The Best Classic Zucchini Bread

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The Best Classic Zucchini Bread – This easy zucchini bread recipe is sweet & incredibly moist.

Best Zucchini Bread Recipe - 2 slices on a blue plate

This is the best zucchini bread recipe ever!  It’s got more zucchini and more sugar than most recipes so it tastes amazing.  And, applesauce makes this homemade zucchini bread super moist.

Loaf pan of baked easy zucchini bread recipe

One of the reasons this is such an easy zucchini bread recipe, is because there’s not much prep work for the zucchini, like in many other recipes.

How to grate zucchini for zucchini bread:

  • Do not peel the zucchini before grating, leave the skin on.
  • Do not salt, drain out, or squeeze out any of the liquid from the zucchini.
  • Use the large grate of a box grater to grate 2 small (or 1 large) zucchini for 1 ½ cups lightly packed grated zucchini.

Grating zucchini on a box grater for zucchini bread

How to make The Best Zucchini Bread Recipe:

  • Add grated zucchini, sugar, and brown sugar to a large bowl.
  • Add vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.
  • Whisk the wet ingredients together.

Whisking grated zucchini, sugar, applesauce, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla in a bowl

  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  • Stir just until combined.

The dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients for the best zucchini bread recipe

  • Pour batter into a loaf pan.

Loaf pan full of zucchini bread batter

  • Bake.
  • Refrigerate.

Loaf pan of baked homemade zucchini bread with applesauce

You may also like these other great quick bread recipes.

Watch the step by step recipe video for The Best Zucchini Bread below:

Find more of my recipes on TikTok

two slices of the best zucchini bread recipe on a blue plate

The Best Classic Zucchini Bread Recipe

4.98 from 541 votes
The Best Classic Zucchini Bread - This easy zucchini bread recipe is sweet & incredibly moist because it's made with applesauce & more zucchini & sugar than most recipes.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Video

Servings 12 slices
Calories 213 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini - lightly packed -do not drain liquid
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil -or your preferred cooking oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, add the grated zucchini, sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir just until no dry flour remains, trying not to over mix.
  • Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 54 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out with moist crumbs on it.
  • Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
  • Store covered in the refrigerator. *This bread is best served after it has been refrigerated for at least 12 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12th of the bread | Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 135mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Bread/Muffin, Breakfast, brunch, Snack
Keyword best zucchini bread, easy zucchini bread, zucchini bread recipe
Cuisine American
Author Amanda Finks
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Comments

  1. I made this and tricked it a bit. Wonderful recipe. I added pumpkin pie spice mix to it and it was delicious. This is a keeper for me.

  2. 5 stars
    Lovely recipe. I do add some mini chocolate chips, one cup of sugar with 1/4 being brown, and coconut oil as my oil of choice. My family loves this bread. Thank you for sharing.

  3. This recipe is the best zucchini bread I have ever made and I have tried many.
    My wife makes banana bread often which is pretty good, so this was a bit of a competition.
    She tried a slice and pronounced it ‘Absolutely Awesome”.
    The applesauce makes it very moist. She is going to try some in her banana bread.

  4. The best Zucchini bread recipe ever! Thank you so much i cook a lot and bake a lit and cater for some occasions too but this by far the best recipe

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe countless times, always turns out fantastic! Pro tip: sprinkle the pan with cinnamon sugar before pouring the batter in! My go-to zuccini bread recipe, so good!

    1. I love your cinnamon and sugar tip!! 😋 Puts the perfect touch on an amazing bread recipe.

      Thank you so much! 🙂
      Doe

  6. 5 stars
    I have made this bread twice. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly except I reduced the amount of sugar by about one third. It was fantastic.

    The second time I made it, I doubled the recipe and added chocolate chips to 1 loaf and chocolate chips and toasted pecans to another. With the addition of the chocolate, I reduced the sugar by half. Again, they came out so.dang.good!

    If I wasn’t so sensitive to sugar, I would try the indicated amount but even with the modification, this bread is flavorful, light, and moist without being too heavy. I felt like a rock star with all the compliments I got for this bread. Thank you so much for such a great recipe.

  7. 5 stars
    I used this recipe for three mini loaves & added our home made apple butter, it was delicious. I’ll definitely make it again 😁

  8. 5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe and so do my friends and neighbours. I’ve made it at least 40 times since I discovered it September 2020. My husband loves 2 slices in his lunch. I even send 2 more slices for the fellow he works with. I’ve made it exactly as it states until the past month I always bake 2 loaves each time. The last few times I’ve added chopped walnuts to one and mini chocolate chips (semisweet) to the other- both delicious. I’ve shared this easy recipe with at least 10 people. A young neighbour (30 something) left a stick it mounted on our front door. It read “ Best Zucchini Bread in the World “ so that’s quite a compliment. I make sure he gets half every time I bake- lately 3 times a week. All summer I was getting huge fresh zucchini from my friends garden. I’ve taken this to a potluck- it was a “Celebration of Life”& several desserts there. I honestly had people coming over to me to compliment me on the delicious moist zucchini bread. So I guess it is the best in the world. Thank you so much’

  9. 5 stars
    This is by far the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made: so happy I found this recipe. Thank you!
    I would make just a few very minor modifications: reduce the amount of sugar to 3/4 cups instead of 1 cup; add 1/2 cup of nuts (pecans or walnuts) and before baking sprinkle it with sugar to have a nice glaze when the bread is done.

  10. Is delicious, simple and moist, but I really enjoy a denser bread like this one. Taste is great, but both times I’ve made this (the first exactly per the recipe above and the 2nd with 1/4 cup semi-sweet chips added in) it took MUCH longer to cook all the way in the center. Both loaves needed more than 10 minutes above the 54mins in this recipe. I will attempt a 3rd loaf with less oil and hope 3rd time’s the charm. I’m not a newb to baking at all, and tend to despise anything with cooking oils in the recipes because of the (personally repulsive) taste, and also because the center never cooks as fast as the recipe may suggest. Happens with my favorite banana cake recipe unless I decrease the oil too. Anyone else have the center just not want to cook?

  11. Hi my name is Terry and I love cooking and especially experimenting. I tried your Zucchini loaf and it was a five star. My garden had a bumper crop this year so I make three loaves at a time. Being a diabetic I tried with less sugar ( by 1/2 ) and have yet to taste it. I just made 5 loaves and my wife Sue decided to indulge in the regular loaves and I didn’t want to slice open to many loaves. I have altered your recipe by adding lemon zest on some loaves with crushed walnuts and almonds on top. I have done this also by adding grated ginger but not to overwhelm the recipe. All had raving reviews. thanks for the great recipe.

  12. Zucchini is my favorite !! And all i have to say is don’t change a thing people.
    This is the BEST Zucchini bread ever !!!

About Amanda Finks

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. I’m an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! I’m trained in Food Science & recipe development. It’s my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love!

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