From scratch · Quick breads

Zucchini bread

A spiced quick bread that uses up a big garden zucchini.

✋ 15 min hands-on ⏱ 1 hr 40 min start to finish 🍽 One 9 × 5-inch loaf, about 10 slices.

ContainsEggs, Wheat.

Ingredients

  • 1 zucchini, medium, grated (about 1½ cups), not peeled
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (soybean)
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 190 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 3 g table salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Time

Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.

StepHands-onWaiting
Grate and mix15 min–
Bake at 350°F–55 min
Cool–30 min
In all15 min1 hr 25 min

How long it keeps

  • Counter: wrapped, about 3 days (NDSU’s figure for bread).
  • Freezer: wrapped once cool, 2 to 4 months (University of Missouri’s time for quick breads); thaw in the wrapping, 1 to 2 hours.

Nutrition

Estimated from the ingredients’ USDA FoodData Central numbers.

Steps

You’ll need: box grater, bowl, 9 × 5-inch loaf pan.

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease the pan. Grate the zucchini; there’s no need to squeeze it.
  2. Whisk the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the zucchini.
  3. Sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon over the top and stir, then stir in the flour (and nuts) just until combined.
  4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then on a rack.
⚖️ ScalingA big garden zucchini makes several loaves: about 1½ cups grated per loaf.
🛡 SafetyDon’t taste raw dough or batter, and wash your hands and the counter after handling flour: raw flour can carry germs that only baking kills (FDA).

🌱 Grow it

You can grow some of what goes into this: summer squash and zucchini and eggs (backyard hens).

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

Sources

  1. Food Storage Guide (FN579), NDSU Extension, reviewed January 2023. Accessed 2026-10-25.
  2. How to Freeze Home-Prepared Foods (GH1505), University of Missouri Extension. Accessed 2026-10-25.
  3. Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-10-25.

In the meal planner, tap Make it next to an item on the shopping list: the list swaps it for these ingredients, scaled to your meals, and the Prep day tab fits the work into your week. More from-scratch recipes.

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