The Best Zucchini Bread That's Actually Moist (Not Soggy) — Ready in One Hour
For years I produced bricks or wet messes. Then I learned the 90-second trick: salt the shreds, squeeze them dry, and you get a loaf that rises properly, bakes evenly, and stays tender without being wet. One bowl, 15 minutes of hands-on time, and the most beautifully spiced, crackly-topped zucchini bread you'll pull from your oven all summer.
Equipment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan (metal, not glass)
- Box grater or food processor with shredding disk
- Clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Small Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (measured after squeezing, about 1 medium)
— Zucchini Prep —
- ½ teaspoon salt (for salting zucchini)
— Dry Ingredients —
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
— Wet Ingredients —
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup neutral oil (avocado or grapeseed)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
— Optional Mix-ins —
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (or both)
- coarse sugar (turbinado or granulated) for topping
Instructions
- Prep the zucchini: Shred 1 medium zucchini using the large holes of a box grater (do not peel). Toss shreds with ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel, bundle, and squeeze over the sink until no more water comes out. Discard liquid. Set zucchini aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in center. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling (overhanging on two sides).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt until evenly distributed (about 15 seconds). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy (30 seconds). Add oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet in three additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula after each until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix.
- Fold in squeezed zucchini and any optional walnuts/chocolate chips — fold 6–8 times just to distribute. Batter will be thick and shaggy.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle top generously with coarse sugar. Bake 50–55 minutes, rotating pan front to back at 30 minutes. Loaf is done when a skewer inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil at 40 minutes.
- Cool pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then use parchment sling to lift loaf out and cool completely on rack (at least 45 minutes total from oven to knife) before slicing.
Notes
Key tips: Don't skip salting the zucchini — it removes excess water that would otherwise make the bread soggy. Measure flour by spooning and leveling, not scooping. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing to avoid a gummy texture. The coarse sugar crust on top is not optional — it creates a crackly, professional-looking finish. For storage: wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 (toast before serving). Freeze slices individually for up to 3 months — toast straight from frozen.