You’ve gotta try Grandma’s moist zucchini bread recipe we’ve made for years and are finally sharing her secrets with you today. It. Is. Delicious baked into muffins, loaf pans or as air fryer zucchini bread. An Old Fashioned favorite breakfast or dessert.
What’s the trick to making a moist zucchini bread recipe, well we will share it with you! This is Grandms’s family recipe that everyone raves about. Now you can enjoy it in your home as is below or tweaked like our Pumpkin zucchini muffins. 😉 (affiliate links present)
Table of Contents
Moist Zucchini Bread
We’ve made sweet breads for years. I assumed everyone had their own family recipe for the best zucchini bread. Then it dawned on me that this may not be true so I thought I’d add this to our roundup of easy zucchini dessert recipes.
I have made this for years and years. Yes it reminds me of my childhood so there is that but have made it for the holidays to give away and everyone says it is amazing. I think the ingredients are one thing but following the exact step by step directions when baking with zucchini is very very important to getting it perfect.
Old Fashioned Zucchini Bread Recipe
It is always best to go back to the good ol days right. What I mean by this is starting from scratch, homemade, and it’s all about taste and texture vs. what it looks like. Not that this is weird looking at all but I don’t add anything on top like frosting or crumble. It’s just moist and fabulous.
- Of course you can buy them year round usually, but we have a TON right in our own vegetable garden every year!
This is a great recipe if you have a lot to use each season too! It’s a quick bread you can enjoy right away, and freeze another loaf for another day. Over the years we have of course tweaked it here and there to see if add ins would make it even better. Yes you could add crushed nuts if you wanted, mini chocolate chips maybe, but our fave was Zucchini pineapple bread.
That is right! Using a bit of canned tidbits inside this fruit adds even more moisture into the mix and a bit of tart we loved.
How to Make the Best Zucchini Bread
We will share our kitchen hacks with you below. There is a tip to adding shredded vegetables into sweet breads because you don’t want it to be weighed down at all. Do NOT skip any of these, they are all musts.
- Follow our moist zucchini bread recipe after all we think it is the best 😉
- Use the freshest zucchini that are medium in size
- You do NOT want to use a huge zucchini because when it’s grated it will become somewhat mushy and make your bread well…..kinda’ mushy
- Make sure all of your ingredients are mixed in well creating a smooth batter – we use our countertop mixer for this
- Do NOT add in your grated zucchini until your batter is mixed well, then gently fold in so it doesn’t break apart
- Make sure to preheat your oven or it will not bake at an even temperature
Place loaves on the middle rack to ensure an even bake and prevent top from getting too brown while middle is not done yet.
Zucchini Bread Moist
2 MOST Important tips – Do NOT over bake it and Squeeze out the moisture in your shredded zucchini!
- Leave it in for the minimum amount of time in your recipe
- check with a toothpick in the center
- add 3 minutes if needed
- check again
- Right when the toothpick comes out clean and it barely springs back when you gently touch it in the center take it out!
- Put it on a cooling rack until it is cool enough to gently flip over
- Place it on 2 paper towels or cutting board to cool the rest of the way
This will keep it moist and prevent it from continuing to bake in your hot loaf pan
Zucchini Bread with Brown Sugar
Now make sure you get a lot of the moisture out of your grated zucchini before you add it into your bowl. This is what I am talking about when I say the steps are important to follow. This is #1 on top of the list of what needs to be done or else the texture will be off and not good at all.
- Like this!
- Shred on to a few paper towels folded together
- Fold them over and press so liquid is absorbed
- If it is still really wet fold it together like a package and gently squeeze it out into the sink!
Once excessive moisture is eliminated, add it in at the end once the batter is all mixed.
If you don’t have a great countertop mixer I suggest you make the investment. It is something that should last you a lifetime and makes baking so much easier.
- The mixer we have has many functions as you see here with a blender attachment and many other uses. It fits right under my cabinets which I love. Gotta’ love dual purpose appliances!!
Best Zucchini Bread Ingredients
We’re using the attachment to make sweet breads and cookies today of course.
- Large bowl for dry ingredients & 1 for wet
- Medium / Large zucchini – shredded, moisture removed
- All purpose flour – this is how to measure flour so it doesn’t come out dense
- Baking powder & baking soda
- Sugar, white to add some sweetness
- Brown sugar for a richer sweet flavor
- Eggs should be close to room temperature
- Oil & vanilla
- Almond extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips are optional
Once everything is incorporated well you will be able to bake 2 loaf pans, 1 is seen here, or we usually make 1 loaf + 12 muffins or so.
How do you know when zucchini bread is done?
This is the best moist zucchini bread recipe ever! Test With A Toothpick. After 50 minutes start testing your bread for doneness meaning stick a toothpick in the center. If it is inserted in the center and the center comes out clean it is done. If batter sticks to the toothpick, you’re looking at more cooking time.
How do you store zucchini bread in the freezer?
It will last two to three months if properly wrapped. Double-wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. When you thaw zucchini bread remove the foil but leave the plastic wrap on until it is completely thawed. Then warm for 30 seconds in the microwave
Of course you can make super moist zucchini muffins using this recipe as well!
- Just adjust your bake time to about 18-22 minutes or until they spring back when gently touched in the middle of a muffin.
- You can add fruit too with our zucchini blueberry muffins recipe.
We make them this way many times because they’re easier to serve and gets done more evenly.
Here is a quick step by step but there is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post too. Shred zucchini on top of a few paper towels. Wrap shreds up and squeeze over the sink to get rid of the moisture. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another. Slowly incorporate the dry into the wet. Then gently incorporate the shredded zucchini into the batter.
- Line 2 loaf pans with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Pour batter in and bake for 45- 50 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
- If you’d rather make easy muffins recipe instead of a loaf, cook time is 18-22 minutes.
Our air fryer zucchini chips are amazing snacks too.
Once you enjoy this you should try our other yummy breakfast recipes
- Banana zucchini muffins adds fruit into the mix
- Moist pumpkin bread we love in the Fall
- Pumpkin monkey bread is a simple breakfast
Print recipe below, nutritional info. including saturated fat etc. is below too:
Air fryer zucchini bread
This can be made using the same method we made air fryer banana bread.
- Follow instructions to make this batter
- Spray inside of 7″ bundt pan with non stick spray or use mini loaf pans.
- Place inside air fryer basket and close. Bake.
- Continue on with other pans when done to finish baking all batter
- Remove when done and allow to sit in pan for 5 minutes. Then gently flip over on a plate. Drizzle melted frosting on top, slice and serve.
Below is a printable recipe card with nutritional information listed. This is an amazing breakfast, brunch or dessert. All in moderation my friends, just enjoy it. I have added 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips before too and it was also to die for. Let us know what you think in the comments below We hope you love it as much as we have for years and years
If you want to know how to half a recipe to make less, read this post. Tip: Spray your pan with non stick spray to clean a pot.
Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 2 9×5 loaf pan
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 2 c zucchini, grated, moisture removed, use medium size zucchini
- 3 c flour, all purpose
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 c vegetable oil
- 2 c sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add all dry ingredients into one bowl and mix well.
- Add all wet ingredients (except zucchini) into another bowl and use a mixer on low to mix together.
- Slowly mix your dry ingredients into your wet ingredient bowl, 1/3 mix at a time until it is all combined well. Then shred your zucchini on to a few paper towels folded together. Fold over shredded zucchini and press down to get out excessive moisture. (can be wet but not dripping) Then gently fold in your shredded zucchini into your batter.
- Spray 2 loaf pans with non stick spray or line with parchment paper and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick placed into the middle comes out clean, or middle starts to spring back when gently touched in the middle. Do NOT overbake them that is the key to keeping them moist.
- Muffins take 18-22 minutes (until they spring back when touched in the center) Allow to cool just enough where you can gently flip it over and remove from the loaf pan so it doesn't continue cooking. Put on cutting board to slice when cooled.
- For added yum drizzle some melted vanilla frosting on top of each piece when it is served.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
After an overabundance of zucchini in our garden, I was in search of new ways to use it. This was my first time making zucchini muffins and it will definitely not be my last! They were so moist and flavorful, with just the perfect crispness on top. I had no trouble with the recipe and my batter was perfect after folding in the zucchini. I baked 24 muffins for 20 minutes, just right! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Awesome!!
So much sugar that my muffins tasted like a giant sugar cookie with a little green stuff (zucchini)! May be better to sub sugar with applesauce??
Can you cut this recipe in half to only make one loaf and it tastes still the same?
This is my first time making zucchini bread! My neighbor grew too many and shared! I had to put them to good use! This recipe has been a hit with everyone that has tried it!! Thank you so much!! I love the combination of vanilla, almond and cinnamon! Yum!!
Yay glad you loved it
I don’t have any almond extract is there another flavor I can use?
The same here…I used all vanilla. It is so good
yay!
I made this zucchini bread and brought the whole loaf to work, lets just say the container was empty.
So moist and flavorful, I’m going to try adding nuts to the next one. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.
OH yay!!
What size loaf pan?
This is the best recipe for zucchini bread!
Glad you loved it
Your recipe is amazing, i made it with white and wheat flour its so good, wheat flours the doctors ordres Lol.
I have used this recipe several times. The batter IS very thick before I fold in my zucchini, but once I do it is the perfect consistency for spooning into my loaf pans (I use mini loaf pans). I use my kitchen aid shredder attachment to shred my zucchini and I find that I don’t have a lot of moisture to squeeze out. If I use the more mature zucchini I cut out the center seedy section. I also use pumpkin pie spice in the place of the cinnamon. And 2 tsp of each vanilla and almond (I love almond anything). I also experiment with different mixes of nuts (so far I’ve used pecan, slivered almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pepitas) and I also throw in some craisins when I have them! So far it has turned out perfect and moist every time. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!