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Zucchini Spice Bread

Zucchini spice bread with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves for a warmly spiced, golden-brown loaf crumb. Grated zucchini is squeezed dry for moist texture, and turbinado sugar adds a lightly crisp top as it bakes in a 9x5 pan.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp allspice
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Wet ingredients
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
Topping
  • Turbinado sugar for top Use enough to lightly sprinkle the surface before baking.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prepare
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan, then set it aside. You’re aiming for a well-greased pan that won’t stick after baking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, ground cloves, and nutmeg together in one bowl. Mix until the spices are evenly distributed in the flour.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, molasses, and vanilla extract until smooth. The mixture should look cohesive and glossy rather than grainy.
Combine
  1. Stir in grated squeezed zucchini until evenly dispersed throughout the wet batter. Spread the zucchini so no clumps remain.
Fold and bake
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain so the loaf stays tender.
Bake and test
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top, and bake 55–65 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean. The top should look fragrant and golden-brown, not pale.
Cool
  1. Cool the loaf for 15 minutes before slicing. Letting it rest helps the crumb set so slices hold their shape.

Notes

Pro tip: squeeze the grated zucchini very dry (wring in a clean towel) so the loaf bakes up with a tender, not gummy, crumb. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, replace the vegetable oil with an equal amount of neutral melted coconut oil for a similar moist texture.