One-Bowl Zucchini Bread

Last updated on June 28th, 2026

Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

We LOVE a good loaf. One of my most popular recipes is this Best Banana Bread. Simple, wholesome and gorgeous. This One-Bowl Zucchini Bread is just as delicious. Made with pantry staples and super quick to mix up, it’s perfect for a little late-summer afternoon or weekend baking. 

This zucchini bread is moist, flavourful and a great way to use summer’s favourite vegetable. It freezes beautifully and makes great muffins, too. 

Why you’ll love this Zucchini Bread 

It’s a classic zucchini bread. With just the right amount of sweetness and a hint of rich, caramel flavour from the brown sugar, it has the classic warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Aside from being perfectly moist and delicious, this loaf is also made with nutrient-rich zucchini, which comes with a range of vitamins, protein and fibre. Much like carrots or pumpkin, the moisture in zucchini can transform the texture of baked goods resulting in an almost-cake-like loaf.

And despite adding beautiful flecks of green, you wouldn’t even know it’s there.

Ingredients you’ll need to make this One-Bowl Zucchini Bread

  • 3 small or 2 medium-sized zucchini, shredded (about 2 cups or 300 grams)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 grams) butter, melted and cooled (sub dairy free)
  • ¾ cup (175 grams) dark brown sugar 
  • ¼ cup (60 grams) full fat Greek yogurt (sub sour cream, mashed banana or apple sauce)
  • 1½ teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla
  • 1 cup (130 grams) finely ground whole wheat or whole wheat all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon (0.5 gram) nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half if using Morton’s)

A few helpful tips for making the best Zucchini Bread

  • Zucchini preparation: Shred (don’t grate) the zucchini using the large holes on a box grater. You want the zucchini to be moist but not wet, so squeeze out any excess water when you add it to the bowl. 
  • Lining your pan: Parchment paper makes it so much easier to lift out the loaf without breaking it apart.
  • Storage: Wrap zucchini bread tightly in aluminum foil then in an airtight bag. It will keep well on the counter for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen zucchini bread in the refrigerator overnight then bring to room temperature before serving.

✨ The Caramelization Secret

Using dark brown sugar instead of plain white sugar is the ultimate key to unlocking that deep, rich flavour profile.

Brown sugar contains natural molasses, which caramelizes beautifully under the oven’s heat to create a soft, fudgy crumb.

The result is a highly complex, comforting sweetness that perfectly complements the warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Step-by-Step: How to make the best Zucchini Bread

  1. First, position rack to centre of oven and preheat to 350ºF (177ºC). 
  2. Next, shred your zucchini, taking care to remove any excess moisture.
  3. Add eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, yogurt and vanilla and whisk together. 
  4. Then add flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 
  5. Transfer batter to a parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, then let cool for 30-45 minutes before slicing.

This is what it looks like:

Shred the zucchini on a box grater.

Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

To a large bowl, add eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, yogurt and vanilla and whisk together. Then stir in shredded zucchini.

Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

Next, add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

Transfer batter to a parchment-lined loaf pan and bake.

Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

Variations and Substitutions

  • Make ahead: Make the bread ahead of time and freeze it whole as directed above.
  • Gluten free: Use an equal amount of your favourite, good quality 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
  • Dairy free: Swap the butter for oil and the Greek yogurt for applesauce.
  • Add-ins: For a more complete snack or meal, add ½ cup chopped walnuts or your favourite seeds. Chocolate chips would be good too! 
  • Mini loaves or muffins: Line or grease a muffin tin and scoop batter evenly into 12 cups. Bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

⏳ The quick-bread cooling rule

Because the moisture in fresh zucchini gives this loaf a rich, dense texture, proper cooling is critical to protecting the crumb. 

Leaving a hot quick bread in the pan for too long creates trapped steam, which will quickly turn the bottom crust soggy.

Let your baked loaf rest inside the loaf pan on your counter for exactly 10 minutes to allow the structure to firm up slightly.

Then, gently lift it out and place it directly onto a wire cooling rack to let air circulate completely around the bread.

With all the cozy cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and dark brown sugar flavours, this One-Bowl Zucchini Bread makes a delicious breakfast, healthy snack or light dessert. Double or triple this recipe to freeze and enjoy for months to come!

Try this One-Bowl Bakery Style Pumpkin Bread or this One-Bowl Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread next.

Did you make this recipe?

If you tried this recipe, be sure to rate it and leave a comment below! You can also tag me with your creations on Instagram, save this recipe to your favourite Pinterest boards for later, or connect with our Facebook community if you prefer updates there.


Must-Make Zucchini Bread. - harvestandnourish.com

One-Bowl Zucchini Bread

This One-Bowl Zucchini Bread is moist, flavourful and a great way to use summer’s favourite vegetable. Made with pantry staples and super quick to mix up, it’s perfect for a little late-summer afternoon or weekend baking. And it makes great muffins, too! 
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour
Resting time:40 minutes
Total Time:2 hours
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: baking, bread, zucchini, zucchini bread
Servings: 1 9×5-inch loaf
Author: Kerry

Ingredients

  • 3 small or 2 medium-sized zucchini shredded (about 2 cups or 300 grams)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup butter, melted and cooled (sub dairy free)
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup full fat Greek yogurt (sub sour cream, mashed banana or apple sauce)
  • teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup finely ground whole wheat or whole wheat all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half if using Morton’s)

Instructions

  • Position oven rack to the centre and preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC)
  • Use the largest holes in a box grater to grate the zucchini into big shreds. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl.
  • Add 2 eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, yogurt and vanilla and whisk together.
  • Then add flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in any optional add-ins. Batter will be slightly thick.
  • Prepare parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan and pour batter into pan.
  • Bake for 55-60 minutes until deeply golden and a tester inserted comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out and place it on a wire cooling rack directly.

Notes

Make ahead: Make the bread ahead of time and freeze it whole as directed below.
Make it gluten free: Use an equal amount of your favourite, good quality 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
Make it dairy free: Swap the butter for oil and the Greek yogurt for applesauce.
Add-ins: For a more complete snack or meal, add ½ cup chopped walnuts or your favourite seeds. Chocolate chips would be good too!
To make mini-loaves or muffins: Line or grease a muffin tin and scoop batter evenly into 12 cups. Bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Storage: To store, wrap zucchini bread tightly in aluminum foil then in an airtight bag. It will keep well on the counter for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen zucchini bread in the refrigerator overnight then bring to room temperature before serving.

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Nanda! I don’t test my recipes with egg substitutes. I can suggest, however, that since the eggs act as a binder in this recipe to provide structure, you might want to try flax or chia eggs to achieve the same effect. Thank you! K

  1. Hi Kerry

    Love your newsletter & all your recipes. Try as I might I cannot find the ‘green heart’ you referred to on either your recipe page nor your home page??? I am a Mac user, is that the problem?

    Would love to be able to return easily to my favs. Please advise

    Thanks, Neil

    1. Hi Neil! I’m so pleased you enjoy my recipes, thank you! The green heart and save/login icons appear a few seconds after you open a page in the bottom right-hand corner. Once you click on the heart to save a recipe, the icon below the heart allows you to search all your saved recipes, see your bookmarks or login to the grow app to see all of your saved recipes. If you’re still not seeing them, you can try clearing your cache or using a different browser. Hope that helps! K

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