Homemade Zucchini Bread Recipe
Published July 16, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious homemade zucchini bread is the perfect light and fluffy summer snack to serve up to your family and guests.
It doesn’t matter if you’re making sweet cornbread or banana bread, there is nothing like making a fresh bread recipe at home. It will taste significantly better when you make it homemade, and you’ll also learn new bread-making tricks along the way.
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread is known as a quick bread which is bread that utilizes baking powder or baking soda, or a combination of both, as the leavening agent over traditional yeast. They mix together easily and baking in no time. Most food historians believe zucchini bread was invented in America in the mid 19th century following the invention of baking powder.
Since zucchini is in peak season during the early to mid-summer months, this recipe will absolutely taste at its best during this time, however, you can still make this delicious bread all year long.
Do you Peel the Zucchini for Bread?
You do not need to peel the zucchini before adding it to the batter for making bread. The green outside peel adds quite a bit of color and flavor to the recipe, plus it has a lot of fiber in it, so my recommendation is to always leave it on when making zucchini bread.
How to Make Zucchini Bread from Scratch
Use these easy to follow instructions for making this amazing zucchini bread recipe from scratch:
Start by shredding some fresh zucchini, and then set it aside.
In a very large bowl whisk together the melted butter and sugar until completely combined.
Next, add in 1 egg at a time until it is completely mixed in.
Add in the zucchini, oil, milk, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and whisk thoroughly.
Whisk in the all-purpose flour until the batter is smooth and free of any flour chunks.
Fold in the chopped pecans until they are mixed in.
Divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans that have been sprayed with no-stick spray.
For a little extra crunch add some crushed pecans to a bowl of light brown sugar and mix until combined.
Evenly sprinkle the pecan and brown sugar mixture over top of the zucchini bread batter in the loaf pans and then bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until it reaches 198° internally.
Cool the bread on a rack to room temperature, slice, and serve.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This recipe can be easily adaptable to make chocolate zucchini bread by following these three quick easy steps:
- Add 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter when adding in the flour and mix until combined.
- Fold 1 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in with the batter along with the pecans.
- Add the batter to loave pans and bake.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this zucchini bread up to 1 day ahead of time.
How to Store: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or covered and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until soft.
chef notes + tips
- You can just use oil, or just use milk, or a combination of both like I did in this recipe. You can also swap out the milk for full-fat yogurt.
- Swap out the pecans with walnuts or almonds.
- You can easily make 24 muffins using this recipe if you prefer banana muffins instead. Bake them for 25-28 minutes.
More Bread Recipes
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
Homemade Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks melted unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups grated fresh zucchini
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl whisk together the butter and sugar until completely mixed.
- Next, add in 1 egg at a time until whisked in.
- Pour in the oil, and milk until combined and mix them in.
- Now, whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until it is completely mixed together.
- Add in the shredded zucchini and whisk until it is combined.
- Whisk in the flour until combined and then fold in the pecans using a rubber spatula.
- Divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans that have been sprayed with no-stick spray.
- This part is optional but mix together ¼ cup of packed light brown sugar with ¼ cup of roughly chopped pecans and evenly sprinkle it over the top of the bread.
- Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until browned and cooked in the center. If you press a toothpick in the center, it should come out relatively clean. In addition, it will have an internal temperature of 198°.
- Remove from the oven and set on a rack and cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Love it had to make 8 loves
So good! Thanks for trying it!
The topping is so simple and so perfect!!
So good!
Best zucchini bread recipe I’ve made. Delicious! Easy to follow recipe. I added a cup of dark chocolate chips…hope you don’t mind 🙂
Perfect!
Ah-mazingly good! The pecans give a nice texture. Pumpkin bread is next! Thank you…
My pleasure!
Great recipe! I think if I prepped the butter at room temp instead of melting to a liquid the bread would have been more fluffy. Never disappoint with your recipes. Thank You!
thank you so kindly!!
So good! This is hands down the best zucchini bread recipe I’ve made. Definitely saving this to the recipe box. Add the brown sugar and pecans on top, it’s 100% worth it.
Super yummy!! I love the chocolate – husband like the plain. Both are delicious.
excellent!
Made this last night (regular,
not chocolate) and shared it this morning. Big hit! Absolutely Delicious.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
I made the chocolate version and it was scrumptious. The regular version is in the oven as we speak. Yes, it’s zucchini season!!
awesome!
I harvested a huge zuchinni from my garden and this recipe was perfect for it. Dang! It was so delicious that it seemlike I will be making this for quite some time to come!
love it!