Many zucchini bread recipes out there are little more than cake masquerading as a virtuous loaf. This one is not that. It’s loaded with healthfulness in the form of whole wheat flour, honey, crunchy walnuts, and, of course, zucchini. And since it’s not overly sweet, it makes a spectacular breakfast when sliced, toasted, and smeared with butter.Angie Zoobkoff

A loaf of zucchini walnut bread on a wooden cutting board with two slices cut from it and a serrated knife resting beside it.

Walnut Zucchini Bread

5 / 3 votes
This walnut zucchini bread is the real deal, folks. Made with whole wheat flour, honey, walnuts, and zucchini, this healthy loaf is a perfectly respectable breakfast (or pleasant distraction) at any time of the day.
David Leite
CourseBreakfast
CuisineAmerican
Servings8 servings
Calories343 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup mild olive oil or walnut oil, plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) coarsely grated zucchini, from 1 medium zucchini, squeezed in paper towels to remove moisture
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Adjust the rack to the center position. Lightly oil a 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (22-by-11-cm) loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the oil and honey. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and zucchini and mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
  • In another medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no traces of flour remain. Gently stir in the walnuts. Do not overmix.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: Start checking your bread for doneness when it starts to smell deeply nutty.

  • Cool the walnut zucchini bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
  • Turn the walnut zucchini bread onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. The loaf will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature, for up to 4 days.

Notes

Walnut Zucchini Muffins

Simply spoon the batter into 12 well-oiled muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning them out onto the rack to cool completely.
Dishing Up the Dirt Cookbook

Adapted From

Dishing Up the Dirt

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 343 kcalCarbohydrates: 38 gProtein: 6 gFat: 20 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13 gMonounsaturated Fat: 4 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 47 mgSodium: 237 mgPotassium: 261 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 19 gVitamin A: 161 IUVitamin C: 8 mgCalcium: 45 mgIron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2017 Andrea Bemis. Photo © 2017 Andrea Bemis. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This quick bread recipe is very reminiscent of one that my grandmother used to make. My children are the harshest critics of my cooking. My son and daughter both really enjoyed the loaf. It’s not too sweet, is quite moist with a nice crumb, and possesses a nuttiness that’s enhanced by the use of walnut oil in addition to walnut pieces.

Some people might find that they need to increase the amount of honey in the recipe by 2 to 4 tablespoons, but I love that it’s not sugar forward. It doesn’t tip into the dessert or cake category. The restraint with the sweetener means that it can be enjoyed with breakfast or a mid-morning snack and won’t leave you buzzing. I love that I could detect the warm, floral, and sweet fragrance of the honey throughout the baking process and in the cooled loaf as well.

The bread was terrific warm from the oven as well as reheated and slathered with butter the next day and also just eaten plain. It remained moist over 2 days kept in a sealed storage bag.

I’d love a slice of this delicious zucchini bread anytime of the day! The warm aroma of the spices is comforting and the texture stays moist and tender at room temperature, even after a few days when wrapped tightly in foil. Whole wheat flour makes it healthier, and chopped walnuts are a satisfying addition. It’s easy and fast to make the bread, too: no need to melt butter and you can mix the batter with just a whisk and a wooden spoon.

I used grapeseed oil instead of walnut oil. It took all of 15 seconds to mix the wet ingredients well.

Best. Zucchini. Bread. Ever. It’s moist. It’s flavorful. It’s the perfect late afternoon pick-me-up. And I’m not a fan of quick breads…banana, pumpkin, zucchini…they’re okay to tide you over til the next meal, but the taste never seemed to be worth the calories. This recipe changed all that for me.

Room-temperature zucchini bread definitely has more satisfying flavor than warm zucchini bread. The spices were stronger (but not overpowering) after the bread had cooled off. And the bread’s flavor and texture was consistent over multiple days.

I will try toasting the walnuts in the future. I’m curious to see how they would add or detract from the recipe. It’s another step in the prep work, but it could be oh so worth it.

Yum! This smells delicious from the moment the spices are mixed into the batter. Then the whole house warms up with a wonderful fall aroma. The bread bakes up moist with a lovely dark exterior. The combination of spices and walnuts is spot on.

I turned on the oven and started measuring and mixing. This took me a total of fifteen minutes to put together including grating the zucchini and chopping the walnuts. The bread was fully baked at 50 minutes.

Perfect for an afternoon tea, plain, or, as my son tried it, with some butter and a smear of honey.

I’m really, really happy about this zucchini bread and will gladly take everyone’s monster garden zucchini. This bread is pleasantly spiced and very quick to make—like 10 minutes, people—and stays fresh-tasting for days! If it lasts that long.

The zucchini I picked up was just shy of a pound and it yielded 1 loaf and 12 muffins. (more on that later). I couldn’t find decent walnut oil so I used a light-tasting olive oil instead without issue. Coarsely chopped walnuts and whole wheat flour more than make up for the lovely nuttiness in the bread.

My 8-by-4-inch loaf pan broke (no, I do not want to talk about it), so I dumped the batter into a 1-pound dark nonstick metal loaf pan roughly measuring 9-by-5. The loaf tested done after 50 minutes, probably due to the color and size of the pan. Do start checking when the bread begins to smell deeply nutty.

Since my zucchini yielded 3 cups of shredded zucchini, I divided a second batch of batter among 12 well-oiled muffin cups. I bumped up the ginger to 1/2 teaspoon and quickly realized how forgiving this recipe is. Next time, I’ll try some pumpkin pie spice to see how that goes. Anyway, bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and let them cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before flipping out. I froze them and now my kid can’t stop eating them. He’s 3.

Serve it warm (lightly toasted with butter will do nicely with coffee or tea) and at room temperature. I kept it tightly wrapped in my cool kitchen and sawed off a hunk for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a quick nibble before bed.

I like zucchini bread. My husband thinks it’s just okay. A friend’s son loves zucchini bread. So this was a great, late-season loaf that was easy to make.

I used walnut oil. I did toast the walnuts and let them cool before using. The loaf held well for 2 days.

needs a good zucchini bread recipe, either because they’re a successful gardener or because, like me, they have friends who are successful gardeners combined with my own inability to say no. When faced with a basket or bag of zucchini, I can only think that it’s a sin to waste good food. So I’ve baked more than my fair share of zucchini bread.

This is a nice recipe because it’s easy and has the added flavors of several spices. Making it again, I might be inclined to add more ginger, but that decision may be influenced by the 40° temperature tonight and the longing for the spices of autumn.

Preparation was simple, taking about 15 minutes, most of which was grating zucchini. I used walnut oil.

The loaf was fully baked after 45 minutes. After cooling it for 15 minutes, I removed it from the pan and tasted a small slice. Warm or room temperature were both good but toasted eventually won. The loaf did not really cut well until completely cooled.




About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love this recipe, everyone loved it. I didn’t use the whole wheat flour as i didn’t have any on hand however it was delicious.

    1. Thanks for taking the time to let us know, Patricia. I’m so glad you’ve found a keeper!

  2. 5 stars
    Healthy, easy, and So Very nice! the allspice-forward seasoning is fragrant and delicate. In my ceramic loaf pan 45 minutes was perfect. This recipe is perfect, I wouldn’t change one thing!

    1. Magnificent to hear, Lynn! That loaf looks gorgeous. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your success! Really pleased to hear that.