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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.
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Hello Martha and your husband too!! I wish to THANK YOU for you for the most WONDERFUL Zucchini Bread/Cake I have ever had. What a Great Recipe. I made up a Cream Cheese Spread to go on it and if you would like to have it, it is so good with your recipe. Let me know and I will give it to you. I also Wish to THANK YOU and your husband for the Excellent job you do in Making up Recipes and Sharing with members. It is people like you two that make our lives so much easier especially for working parents. I REALL APPRECIATE ALL that you and your husband do for me inSharing such wonderful recipes.
Soft Regards, Mrs. Emma Steiger Johnston
Thank you Emma – we’d love your cream cheese spread recipe! So glad you are enjoying the recipes – we love sharing them with our readers! 🙂
Oh my goodness this was excellent. I only made one change…I used 1 cup of white sugar, 1 cup of maple sugar, and 1/4 cup of coconut sugar. I only did this because I first ran out of white sugar…and then out of maple sugar! However, it added a beautiful taste to the bread. Thank you for the recipe, we all really enjoyed it!
I got a4×8,5×9, and 6 muffins out of this recipe. A lot more than stated, I am definitely not complaining, they turned out fantastic, I did use 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown, ran out of white and did not want to go to store. I am sure my friends and family will love this bread!!!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Melinda! (It freezes well too!)
I have saved, shared, posted, and loved this recipe since I found it. My family, friends, and neighbors love it and it’s been a Christmas tradition in my house since it freezes so well! I was wondering if you have an nutrition facts for it. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe with the world!! ❤️❤️
Hi Christy – So glad you enjoyed the recipe. We don’t calculate the nutritional information for our recipes – we aren’t nutritionists and haven’t found a tool that is consistently accurate. Sorry we can’t help you with that.
I made this today but used only a little under two cups of sugar, the batter was still really sweet and I was concerned it was going to be too sweet, but it turned out perfect. I made one regular loaf pan, one mini and six mini So yummy!!!
Thanks Connie – glad to know the bread tastes just as good prepared with less sugar!
This is absolute best zucchini bread recipe that I have ever made!!!
Glad you liked it Brook!
This was my 1st attempt at zucchini bread and it was a huge hit! I almost didn’t share, lol! Thank you for this amazing recipe…(I didn’t change a thing).
You’re welcome Jenn – So glad the recipe was a hit!
Love, love, love this recipe!! Just curious if anyone has ever substituted bananas in place of the zucchini? The base of this recipe is so delicious so I’m curious if it would make a delicious banana bread as well…
Hi Bree – I don’t know! Hopefully another reader who has tried will see your question. And if you try it – please let us know how it comes out!
This is the best zucchini bread recipe ever. Thanks for sharing. I wont use any other recipe again.
You’re very welcome LeAnn – so glad you liked the recipe!
I added 1 cup of Chocolate Chips in place of the Pecans and it was delicious! It is the Best Zucchini Bread Ever!
Thank you – love the addition of the chocolate chips!