Amish Zucchini Bread Recipe: A 40-Year Family Favorite

Our Amish zucchini bread recipe has been a family favorite for 40 years. It's wonderfully moist, easy to make, freezer-friendly, and perfect for gifting. There are some recipes you make for a year or two and then move on to something new. And then there are the recipes that become part of your family’s story.

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread making, bread recipe, brunch recipe, easy recipe, quick bread, sweet snack, zucchini recipe

Servings: servings 2 loaf pans

Calories: 300kcal

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Kitchen Essentials

Cherry Pitter

Mixing Bowls

Vintage Measuring

Ingredients

Zucchini Bread

2 Cups Zucchini Grated
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Butter softened
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Teaspoons Cinnamon
¾ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

How to Make Amish Zucchini Bread

Start by washing and grating your zucchini.
2 Cups Zucchini
Add the grated zucchini to a large mixing bowl along with the eggs, sugar, softened butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is well combined.
2 Large Eggs, 2 Cups Granulated Sugar, 1 Cup Butter, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 3 Teaspoons Cinnamon, ¾ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture. Stir just until the ingredients are combined. Don't overmix the batter.
If you're making a variation, gently fold your chosen add-ins into the batter at this point.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pans sprayed with cooking oil or a baking pan.
For an optional topping, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter before baking.
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar, 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
Bake at 350°F for approximately 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the bread cool before removing it from the pans.

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Notes

Baking This Recipe in Different Pan Sizes

One thing I love about this recipe is that it gives you several options depending on what you want to make.

The recipe makes:

4 mini loaves, approximately 3 x 5.5 inches each, bake for about 45-55 minutes
2 standard loaves, approximately 5 x 9 inches each, bake for 55 minutes
1 9 x 13-inch baking pan, bake for 55 minutes

The baking time may vary depending on the size and material of your pans, so use the baking time as a guideline and check for doneness with a toothpick.

Mini loaves are especially nice for gifting and freezing.

For large-batch baking, the mini loaves are wonderful for freezing and gifting. Cool completely before wrapping and freezing.

For variations, add approximately 1 cup of any add in. Such as 1 cup of blueberries, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, or other desired mix-ins to the batter. For a dark sweet cherry version, add bite-sized pieces of pitted dark sweet cherries along with white chocolate chips.

The original cinnamon version remains our family favorite after more than 40 years of making this recipe.

Tips for Making the Best Zucchini Bread

Use fresh zucchini. This recipe is a wonderful way to use garden zucchini.

Choose your zucchini wisely. Small to medium zucchini can be washed and grated with the peel on. If you're using a large, overgrown zucchini, peel it and remove the seeds before grating. The peel can become bitter as zucchini gets larger.

Don't overmix the batter. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.

Don't skip the spices. The combination of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice gives this bread its signature flavor.

Let the bread cool before slicing. The texture sets as it cools, making it easier to get nice slices.

Make several flavors. If you're baking a large batch, make the original cinnamon version first, then experiment with different add-ins.

Watch smaller loaves closely. Mini loaves can bake more quickly than larger loaves, so begin checking them before the full baking time is reached.

If adding any berries toss the blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of the flour before adding them to the batter. This simple step helps keep the berries distributed throughout the bread.

Nutrition