How to Make Zucchini Bread

How to Make Zucchini Bread – Today’s zucchini bread comes together in just 5 minutes with simple kitchen tools– a couple of bowls and a whisk. You do, however, need a grater to shred the zucchini. 

Why Zucchini Bread Is a Must-Try

Fortunately, the pathway into my naturally resistant-to-new-foods teenage mind had already been cut with carrot cake. Heck, if you could get something that good out of carrots, why not zucchini?

After one bite, I was sold forever. Grated zucchini, mixed into the batter, brings moisture and tender texture to what is essentially a spice cake.

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil you can substitute applesauce for 1/2 the oil
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups grated zucchini you can add a little more, I always do!
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Grease two 8 x 4 inch bread pans or 6 mini loaf plans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until combined. Grate zucchini.  Squeeze out excess water, if you can. Stir into the mixture along with the nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. My mini-loaf pans take about 35-40 minutes. Large sized loaves take about 55 minutes.Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. Enjoy!

New to making zucchini bread? Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years:

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BAKE ZUCCHINI BREAD?

A regular 8-9″ loaf pan of zucchini bread will bake in about 55-60 minutes. If you like using mini loaf pans, they take 35-40 minutes to bake. If you’d like to adapt this recipe for muffins instead, bake those for 18-20 minutes. Always check for doneness either by measuring the temperature of the bread with a meat thermometer- it should read 200 degrees F- or by inserting a toothpick in the center and having it come out clean.

DO YOU HAVE TO PEEL ZUCCHINI TO MAKE ZUCCHINI BREAD?

No you do not have to peel zucchini before making zucchini bread. The peel on the outside of a zucchini is a lovely dark green and very tender. I just wash the zucchini, cut off the ends and then grate the entire vegetable. It’s very simple to do and I love seeing the tiny flecks of green in the bread after it’s baked.

SHOULD I SQUEEZE EXCESS WATER OUT OF MY ZUCCHINI BEFORE MAKING ZUCCHINI BREAD?

Yes, you should squeeze out excess water from grated zucchini before adding it to your batter. Zucchini naturally has a lot of water in it. that becomes quite clear after grating it, if you simply leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes, the water will begin accumulating in the bowl! I like to squeeze as much out as possible before making it into zucchini bread. Interestingly enough, each zucchini is a bit different when it comes to water content. I find zucchini straight from my garden has quite a bit more water in it than zucchini from the grocery store. Both work well in this recipe! I say use what you’ve got!

CAN I USE FROZEN GRATED ZUCCHINI TO MAKE ZUCCHINI BREAD?

Yes you can use frozen grated zucchini to make zucchini bread. Just defrost it, then squeeze out as much water as you can before mixing it in. Personally, I’m not a fan of how frozen zucchini tastes, so I like to bake several loaves of bread, then after cooling completely, I wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in a ziplock bag until we’re ready to eat it.

DID YOUR ZUCCHINI BREAD SINK IN THE MIDDLE?

Here’s how to help your zucchini bread not sink in the middle after it’s baked. This happens to me occasionally too! Often it’s because I’ve over mixed the batter. Quick bread (referring to a bread recipe that doesn’t use yeast) does not like to be stirred too much, so try to just barely mix all the ingredients together. Another culprit could be overfilling the pan. The bread pan should be only half full each time. The recipe below makes 2 loaves of bread, or you can make 1 loaf of bread and 3 mini loaves… or 6 mini loaves. As always, make sure your baking soda isn’t too old- it should only be on your shelf for 6-9 months before purchasing new.

HOW DO YOU MAKE HEALTHY ZUCCHINI BREAD?

It’s easy to make changes to a regular zucchini bread recipe to make it more healthy. If you’d like to make a few changes to my recipe to make a healthier version of zucchini bread, I’ve got great news- this recipe is incredibly versatile! I suggest leaving out the 1 cup of white sugar, replacing half or all of the oil with apple sauce and using half whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose. Then you’ll have a traditional healthy zucchini bread recipe!

BEST BREAD PAN?

I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking.  I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!

How to Prep Zucchini for the Best Zucchini Bread

Grate the zucchini on a standard box grater. No need to peel!

Note that different zucchini can really vary in their moisture content, depending on if they were garden picked in season or store-bought off season.

A tip I learned from my grandmother is if I grate zucchini and it is on the dry side, to sprinkle water over it, and then let in drain in a sieve.

What Can I Add to Zucchini Bread?

After grating, place the grated zucchini in a sieve over a bowl to drain any excess moisture while you prep the other ingredients.

Walnuts and pecans are especially good in zucchini bread, and so is dried fruit. I like raisins or dried cranberries, but you can also add shredded coconut or a handful of mini chocolate chips. A bit of orange zest would work too, or grated apples or carrots.

For a version with crushed pineapple, try my Zucchini Bread with Pineapple recipe.

How to Store and Keep Zucchini Bread

This bread will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for several days. If you would like to freeze it, let it cool down all the way first, wrap it in plastic wrap, and then wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.

Frozen zucchini bread will taste best if you eat it within 3 months. Thaw it on the countertop, still wrapped, or in a low oven. (More freezing and thawing advice in this post.)

Conclusion

The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!