Zucchini Bread

Lyuba’s Recipe Overview

Quick, soft, and moist! Ignore any other baking plans you may have – this quick bread recipe is definitely one you need to try soon! The prep takes just a few minutes and the rest, leave it to the oven. The combination of soft, moist and sweet bread has the best buttery sweet crumble topping. The zucchini really just creates the perfect amount of moisture in the bread.

Kid friendly! Even my kids, who are extremely picky, can’t resist this tasty bread. (And when I say “extremely picky,” I really mean it.) Not even the sight of the green specks of zucchini can turn them away. If you can convince your picky eater to just try a little bit, they will be sold because a vegetable can really taste this good! Not to worry – this dessert bread doesn’t taste like vegetables at all.

Versatile! This bread is great to make on the weekend and then grab a slice for breakfast on the go, as an afternoon snack, or even as dessert when topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredient Notes Before Starting

Zucchini – make sure to get whole zucchini because you will wash and grate it at home.

Oil – you should use a neutral tasting oil like vegetable or avocado oil. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil because it can be bitter and overpowering.

Sugars – you’ll need the whole trifecta! White sugar for the bread, white and brown sugar both for the streusel and powdered sugar for the icing.

Heavy Whipping Cream – this is the best option for a rich icing but you can substitute half and half if needed. Just use slightly less because it’s not as thick.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.

Best Way To Prepare Zucchini For Baking In Bread

Wash the zucchini, wipe it off, and cut off the very tip (not the stem). You don’t actually need to peel the zucchini. There is no taste or texture advantage to peeling it, but you do get to keep the vitamins that are in the skin in the bread.

Use the larger size holes of the box grater to grate the zucchini all the way down to the stem. Keeping the stem on will help you hold onto it until the end. You can also use a food processor with the grating disk attachment if you’d like!

Also, don’t actually squeeze out the zucchini but instead pat some of the excess liquid with a paper towel. Some zucchini will have a different amount of moisture in it. (For example, store-bought zucchini doesn’t have as much moisture as garden zucchini.) You don’t want to get rid of all the moisture, just the excess.

Grate zucchini right onto a paper towel and spread it out a little so it’s no longer in a mount. Use another sheet of paper tower to gently pat it. 

How to Make Zucchini Bread

Whisk your wet ingredients and sugar until incorporated. Add dry ingredients and gently whisk together just until incorporated and smooth. You don’t want to overmix the quick bread batter or it would come out more dense.

Pour bread batter into a greased bread baking loaf pan and make sure it’s spread evenly.

To make the streusel: combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them well until evenly incorporated. Pour in melted butter and carefully fold it in with a large fork. Use the fold and cut technique of mixing. Don’t over-mix it. Spread streusel topping evenly all over the batter.

Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes. You can use a thermometer to check if the bread reached internal temperature of 200°F in the center.

Icing: Whisk powdered sugar and warmed heavy whipping together and drizzle it over the baked bread.

Flavor Variations and Additions

While this zucchini bread is absolutely divine, you can play around with a few textural and flavor ingredients like:

• chocolate chips – white, milk, or dark chocolate chips all go with zucchini.
• nuts – you can add some chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
• coconut
• chopped apples
• dried berries

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Why Did My Bread Fall Apart?

There are a few reasons why a quick bread can sink in after baking! The main culprits are under-cooking, over-mixing, bread pan was over-filled, or stale baking soda and baking powder was used.

Make sure to get fresh baking soda and baking powder every 6-9 months if you don’t bake often. Don’t fill the pan too much – the bread pan should be filled about half way or only a little bit more. Whisk the quick bread batter just until the ingredients are combined and smooth and don’t beat or whisk too long.

And finally, make sure to bake it long enough so it’s cooked through. If you’re worried about the top browning too much, loosely tent the top with a sheet of aluminum foil.

How To Freeze Cooked Zucchini Bread?

Make sure to cool it to room temperature first and then slice it. Place the slices on the cutting board and freeze for 2 hours. (Set a timer.)

You can wrap each frozen slice in parchment paper and aluminum foil and place them into a zip-tip freezer bag. Label and freeze for 2-3 months.

Thaw each slice on the counter for about 30-45 minutes and you can quickly reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Try More Easy Bread Recipes

If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate zucchini into easy everyday recipes, try my zucchini fritters and roasted zucchini.

For another great zucchini baking recipes, we love the chocolate zucchini muffins, it’s another kid’s favorite. They are super soft and moist with deep chocolate flavor.

Quick bread recipes are popular with bakers and families, so make sure to try my amazing coconut banana bread, savory caprese quick bread. And, of course, apple bread is another fall time favorite.

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in August 2019.