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Believe the hype…this IS the Best Zucchini Bread Ever!
The Absolute Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
A few years ago, my husband Jack returned from a business trip, singing the praises of some delicious zucchini bread that one of his co-workers had brought to the meeting to share with everyone. It was a homemade zucchini bread baked by Lannette, the wife of his co-worker, Troy. Jack said it was the Best Zucchini Bread Ever.
Seriously – Jack would not stop talking about this zucchini bread! For days, he talked about how moist and delicious it was, and that it was perfectly sweet with the perfect amount of spices and nuts. And for days, Jack pestered Troy for the recipe so we could make it at home and possibly share it here on A Family Feast.
Lannette so graciously allowed us to share the recipe with all of you – and it has been a reader favorite recipe for years now.
Why you’ll love this easy Zucchini Bread recipe
- It is super moist and almost cake-like thanks to a generous amount of shredded zucchini in the batter, as well as some applesauce.
- It’s a very forgiving recipe – add as little as two cups of shredded zucchini or as much as four cups. (So great when you have a ton of garden zucchini on hand!)
- This bread is perfectly sweet and seasoned with cinnamon, plus a generous amount of chopped pecans add crunch and texture.
Reader Reviews
“Truly is the “best zucchini bread ever”. I am 69 yrs old and have been in the kitchen from age 12 & get many compliments on my cooking /baking skills. I have tossed all other zuchinni bread recipes and only use this one and have shared it with many friends. It is moist and has great flavor. Makes 2 loaves so there is one to eat and 1 to share!” – Carol
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini – No need to peel the zucchini before shredding. If you are using a very large zucchini, you do want to remove any seeds. You also really don’t need to drain the shredded zucchini unless you have a lot of liquid – most of the time, you can just add any liquid from the squash right into the batter.
- Pecans – Chopped pecans are added to the zucchini bread batter, and we loved the mild nutty flavor and crunchy texture the nuts add to every bite. You can swap in walnuts instead if you prefer.
- Apple Sauce – I really do think this is the secret ingredient that makes this zucchini bread so moist and tasty.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Vegetable Oil – Canola oil can also be used.
- Eggs
- Butter and flour – For preparing the loaf pans
- Softened Butter or Cream Cheese – For serving (optional)
More Substitutions
- You can make this zucchini bread with zucchini or summer squash – whichever you have on hand. (You might notice a few little yellow specks in our photos – we used some summer squash ourselves.)
- Be sure to scroll through all of the reader comments below. We’ve had many readers write to us to tell us that they swapped in different oils, some fruits and carrots, some swapped in honey for the sugar, and many more tweaks and adaptations. As mentioned above – this is a very forgiving recipe!
Special Tools Needed
- Two Loaf Pans – This recipe makes two 8×4-inch loaves
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Box Grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding blade
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with mixing bowl
- Rubber Scraper/Spatula (this one is our favorite) or Wooden Mixing Spoon
- Toothpicks – To test for doneness
How do I make the Best Zucchini Bread Ever?
- Prepare the loaf pans by buttering and flouring the bottom and sides.
- Sift together dry ingredients.
- Shred zucchini and chop the nuts. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients in mixing bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients.
- Stir in shredded zucchini and the nuts. Mix well.
- Pour batter into the two prepared loaf pans.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out cleanly.
- Cool on wire racks.
- Slice to serve with softened butter or cream cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this Zucchini Bread ahead of time? Yes – in fact, we think the flavors get better as the bread sits for a day.
- Do I have to drain the shredded zucchini? No, you can usually just add it right to the batter. Having said that, if you are adding in the full four cups of shredded zucchini and notice a lot of liquid, you can leave some of it out.
- Do I peel the zucchini? No, you can just shred the zucchini with the skin still on.
- Do I remove the seeds? If you are using small, tender zucchini – no need to remove the seeds before shredding. If you are using very large zucchini, you should remove the seeds. (Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then take a spoon and run it down the center to remove the seeds.)
- Can I freeze Zucchini Bread? Yes. This bread freezes very well. Just be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then foil to prevent freezer burn.
This recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in August 2015. We’ve update the post, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
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Best Zucchini Bread Ever
Seriously…this IS the Best Zucchini Bread Ever!
Ingredients
- Butter and flour for preparing baking pans
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups grated zucchini (you can use as few as 2 cups and as much as 4 cups)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and lightly flour two 8”x4” loaf pans.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine.
- Shred zucchini, lightly packing it down as you measure it.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix very well.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients (about 1/3 at a time) mixing as you go – then beat well to fully combine.
- With a rubber scraper or wooden spoon, stir in shredded zucchini and nuts into the batter and mix well.
- Pour half of the batter into each prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out cleanly. (The bake time will vary depending on how much shredded zucchini you add to the batter.)
- Remove from the pans and cool on wire racks.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Erin says
Excellent recipe!!! Lots of compliments! Turned out great! Very moist!
Martha says
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
stacey says
Mine are in the oven and smell amazing. I put cherry infused cranberries in one loaf. The batter tasted so good. Thank you for this recipe
Martha says
Sounds delicious Stacey!
Mariah Adams says
I just tried this. It’s very good! When I saw the amount of cinnamon in the recipe it seemed like a lot, but it’s just right. I didn’t add nuts because I didn’t have any, but it still tastes great.
Martha says
Thanks Mariah – so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Anie says
Is it ok if i don’t put an apple sauce for this zucchini bread? Or any alternatives that i can use. Thanks
Martha says
Hi Anie – Yes – applesauce is often added to baked goods in place of oil. If you leave out the applesauce, I’d increase the amount of oil by the same amount.
Sue Cramer says
Can coconut oil be used instead of vegetable oil
Martha says
Hi Sue – We haven’t tried subbing coconut oil ourselves so I can’t say for sure from our own experience. However, if you scroll through the most recent comments, we did have one reader who told us that she increased the applesauce and reduced the amount of oil, swapping in coconut oil. Sounds like it worked for her!
Martha says
Hi Sue – We haven’t tried it ourselves. Any oil can be used but the coconut oil will add flavor while the vegetable oil is more of a neutral flavor. If that doesn’t bother you, it should work.
Marcia says
Some people peel off the peeling. Do you use it all, and do you seed it? Thank you. My friend peels hers, takes out seeds and cooks it. Then mashes it down to measure. Never heard of anyone else doing it that way, but it tastes good.
Martha says
Hi Marcia – We remove any large seeds. We don’t peel our zucchini or pre-cook and mash it for this recipe – just shred the zucchini and put it right in the batter. Hope that helps!
Imelda says
I made this recipe. I added raisins and cut half of the sugar. I love it and so does my husband. Thanks for sharing. This will be my favorite recipe for zucchini bread.
Martha says
Thanks Imelda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Janet says
I have tried many Zucchini bread recipes over the years and this is by far the best one! Passed it around to all my family members!
Martha says
Thanks Janet!
diana says
Hello, excited to try out this recipe… Just curious to know what elevation you are at when you made this. I know how to modify for high altitude. Thanks
Martha says
Hi Diana – We are in Massachusetts (elevation 187 feet) – hope that helps!
diana says
Thank you, I’m over 5k feet so I modified for high altitude:
I decreased the baking powder to 3/4t, decreased the sugar to 1 3/4 c, I increased the oven to 375, and it cooked in about 50 minutes. Other modifications I made: increased the applesauce to 3/4c and decreased the oil to 1/4 c (used coconut oil), I used 1Tbl pumpkin pie spice vs 4. I increased nuts (used walnuts) to 1 1/2 cups. I also used 3 chia eggs (1Tbl chia seeds: 2.5Tbl water=1 egg). Turned out amazing! Thank you!
Martha says
Thanks so much for sharing the details for making this recipe at a higher altitude Diana! So glad it worked out for you!
Jeanette says
Okay I just make this recipe and I just pulled it out the other this has got to be the best zucchini bread I have ever had thank you so much for the recipe!
Martha says
You are very welcome Jeanette – so glad you enjoyed the recipe!