The Best Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread — Super moist, tender, loaded with chocolate chips, and so EASY to make!! One bowl, no mixer, and THE BEST zucchini bread you’ll ever try!!

The Best Ever Zucchini Bread 

I have a family who doesn’t like zucchini, but they sure loved this zucchini bread. If you know any zucchini haters, trust me — they won’t even be able to taste it. There’s so much chocolate in every bite, which is what dominates the flavor profile.

It’s so incredibly moist, tender, and just melts in your mouth. Between the oil, sour cream, and natural moisture from the zucchini, it’s impossible to have a dry loaf of this quick bread recipe.

I created this easy zucchini bread recipe by combining pieces and parts of my Zucchini Banana Bread and my Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake recipes.

I actually think this bread is so scrumptious, it could be considered cake, but baked in loaf form. So if it’s bread, it’s automatically a bit healthier than cake, right? Yes!

Save this original recipe for when your garden, your neighbor’s garden, or the markets are exploding with summer fresh zucchini.

What Ingredients Are Needed for Moist Zucchini Bread? 

This is such a simple recipe and other than the zucchini, you will likely have everything in your pantry and fridge to make this recipe right now! I made this zucchini bread with sour cream, but note that full-fat plain Greek yogurt may be substituted. 

You will need:

• Egg
• Vegetable or canola oil
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Cinnamon
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Zucchini
• Chocolate Chips, optional but highly recommended

Zucchini Bread Step-by-Step Instructions 

Full instructions for this recipe can be found in this recipe card at the end of the post. Here’s a quick overview of the baking process: 

1. To a large bowl, simply add the wet ingredients (egg, sugars, sour cream, vanilla, sugars) and whisk to combine them. 
2. Add the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt) and stir to combine. 
3. Add the shredded zucchini, chocolate chips, stir to combine, and turn the mixture out into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
4. Bake until done! The batter is fairly thick and dense, which is a good thing, so that when the zucchini releases its juices as the bread bakes, the dough started out sufficiently thick and can handle absorbing that extra liquid volume.

What Does This Zucchini Bread Taste Like? 

If you’ve never baked anything with zucchini before, you’re in for a treat! 

Classic zucchini bread is ultra moist thanks to the grated zucchini, and the overall flavor profile is sweet and slightly cinnamon-y. I love adding chocolate chips for that chocolate factor, but you may omit them. 

And if you’re worried the bread will taste like zucchini, it won’t at all! The zucchini simply adds moisture. 

Can You Freeze Zucchini Bread?

Absolutely! Let the bread cool completely and then seal inside a freezer bag. Alternately, you can wrap the entire loaf in a few layers of plastic wrap and a final layer of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Frozen zucchini bread will last up to three months. To thaw, place on the counter overnight. 

You can also freeze individual slices of zucchini bread. 

How to Prepare Zucchini for Bread

I use a box grater to grate the zucchini by hand in literally 60 seconds. Use the coarsest blade, and grate away. One big fat zucchini or about one-and-a-half or two thinner, smaller zucchinis will be sufficient.

You could use a food processor but honestly that is just lots of pieces, parts, and extra dishes later on, for a job that is 60 seconds.

Put the grater on a cutting board and you’ll be done faster than you could even drag out your food processor.

Place the grated zucchini in doubled up paper towels and wring it out. You don’t have to wring like you are trying to wring out a wet swimsuit, but you want to blot up some of the moisture, if I were guessing, I’d say wring out 50% of the moisture.

Then place it in a 1-cup measuring cup fairly firmly. Don’t hard-pack it into the cup, but use more pressure than if you were just laying it in the cup.

You want 1 1/2 cups total of grated, blotted, semi-packed zucchini. 

Do You Peel Zucchini for Bread?

Nope! No need to peel the zucchini before grating it. The skin is very tender and you can’t tell the difference between it and the flesh of the zucchini once it’s baked. 

Recipe Variations 

Can This Recipe Be Used to Make Muffins? 

It is perfectly fine to use the batter to make muffins.

Muffins will probably take about 20 to 25 minutes baked at 350F. Keep an eye on them; they’re done when they’re cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean from batter, although it’ll have chocolate on it.

Can This Recipe Be Used to Make a Cake? 

The batter would be fine for an 8×8-inch cake or a small Bundt cake. It will depend on what you choose to bake it in, but I estimate it taking about 35 minutes for either.

I haven’t tested either of these options personally, so watch your baking times.

Can I Add Nuts to the Batter? 

If you want to skip the chocolate chips, and/or incorporate walnuts or another favorite nut, that is just fine. Don’t exceed 1 cup combined of chocolate chips and/or nuts.

Can This Recipe Be Made Gluten-Free? 

I haven’t make this recipe gluten-free, but if you want to attempt it I’d use a gluten-free flour specifically intended for baking.

A Note About the Baking Time

Anytime one is baking with zucchini, bananas, berries, or any fruit or vegetable, the natural juices from the vegetable or fruit seep out during the baking process.

It is very important to bake your bread through, and approximately 50 minutes should do the trick, but that is not written in stone so you need to watch your bread and not the clock when evaluating doneness. Do not be afraid to bake your bread for 70 minutes if that’s what it needs in order to get it cooked through.

Because of the moisture content of your particular zucchini, exactly how much water you blotted out, your oven, you climate, the brand of flour used, and so forth, will all effect baking times. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out free from any wet batter.

I recommend draping a sheet of foil, i.e. tenting your pan, at the 25 to 30-minute mark to avoid excessive browning on the top and sides of your loaf.

More Zucchini Recipes:

My Entire Zucchini Recipe Collection — From sweet to savory, sides to main dishes, this collection of amazing zucchini recipes has you covered!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache – The best zucchini cake ever!! Soft, moist, and you can’t even taste the zucchini! Tastes like a yellow bakery cake drenched in chocolate!!

Zucchini Banana Bread — This zucchini banana bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light! It’s just sweet enough to taste like a dessert and not like you’re eating vegetables. It really is the BEST zucchini bread recipe!!

Carrot Zucchini Bread — Fast, easy, one bowl, no mixer!! Super soft, moist, and tastes so good you’ll forget it’s on the healthier side!

Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (vegan) – You’ll never complain about eating your vegetables again! Soft, healthy, so good!

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Muffins — NO dairy or butter and only 1/4 cup oil in the entire batch!! Promise you CANNOT taste the zucchini but it keeps the muffins so soft and moist! Love sneaking in extra veggies with lots of CHOCOLATE!!