon of white sugar on top as I didn’t have any coarse sugar. Excited to see how it tastes tomorrow!
Meant to add that i baked it for 55 minutes and checked the internal temp, which was almost 210. Learning to judge the doneness of quick breads and muffins by internal temp was a game changer.
I know I will lose the awesome crunchy good crust, but could I otherwise freeze the zucchini bread to save some for later?
Holy Moly! I just made these as muffins and wanted to say they are so so good. I also added 3/4 cup roasted pecan pieces and about 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. I baked for 30 min and they came out perfect. These will be a new staple in our house- thanks Deb!
Read the different comments and added fresh blueberries and walnuts. The zucchini bread is amazing!
Best zuchini bread I’ve ever made! Thanks Deb!
I followed the directions (and even double checked because I have been known to leave something out!), but something went wrong or my taste buds have failed. (isn’t that a sign of covid-19??? :-)) There was no flavor. The zucchini was fresh. I even added a 1/4 tsp ground cloves and allspice and doubled the cinnamon and nutmeg. But the texture was good and the crusty top was delightful. It won’t go to waste. Still enjoyable with a cup of coffee. But I don’t get it. ???
Just pulled a beautiful tall loaf out of the oven! Now to wait 24 hours before diving in… When I realized Deb’s recipe was almost a 2/3 sizing down (but 1/2 the sugar- less guilt!) of my chocolate zucchini bread recipe (which makes 2 squat loaves), I added 1/4 cup cocoa powder and instead of Deb’s spices did 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, glove, and cardamom. I’ve always had luck with a mixture of oil/applesauce/mashed bananas to replace the oil in my recipe, so I might try that here next time.
We made this last night as an emergency lunch for my daughter to take to camp today. OMG it was amazing. So easy to throw together, leave on the stove overnight, and enjoy the next day. I was skeptical, but we loved it, the kids loved it, the grandparents loved it. I will be making this again and again for sure. So good. I have never made a recipe of yours that wasn’t amazing. Thank you for all of the work you do!
I like to bake quick bread in 4”x 8” pans – I prefer the smaller slice size. I’m thinking I’ll double the recipe and get 3 4x8s out of it.
I made the bread yesterday using the red mill’s 1 to 1 gluten free flour and it was great. Everyone loved it, although the kids have a slight preference for the banana bread.
Came home from vacation to find a humongous 2lb zucchini in my garden. Grated and weighed it and ended up making 3 loaves of this bread. Added a little ground ginger for extra spice. Delicious! And thanks for including weights in your recipes!
I am making this now. How much will I regret it if I don’t wait until tomorrow to cut into it? My kids are going to have a hard time waiting (as am I).
I made this in a Bundt pan, sprinkled walnuts & turbinado sugar on top of batter. Pretty in a ring! I couldn’t wait to try it! Love that it’s less sugar! Very Delicious warm!
Trying this today, with my customary add-ins of bittersweet chocolate chips and toasted walnuts. I may up the leavening a tad to compensate for the add-ins. I’d fallen out of love with my usual zucchini bread recipe, which is the only one I found prior to this that used enough zucchini. I’ll report back!
Nancy did you up the leavening? I added in blitzed toasted pecans to one tray of muffins and got good rise but the second on with in chocolate chips is a bit flatter. Still yummy but I am curious of your outcome!
Anabanana, I did up the leavening by 1/4 tsp each for a total of 1.5 cups of chocolate chips and toasted walnuts. It helped, but next time I’ll up the baking powder by another 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. My bittersweet chocolate chips are oversized. Somewhere I have a note that indicates a ratio of leaveners per cup of add-ins, but of course I can’t remember where I stashed it.
I find most zucchini bread recipes to yield underwhelming results — but not this recipe! It has less sugar, you can actually taste some of the zucchini, and the crunchy top is everything.
I replaced a third of the all-purpose with whole wheat flour and added a bit more oil. You can’t even tell the whole wheat flour is there!
just made this one. Didn’t discover that i was out of brown sugar until i was wrist deep in making it. Subbed about 2/3 of the 1/2 cup measure with raw and buckwheat honey. Waiting right now… don’t know if i can resist until tomorrow
… i couldn’t wait… so yummy!
It’s that time of the year when all the people who grow zucchini have a glut of them and give them away for free, so that means it’s zucchini bread season! I’ve made this recipe a couple of times, and it’s one I come back to – I love how tender it is, how easy it is to make, and how well the zucchini flavour comes through.
I tend to tweak a couple of things – like Kelly I reduced the overall sugar content by about 50g, and subbed about 1/3rd wholemeal flour (spelt) to kid myself that it’s healthy. It yields one perfectly-sized loaf and two muffins for the kid who simply couldn’t wait until the next day to eat some. Really delicious!
Can’t wait to try this! If I want to add chocolate chips, how much would you recommend? Regular chips ok, or do you recommend mini chips? Thanks so much for sharing!
I used regular chocolate chips for muffins. I would start with 1/4 c and then add more if it doesn’t look like enough – I think the chip to muffin ratio is a preference thing.
My family and I love love this recipe. Not only easy but the best zucchini bread ever. Not oily like so many recipes. I add blueberries and pecans. I plant zucchini shred and freeze it just for this. Thank you so much.
Delicious! I made 2 batches of this today with zucchinis from my sister. I made one in a loaf pan and added about 1 cup toasted pecans, it took about an hour to bake through. For the second batch I made muffins and got about 20, filling each about 3/4 full. I added the toasted pecans in to the batter and for the second tray of muffins I added in 1/4 c chocolate chips and did not add the sugar topping (these are for today-snacking). The muffins baked 25-27 minutes but I started checking at 20. I used the food processor to grate the veg (I somehow have a food processor but not a box grater??).
Wow! These was the best zucchini bread ever! Easy and delicious!
I made it as per the directions. It’s a very dense loaf and rather moist. I waited overnight to try it and it seems a bit oily this morning. Taste wise, it’s OK. I even added a tbsp. of molasses to it.
Can you bake these in muffin form?
Of course it’s delicious, it has all that sugar in it. Can you make a recipe without sugar or with stevia that would be good? Prediabetic and trying to stay off sugar (and honey and syrup) …..
Can this be made as muffins?
Yes, you can fill them nearly to the brim. It should make about 12, possibly 13. I’d check the muffins at 22 minutes but they might take as long as 28.
Thank you! After posting I realized that about a million other people had already asked this question (it’s hard to see the comments on my phone).
Zucchini in my garden is getting ready to explode, so perfect timing on this recipe.
Anyone ever make this with a gluten free flour? Recommendations on brand? We have a newly diagnosed celiac so trying to adapt our favorite recipes!
Here are comments from people who have made this recipe with gluten-free adaptations:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1435999
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1436366
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1436828
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1437021
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1442583
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1444570
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1449998
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1599910
Has anyone tried using less sugar? I usually use half of what recipes call for, don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Will textured get messed up?
Yes, it will be more dry.
How long do I bake these if I make them as muffins?
You can fill them nearly to the brim. It should make about 12, possibly 13. I’d check the muffins at 22 minutes but they might take as long as 28.
Great recipe! I’d never made zucc bread before and this came out perfect. I did add a half cup of mini chocolate chips.
HOLY CROW this was delicious. We don’t have the willpower to wait, so we ate a few pieces that night… and I added some chia seeds (I’m partial to them). But even with modifications, it was the best zucchini bread we ever had. This was FANTASTIC
I forgot to put the sugar on top! 😢 But it was still delicious!
This was so easy to make. My newborn woke up from his nap and I was able to finish making it one handed while holding him in the other. That’s how easy! It also smells amazing!! It’s going to be hard to wait overnight before digging in.
I made this yesterday but couldn’t wait until today to try it. It lasted about 8 hours before we stole a slice. So moist! I attribute that to the juice from the zucchini and the oil. Toasted some in a pan this morning, shmeared it with moscarpone and am now in heaven. I am sure my glucose level went pretty high but it was worth it!
Why wait 24 hours to eat zuchinni bread?
I *just* made this and even not-quite-cooled fresh from the oven it’s wonderful. I had to adjust based on what’s on hand, so it’s whatever little squashes were in the CSA box this week (small, yellow on top/green on the bottom), all brown sugar, and half whole wheat/half white flour, and I’m pretty sure it was the right amount of baking soda but it was absolutely the last dregs of the box (I don’t bake much these days, this box could easily have been more than 5 years old!), and I threw a little powdered ginger in there along with the nutmeg and cinnamon (might add some cloves as well next time?). Since I store flour in the freezer and hadn’t brought it to room temp first, I ended up baking it for about 70 minutes total to get the center cooked through. The texture of the top is delightful. This will be my zucchini bread recipe from here on!
I’ve made many different recipes for zucchini bread over the years … I’m always looking for THE ONE … I stumbled across YOUR recipe and it looked interesting… I love mixing everything in one bowl … I made two loaves at the same time … only took 10 more minutes…they smelled heavenly!! I want a candle that smells like that !! They both looked just like your picture… It’ll be difficult , but I’ll leave them out overnight… gonna take one to work tomorrow… can’t wait to taste it … I’m sure it will taste as amazing as it looks … I think I’ve finally found THE ONE …
Delish!!!
LOVE this recipe! We waited a day before eating and it is unlikely to last another day since we keep eating and eating it. Such an easy recipe. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for another great recipe!
For grating the zucchini, do you peel them first? I have so far and am wondering if it is necessary or typical to do so.
I had the same question – but after scrutinizing the photos it didn’t look like she had peeled them before grating, so I didn’t either. They turned out great!
I never peel — no need to.
This was SO good, seriously delicious. Couldn’t wait until overnight so ate it on the day it was made, and then kept well for several days afterwards (uncovered as advised!). Going to make them into muffins to take on our holiday tomorrow!!
So very delicious. I added Walnuts and raisens and it was absolutely, TO DIE FOR!!! Also made muffins using this same recipe without the raisens and walnuts and OMG!!! SO GOOD!!!
Made this yesterday and let it sit almost 24 hours before trying it. I love the amount of zucchini that is put into it and I love the crunchy top. However, I think next time I will wring the water out of the zucchini and use a second bowl to mix the dry ingredients. I found the whole cake to be squishier than I’d like it to be. Not undercooked, though I probably could have left it in the oven a bit longer, but it did pass the toothpick test on both the top and middle after 55 minutes.
I love this recipe and make it multiple times/summer. I skip the topping and add milk chocolate chips. I have made it with too little zucchini and too much zucchini and it turns out fine; going to try it with summer squash (love to grow it, hate to eat it). It always took way longer than 60 minutes, more like 90, until today, when I accidentally baked at 400–done in 64 minutes. They’re a little brown on top, so I think 375 might be the perfect compromise.
I have a neighbor who has a cinnamon allergy. Wonder if this would still be great without it? Has anyone tried omitting cinnamon from a zucchini bread recipe and can share the results?
I just have to say — I put this in the oven, got distracted with work and completely forgot about it. It baked for almost 2 hours and was STILL delicious and perfectly moist on the inside! The outer edges were a little crispy, but very much edible. What a great recipe. THANK YOU!
This zucchini bread is so good, and I’ve tried a lot of zucchini bread recipes! I completely agree about adding more zucchini and was glad to see that’s what this recipe called for – it’s the best part! I wonder if you or anyone has tried it with less sugar? I may experiment with that next time to see if I can get away with it. (Only because of a Doctor-ordered low carb, low sugar diet right now while pregnant). Thanks
Loved this recipe! I have never been a fan of zucchini, but when I realized I had it growing in my garden (I had purchased a “victory garden” flat of veggie starts that included a squash.. I thought it was pumpkin; I was wrong), I turned to Smitten Kitchen for help. I remember zucchini bread as being just ok. This recipe is incredible. My kids are now anxiously awaiting our next harvest from the garden. My kids like it even better than banana bread (a favorite around here). There was actually a squabble over who got the last piece. Great recipe! Thanks!
I love that you think this could last 4-5 days 😂. We knocked it out in two, and it took effort for it to last that long. Making another one tonight! Trying it this time switching half the oil for applesauce and hoping I don’t regret it. Good thing I have more zucchini to try another if I fail…
First of all- came out amazing. Next do you have the nutrition info? Just curious. Thanks
Love this recipe. I did the sugar this way: 1/4 cup dark brown muscovado and 3/4 coconut sugar. It came out amazing and even more moist i believe because of the muscovado sugar
This is a great recipe but it is way too sweet. I use 60% of the original sugar and add an egg to replace moisture. It always turns out great.
My Zuke bread, while tasty, came out a little rubbery. Any thoughts?
This was delicious…I added 1/4 cup cocoa…then realized I forgot to adjust the flour amount but it turned out well and not too sweet, the way I like it. Will make it again, with and without the cocoa.
Have you tried this with summer squash? My garden is overflowing and I need other ways to use it!
Zucchini is a kind of summer squash so — yes. And you can use any summer squash you have.
Best zucchini bread ever! So moist! I love how easy and simple this recipe is. Honestly, I’m not an avid baker, so I only have one 9×5 loaf pan. This recipe allows me to use the equipment I have whereas most other recipes require two loaf pans.
I made this as muffins. I added about a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips (as other posters have recommended). It made one dozen muffins that rose beautifully. It took 35 minutes at 350. The muffins are delicious, but honestly the addition of chocolate chips (not in the original recipe) was sort of distracting. Next time I’d make the recipe without chocolate chips but possibly with chopped walnuts. I think the flavor would go well. To my taste the muffins were a bit too sweet, but that was with the chocolate chips which add sugar. Still, next time I make the recipe I’d cut back on the granulated sugar a bit. Great recipe.
What happens if I ran out of white flour and I had to substitute whole wheat flour instead? Also, is cane sugar the same thing as granulated sugar? Can they be used interchangeably ? Please let me know. Thank you.
Granulated sugar is cane sugar, too, but cane sugar-labeled packaged sugar can range from fine, white, and very granulated sugar-looking to something more coarse and brown. Either should work but may bake up differently. Re, whole wheat, you can, but it might be more dry and less tender.
Okay. Hot weather + small kitchen + gas oven = need to bake early in the morning. Just pulled it out of the oven & checked the rest of the recipe for cooling instructions. 24 HOURS!?!? Sometimes, Deb, I swear you live solely to torture us. But I trust you. And will be rewarded, even if not until tomorrow morning. Sigh.
I’ve made this twice now, first time added blueberries, second time added peaches. I also cut the sugar in half. Sheesh, this is fabulous! I made it as muffins and passed them out to neighbors, to raves. Thank you!
I was at the farmers market and decided to buy some zucchini toast to make that ultimate zucchini bread you posted the other day…got home and realized you posted it a YEAR ago! How did that happen?! In any case, my husband and two year old were delighted this morning when they were finally allowed to taste it! It was shockingly delicious :)
I was at the farmers market and decided to buy some zucchini to make that ultimate zucchini bread you posted the other day…got home and realized you posted it a YEAR ago! How did that happen?! In any case, my husband and two year old were delighted this morning when they were finally allowed to taste it! It was so delicious. Thanks for another keeper!
Do u by chance know how many grams this makes up? The weight of this cooked piece?
No but you could, if you so desired, add up all of the ingredient weights and you won’t be far off.
I made this twice in a week it’s so good! And, I made it with gluten free all purpose flour and it was great! It’s a perfect, delicious recipe and I can’t thank you enough.
Today marks the third time I’m making this lovely bread. Just fantastic! definitely going to double it today!
Delicious! Even my Uber picky grandsons loved it, I was nervous they see the zucchini shreds and not eat it. I made it into 12 muffins and one small loaf. So moist and tasty. Did eat it immediately after cooling; but the muffins saved until morning were even more yummy. Excellent as always Deb- your recipes are always a thumbs up!!
I’ve made this twice, it’s fabulous! The sugary top is brilliant. First time around it was kind of under done inside, I had turned the oven down a bit. So this time I omitted a little bit of zucchini because that’s all I had, and at around 50 minutes, I tented the top with aluminum foil so the sugar wouldn’t burn. Baked it for the full 60. Thank you for this!
I just made a loaf and loved it! I’ve reduced the granulated sugar to 1/4 cup and added 3/4 cup of raisins to the mix. Maximum taste plus minimal effort = recipe to keep!!
Could you substitute flax eggs for the eggs to make this vegan?
So very good, so easy…I will make this again and again and will never need another recipe for zucchini bread!! Thank you!!
I made this because a friend gave me a big zucchini from her garden, followed the recipe exactly and have never gotten so many compliments. I’d like to make two 1 lb. loaves rather than the 2 lb. loaf the recipe calls for. My question is should I bake the two loaves for the same amount of time (55 – 60 minutes) the recipe calls for or reduce the baking time? If the latter, for how long should I bake them? Thanks!
Smaller loaves will bake faster, but I’m not sure how much. I’d check in about half or 2/3 of the way through the baking time, and from there, more often, until a toothpick comes out clean.
OK two thumbs up for this! Hubby says it reminds him (postively) of bread pudding (which I do not like), but it just really lovely. I used pearl sugar on top – nom, love the crunchy topping.
I am harvesting about 12 courgettes (zucchini) each day so a really good recipe is vital. I have grated portions already for the freezer so we won’t miss it after the deluge…
We got “zucchini bombed” by a neighbor, and were searching for non-wasteful ways to use a huge squash (we usually use them for target practice). Your best-ever zucchini bread recipe came just at the right time. We loved its crunchy top and perfect spices, but thought it needed some walnuts for additional crunch. However, no basic complaints here.
So so delicious!! I had bought the raw sugar for your banana bread and never got around to it! Glad that I found this recipe to use it. Love it! I’ll be using this sugar topping method for future baked goods.
Can I use the yellow variety of summer squash in this recipe?
Yes
I made this zucchini bread last night. Love the recipe and your take on keeping zucchini wet and the ease of putting it together, but then was surprised that the bread was still a bit dry! What could I have done wrong?
My zucchine bread is in the oven. I’m one person and bake often. Can you freeze half of this? If “yes” how do you suggest wrapping it?
I ❤️ Smitten Kitchen. My pandemic site of choice. Always hapoy with the tesults
Thanks
I made this two of them actually one after the other because the first one was so good..
it is easy and uses a bunch of zucchini ..I loved the special instructions about leaving it uncovered overnight so that the top retains the crunch..very cute and true!!
Delicious..thank you
Just made this, and while you may be disappointed to learn that I cut it warm, it is outrageously good!
This is my new go-to zucchini bread recipe. I grated all the squash I had in the fridge, and it was enough for a double batch. I used half melted butter and half avocado oil. I also used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice, because much to my surprise, I was out of cinnamon. Must’ve been all of the pandemic baking! Threw about a half cup of chocolate chips and a cup of walnuts in. 2 large loaves took about an hour to bake. It was perfection. Easy, moist, not overly sweet.
Hello! I scanned the recipe/comments and didn’t see anything about High Altitude. Any thoughts? I’m at 5280′ in Denver and definitely want to give it a try, but don’t want to mess it up!
Thanks much!
I found only one so far: https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1442220
I don’t have any personally tested high-altitude baking tips (I live basically at sea level), but understand the ones on King Arthur’s site are great.
I usually have good success with smitten kitchen recipes but this was a huge fail. The only good part was the crusty top with the turbinado sugar. Ate the next day as recommended and the loaf tasted and smelled like raw flour. Definitely better recipes out there, I absolutely wouldn’t make this again
I made this bread last night. By far the best recipe I have ever had for zucchini bread. I made 4 loaves baked all 4 loaves on the same rack in the oven. Added about 8 min. For a total of 68 min. They turned out perfect taste great. Thank you for such a good recipe.
Delicious! I have made this twice. My favourite part in the crunchy topping! I loved the ease of the recipe plus the fact that it is only for 1 loaf instead of 2! Two adjstments I made:
– Cook time: First time I made it in a loaf pan and it was very undercooked. Second time I baked it in a 8×8 pan and had it in the oven for an extra 15 mins and it came out perfect!
– I added extra cinnamon as well as nutmeg and clove! I love my spice!
– I also did not wait the 24 hours to eat and it was just as delicious! I loved it warm from the over
I will def be making this again! Thanks!
Hi! I made this recipe – delicious, by the way – but I did have an unexpected result. The ends were baked, but the middle section was raw, and had a hole in it the size of a golf ball. When I was done baking it, I had tested it with a toothpick and with a skewer (I don’t have a cake tester), and both came out clean. What happened?
Been following you for years. Your site is my go-to for all things baking :) Thanks so much!
Did the toothpick go into the places that were raw? I often have to poke it around a lot because there can be uncooked pockets.
The hole may have been too deep for the toothpick, but I was pretty sure I had poked the skewer through it; the raw parts were throughout the middle of the bread, I thought the skewer would have at least hit some of it. Could it also be because I used too much zucchini?
So for next time – I’m hearing I should definitely poke around at bit. Are there any other signs I can look for to see if it needs a bit longer?
I’ll jump in here and respond that yes, if you added more zucchini than the recipe called for it will affect the batter, making it wetter and heavier. That will affect cooking time and give it a heavy, gluey texture. So you may have figured out what went wrong. I made this and it turned out great. But any time you tamper with a baking recipe you may not get the result you expect! Good luck!
no print button.!? love your recipes
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL or ⌘ + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template. We will definitely make it easier to find when we next redesign.
OOh, looks interesting. I’ve never eaten or made zucchini bread before. Will have to wait until summer (I’m in New Zealand), when I’ll have a crop in my garden to use. Due to covid, zucchini are ridiculously expensive here at the moment.
I absolutely love this ZucchiniBread thank you for the recipe…
don’t understand people having trouble with holes etc..
I made one one day another the next ..no prob..
I guess everyones ovens are different..
Crunchy top the best!!
Can you sub unsweetened apple sauce for the oil? I love this recipe, I’m just also on weight watchers and while I usually don’t count daily drizzles of olive oil, I’d have to count 2/3 of a cup! Thank you for everything you do!!
I haven’t tried it but here are comments from people who did, all or in part:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1443841
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/ultimate-zucchini-bread/#comment-1590326
This is the best zucchini bread I have ever eaten. My husband made it yesterday, loved the one bowl, get it done method. We have devoured most of the loaf ourselves.
It is everything you said it would be and will be our absolute go to for the overflow crop. Thank you for your many foolproof recipes.
Made these just now, DELICIOUS! I made them gluten free muffins: 120 g sorghum flour, 50 g tapioca flour, the rest i used a GF baking mix (but I’ll use just sorghum and tapioca next time, increasing the weight according to the above ratio). Also added 3/4 tsp xantham gum. Baked both muffin tins at once for 20 mins on convection, rotating halfway through.
As GF baked goods react differently with, among other things, air, I’ll test out half the batch left out as per the recipe instructions, half go in the freezer once cooled. Couldn’t resist eating one immediately- I can rationalize it by referring to the previous comment on air, but really it was because they smelled so dang good! I regret nothing.
I made this zucchini bread vegan by using ground flaxseed and water to sub for the eggs (2 TBS flaxseed meal and 5 TBS water that sits for 10 minutes before using). I always make my as muffins because I can freeze muffins for longer keeping and portion control. It is true that the muffins/bread are better the next day. The baking soda taste disappears.
This is the best zucchini bread recipe ever, I’ve made it many times this summer since my garden is producing massive amounts of fresh zucchini. I like it a little bit sweeter so I usually increase the total sugar to 1-1/4 cups. The sugar topping is good while fresh but turns sticky quickly so I usually skip it if i’m going to give the bread away. This recipe is infinitely adaptable and I sometimes add nuts/chocolate chips and vary the spices. I have also tweaked it to make chocolate (replace 60g of the flour with cocoa, increase total sugar to about 1-1/2 cups) and lemon varieties (all granulated sugar, add zest of two lemons, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract).
Thanks for posting this recipe! My father and sister both garden and have been giving me vast quantities of zucchini. I am expecting my first child in 3 weeks so have been baking up goodies to freeze so we have treats to munch on when baby comes. Perhaps worth noting that I am at high altitude (6,000 ft).
I made this twice: the first time as a loaf using vegetable oil and chia seeds to replace the eggs. (I have some vegan family members) This was tasty but it did not dome up in the middle and was a little soggy in areas – at first I thought it was underdone (baked for 1hr 10 min) but I think the issue was the chia seed replacement. It seemed that the zucchini clumped up in areas and made little soggy spots. It did have a nice crust on top. Even with the soft areas, I would make again with the egg replacement – my family members said “it’s not soggy, it’s moist”. (Next time I may wring out the zucchini when using the vegan egg replacement in case that might help.)
The second time I made muffins and used actual eggs (filled my muffin tins pretty much to the top – there was enough batter for 12 and they domed up but not too high. Baked for 25 minutes at 350.) These were perfect which for me confirms that the issue with the loaf was the egg replacement. Overall very happy with the recipe and planning to make another batch of muffins to freeze!
Excellent! Baked in a square pan, added a heaping cup of frozen blueberries and some walnuts. Winner!
Added 1/2 cup of carrot because I ran out of zucchini (1 1/2 cups) and they were not only delicious but really lovely to boot! And we baked them as muffins and mini- muffins. 25 minutes and 16 minutes respectively. They freeze very well.
Well, this was just perfect! I will say that no one wanted to wait until tomorrow to try it, and it’s half gone now. The three kids who ate it like zucchini in most forms, but this was a big hit. I followed the recipe exactly, and baked it for an hour. One bowl. One mixing fork. Deliciousness. Win-win.
Made this yesterday and it is hands down the BEST ever !! The neighbor gave me a large over grown zucchini and she is allergic to eggs so I followed the suggestion and used applesauce in place of the eggs. ( 1/4 cup per egg ) Followed all the other directions to the letter and everyone raved about it . Moist, full of flavor and loving the sugar sprinkle on top. WINNER !! Thanks for the excellent recipe. Joy !!
I’m here to report that this is an extra-good recipe. My mom died recently, and a week or two later my friend gave me a large zucchini from his garden. It spent a few days on my counter, then got put in the refrigerator. It was all but forgotten during the very busy days of working on emptying my mom’s house for sale, and eating lots of carryout. Fast forward to last weekend when I took the six-week-old zucchini out of the fridge, grated it up, and made this. I took some that night to the zucchini’s grower and told him that it had been made with his antique zucchini. He was surprised. We both found it delicious even though yes, we were eating it on the very day it was baked. I’ve kept the remainder in the loaf pan, haven’t even bothered to wrap foil around the exposed end, and it is very, very good. Hard to say if it’s actually improved in the three days since I baked it, but it certainly hasn’t lost anything.
Just popped my fourth load in the oven and decided to experiment with browned butter! It’s such an amazing recipe, thank you!
Delicious! We’ve made them twice in the past week, in loaf and muffin form. My daughter is allergic to eggs so I tried several subs to make them vegan. The best results were with half a cup of seltzer water. It was surprisingly fluffy for a vegan baked good and stayed moist even after a few days.
So I made a couple loaves tonight. I let them cool and tried two slices. I found them to be bland. They had a hint of sweetness but not like my mother’s recipe. I had to make honey butter to put on them to add some more sweetness. Normally I love your recipes but this one will be a no for me.
I’ve now made 4 loaves of this stuff in the past 2 days. Hands down, the best zucchini bread recipe I’ve ever tried….and I’ve made a LOT of zucchini bread in my day! I never even bother growing it because my neighbors will “zuke bomb” me, leaving a zucchini on the porch, ringing the doorbell and running away (not really on that last part haha).
Because of the number of loaves I’m making, I didn’t leave it in the pan overnight, but it’s just as tasty with that crunchy top out of the pan. Also, added about 3/4 – 1 cup chopped walnuts because I like them in my bread.
I seriously will never need another zucchini bread recipe, ever. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is a keeper, for sure! First time I made it, I followed directions with the exception of using light brown sugar instead of dark (its what I had in the pantry). This time, I spread my wings a bit and added some walnuts and cranberries…not too many, just enough for a little bud surprise. Hubs is super excited to have some tonight…..don’t think I have the heart to make him wait until morning.
can you make it without the raw sugar?
Yes; you just won’t have the same crunch on top.
I made this and it turned out great. Perfect texture and moisture level. I replaced cinnamon with cardamom for a different flavor and it was delicious. While it is hard to wait overnight for it to cool, it does taste better the next day.
Great recipe, came out moist and wonderfully delicious. I did add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. Thank you and this will be my only zucchini loaf that I will be making in the future.
I have a fresh blue Hubbard squash that is curing at the moment. Do you think I can replace the zucchini with the roasted and puréed squash?
Thanks!
I’m not sure it’s a clear swap here because there’s a different moisture content, however, I do think you could use the mashed puree in this pumpkin bread. The key is you want the puree to have the same moisture content as canned pumpkin; add a spoonful or two of water if it’s more dry.
This recipe is a keeper! I added mini chocolate chips – so good!
Just made this, but the flour weight measure is off – 1/2 c = 90 g, so 2 c = 360 (not 260). Can’t wait to taste it tomorrow! :-)
My cups of flour weigh in at 130 grams. Some people (King Arthur Baking) get 120 grams. Cook’s Illustrated uses 140 grams. I find the middle to be the most accurate.
It’s great in a coconut chocolate chip variant as well. Omit the cinnamon and nutmeg, and add 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut and 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract.
For the zucchini bread in the pictures, did you use butter or oil for the fat? The texture looks perfect and I want to do my best to recreate it.
Hi Deb! I’ve made this numerous times before and love it but just wondering if you think I could do half zucchini and half grated apple? I happen to have a bunch of apples on hand. Also maybe I should cut the sugar a bit? Thanks! Love your recipes! Been following you for quite a while :)
Thank you! I think you could. I’m not sure it would need much less sugar because I don’t find that apples bake up sweet unless sugar is added. But you might be able to drop 3T
This was delicious! So moist. After seeing the recommendation to add miso to banana bread over on 600 Acres, I tried that here with 1tbsp (I have too much miso and am trying to pare down the jars in my fridge!). Also, discovered I was out of white sugar, so subbed brown sugar for the whole recipe. And used a summer squash from my CSA, rather than green zucchini. All amendments seemed to have no negative effects, and look forward to making this recipe again!
Thank you for providing delicious, one-bowl recipes! I have really enjoyed making your one bowl banana and pumpkin breads and sharing them with friends and family during this pandemic. I so appreciate not having to wash extra dishes or drag out heavy equipment. Thank you!!
my go to zucchini recipe – perfection!
I have made this all summer with lovely results. But the last two times, especially leaving it on the counter as Deb recommends, an unpleasant taste and excessive moistness has happened after 2 days – I can’t even quite explain the taste, but it’s not good. Is it that I didn’t bake the bread long enough (I did at 55 min)? Or the zucchini are just too most? I did the recipe exactly as called but subbed in 1/2 cup of whole wheat barley flour. I don’t want anymore to go to waste in the compost bin :(
It’s right up there with your ultimate banana bread; I think the crunchy topping is the crowning glory!
It look more than one bowl; I had to weigh out the flour and I mixed the oil, eggs, sugars, etc. together. But it was pretty easy sailing and that. It took 65 minutes. I let it cool off but was feeling the need for a little sweet thing at 4 this afternoon and had an end piece. It was PERFECT! I know it’ll be even better tomorrow.
Thanks again, Deb.
OMG.! Mine is in the oven right now and smells amazing. The top is getting crusty and sugery. Can’t wait.
I made this twice this weekend. So many zucchinis! The first time I made it exactly as written. I used a scale to weigh the ingredients in grams which is my preferred way to bake. The loaf took about 57 minutes to reach perfection and it had an amazing dome. I love it. My husband found it much too sweet for his liking, so I said I’d make a second batch with 50% reduction in sugar. So, the next day, I shredded more zucchini (used a food processor. So easy!) I followed the recipe except for I cut both types of sugar in half. I made muffins with this round and still used copious turbinado on the top. They needed about 30 mins in the oven and came out great. A bit more breakfast and less treat with the sugar reduction! I liked it both ways.
This was excellent (even when we ate it right out of the oven since we couldn’t stand to wait a day)! My go to recipe from now on.
Are you telling me (after an exhaustive missive about how common-sense, practical, and easy this recipe is) that you have to cool it OVERNIGHT?!
Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Mine’s in the oven now – I’ll report back if there is an unparalleled disaster when I bust into it a couple hours from now!
I’ve made this several times; the texture is definitely better if it waits until it’s completely cool. Deb posts in a couple of places how it firms up and doesn’t crumble as much. Same is true for her ultimate banana bread.
KatieK,
Thanks for responding! My question is: isn’t a couple hours enough to completely cool? Is overnight going to improve it much more? I did a couple hours, and we LOVED it. Hmmm – I guess I’ll just have to make it again and see if there is a difference! ;-)
thanks!
Several hours will get it cool enough so it can get out of the pan to further cool. I admit, I usually sneak a piece from the end. But it is still better the next morning. Nothing is lost by cutting a piece off a bit prematurely. The trick is keeping the top’s wonderful sugary crust, so I usually tip it over cut side down, with the other end up in the air. Make sense???
Yes, and I bought more ingredients, so I will be trying it again!!
It’s not really about the cooling, as much as what happens when the ingredients settle in for a bunch of hours. I promise, it’s great right out of the oven. But it’s exceptional the next day or, say, 8 to 12 hours later. The crumb becomes more unified, less loose. The bread tastes more moist. And the top gets further dry and crisp.
This is WONDERFUL. I followed your instructions to the letter, except (ha ha!) I stirred it not with a fork but one of those bread dough stirrer things (aka Danish dough whisk), which works a treat. Thanks to all the zucchinis random people give me, and thanks to this recipe, I have bags and bags of preshredded zucchini in my freezer, all weighed to the gram just for this recipe. I love the crunchy top; I love how moist it is; I love how you just leave it in the pan out on the counter, so you can have a slice while on a break. This recipe is a total win.
Have just converted my entire family to zucchini bread…the same family that swore they wouldn’t like zucchini bread or anything with spices! awesome recipe! So delicious!
I recently made your ultimate banana bread and looooooved it! I was looking for a lemon zucchini bread recipe and came here hoping you would have something like that. I was thinking of adapting this recipe to make a lemon zucchini bread. Aside from the obvious change in spices, do you think I would need to make any major modifications with regard to moisture? Thanks!
I made this and it was SO GOOD!!!! Literally so moist and just amazing. Will be making again soon!!!
This is an amazing recipe! Thank you, Deb! I love that I can simply trust what you say and it will work out perfectly <3
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