Easy Zucchini Bread

Got zucchini? This easy zucchini bread recipe will become a family favorite: it’s moistened by Greek yogurt and so fast to whip up.

Do you have a zucchini bread recipe? We’ve gotten this request on Instagram several times lately. There’s nothing Alex and I love more than a reader challenge, so we set about to create one. What we ended up with was this easy zucchini bread: lightly sweetened with crunchy turbinado sugar and moistened with Greek yogurt. It’s sweet enough to satisfy a craving, but not overly so. It’s our new favorite baked good: and we not-so-secretly hope it will be yours too. Here’s how to make it!

What’s a quick bread?

Zucchini bread is known as a quick bread, a bread that is leavened with baking powder and baking soda, not yeast. Leavening is what makes a bread rise! What kind of breads have yeast? Well, that’s where your sourdough bread and artisan bread come in. Quick breads are much easier to make than yeast breads, which require more technique and temperature control. A few other popular quick breads you’ve probably made before: Banana Bread or Pumpkin Bread.

Ingredients for this easy zucchini bread

That said, a lot of quick breads like zucchini bread and banana bread are more like cakes than bread! Our chocolate banana bread is a prime example. This is why for this easy zucchini bread we took a healthy spin! We’ve replaced some of the oil with Greek yogurt, which keeps it moist but not oily. There’s just enough sugar in this recipe, not so much that it takes like a cupcake. Here are the ingredients needed for this zucchini bread (see the recipe below for exact quantities):

• Zucchini
• All-purpose flour
• Neutral oil
• Eggs
• Greek yogurt
• Turbinado sugar (or substitute light brown sugar)
• Spices, baking soda and baking powder

You’ll mix the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and shredded zucchini, and mix until a dough forms. Then bake for about 1 hour: the bread comes out perfectly moist! The only hard part is letting it cool before you dig in!

What people are saying

Don’t just trust us that this bread is tasty! Here’s what our recipe tester Michelle had to say about the zucchini bread:

• “I made the Zucchini Bread tonight. I’m a BIG fan. It made the house smell amazing and looks pretty, too! As I was adding the cinnamon, I wondered if it would be too much, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was a really nice touch. I may have sampled 2….(3) slices tonight, and I loved how it had a good, solid crust, but a really soft inside!”

What is turbinado sugar?

This easy zucchini bread recipe is sweetened just enough that your brain says zucchini bread, but not so much that it tastes like a decadent cake. In this recipe we’ve used turbinado sugar. Here are a few things to know about this special type of sugar:

• What is turbinado sugar? Turbinado sugar is raw sugar with large, light brown crystals. It’s less processed than refined white sugar, because it’s boiled only once to remove the molasses (refined sugar is boiled multiple times). It has a caramel flavor that’s more complex than refined sugar. Because its crystals are large, they add a nice texture to the top of muffins, cakes and breads.
• What is a substitute for turbinado sugar? Feel free to substitute light brown sugar for turbinado sugar. It has a similar flavor and we’d guess it’s easier to find in your pantry.
• Is turbinado sugar healthier than refined sugar? Well, not really. Turbinado sugar and refined sugar have the same grams of sugar and number of calories. In terms of nutrients, turbinado sugar has only trace amounts. So, there’s not a big difference in terms of nutrition! (Source Mother Jones)

How to store zucchini bread

Once you’ve made this tasty zucchini bread, what’s the best way to store it? Here are a few different ways:

• Room temperature (2 to 3 days): Think you’ll eat the bread quickly? Store it at room temperature and cover it with a towel. It keeps the crunchy topping and makes it easy to eat on demand.
• Refrigerated (1 week): Refrigerate it to help it stay fresher longer! You can eat it cold, or let it come to room temperature before serving.
• Frozen (up to 3 months or more): To extend the life even further, pop your sliced bread into the freezer in a sealed container. Consider doing this with half of the loaf and storing half at room temp.

Want it as a muffin instead?

If you’d like to make zucchini muffins instead, we’ve taken this concept and made it into our Easy Zucchini Muffins. They’re topped with a little of that turbinado sugar for some crunch, and they’re supremely satisfying. Or if you prefer a healthy spin, our Healthy Zucchini Muffins are naturally sweet and just as tasty.

This zucchini bread recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, go to our Best Vegan Zucchini Bread recipe. For gluten free, head to our Healthy Zucchini Muffins recipe.

Print

Looking for zucchini recipes?

Got more zucchini to use up? Outside of this easy zucchini bread recipe, here are some of our favorite zucchini recipes for this popular green veggie:

• Perfect Sauteed Zucchini
• Zucchini Boats
• Zucchini Lasagna
• Squash and Zucchini Casserole
• Grilled Zucchini and Squash
• Roasted Zucchini and Squash
• Apple Zucchini Muffins
• Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini
• Summer Pasta with Zucchini
• Zucchini Ribbon Salad
• Green Goddess Salad Bowls
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake
• Italian Vegan Pasta Salad