Easy Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Recipe
If you love my whole wheat banana bread or my whole wheat pumpkin bread, chances are you also love zucchini bread. Our zucchini bread recipe is so delicious and sweet, and it's a great way to sneak in some veggies for those of you with picky eaters! Yummy spices, honey, and applesauce provide fantastic flavor to this whole wheat zucchini bread. These flavors all come together to make the most delicious summer treat. Serve it as a perfect breakfast treat or afternoon snack for your kids and yourself!
What is whole wheat zucchini bread made of?
It's the perfect time to jump into zucchini season with this whole wheat zucchini bread recipe. And if you have an abundance of zucchini, this is a delicious way to use some of it. Here's what you'll need:
- Whole-wheat flour
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Fresh zucchini
- Applesauce (I use my applesauce for canning recipe or my freezer applesauce)
- Honey
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Protip: Make it gluten-free!
Need a gluten-free option? Try this gluten-free zucchini bread instead!
How do you grate zucchini for bread?
You may be worried about the amount of grating you need to do for this recipe, but you shouldn't be! Grating zucchini for this recipe is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Simply grab a cheese grater, and over your bowl, grate your zucchini back and forth until only a small piece is left. There's no mess, and it requires minimal effort!
Protip: Make it faster!
You can also use the shredding attachment on a food processor for even faster prep!
What is the best way to get the moisture out of zucchini?
It is very important that the extra moisture is squeezed out from your grated zucchini. Otherwise, it will be hard for your zucchini bread to cook all the way through. You can get rid of the excess moisture in your shredded zucchini using several layers of thick paper towels or a cheesecloth! Wrap your shredded zucchini in either your paper towels or cheesecloth and then squeeze until you've gotten all the extra liquid you can get out of it.
Do you leave the skin on zucchini when making bread?
Yes! When you grate your zucchini, you will do it peel and all! It's one less step to worry about and gives you the same delicious outcome.
How do I make this whole wheat zucchini bread?
This recipe makes the best zucchini bread, and it also happens to be a very easy recipe!
- Preheat your oven and prepare your loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together your dry ingredients and set them aside.
- Grate the zucchini, and make sure to squeeze and get rid of all the moisture.
- Add your wet ingredients to the zucchini in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture in batches, stirring after each addition.
- Fold in the pecans if using, then pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the center is baked through.
Once your zucchini bread is baked through, allow it to cool, and it is ready to serve and enjoy!
The yummiest summer snack
If you love carrot cake in the fall or spice cake in the winter, this whole wheat zucchini bread recipe is the best way to solve that craving in the summer! Fresh from the oven, this recipe is warm and sweet, and the symphony of spices creates a taste you won't be able to get enough of!
Your kids won't believe that two servings of zucchini are hiding in this loaf of delicious snack bread, but you'll get the pleasure of knowing that you've found a new favorite summer snack for them to enjoy after a day at the pool or playing outside.
It helps that this recipe is super easy to make; after shredding and drying your garden zucchini, your ingredient prep is done! All that's left is to combine your ingredients in the recipe and wait as the smell of this delicious, whole wheat zucchini bread begins wafting through your home!
Storing your whole wheat zucchini bread
This whole wheat zucchini bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Just slice and serve at room temperature whenever you're ready for another piece!
Protip: Warm it up!
You can also pop a slice of this whole wheat zucchini loaf into the microwave for a few seconds to enjoy it nice and warm again!
Make whole wheat zucchini bread muffins too!
Looking for an easy on-the-go breakfast? This whole wheat zucchini bread recipe also makes excellent muffins! Simply make your batter as usual and then scoop it into your muffin tin. Make some slight adjustments to your temperature and baking time, and you're good to go! Check out this resource here for more details on turning this quick bread recipe into a muffin recipe.
Can I freeze my zucchini bread?
Zucchini bread is a great option for the freezer! You can freeze it as a whole loaf or individual slices. We usually opt for slices because it is easy to grab a piece to warm in the toaster oven on busy mornings.
To freeze whole loaves: Make sure the loaf is cooled completely, then freeze it in a zip-top freezer bag or a glass food storage container for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature before slicing and serving.
To freeze slices: Once the bread is completely cooled, cut it into thick slices. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet, and freeze until solid. Move the frozen zucchini bread slices to a zip-top freezer bag or glass food storage container and freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature, or stick a frozen slice directly in the toaster oven to reheat.
The delicious new recipe you've been waiting for!
Once you try this recipe, our whole wheat zucchini bread will be your summer snack staple! You can enjoy it throughout the day, after a meal, or even gift a loaf of zucchini bread to a friend. This recipe has a flavor that rivals your favorite carrot cake and spice cake recipes and packages it all in one tasty, perfect loaf. Next time you're looking for new recipes to use your fresh zucchini, try this recipe!
Want more delicious quick breads like this whole wheat zucchini bread?
Try:
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups grated zucchini with peel
- ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Set aside.
- Grate the zucchini, then using a thick layer of paper towels or cheesecloth, squeeze the liquid from the zucchini. Discard the liquid and place 2 cups grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl.
- Add ½ cup applesauce, ⅓ cup honey, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the zucchini and mix until well combined.
- In three parts, add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture, stirring after each addition.
- Fold in ½ cup chopped pecans if using, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is baked through.
- Allow to cool, then slice and serve!
Notes
- This quick bread stores beautifully in an airtight container for up to three days. Slice and serve at room temperature or pop a slice in the microwave for a few seconds to serve it warm again!
Nutrition
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tried this recipe and wasn't happy with the outcome. It came out WAY to mushy, even with extra baking time. I used medium sized zucchinis that seemed to have a lot of water content which may have been the cause for such a wet batter--looked like it needed another whole cup of flour but this being my first time with zucchini bread I wasn't sure. O-well, tweak and try again.
We tried using cupcake papers... What a disaster! We did not even think about them being so moist that they would stick so much to the papers. We ended up wasting so much 🙁 Still an absolutely, delicious recipe though! Next time, I think we will skip the papers...
Have you ever used Woodstock apple spread? It is a bit thicker than apple sauce and is made with apples and apple cider - no sugar. What do you think of useing that instead of apple sauce in the zucini bread? Do you think i should add a bit more brown sugar?
I so wanted this recipe to work out, but after an extended baking time, the center is still gooey. :(. I believe I followed the recipe, used white flour instead of wheat germ and a glass pan. Any suggestions if I try again?
I've had a few people comment that they had this issue, but I've made this recipe quite a few times without the gooey center problem. If you want to try again, you could try pressing the shredded zucchini between paper towels to try and get some moisture out. That might help! Also, making them into muffins will definitely make the gooey center problem diminish. 🙂 Good luck!
Excellent had to adjust to things at home so used milled flax and prune sauce.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Just wondering about the applesauce! Applesauce has a lot of added sugar- wondering if no sugar added applesauce would do the trick, or if I would have to add some extra sugar if I went that route! Any thoughts?
I used unsweetened applesauce. 🙂
Awesome!
Making your version of zuc bread today. Totally agree with gardening as a long term sport. Gardening is teaching me patience and that nurturing and adopting new ideas and overall change in myself and others is not a race, but a well trained marathon. Truly grateful for my small garden space in my little lot in the burbs.
I doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves. I really liked the combination of spices. Next time I do think I will add a touch of melted butter or oil because the texture wasn't exactly right for me. Maybe I needed to use more zucchini than I did since I was doubling the recipe. Definitely make again.
This is in the oven as I type! Thanks for providing me with a non-fake sugar but healthy alternative. 🙂
Hope you loved it!
I just baked this today, Cassie...really delish!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
12 muffins.
22 minutes.
I omitted the nuts and added chocolate chips. It's so hard to wait until they won't burn my mouth to eat one!
I can't wait to try this one out! I have plenty of the green "fruit" in my garden to use! 🙂
we too have a surplus of zucchini from our CSA and my new favorite way to eat it is to grill it and make deeelicious veggie sammiches.
have you tried the Wholesome Harvest 9 grain bread from Kroger? it's available in the bakery section at the kroger on liberty. it's SO good and holds up well to stacked sammich making.
anyways, i just cut the zucchini in half and then slice each half into 1/4in slices. brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with italian seasonings and S&P and grill for 4 minutes on each side. SO GOOD with tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumbers, spinach and red onion + mustard. delish.
No! I haven't tried that bread. Babyface usually makes all of our bread (I've been asking him to do a guest post with the recipe for ages!). Sounds awesome! And that sammy sounds great, too. Thanks for the suggestion!
Another great recipe..thanks...and I appreciate the print recipe feature of your blog (yes, I did print this recipe). I love zucchini bread, but you're right, most recipes are really a cake baked in a loaf pan.
And as far as surplus zucchini goes, I shred mine (grate it, whatever) and freeze it (2 cups per bag)...as a farm girl from southern Indiana, I'm sure you've done this as well. Isn't it nice to be able to bake zucchini bread when there's snow on the ground?
Glad you like it, Patti! Now that I'm using Recipage, it makes the print feature really easy.
I actually just made zucchini bread last week! You can check it out at my blog. I used half my batter for a loaf and the other half for muffins. I cut the sugar way back in mine too!
Mmm! The glaze on the muffins is a great idea! A good way to add a bit of sweetness without much sugar. 😉
Cass:
There is a great recipe for faux apple pie using zucchini. Check with your mama.
YUM!
I made a recipe similar to this one last weekend (yay healthy bread!!!), and it was enough for two loaves. But I made just one, and the remaining batter gave me BEAUTIFUL mini muffins 🙂 a full two dozen! The bread is gone...obviously..but the mini muffins are in the freezer for an upcoming camping trip (well, minus two...cook's gotta sample, and they're fabulous 🙂 )
LOVE muffins for camping! Such an easy (and utensil-free) breakfast. 🙂
Thank you! I love zucchini bread, but all the oil and sugar makes it so unhealthy. I can't wait to try this.
Let me know how it turns out! 😀
Your bread sounds yummy! I love zucchini bread, but I go the opposite of healthy and make it with chocolate milk and chocolate chips, I shall have to try your recipe.
Chocolate milk!?!? Okay, now I need to try this recipe.
Sounds great! I need a good zucchini recipe, even though our plants have yet to give us a single fruit as well!
Zucchini can be a jerk sometimes. They need the right pollination, which I can never seem to get in our tiny, tiny garden. Oh well! The farmer's market and our CSA will keep us stocked.