Moist Zucchini Bread

Moist zucchini bread bakes up tender, fragrant, and perfectly snackable. It’s simple, satisfying, and has been in my family for generations!

Moist zucchini bread utilizes one of summer’s most prolific crops, but it’s baked into a soft, moist, dense, spice-laden loaf that goes perfectly well with cooler temperatures and warm drinks. You’ll keep making this recipe until zucchini goes out of season. Then you’ll just switch to pumpkin zucchini bread or chocolate chip pumpkin bread!

Move aside heirloom tomato sauce! My mom’s zucchini bread is one of the most quintessential recipes of my childhood, and I’m amazed it’s taken me this long to bring it to your face. This recipe is one of those recipes, like mom’s best egg salad recipe and her baked bean casserole, that has endured and will continue to do so in our family for years to come.

Professional tips for this easy zucchini bread recipe:

• Don’t over-mix. Over-mixing is especially easy with one bowl quick bread recipes. I switch from a whisk to a spatula to finish folding the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
• Carefully measure your flour. Measure your flour by fluffing it up in the bag, spooning it, and leveling it with a knife. 
• Watch that bake time! Quick breads bake a long time, so it can be easy to over or under bake them. Keep a cake tester nearby and do a quick check as you near the 35 minute mark.

Ingredients

• Granulated Sugar: I use granulated sugar in my quick breads for flavor. It also aids in the bread’s leavening, moisture, texture, and stability. You can always add a pinch of kosher salt to balance the sweetness. Another option is to use half brown sugar for a molasses note.
• Vegetable Oil
• Whole Eggs: Eggs help bind this bread batter together. Do not substitute the eggs in this specific recipe.
• Vanilla Extract
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to hold all the sugar, oil, and zucchini without making a chewy, tough quick bread. If you test this recipe with gluten-free flour, drop me a comment to let me know how it goes!
• Cinnamon
• Baking Powder & Soda: Using baking powder and baking soda gives this bread a more even rise in the oven.
• Nutmeg
• Zucchini: You will need about 2 cups of grated zucchini or two medium zucchinis for this recipe. Save any extra zucchini for a savory dish like my zucchini nachos!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Bake zucchini muffins instead. This zucchini bread recipe turns into my on-the-go afternoon snack when I bake it in muffin form, similar to my banana bread muffins. Just divide the batter into lined muffin tins or three smaller 5-inch loaf pans. I’d bake it for about half the time. I also love topping those with my cream cheese frosting recipe! The muffins are especially wonderful if you mix in some chocolate chips.
• Make a streusel topping. You can use oat, cinnamon, or pecan streusel. A streusel made with nuts, like walnuts, will add a nice bit of crunch! Sprinkle a crumb topping, like the one from my coffee cake muffins, on top before baking, but be sure not to put too much, since it could keep the bread from rising. Or mix in some chocolate chips, like my chocolate chip zucchini bread!
• Substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil. Just like I did in my fluffy coconut flour pancakes, you can use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. It will still be moist, flavorful and you won’t taste the coconut.

Instructions: How to Make Moist Zucchini Bread

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.

For extra flavor and texture, coat the inside of the pans with granulated sugar after greasing, tilting the pans to coat the sides and tapping out excess.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg until well blended.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; stir until just combined. 

Stir only until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

Step 5: Using a standard box grater, grate your zucchini. Pat zucchini dry with a paper towel to prevent excess moisture that can make the bread gummy. Stir in zucchini.

Step 6: Divide batter evenly between loaf pans. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, loosely tent your loaf with aluminum foil. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. No wet batter!

Step 7: Cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Let bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cutting too soon can compress the crumb and make the bread seem underbaked.

Frequently Asked Questions on Zucchini Recipes

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed quick bread recipes!