The Best Zucchini Bread Recipe – The Secret To Moist Zucchini Bread

Every year when we start to pick the zucchini out of our garden, one of the very first recipes that I make is my Moist Zucchini Bread recipe. Soft and tender bread with a slightly crispy exterior crust that slices perfectly without falling apart.

However, not all recipes will give you bread that has the right amount of moisture without being too dry and crumbly. And there is nothing worse than picking up a slice of homemade bread and it falls into pieces before you can take your first bite.

After many years of trying to make perfectly moist and flavorful bread, I have finally developed a recipe that does just that. It is so delicious that even those that aren’t zucchini lovers ask for seconds.

Although you may be able to see tiny green shreds of zucchini once you cut into the bread, you can’t taste the zucchini at all. In fact, the taste is more like a sweet cinnamon and ginger bread.

No wonder why it is so good!

How To Shred Zucchini

In order to not have large chunks of zucchini in the bread, the zucchini must be finely shredded.

However, there is no need to peel the zucchini. Just cut off the ends and shred it with the skins left on.

Although you can use a standard box grater, I prefer to use our Hamilton Beach food processor to do the work for me. Not only does it take seconds to do, I don’t have to worry about shredding my knuckles along with the zucchini.

Simply cut the zucchini so that fits down into the chute of your food processor. Then add the grating blade and within seconds, all of the zucchini is shredded for you.

And the best part is that for this specific zucchini bread recipe you don’t have to squeeze the liquid out of the strands. Instead, the liquid will help thin out the batter and in turn, keep the zucchini bread nice and moist.

Healthy Substitute For Vegetable Oil

This recipe was adapted from my Grandmother’s original zucchini bread recipe. However, her recipe called for one cup of vegetable oil as one of the ingredients.

She claimed that is why her zucchini bread was so moist. However, we try to eliminate as much oil as possible from our diet.

Instead, I use all-natural applesauce in place of the vegetable oil. In fact, if we have any of our homemade canned applesauce I will use that. (See Recipe: Homemade Canned Applesauce).

However, you can use store bought applesauce as well. Just be sure that it is all-natural, 100% applesauce. And for those who don’t eat applesauce very often, it is a great idea to purchase the applesauce that is packaged in individual snack size containers to prevent the larger container from going bad before you can use it.

Although it is a common baking practice to substitute only half of the oil with the applesauce, I most often substitute it completely. The bread stays nice and moist and slices perfectly without falling apart.

However, if you are a little hesitant about the substitution, you can use 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup all natural applesauce. Then maybe the next time that you make zucchini bread you can give up the oil entirely!

Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

Yield: 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup all natural applesauce (or 1 cup vegetable oil)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups grated zucchini

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. In a large bowl combine, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger. Whisk until combined and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl (using a paddle attachment if applicable), combine white sugar and applesauce and mix until creamy.
4. Add brown sugar, eggs, & vanilla. Mix until combined.
5. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until combined. *Mixture will be thick.
6. Grate the zucchini and fold it into the batter. *The liquid in the zucchini will make the batter thinner.
7. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Repeat to fill the other loaf pan.
8. Bake for 45-60 minutes. It is a done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out mostly clean.

How To Store Zucchini Bread

Once the zucchini bread has cooled completely, store it at room temperature in a sealed container as this will keep the bread nice and moist.

It can also be stored in the refrigerator for an extended shelf life. However, be sure to seal it completely as the refrigerator can dry out the bread. When storing it in a sealed container it will last for approximately 7-10 days.

You can also freeze the zucchini bread for long term storage. It will last for several months and is great to have on hand when unexpected guests show up or when your sweet tooth needs something to curb its craving.

To freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and then place it in a freezer safe plastic bag or container. When you are ready to eat the bread, unwrap it and let it thaw completely.

It is important that you unwrap it while it is still frozen. As it begins to thaw, the bread will become super moist and will stick to the foil or plastic wrap.

I will typically set it on a cooling rack or on the plate that we will be serving it from to let it thaw.

However, not only can you freeze your loaves of delicious & moist zucchini bread, you can also freeze your zucchini so that you can make a fresh loaf any time of the year!

What To Do With An Abundance of Zucchini

If you grow your own zucchini, you might be overwhelmed with how much it produces, especially all at once.

Initially, it seems like you wait and wait for the first blossom to transition into a ripened zucchini. However, once you pick the first one, the zucchini seem to multiply and grow overnight.

Within a couple of weeks, you have had your fill of zucchini and it becomes more difficult to think of other recipes. And unfortunately, garden zucchini does not stay fresh for long.

So instead of (or in addition to) begging others to take zucchini off your hands, you can shred it and store it in the freezer. That way, whenever the urge to make this delicious zucchini bread hits you, you already have the zucchini ready for you!

In fact, I will shred the zucchini and then divide the strands and freeze them into 3 cup portions. That way I know that 1 bag of shredded zucchini is perfect for this bread recipe.

And if you are sick and tired of Zucchini Bread, I have 5 other zucchini recipes that you might enjoy. (See: 5 Other Zucchini Recipes Other Than Bread).

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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