This easy zucchini bread is a summer favorite with a moist, tender crumb and warm cinnamon flavor. With about 10 minutes of prep and a single loaf pan, it’s the kind of recipe that’s just as good with morning coffee as it is for an afternoon snack.
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Before You Get Started
This is a copycat of the famous loaves at Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard, where we used to bike to the farm stand all summer. My boys can devour a loaf in almost one sitting. They say it tastes a little like pumpkin bread, thanks to all of that warm cinnamon, and you can’t taste the zucchini at all.
One honest note before you start: my version runs a little lighter and more cake-like than the bakery’s denser original. That’s how our family likes it.
A few quick tips to make sure your loaf turns out tender and moist:
- Don’t squeeze the zucchini dry. That extra liquid is what keeps the loaf tender. Add the shredded zucchini straight from the grater to the batter.
- Skip the peeling and seeding. Zucchini skin is thin enough to disappear into the batter, and the seeds are small and tender as long as you’re not using a giant zucchini.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Stir just until the streaks of flour disappear. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a dense, dry loaf.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
This quick bread doesn’t need yeast, rising time, or an electric mixer. Just combine the ingredients in one bowl and pop it in the oven.
Step 1: Prep the Pan and Oven
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Grease an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. A light-colored metal pan bakes the most evenly.
→ If you’re using a dark pan or a glass dish, start checking the loaf about 10 minutes early since both run hotter than light metal.
Step 2: Grate and Combine the Wet Ingredients
Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. A medium zucchini, about 6 to 7 inches long and 2 to 3 inches across, will yield about 1 cup.
In a large bowl, stir together the zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
⇢ For undetectable zucchini. Use the small holes of the grater for a finer texture. Prefer muffins instead of a loaf? My Zucchini Bread Muffins use a similar base with a few tweaks for higher tops and a quicker bake.
Step 3: Whisk in the Sugar
Whisk the sugar into the zucchini mixture until the sugar completely dissolves and everything is creamed together.
You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture looks smooth and pale yellow.
Step 4: Sift the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
Sifting matters here because it breaks up any clumps of baking powder or soda so the loaf rises evenly without bitter pockets.
Step 5: Combine and Transfer to the Pan
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter should be smooth, with the exception of the flecks of shredded zucchini.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
⇢ For a sugary crust. Sprinkle a tablespoon of coarse sugar over the top of the batter before baking for a lightly crunchy finish on each slice.
Step 6: Bake and Cool
Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown, the loaf springs back when gently pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Cutting too early gives you crumbly slices, so it’s worth the wait.
Variations
A few easy ways to make the loaf your own:
- Add mix-ins. Stir in about ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips before transferring the batter to the pan.
- Swap in yellow summer squash. Use an equal amount of grated yellow summer squash in place of the zucchini if your kids don’t love seeing green flecks in the bread.
- Make it whole grain. Replace half of the all-purpose flour with ¾ cup of whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier loaf.
- Turn it into cake. If you love the cinnamon-and-zucchini combination, my Easy Zucchini Cake takes the same base flavors and finishes them with a fluffy cream cheese frosting.
Storage
This bread actually gets better as it sits. The flavors come together and the zucchini keeps the crumb nice and moist.
Store. Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap or foil. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Freeze. Cool the loaf completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Freezing in individual slices makes it easy to grab one at a time for breakfast.
Reheat. Thaw frozen slices at room temperature, or warm a slice for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave. A few seconds in the toaster also crisps the edges nicely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you peel zucchini for zucchini bread?
No. The skin is thin enough to disappear into the batter, and peeling it would lose some of the moisture and a little of the color. You can also leave the seeds in, as long as you’re not using an oversized zucchini with hard, mature seeds.
Why did my zucchini bread sink in the middle?
A sunken center usually points to one of three things: the loaf came out of the oven too early, the leavening was off (old baking soda or powder, or too much), or there was too much liquid in the batter. Make sure the toothpick comes out clean and the center springs back when pressed before pulling it from the oven.
Check the dates on your baking soda and powder if it keeps happening.
What happens if you over-mix zucchini bread?
Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour, which gives you a dense, tough, sometimes rubbery loaf. Stir the batter just until the streaks of flour disappear and a few small lumps are fine. The shredded zucchini stays visible in the batter; that’s not a sign you need to keep stirring.
Can I use frozen zucchini?
Yes, with a couple of caveats. Measure the zucchini before freezing, so you know you have exactly 1 cup. Thaw it completely, then pat it dry with a clean kitchen towel since frozen zucchini releases a lot of extra water as it thaws. After that, use it just as you would fresh.
More Easy Quick Breads
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Easy Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or substitute another mild oil, such as canola or avocado)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the grated zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk the sugar into the zucchini mixture until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture is creamed together.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined. The batter should be smooth, with the exception of the shredded zucchini.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 60-65 minutes, or until the bread springs back when gently pressed in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Keys to a moist, tender loaf. Don’t squeeze the zucchini dry. The extra liquid keeps the loaf moist. Stir the batter just until the streaks of flour disappear so the bread doesn’t turn out dense and tough.
- Doneness cues. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back when gently pressed.
- Oil and pan notes. Use a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, or avocado. Skip olive oil because the flavor will come through. Melted unsalted butter also works. A light-colored metal pan bakes the most evenly. Dark pans and glass dishes run hotter, so start checking the loaf about 10 minutes early.
- Mix-ins. Stir about ½ cup of chopped nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips into the batter for extra flavor and texture.
- Storage. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Keeps at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Originally published in August, 2013, this post was updated in June, 2026.
I’m making this bread for the second time in a week. Thank you for posting.
Awesome! Isn’t it great? So glad that you’ve enjoyed it, Chris!
This bread was a big hit with my family. Making it for the third time in 2 weeks!
Wonderful! Thanks, Becky! I’m so glad that your family loves it as much as we do. 🙂
Can you substitute Splenda for the sugar
Hi, Carol! Probably, but you’ll have to play around with the measurements because I know that Splenda is much sweeter than sugar. You’ll likely want to significantly decrease the amount of Splenda (versus the amount of sugar called for in the recipe) — it’s typically not a 1:1 swap unless it indicates that on the package. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
I don’t think I have ever made zucchini bread in my life, but this was easy and delicious. I spaced and forgot to add nuts however that being said it was a perfect bread!
Thank you again for another delicious recipe!❤️
I’m so glad that it worked well for you, Laura. You can add the nuts next time! 🙂
Looks fantastic but I haven’t make it yet.
How could I eliminate the sugar and make this tasty using maple syrup or honey…..but not a lot of it.
I can’t have dairy, sugar or eggs. I can use an egg replacement such as ground flax seed and water….but what can I successfully substitute for the sugar? Looks very tasty but I’m not a good enough cook to know how to best substitute.for the sugar. In my circles everyone is trying to eliminate sugar from their diets.
Hi, Jeanette! If you want to completely eliminate the added sugar, you can try using a replacement like monkfruit sweetener (I like Lakanto brand, which you can buy on Amazon) that measures equally to sugar. If you use something like Splenda, you may need to reduce the amount used because some of these sugar substitutes are WAY sweeter than actual sugar.
If you want to replace the white sugar with a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup, I would suggest reducing the amount of maple syrup or honey to 3/4 cup. The texture of the loaf will obviously change (since the syrup has a different texture than the white sugar), but it would probably still be fine. Let me know if you give it a try. I’m curious to hear how it goes!
Everyone’s raving about this bread! Thanks for a great recipe! I stuck to it except to sub gluten free flour and long-neck squash.
Thanks, Mara! I’m so glad to know that it works with gluten-free flour, too. Thanks for your note!
Thanks, Janette! I haven’t tested the recipe with honey or other sugar alternatives, so you’d just have to start playing around with it and see how it works. Honey is sweeter than white sugar, so you would definitely need to use a little bit less, I’m just not sure what the best combination might be.
I have made this twice this season and plan to again tomorrow, it is a complete PERFECt recipe in both bread and muffin form. We also cannot keep this from flying off the countertop! I have now also shared this with two other families that have the same response. So happy you recently posted this again as I have end of the season zucchini ready for sharing and freezer loaves!
Yay! That’s so good to hear. Thank you for sharing the recipe as well. You’re so kind to come back here and leave a note, Michelle. 🙂
Blair, you know, until I was in my 40s I thought I hated zucchini except when it was baked in a sweet bread such as this one. My parents often had a garden and the yellow squash and zucchini always grew like crazy! My mother always cooked them sauteed with garlic which I just dreaded because it was bitter. I assumed zucthe squash and zucchini were bitter in and of themselves and never just ate them raw. Finally, in my 40s, I bought a zucchini and tasted it raw. Lo and behold, it was completely unobjectionable and tasted a lot like cucumber. I finally figured out that what happened when my mother cooked it was that she burned the garlic! All those years wasted! My point is that if anyone comes across a squash or zucchini hater, coax them into sampling a raw one. I don’t know what to suggest about kids disliking the peel. I don’t think I ever noticed it in zucchini bread.
That’s so funny about the burned garlic! I’m sure the zucchini didn’t taste good. 🙂
I hope you’ll try this bread! I just made another loaf today…it’s a favorite around here!
The loaf looks delicious! One way I learned that mother burned the garlic was when I started cooking and burned the garlic myself! Really bitter!
Hi Blair, this is such a great recipe. I am on the island now at our place in Edgartown and love to take trips to buy the MGF zucchini bread. But I find your recipe is a bit lighter than theirs, which I love.
It’s brutally hot here for the Vineyard. Hopefully this heat wave will break for all of us. Did your parents sell their home here?
Hi, Teresa! I’m so glad that you approve of this bread — especially given that you’ve tried the MGF version! 🙂
Yes, my folks sold their home near Edgartown before last summer. It’s just SO far for us to get to, and now that my folks are getting older, they decided that a vacation home somewhere closer to Virginia (and Florida, where my brother’s family lives) would be far more practical. It was a lot for them to maintain from a distance, and we just couldn’t get there very often. Plus, the medical care on the island wasn’t cutting it when they had some scary health situations arise. Long story short, we sadly parted with the house after almost 40 years of fun!
Hope you’re having a wonderful time!
We just came home from the vineyard and frequented Morning Glory Farm daily while there!
I’m going to make your recipe this weekend — have you ever added banana to the bread? I’m thinking of trying it, but not sure if it would be an addition or maybe use some banana and some oil…
Hi, Rachel! I think that you could make it work with some banana, but you’d need to play around with the amounts of banana-zucchini-and-oil, so that you don’t get a loaf that’s too “wet” and gummy. I have a different zucchini banana bread recipe coming to the blog tomorrow, though, so stay tuned. Great minds think alike! 🙂
I just saw the recipe posted! I am definitely going to be making it 🙂
Awesome! Hope you love it!
Not bad but it’s a far cry from Morning Glory’s recipe, which is much denser and less cake-like.
Morning Glory calls for
2-2.5 c shredded zucchini
1 c vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c sugar
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine zucchini oil eggs & vanilla, then mix.
Best sugar in til thoroughly creamed.
Add flour baking soda powder salt and cinnamon. Mix til smooth. If not smooth add juice from the zucchini.
Divide into 2 9×5 loaf pans & bake at 325 for an hour.
I like to add a little nutmeg and walnuts into mine too for extra flavor, but that’s preference :-).
Thank you for the feedback, Ian
Hi Blair,
Do you have a recipe for Morning Glory Farm’s Marthas’s Vineyard Banana Bread? Zucchini Bread is excellent.
Hi, Joanne! I’m sorry, I don’t. This is our favorite banana bread recipe, but I don’t have Morning Glory’s version. So glad that you like the zucchini bread!