Anyone with a garden knows how prolific zucchini can be. Before you know it, the dozens of squash blossoms on each plant turn into a zucchini. They start out small, but when left unpicked, these vegetables get more and more massive. But the more you pick them, the more zucchini you have! (If you’ve ever locked your front door and pretended you weren’t home to keep your neighbors from dropping off zucchini gifts, you know what I’m talking about.)
Instead of bemoaning the abundance of zucchini season, embrace it by preparing these summer squash for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even better, eat them for dessert by learning how to make zucchini bread. This recipe yields two loaves that freeze well for up to three months, so you’ll have this quick bread on hand long after the last zucchini leaves the garden.
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What Is Zucchini Bread?
Zucchini bread is a type of quick bread. Despite being made with a vegetable, zucchini bread is sweet. The grated zucchini softens as it cooks, leaving the peel’s green flecks as the only evidence of its presence. Grated zucchini also adds moisture. The addition of warming spices like cinnamon, bright citrus zest and tender nuts give zucchini bread a complex flavor that’s hard to beat.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
This is our go-to zucchini bread recipe because it turns out super moist and flavorful. Adding chopped walnuts or pecans gives the bread a more interesting texture, but you can leave them out if you’re baking for someone with nut allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Essential Tools You’ll Need
- The most important tool for making quick breads is a sturdy loaf pan. We like these pans because they have a nonstick coating. Combined with proper greasing and flouring, that ensures you won’t leave chunks of zucchini bread behind in the pan.
- We also recommend picking up an oven thermometer. These inexpensive tools are the best way to know—not guess—that your oven is actually preheated to 350°F before you get started.
- Finally, you’ll need a wire rack for cooling the zucchini bread. Slicing hot zucchini is a sure-fire way to end up with a pile of crumbs, and the rack allows air to circulate around the loaf to cool it more evenly.
Step 1: Make the batter
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until the mixture is well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—the flour, salt, baking soda, lemon zest, cinnamon and baking powder. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture, stirring it until the mixture is just moistened. You don’t want to overmix, so it’s okay if there are some tiny clumps of flour remaining.
Step 2: Grate the zucchini and fold it in
The fastest way to grate a zucchini is to use a food processor with the grating attachment, but you can certainly grate by hand using a box grater. Just be sure to use the side with the largest holes, otherwise the zucchini will turn into mush.
There’s no need to peel the zucchini before grating it. The peels are tender enough to eat and create lovely flecks of green color in your bread, so just wash and scrub the zucchini to remove any soil. Then, trim off the stem end of the zucchini and feed it lengthwise through the food processor or box grater.
Finish the batter by folding in the zucchini and walnuts or pecans (if using).
Step 3: Bake to perfection
Transfer the batter to the greased 8×4-inch loaf pans and bake for 55 to 65 minutes at 350ºF, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the zucchini bread cool for about 10 minutes in the pans.
Gently run a butter knife along the side of the loaf pan to release the zucchini bread. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on wire racks before slicing.
Editor’s tip: Zucchini bread batter contains a ton of moisture, and it takes a long time to bake through to the middle. If the bread isn’t finished after the allotted baking time, tent the loaf pan with a piece of aluminum foil to keep the top from over-browning and bake it for an additional 10 to 30 minutes.
How to Store Quick Breads
Most zucchini bread recipes make two loaves. That might sound like one loaf too many, but it can go pretty quickly. Enjoy a slice with butter or mascarpone for breakfast and snacks, or serve it with cream cheese frosting or whipped cream for dessert. It also stores pretty well: about two days on the counter or a full week in the refrigerator.
If you still have leftovers after a week, pop it into the freezer. To freeze zucchini bread, place it in an airtight bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. We like slicing it and wrapping individual portions to thaw them out one at a time, but feel free to freeze the whole loaf intact. Once frozen, zucchini bread is good for about three months.
Help! I Need to Know…
…how to prevent the bread from falling apart
If your zucchini bread is falling apart, it most likely was too warm when you sliced it. (We don’t blame you, though.) The bread’s high moisture content can cause the hot bread to crumble instead of holding together. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
…how to keep zucchini bread from collapsing
Your zucchini bread looks picture-perfect when it comes out of the oven, but what causes it to fall as it cools? You might have overmixed the batter when you combined the dry and wet ingredients. Try using a gentler hand next time and mix just until the flour is incorporated. You don’t want any large clumps of flour, but a few small ones are okay.
Also, be sure that you’re measuring ingredients correctly. Too much or too little baking powder and baking soda can cause this collapse.
It’s also possible that you overfilled the pan. Loaf pans shouldn’t be filled all the way to the top, so don’t try to cram all the batter for this two-loaf recipe into a single 8×4 loaf pan.
…what to do if the bread isn’t baked in the middle
Several factors can lead to undercooked bread, and most of them can be prevented. For starters, make sure your oven temperature is accurate by using an oven thermometer. You also want to fully preheat the oven before adding the loaf.
If the temps are spot-on but your bread still isn’t baked in 55 to 65 minutes, tent the loaf with a piece of aluminum foil and bake it for an additional 10 to 30 minutes. Zucchinis vary in moisture content, so you may have to be patient. If you’re not having any luck after the additional baking time, the zucchini may have contained too much moisture. Next time, try squeezing the grated zucchini in your hands and discarding the liquid before folding it into the batter.
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At my husband's urging, I entered this recipe at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and won first place! I think you'll love the cakelike texture and tropical flavors. —Sharon Rydbom, Tipton, Pennsylvania
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I asked my grandmother for this recipe after trying these irresistible spice cupcakes at her home. I love their creamy caramel frosting. They're such a scrumptious dessert, you actually forget you're eating your vegetables, too! —Virginia Lapierre, Greensboro Bend, Vermont
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I try to slip zucchini into as many dishes as possible. These cake wedges have wonderful flavor and a tender texture. They are pretty, too, with bits of pineapple, cranberries and zucchini. And they're perfect for brunch.—Redawna Kalynchuk, Sexsmith, Alberta
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As a confirmed chocoholic, this is my all-time favorite treat. I found the original recipe more than 20 years ago, but have lightened it up quite a bit. Everyone asks for the recipe, and no one suspects that it's lighter than most chocolate cakes. —Carleta Foltz, Sunrise Beach, Missouri
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We planted one too many zucchini plants a few summers ago and harvested a lot of zucchini that year. I was looking for ways to use them, and this delicious dessert is the result. —Nancy Morelli, Livonia, Michigan
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Whenever I make these muffins, I freeze several. As I'm leaving for work in the morning, I pull one out and enjoy it at the office with a cup of coffee. —Janet Pierce DeCori, Rockton, Illinois
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Our family absolutely loves zucchini, especially when we grow it ourselves. We’ve found many ways to use it, including this spiced cake that’s super moist and chocolaty good. —Sue Falk, Warren, Michigan
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Grated zucchini makes this cake really moist, and the topping adds a nice crunch. When zucchini is in season, I shred, measure and freeze it in 2-cup amounts for this favorite recipe. —Lois M Holben, Creal Springs, Illinois
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These cookies are fantastic. They don't last very long at my house. Why don't you see how long they will last at yours? —Mili Seemar, Chatham, New Jersey
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Nutmeg and cinnamon add spice to these flavorful loaves. The flecks of green zucchini and red cranberries give each slice a festive look that's just right for the holidays. —Alice Manzo, South Easton, Massachusetts
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These zucchini chocolate chip cookies are a grab-and-eat version of my aunt's zucchini bread. They're perfect for my family's get-togethers. They taste even better if you make them the day before. —Melissa Obernesser, Utica, New York
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This cobbler is my surprise dessert! No one ever guesses that the "secret ingredient" is zucchini. Everyone says it tastes like apples. It's great to make for a potluck supper or to serve a crowd. This zucchini bars recipe has been requested time and again in my house, and I'm always happy to make it. —Joanne Fazio, Carbondale, PennsylvaniaThe post How to Make Zucchini Bread appeared first on Taste of Home.
Lindsay D. Mattison