Best Ever Zucchini Bread

Moist, flavorful, and with a hint of cinnamon, this is the best Zucchini Bread I’ve ever made. The secret is in the ingredients: they’re simple, but in the right combination and with a few subtle twists, this nut-free zucchini bread is perfect in school lunches or for dessert or snacking. Ready to get cooking? Read on and I, Chef Jenn, will show you all my tips and tricks to make this the best Zucchini Bread you’ve ever had!

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Lovely, moist, and not too sweet, this Zucchini Bread is a quick and easy fix the whole family will love. With a touch of sour cream and olive oil, Zucchini Bread transforms into an indulgent fix that’s also good for you!

What You Need To Make This Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe

• Box grater – or other grater
• Oven-safe loaf pan
• Fresh zucchini
• Brown sugar
• Olive oil – use a good quality olive oil for this recipe
• Sour cream – full fat works best
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg – freshly ground works best!

How to Buy Zucchini

You need to use fresh zucchini for this recipe – frozen and thawed is just way too runny and the recipe won’t work.

When buying zucchini, look for dark green and firm zucchini with no blemishes. Zucchini size is less important when making a zucchini loaf – if you were eating it for dinner I’d recommend the younger, smaller zucchini. I actually use the humongous zucchini for making breads. I get them in the late summer and load my freezer with zucchini bread. One huge zucchini will make a bunch of loaves!

How To Make Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

The touch of olive oil in this recipe replaces other fats and adds a subtle flavor that you don’t even really notice, but it enlivens the zucchini and adds a touch of umami. The sour cream balances the sweetness, and adds enough acidity to really make the flavors pop!

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the shredded zucchini (keep the skin on but avoid the seeds) with the sugar, olive oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well.
2. In a second, smaller bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well with a spatula, but don’t over-mix.
4. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and gently pour in the batter.
5. Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven at 350-F for about 45 minutes.
6. Let cool, slice, and enjoy!

How To Decorate the Top of The Zucchini Bread

With a clever and handy small kitchen tool, you can decorate the top of your zucchini loaf. A julienne peeler is my secret weapon.

I use it to make long and very thin strips of zucchini which I then fashion into a design on the top of the batter. Press the zucchini strips down every so slightly, into the batter.

Bake as normal and when done, your loaf will look like gourmet zucchini bread – and will taste delicious, too!

How To Tell if Zucchini Bread is Cooked

This healthy zucchini bread is cooked when an inserted toothpick comes out ALMOST clean. It’s a myth that the toothpick has to be squeaky clean and totally crumb-free. That can indicate it’s been cooked too long. A few clingy crumbs on the toothpick is fine, you just don’t want to see gooey batter.

Also, toothpicks aren’t necessary. I’ve used everything from a kitchen knife to a kabob skewer – you just need something long and thin.

Chef Jenn’s Tips

• Use good olive oil in this recipe. If you don’t have olive oil, use melted butter instead. Don’t use canola or vegetable oil – your bread will bake fine but the flavor just won’t be the same.
• Fresh nutmeg really puts this zucchini loaf over the top! Buy whole nutmeg and use a fine microplane grater to get the freshest nutmeg.
• Don’t overmix the batter! Use a spatula and mix only enough to combine all the ingredients.
• Love zucchini bread with walnuts? Add a handful of toasted and chopped walnuts to the batter and cook as directed.
• If you don’t have cooking spray, you can line the inside of your loaf pan with parchment paper.
• If the top of your zucchini bread starts getting too brown, cover it LOOSELY with a sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up.

What To Serve With This Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe

This savory zucchini bread is perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of coffee. But my kids will also down it for breakfast on the go, or for dessert after a hearty meal like this Hot Pot at Home recipe. It’s up to you how you enjoy it!

Can I Freeze Homemade Zucchini Bread?

Absolutely! Either slice it and then freeze it, for easy one slice servings, or freeze the whole loaf.

I wrap the loaves tightly in plastic wrap, and then again in foil. Plastic wrap will come off in the freezer but the foil will hold it in place. Then, I pop the loaves into a zipper-top plastic bag.

I freeze them for six months or more, and they’re just fine. How to defrost zucchini bread? Let it thaw in the fridge (or on the counter for a few hours) before serving, and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Step By Step Process

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Want More Easy Recipes?

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