Classic Zucchini Bread with coconut oil. Classic zucchini bread is a perfect easy recipe to use up the last of your summer zucchini!
Zucchini bread is a classic recipe to use up the overabundance of zucchini squash! I did a little twist on the classic with coconut oil in place of vegetable oil!
Classic Zucchini Bread ingredients list
- All purpose, whole wheat, or white wheat flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Baking powder & baking soda
- Pink sea salt
- Eggs
- Zucchini
- Sugar
- Coconut oil
About the ingredients
All purpose flour
I use organic all purpose flour in my baking recipes. Organic flours have less pesticides than conventional ones and are unbleached. I've also used white wheat and whole wheat flour in this recipe to make it even more healthy.
Ground cinnamon
Did you know that cinnamon actually helps reduce inflammation? Make sure to buy quality cinnamon. Spices can lose their quality if stored too long in the cupboard.
Ground nutmeg
Cinnamon and nutmeg create a nice subtle spice flavor in this zucchini bread recipe.
Baking powder & baking soda
Used for leavening the bread. Make sure to buy baking powder that is aluminum free!
Pink sea salt
Same with the salt, I will take it bleach free thank you!
Eggs
Don't skip the egg! Eggs help to hold everything together. I buy my eggs locally at the farm stand or farmers market!
Zucchini
And I get my zucchini even more locally-- in my own back yard!
Sugar
I use raw organic cane sugar in my baking recipes.
Coconut oil
Make sure to purchase raw unrefined and organic coconut oil.
How to make classic zucchini bread
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and set the rack in the center position.
Like a glass bread loaf pan with parchment paper. Or, you can grease the pan with a bit of coconut oil. Either way works just fine!
In a large bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon pink sea salt.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients. In the center add 2 eggs, 2 cups shredded zucchini (don't worry about patting it dry), 1 cup sugar, and ½ cup melted coconut oil. Mix to combine completely.
Finally, fold the chopped walnuts or pecans in if desired.
Pour the zucchini bread batter into your prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow your bread to cool before serving!
How to make a smaller loaf of zucchini bread
2 ways to make a loaf of bread that is half the size:
- Cut your ingredients in half
- Divide the batter between 2 loaf pans
Sometimes I like to make the thinner loaves because it is a nice little snack instead of having a big tall piece of the bread!
How to store classic zucchini bread
Store your zucchini bread at room temperature covered with a towel or beeswax wrap for up to 3 days. After 3 days your bread can start to get a bit stale.
If you made multiple batches, store them in an airtight bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Tips on making the best zucchini bread
- Don't overheat your coconut oil! Hot coconut oil will start to cook your eggs. Make sure to heat your coconut oil till it's just melted and allow it to cool to room temperature before adding it into your zucchini bread batter.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients quickly. The coconut oil can cool quickly and harden, making it hard to incorporate into the batter once it's hard.
- The batter will seem a bit dry at first. This is normal, mixing will release the juice in the zucchini!
- Do not overmix your batter! Once you see no more flour lumps, stop mixing. Overmixing any quick bread batter can cause your bread to become tougher instead of soft and fluffy.
Other summer recipes you might like
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Avocado Frosting
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
FAQ's
Do I peel the zucchini for zucchini bread?
No! Don't peel the skin off the zucchini it is completely unnecessary. Zucchini cooks into the bread nicely as it bakes.
Why is my zucchini bread dense?
Make sure you use fresh baking soda and baking powder! If they are stored in your cupboard too long, they may lose their leavening power. Also- don't over mix your batter. If you mix it for too long, you could end up with a tough and dense loaf instead of light and fluffy. Mix your zucchini bread batter just until you see no dry flour left.
Why does my zucchini bread not cook in the middle?
Your zucchini bread might fall in the middle because either there is too much moisture, you didn't bake it long enough, or you are using old baking powder/ baking soda. Make sure to use the exact measurements for the recipe, don't be tempted to throw in extra zucchini just because you grated too much. Bake until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Does zucchini bread have nutritional value?
Most classic zucchini bread has a lot of flour and sugar, both of which are simple carbs and not exactly healthy. High oven temperatures cook most of the nutrients out of the shredded zucchini. Super delicious and a good way to use up zucchini, but not really healthy. I tell clients to treat zucchini bread like a dessert.
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Classic Zucchini Bread with Coconut Oil
Equipment
- Vegetable grater
- bread loaf pan
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 3 cups white wheat, whole wheat, or all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pink sea salt
Wet ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup organic raw cane sugar sub honey, maple syrup, date syrup, or 1 extra ripe mashed banana
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted then cooled
- ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a bread loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease it.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and sea salt. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the egg, sugar, zucchini, and melted coconut oil. Mix to combine completely.NOTE: coconut oil will start to harden if you let it sit with the cool zucchini and eggs, make sure to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients quickly!
- Fold in the chopped nuts.
- Pour the batter into a bread loaf pan. Note: if you don't want thick slices, you can easily divide this recipe into 2 loaf pans, or divide the entire recipe in half to make a smaller loaf of zucchini bread.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes on the center rack.
- If a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, it's done. If it comes out with batter on it, add 5 minutes at a time and continue checking.
- Allow your bread to cool for ~15 minutes or more before serving.
- Enjoy!
- To store your zucchini bread:Cover with a cloth towel or beeswax wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.Store in an air tight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.