Zucchini Bread – Gimme Some Oven

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This classic zucchini bread recipe is easy to make, perfectly moist, lightly spiced and baked up with an irresistible crunchy sugar topping.

Everyone needs a truly excellent zucchini bread recipe in their repertoire…and this one is my personal favorite! ♡

I’ve come to love this recipe over the years because it’s mercifully low-fuss. There’s zero zucchini-wringing required — just add the grated zucchini straight into the batter, which yields a perfectly light and moist loaf of bread. Then all of the remaining ingredients you’ll need are pantry staples that you likely already have on hand. I love using lots of vanilla and warming spices in my zucchini bread as well as a hint of lemon zest, which magically makes all of the flavors here “pop.” And then a generous sprinkle of coarse sugar on top of the bread bakes up to form a crunchy sugar topping that is downright irresistible.

I tend to be a zucchini bread purist and love mine without any add-ins. But I’ve included options below if you’d like to add in some chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, or anything else that sounds good. This recipe is wonderfully flexible and foolproof. So the next time you have a zucchini surplus, grab your bread pan and let’s bake up a quick loaf of homemade zucchini bread together!

Zucchini Bread Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the zucchini bread ingredients you will need to make this recipe:

• Zucchini: No need to wring out and drain the zucchini for this recipe! Simply grate the fresh zucchini on the coarse side of a box grater and add it directly to the batter, which will make the bread perfectly moist. I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the grated zucchini to ensure that you’re using the correct amount.
• Flour: We will use basic all-purpose flour to provide structure for the bread.
• Oil: I typically use vegetable oil to make zucchini bread, but any neutral-flavored oil that you love best (i.e. avocado oil, canola oil, melted coconut oil) will work.
• Eggs: Eggs will serve as the binding agent for the batter and also help give the bread a lovely soft texture.
• Leavening agents: We’ll use a combination of baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents for the bread to make it perfectly fluffy.
• Sugars: We will use a combination of light brown sugar and white granulated sugar to sweeten the batter. Plus I also highly recommend a generous sprinkle of coarse turbinado sugar on top of the bread to give the top a crunchy sweet crust. (If you don’t have turbinado sugar, you can just use white granulated sugar instead.)
• Pumpkin pie spice: Classic zucchini bread is usually seasoned with warming spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or ginger, but I went ahead and used pumpkin pie spice to (1) save time, since the blend already includes those three spices and (2) add a teeny hint of cloves and allspice to the mix as well. Trust me, it works perfectly in zucchini bread, and people always comment how they love the flavors in this recipe!
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds the perfect touch of warmth to the bread and brings out the best of the pumpkin pie spices.
• Lemon zest: The “secret” ingredient I’ve always added to zucchini bread that adds the perfect hint of citrusy brightness and makes all of the other flavors pop!
• Sea salt: Finally, we’ll add fine sea salt to bring out the best of all these delicious flavors.

Zucchini Bread Tips

Detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below, but here are a few extra tips to keep in mind:

• Coarsely grate the zucchini. For zucchini bread that has a satisfying bit of texture with visible strands of green zucchini throughout, I highly recommend using the coarse side of a box grater (or the coarse grating attachment on a food processor) to grate the zucchini.
• Don’t overmix the batter. It’s best to mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they are *just* combined (not overmixing) to ensure that the bread is light and moist, not tough and dense.
• Cool completely before slicing. Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack after baking, which will make it easier to slice without crumbling.
• Store properly. The best way to store zucchini bread is wrapping it tightly in foil and then store it in an airtight container for a few days. To freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in foil and then freeze in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

Zucchini Bread Variations

Here are a few add-ins that you’re welcome to try with this zucchini bread recipe. (I recommend no more than 1.5 cups of add-ins total.)

• Make chocolate zucchini bread: Swap 1/3 cup of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Add chocolate chips: Add up to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or rough-chopped dark chocolate bars
• Add nuts: Add up to 1 cup chopped toasted nuts, such as walnuts or pecans.
• Add shredded coconut: Add up to 1/2 cup shredded coconut, ideally toasted before adding for extra flavor.
• Add fresh berries: Add up to 1 cup fresh berries, such as blueberries or blackberries.
• Use orange zest: Swap lemon zest for orange zest to give the bread a more orangey flavor.

More Quick Bread Recipes

Here are a few more of our favorite quick bread recipes to try!

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