When life gives you zucchini, you cook them every which way you can - which usually means zucchini bread. Mine is a Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread - just as tender and delicious as a classic version.
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread at a Glance
- ⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 80 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 100 minutes (plus cooling)
- 👪 Serves: 24
- 🍽️ Calories: 190
- 🌾 Main Ingredients: Zucchini, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, whole wheat flour
- 👌 Why You'll Love It: A one-bowl zucchini bread that stays moist for days, even with all whole wheat flour.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
I first made zucchini bread this way as recipe #172 of my 365 Recipe Challenge in 2010; I adapted it from the 2000 Betty Crocker Cookbook (affiliate link), swapping in some whole wheat flour. Plenty of sugar and oil counter the wheatiness of whole wheat flour, and the springy texture of the bread makes it great for snacking.
When my husband took this bread to work, his coworkers came back for seconds. So if you're skeptical that whole wheat flour can fit into zucchini bread, this loaf is proof that it does.
If you want to incorporate more whole grains into treats, my Classic Banana Bread with Oats shows just how delicious that can be. Also worth trying are my Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites, which combine chocolate and peanut butter with oats and ground flax for a more fiber-filled version of a peanut butter cup.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🌾 Whole wheat flour blends in with a mild flavor that doesn't overpower the loaf.
- ✨ Oil and large shreds of zucchini keep every slice tender for days.
- 🌰 Walnuts, although optional, add flavor and contrast in the loaf.
- 🍞 A recipe I've used since 2010, when I needed to use up two giant zucchini - and still the only one I need.
Key Ingredients
Zucchini: Choose smallish ones. Huge zucchini have too many seeds and innards to remove; they'll add too much water to the batter. I like large shreds of zucchini so I see green flecks in my bread; finely grated zucchini is fine too. Yellow squash also works. Grate zucchini right before baking; zucchini grated in advance, as well as finely grated or frozen zucchini, can release more water into the batter, affecting the baking time.
Vegetable oil: Mixes more easily than melted butter, which seizes if added to cold eggs. Using oil makes quick breads like this easier - just like it does for my Classic Cornbread.
Whole wheat flour: I use regular whole wheat flour made from red wheat, but white whole wheat flour (made from white wheat, often available from King Arthur Baking) has a milder flavor. Since whole grain flours like this contain more of the fat in the outside of the grain, it can taste off over time. Use freshly purchased flour, and store the rest in the fridge as it will keep better for longer.
Vanilla, cinnamon and cloves: Add flavor to an otherwise mild bread. Just like for my Slow Cooker Apple Butter, use fresh spices, as they lose flavor over time. I sometimes omit the cloves.
Walnuts: Although optional, I really like adding ½ to 1 cup walnuts to this bread. Zucchini bread tends to be very soft; the walnuts add texture and flavor. If you love walnuts, my Freeform Honey-Walnut Pie puts them front and center.
How to Make Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread
Start by lowering the oven rack to the bottom level. With this much batter, the bread bakes best nearest the heat.
One: Use a wire whisk to mix together the shredded zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
Two: Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. You'll have clumps of flour since the zucchini gets in the way; just gently smooth them out against the side of the bowl. Stir in walnuts, if using.
Three: Grease the bottom only of a light-colored, metal 9x5-inch loaf pan; if all you have is dark-colored metal or glass, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent overbaking. Scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing out other lumps of flour if you find any.
Four: Bake on the bottom oven rack for 70-80 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center (both into the crack and through the crust, like I do for Ricotta Pound Cake) comes out free of batter; a few crumbs are fine.
If you discover the top is browning too much, you can cover it with a layer of aluminum foil.
Cool the bread for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wait two hours before cutting.
Serving and Storage
Cut the bread after it's cooled for two hours. I prefer to cut it into thick slices and then cut those slices in half. A serrated knife cuts slightly neater slices than a butter knife.
My husband tops his slices with hazelnut spread. Sweetened cream cheese would also be a nice touch. Use a light hand when spreading on a topping, as the bread is very soft and will break apart easily.
Store zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature. It should last for at least 4 days, depending on how warm and humid your weather is. The shredded zucchini in the bread keeps it fresh, but mold can be an issue with humid, warm weather.
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread FAQs
Any size zucchini works, but you'll have to remove seeds and inner membranes from large zucchini since they don't cook down well; this isn't an issue with smaller zucchini. I've made zucchini bread using small, tender zucchini, and zucchini that are the length of my forearm; both breads were great.
No, since the pieces of peel are small, they blend right into the bread both flavor- and texture-wise. (They're also pretty!) While I never peel my zucchini before I shred it for zucchini bread, I do cut off rougher spots or scratches, as they will remain tough even when cooked.
Yes, but you may need to bake the loaf for longer. Thaw the zucchini before using, because adding it frozen will increase the bake time dramatically. Thawed zucchini leaks; just stir the extra liquid into the batter. Even fully thawed zucchini and its liquid may increase the bake time by a few minutes. When I used thawed zucchini for my most recent loaf, the outside was more moist after two days than I expected; my guess is that freshly grated zucchini holds on to its moisture better than thawed zucchini does. Testers were split as to which loaf they liked better. If using thawed zucchini, I recommend eating the bread within a few days.
Yes! Since zucchini has a high water content, it keeps the bread moist for days, even when using all whole wheat flour. My bread stays moist for at least 4 days after baking.
Yes, you can taste the whole wheat, but that's also not a bad thing. The bread is also sweet from sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves; cloves in particular help hide the whole wheat. Walnuts also add flavor to the bread.
The whole wheat flour makes the bread feel a little more wholesome, while still being a treat. I personally don't find the flavor to be too strong, but if you're concerned, I recommend you seek out whole wheat flour made from white wheat. King Arthur Baking is probably the easiest-to-find producer/brand of white whole wheat flour.
While I've never tried it, I think you could substitute a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for the whole wheat flour. It may change the taste slightly, and the loaf may be a bit more fragile or crumbly. If trying a gluten-free flour, line the loaf pan with parchment paper to make the bread easier to remove the bread from the pan.
If the top of the bread browns too quickly, just cover it with a layer of aluminum foil. This will slow down the browning without affecting the baking. I recommend this for my Classic Banana Bread with Oats as well.
Zucchini bread is naturally dark from the whole wheat flour and the long bake time; excessive browning often comes down to an oven running hot or using a dark or glass pan. Check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer to see if your oven runs hot. A dark metal or glass pan can also make the edges and top bake more quickly; line the pan with parchment paper to protect the edges a little, and reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
More No-Mixer Treats
Some of my favorite recipes take no mixer - just a bowl, a spatula, and a whisk (and a blender, for the citrus).
I hope this becomes a recipe you'll return to. If you try it, a star rating below helps others find it - and I'd love to hear how yours turns out in the comments! 💕 Questions or trouble? Drop a note, and I'll do my best to help.
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- wire whisk (affiliate link)
- grater
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded zucchini (~400 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar (333 grams)
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil (145 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour (360 grams) (all-purpose is fine too)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves (optional)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (60 grams; optional)
Instructions
- Grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan. Place oven rack at the bottom position in the oven.
- Whisk together shredded zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs, stirring until the eggs are thoroughly combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder. Smooth out any lumps of flour. Stir in nuts, if using
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 70-80 minutes at 350F on the bottom rack, until a toothpick inserted into the center (both into the crack and through the crust) comes out free of batter; a few crumbs are fine.
- Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Cool completely (at least 2 hours) before slicing and serving. I often cut thick slices and cut them in half.Store slices in an airtight container. Mine stays good for at least 4 days, but how long the bread lasts depends on heat and humidity.
Leona Konkel says
My recipe, and of course I think it's great! Still turns out moist and delicious, even with the whole wheat flour. I hope you love it too. Let me know if you try it!