Morning Glory Farm Zucchini Bread

Morning Glory Farm’s famous zucchini bread recipe is a moist and tender summer treat that takes advantage of the season’s bountiful produce! The easy quick bread comes together in minutes, and makes a delicious breakfast or snack that the whole family will love!

Our Favorite Recipe for Zucchini Bread

Our family’s former house on Martha’s Vineyard was in biking distance of one of my favorite places on the planet — Morning Glory Farm. Full of beautiful fresh flowers and colorful, ripe local produce, Morning Glory’s bakery and farm stand has become a popular tourist destination over the years. One of the hottest items that flies off store shelves? The decadent loaves of zucchini bread!

My boys can devour a loaf of this bread in almost one sitting. They say it tastes like pumpkin bread or Amish Friendship Bread — thanks to all of that cinnamon! While you can’t taste the zucchini, it adds great moisture to the loaf.

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a loaf of easy zucchini bread. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step baking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Zucchini: shredded on a box grater, the zucchini adds nice moisture to the loaf. You don’t need to peel it, either. Kids will be happy to know that you can’t actually taste it in the finished product! Medium zucchinis about 6-7 inches long and about 2-3 inches in diameter will yield about 1 cup of shredded zucchini.
• Oil: use a mild oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil to keep the bread nice and moist.
• Eggs: give the loaf structure.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor.
• Granulated sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness in each slice!
• All-purpose flour: the base of the batter.
• Salt: to enhance the other flavors in the bread and balance the sweetness.
• Cinnamon: for warmth.
• Baking soda and baking powder: the leavening agents that help the bread rise.

Do you peel a zucchini for zucchini bread?

No, you don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it and using it in this recipe. Zucchini skin is so thin that it will not add an unpleasant, tough texture to the baked goods.

Do you remove the seeds?

No, as long as you’re not using a giant zucchini, you do not need to cut out the seeds before shredding. The seeds are small and tender, so they just mix right in with the rest of the grated zucchini.

Should you squeeze water out of a zucchini for bread?

No, in this recipe, you do not squeeze the water out of the zucchini. That extra liquid will keep the batter nice and moist.

Can you use frozen zucchini for zucchini bread?

I have not tested this recipe with frozen zucchini; however, according to this article, you can successfully bake with frozen zucchini. The key is to measure the zucchini before freezing. For instance, measure out 1-cup portions of shredded zucchini, keep it in the freezer, and then thaw before using in this recipe. There will be a lot of water extra with the thawed zucchini, so make sure to pat it dry before stirring it into the batter.

How to Make Zucchini Bread

This quick bread doesn’t need yeast or rising time, and doesn’t even require an electric mixer. Just combine the ingredients and pop it in the oven!

1. Stir together the grated zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
2. Add the sugar and whisk until everything is creamed together.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; stir just until combined. The batter should be smooth, with the exception of the zucchini, but don’t overmix or you’ll end up with a dense, dry loaf.
5. Transfer the batter to a loaf pan and bake in a 325°F oven for about 55 minutes. The bread is done when it’s golden brown, springs back when gently pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

How to Serve this Easy Zucchini Bread

Serve the bread warm, at room temperature, or even straight from the refrigerator! It’s a great option for breakfast or snack when paired with a mug of hot coffee or tea.

The bread is delicious on its own, but you might also enjoy it with butter, cream cheese, almond butter, or peanut butter. Add some yogurt or eggs and fresh fruit on the side for a perfect morning feast, or offer it in the bread basket at dinner alongside savory options like ribs, pulled pork, steak, or chicken.

Preparation and Storage

• Make-Ahead: This bread just gets better as it sits. The flavors come together and the zucchini helps to keep the bread nice and moist.
• How to Store Zucchini Bread: Always wrap your loaf in plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. It does not need to be refrigerated. The bread will stay fresh at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days, and it will last in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• To Freeze: Cool the loaf completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Is zucchini bread healthy?

While you’re getting some health benefits from the zucchini in this recipe, I wouldn’t consider zucchini bread (or other quick bread recipes like banana bread) to be “healthy.” There’s definitely plenty of sugar, fat, and refined carbs in this recipe. That said, you can certainly do worse when it comes to sweet treats! ​​​​​Assuming that a loaf yields 12 slices, each slice includes about 215 calories, 29 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat.

Recipe Variations

• What all can you put in zucchini bread? If you’d like to add some mix-ins to your loaf of zucchini bread, try about ½ cup of chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans), raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips.
• If your kids don’t want to see green flecks in the bread, you can substitute with an equal amount of yellow summer squash instead of the zucchini.
• Zucchini Bread Muffins: divide the batter between muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You might also like to try this one-bowl zucchini muffin recipe.
• Sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the bread before baking. This will give it a lovely “crust” on top.
• Add more spices. I like just it simple with just ground cinnamon in this recipe, but you can add more spices like nutmeg, cloves, allspice, or ginger for a cozier, zestier loaf.
• Add whole grains to the loaf by replacing half of the all-purpose flour with ¾ cup of whole wheat flour.

Tips for the Best Zucchini Bread Recipe

• I use a large box grater to shred my zucchini, which still blends easily into the bread. If you really want the zucchini to be undetectable, use a finer grater so that the zucchini has a finer texture. You can also use a food processor to shred the zucchini if you like.
• Don’t squeeze the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter. That extra liquid will help to keep the loaf moist.
• Use either canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. You want a neutral oil that will not flavor the bread, so don’t use olive oil. Feel free to substitute with melted unsalted butter if you prefer.
• Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in dry, dense bread.
• To check if the loaf is done, insert a toothpick deep into the center of the bread and make sure that it comes out clean. Don’t cook the loaf for too long, or it may dry out.

More Zucchini Recipes to Try

Zucchini bread exists to use up all of that wonderful summer zucchini that we find in our gardens each year! If you have an abundance of the delicious green veggie, here are some other ways to put it to good use.

• Zucchini Banana Bread
• Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Greek Yogurt Chocolate Zucchini Cake
• Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
• Zucchini Pie
• One-Bowl Zucchini Muffins
• Zucchini Gratin with Corn and Bacon
• Zucchini Fritters
• Crispy Zucchini Fries
• Sauteed Zucchini

Morning Glory Farm Zucchini Bread

4.67 from 6 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 55 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf (about 12 slices)

Calories 215 kcal

Morning Glory Farm's famous zucchini bread recipe is a moist and tender summer treat that takes advantage of the season's bountiful produce!

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup grated zucchini
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or substitute with other mild cooking oil, such as canola or avocado oil)
• 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 oven to 325°F. Grease a 8 ½-inch x 4 ½-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Whisk sugar into the zucchini mixture until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture is creamed together.
• In a separate bowl, sift together 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 batter to prepared pan.
• Bake for approximately 55 minutes, or until bread springs back when gently pressed in middle and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

• Recipe slightly adapted from Morning Glory Farm.
• I use a large box grater to shred my zucchini, which still blends easily into the bread. If you really want the zucchini to be undetectable, use a finer grater so that the zucchini has a finer texture. You can also use a food processor to shred the zucchini if you like.
• Don’t squeeze the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter. That extra liquid will help to keep the loaf moist.
• Use either canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. You want a neutral oil that will not flavor the bread, so don’t use olive oil. Feel free to substitute with melted unsalted butter if you prefer.
• Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in dry, dense bread.
• To check if the loaf is done, insert a toothpick deep into the center of the bread and make sure that it comes out clean. Don’t cook the loaf for too long, or it may dry out.

Keyword: Easy Zucchini Bread, zucchini bread, Zucchini Bread Recipe

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This post was originally published in August, 2013. The photos were updated in July, 2022.