Julie Clark
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Old Fashioned Zucchini Bread
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This old fashioned zucchini bread recipe is a tried-and-true family favorite. I add a cinnamon sugar topping to the unbaked loaves to give it a sugar crunch top, similar to our fresh berry cake and blueberry peach cake.
This isn’t just any zucchini bread. It’s my grandma’s zucchini bread recipe, and it’s been in our family for generations. It’s a no-fuss, from-scratch recipe that makes two loaves, one for now, one to freeze (or gift to a friend!). If you’re craving classic zucchini bread with nostalgic flavor and reliable results, this is the one to bake!
Old-Fashioned Zucchini Bread Like Grandma Used to Make
Zucchini bread has always felt like home to me. I remember my grandma showing up with a loaf wrapped in foil and tucked into her bag, still slightly warm from the oven. My mom used her same recipe, and now it’s the one I pass on to my own kids. We’ve even turned it into pumpkin bread and banana bread.
I love that this recipe makes two loaves. It’s the perfect excuse to keep one for yourself and share the other. This bread freezes well,so you can always have a slice ready for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. And don’t worry if you’re serving it to picky eaters—the zucchini disappears into the bread, adding moisture, just like with our green tomato cake.
If you’ve tried our zucchini chocolate chip cake, s’more zucchini muffins or Reese’s zucchini muffins, you’ll find that same reliable texture and sweetness here. It’s an old-fashioned recipe that just works!
Need a savory zucchini recipe? Try our zucchini pizza casserole and zucchini boats.
Ingredients for Zucchini Bread
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Use any type of oil: canola oil, vegetable oil or even melted coconut oil.
- I’ve not tried using any sugar substitute in this recipe.
- An all-purpose gluten-free flour should work well for this quick bread.
How to Grate Zucchini for Bread
Slice off and discard both ends of the zucchini, but leave the peel on. There will be a hint of green here and there, but most don’t notice it! Otherwise you can use the whole zucchini. To grate the zucchini, try:
- Food processor. Use the shredding disc, or if you have a small food processor you can cut the zucchini into chunks before pulsing just a few times.
- Box grater. Zucchini is soft and easy to shred. We use the side of the grater with the largest holes.
Zucchini Bread Recipe
My Grandma's Zucchini Bread recipe is not only easy, but bakes up moist and full of comforting flavor. It makes two loaves and freezes well.
Servings 20
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil 8 ounces
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 8 grams
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 390 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
Optional topping:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 8 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a 8.5×4.5" loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and zucchini in a bowl. Set aside. 1 cup canola oil, ,2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 large eggs, 2 cups grated zucchini
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon sugar topping. Sprinkle over the top of the batter. ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The internal temperature of the bread should be about 200ºF. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- You’ll need one medium zucchini or two small ones. If the zucchini is extra large with big seeds, you may want to cut out and discard the very center of the zucchini to get rid of the seeds. If they are small, they’ll just grate right into the bread and no one will know the difference.
- Add in 1 cup of nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips, as desired. Our favorite addition is mini chocolate chips.
- Storage Instructions. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 48 hours. Freeze the loaf whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
How to Make Zucchini Bread
There are 5 simple steps to making zucchini bread:
- Shred the zucchini.
- Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Divide the bread batter between two greased and floured loaf pans, sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar and bake.
Zucchini Bread Variations
You can add in whatever you want in this homemade zucchini bread. Here are a few fun ideas:
- Chocolate Chips and Walnuts: Adding semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (or pecans) creates a contrast of textures and flavors.
- Lemon and Blueberry: Add lemon zest and fresh blueberries to the batter. The tartness of the blueberries and the zing of the lemon zest will make your taste buds dance.
- Coconut and Pineapple: For a tropical twist, mix in shredded coconut and drained crushed pineapple. You’ll feel like you’re on the beach!
- Cranberry and Orange Zest: Fresh or dried cranberries paired with orange zest will add a delicious flavor that will remind you of Christmas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reduce the sugar or oil in this bread?
I would not reduce the oil. It’s what helps make this bread soft and tender. You can try reducing the sugar by ⅓ cup if you’d like.
How do you keep zucchini bread moist after baking?
Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then place it in another airtight container or plastic freezer bag.
Is it better to freeze zucchini or zucchini bread?
Both methods work really well. We’ve frozen whole loaves of zucchini bread and also frozen bags of grated zucchini.
If you choose to freeze grated zucchini, remember that as it defrosts you’ll end up with a lot of water. Drain the zucchini in a colander to get out excess moisture, but don’t press it dry. You want some of that moisture to remain so that the bread bakes properly.
This is the exact same recipe as my grandmother [born 1900] who put toasted walnuts and a table spoon of molasses in her zucchini bread. Thank you!
I’ve made your Grandma’s Zucchini Bread at least 4 times. I have 2 loaves in the oven right now. I always freeze one for next month. It freezes great. I made today’s with peanuts & plant based Choc. chips. Thanks so much for sharing. We love it!
I made this recipe tonight. It’s super easy; the bread is moist & cooked perfectly right by the recipe. Sharing portions of these with my neighbors, so I’ll be making more soon!
The recipe says to use 2 loaf pans. Size? I could not find this stated anywhere. 9×5? 8×4? Please let me know! Thanks!
Try adding 1 cup of crushed pineapple to your zucchini bread recipe
I hate it when someone modifies a recipe that everyone thinks is delicious. But, here goes. For some very specific health reasons my family limits its sugar. We find that most recipes, especially old family recipes, are to sweet. Therefore, I added about 1/2 cup more zucchini and cut the sugar by 1/2 cup. I also cut the oil by 1/2 cup and substituted unsweetened applesauce. I do this all the time and can’t tell the difference. Because there are only two of us, I made 4 mini loafs. Baking time was about 45 minutes. I did add the chocolate… Read more »
Wondering if anyone has tried coconut oil for this and or Stevie for baking. Would like to find some zucchini and try these sub
I noticed in your recipe you forgot to put squeeze the zucchini out real good or you’ll have all that extra water in your recipe
This is a fantastic recipe , i added some shredded green beans it tastes great , thank you very much
I made Chocolate orange zucchini bread and my it was good. I also added coconut and changed the flour to soft whole wheat and the sugar to honey granules. Everyone loved it. I gave 3 loaves away. Even my picky DIL liked it. Hahaha!!! I left the choc. out of some and the coconut out of some fir the people that couldn’t have it.