Beth’s Spiced Zucchini Bread Recipe

This time of year zucchini takes over the home garden! Yet, there are only so many ways to sauté, grill, and fry it! That’s when I turn to my homemade zucchini bread; a recipe everyone fights over, it’s that good!

Light and moist, and flavored with just the right amount of spices, this is a great bread to have for breakfast or a light snack. And, if you slice it into 12 pieces it’s only 161 calories per slice!

A piece of zucchini bread on a cutting board with full loaf in background

What Makes this Zucchini Bread Recipe Lower in Calories?

You can thank the pumpkin puree for this lower-calorie bread! It helps alleviate the need for excess fat which reduces the calorie count by quite a lot.

Freshly Baked Zucchini Bread in a loaf pan

Watch My Video Demo on this Recipe Below

 

A Quick Bread Recipe for All Seasons

This is a quick bread that should be in your yearly rotation! If you’ve enjoyed my Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe in the winter or my Pumpkin Bread Recipe in the fall, then you will absolutely love this zucchini bread recipe for the summer! 

How To Prepare the Zucchini for Bread

  • You do not need to peel the zucchini. Simply grate it with a box grater or food processor fitted with the grating attachment.
  • But you do need to pat it dry with a paper towel before baking with it to absorb the moisture.
  • I think the best side of the box grater to use for grated zucchini for this bread, is the wide grate side.
  • This will provide the best texture for bread. The smaller side is too small to make an impact. 

A wooden cutting board with zucchini being grated with a box grater

Why Do You Need to Pat the Zucchini Dry First? 

Zucchini is a watery vegetable and it will continue to release moisture while baking. Patting it dry first, reduces some of this moisture that could lead to a mushy texture otherwise. 

Grated zucchini between a paper towel

How Many Zucchini is in 1 1/2 Cups?

  • For this recipe, you will need 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini which is approximately 2 good-sized zucchini.
  • Have extra zucchini on hand? Try my equally delicious Baked Zucchini Gratin Recipe! This is another fantastic way to use up extra zucchini in the garden!

The Secret to a Moist Bread?

Personally, I feel the best combination of ingredients for moist and fluffy zucchini bread is:

  • A little bit of pumpkin puree. This lessens the amount of fat you will need in this recipe
  • Vegetable oil over Butter. Oil is pure fat, whereas butter is only 80% fat due to its water content. The oil will always create a lighter and more moist bread. You can use other oils like coconut oil or grapeseed oil, but I wouldn’t use olive oil, as it’s too heavy to produce a light and fluffy quick bread.
  • Water over Milk. The water will add moisture and lightness without weighing your bread down the way milk can do.

A close up of a piece of zucchini bread

The Mix-Ins!

  • Personally, I find a combination of chewiness and crunch is ideal and is one of the reasons zucchini bread is so good! In addition to the spices.
  • I love to use traditional raisins and golden raisins, mixed with the buttery texture of walnuts.
  • This creates the best flavor combination against the spices in the bread and compliments the hint of the pumpkin as well! 

a cutting board with a grouping of raisins, yellow raisins and chopped walnuts

Mix-Ins For Additional Sweetness 

You could certainly add in a few chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, or crushed pineapple too, for the ultimate, fully-loaded zucchini bread! 

A bowl of food on zucchini bread batter with fruits, nuts and grated zucchini

Why Does My Bread Fall Flat?

  • The secret with most quick bread recipes is to use enough baking soda (at least 3/4 tsp for every 1 cup of flour)  and to allow it to bake long enough to where the center cracks.
  • Loaf pans are deeper than cake pans and while your quick bread may be golden brown and “look” done, it’s best to insert a skewer over a toothpick to double-check!
  • A skewer will go deeper to verify it’s in fact fully baked all the way through. If it is not when it starts to cool it will sink and collapse.
  • I find the cracking at the top is a good indication that your bread is ready to take out! 

How to Store and Reheat?

  • This bread will freeze beautifully if you allow it to cool completely, cut it into slices then wrap it in wax paper and place the slices in large ziplock bags.
  • Then when it’s time to reheat, wrap the slice in a paper towel, to allow it to stay moist, and microwave it for :30 and it will taste freshly baked! 

 

If You Enjoyed this Recipe

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Beth's Spiced Zucchini Bread Recipe

Beth's Spiced Zucchini Bread Recipe

Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Looking for a great zucchini recipe? This one cannot be beat. My homemade zucchini bread recipe is light and moist and flavored with a great combination of spices! A recipe you will turn to time and time again.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup (120ml) pure pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) of canola or vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) of water
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) of flour
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground ginger
  • ½ tsp (2.5ml) nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp (1.25ml) ground cloves
  • 1 ½ cups (350 ml) of zucchini, grated and drained of moisture
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) golden raisins
  • ¼ cup black (60 ml) raisins
  • ½ cup (120 ml) chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (176C) degrees.
  2. Grease and flour a 9” x 5" loaf pan.
  3. In a large bowl mix the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil, water and vanilla until combined.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
  5. Combine the dry into the wet, 1/3 at a time, being careful not to over mix! (Or you will have tough bread!)
  6. Fold in the zucchini, raisins and walnuts, mix until combined. Pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with baking spray.
  7. Bake for 55 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean and bread is cracked at top. If bread starts to brown too much on the top, cover with foil and continue to bake until cooked through.
  8. Slice into thick slices and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g
Brownie cake scooped into a mug with ice cream

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6 Comments

  1. Hey everyone, again Beth knocks one out of the park. I made the Zucchini Bread and the pumpkin purée adds such a delightful texture to this recipe. It makes a large loaf that I made for my grandson and it looked so good I made a half recipe enough for a 3×5 loaf for myself. I use jumbo eggs (we live in the country & these eggs are really jumbo) so I only used 2 eggs in the original size recipe thus one egg in half recipe. The other ingredients are easily divided. If you are a smaller family or have nice neighbors, make the full recipe using 3 small loaf pans. Thank you Beth. PS not a raisin fan so not added.

  2. Hi Beth,
    I’m from Sweden and it’s hard to find pumpkin puree over here, have you any suggestions what I can substitute it with?

    Love your recipes!
    /Mary

  3. The best recipe ever for Zucchini Bread. I’ve even made it and prested it as a present.
    I simply love it and i add crushed pineapple to the recipe.
    Thanks,
    Cass Stevens.

  4. This was my first time making zucchini bread and I’d give myself 3.5 out of 5. The bread wasn’t as moist as I expected. My wife described it as more bread-like and dense instead of cake-like. I did notice that before batter seemed thicker when I finished mixing than what I was seeing in the video. I’ll eat this loaf and then try again.

    Thanks