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Zucchini Walnut Bread

Zucchini walnut bread with a moist, spiced crumb and toasted walnuts folded throughout for crunch. This easy nut bread bakes in a loaf pan until golden and slices clean after a short cool.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking soda
baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
granulated sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
eggs
  • 2 eggs
vegetable oil
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
zucchini, grated
  • 1.5 cup zucchini, grated (unsqueezed) Grate and keep unsqueezed for extra moisture.
walnuts
  • 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and lightly toasted
walnut halves
  • 0.25 cup walnut halves (optional) For topping after pouring batter into the pan.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and toast
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, then let cool.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  2. Stir in the grated zucchini (unsqueezed for extra moisture) until distributed.
Combine and bake
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, then fold in the toasted walnuts.
  2. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, arrange walnut halves on top if desired, and bake for 55–65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf for 20 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets and holds together.

Notes

Pro tip: grate the zucchini and don’t squeeze it—its extra moisture helps keep the loaf tender. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze sliced bread up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt for a similar tang and moisture.