The Best Zucchini Bread Recipe

This is the best zucchini bread recipe ever! It is soft, moist, and so easy to make. Throw away all other zucchini bread recipes – this one’s a keeper!

Recipes for zucchini bread are as prolific as the little green vegetable itself.

I swear for every million zucchini picked each year, there have to be at least a million recipes for zucchini bread floating around.

But this is the best zucchini bread recipe ever. I promise you. It is light, not dense and glumpy (totally a thing when it comes to zucchini bread).

Moist, not oily and sludgy (ew).

It is perfectly flavorful, not bland or overly spiced (get out of my zucchini bread, cloves).

If you can’t tell, I’ve had some bad zucchini bread come out of my kitchen.

However, I’ve been making this recipe for over five years (so have many of you!), and it really is the most tender, most perfect zucchini bread.

I’m a sucker for trying new variations on almost everything (chocolate chip cookies, I’m looking at you), but when it comes to classic zucchini bread, I do not stray now that this zucchini bread is in my life.

{PS: this glazed orange zucchini bread is also fabulous, as is this zucchini cornbread – but if you want classic, scroll down and make today’s zucchini bread immediately.}

The real question is: have you ever enjoyed your slice of zucchini bread with a light spread of cream cheese?

Have you?

Because, if not, you haven’t lived.

My self-control completely flies out the window in the face of such a treat.

That creamy, tangy cream cheese with the mellow flavor of the zucchini bread is out of this world delicious.

Try it.

I’m telling you, I’ve tried a lot of zucchini bread in my day, and this is the best of the best.

You can get all fancy and add chocolate chips or even try smashing in a banana or two, but 99% of the time, I make it just like you see it here.

Unadorned and perfect.

Two Years Ago: Soft and Chewy 7-Layer Cookies {Not Bars…Cookies!}
Three Years Ago: Mandarin Broccoli Salad
Four Years Ago: Lemon Bars {Perfected}
Five Years Ago: Make-Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bake

Yield: one loaf

The Best Zucchini Bread

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:45-55 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 pound zucchini (you’ll end up with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of zucchini after shredding and wringing dry)
• 2 cups (10 ounces) flour (see note)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 cups (11.25 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt (not fat-free)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or sour cream (see note)
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, melted

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees (original instructions were for 375 degrees). Generously coat a 9X5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or cooking spray with flour.
2. Chop the ends off the zucchini (just 1/4-inch off each end) and finely shred the zucchini, peel and all. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel (or nut milk bag), wrap the towel, and wring the ends (like a an old-fashioned candy wrapper) to squeeze out all the excess water. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of dry zucchini. Set the zucchini aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice or sour cream, and butter until combined.
4. Gently fold the yogurt mixture and zucchini into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until just combined – don’t overmix! Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
5. Bake until golden brown and a thin knife or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, 45-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out into wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Store well-covered for up to three days.

Notes:

The recipe calls for a 9-inch by 5-inch sized loaf pan but I’ve also made this successfully in an 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan – the loaf doesn’t dome as well as it does in the larger pan since the batter fills up the pan more, but it still bakes up deliciously. Also, if you have overly large zucchini, cut them in half lengthwise first, scoop out the seeds, and then shred. Finally, I am sometimes short a few ounces of zucchini and I throw in enough shredded carrots to make up the difference – delicious!

Also, I often use half to 3/4 finely ground white whole wheat flour with good results – and sometimes I get crazy and use 100% whole wheat flour (always finely ground white wheat); it is a bit more dense with 100% whole wheat flour but still nutty and hearty and delicious.

After years of making this recipe, most often these days, I omit the lemon juice and increase the yogurt to 5 tablespoons OR if I don’t have yogurt, I use sour cream in place of the yogurt for equally delicious results.

All images and text ©Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Recipe originally posted August 2011; updated with new pictures, recipe notes and commentary.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country