Olive Oil Zucchini Bread is delicious and super moist, made healthier with more than two cups of zucchini, Greek yogurt, and part whole wheat flour. This is a great way to use up any zucchini (or summer squash) you have in your garden, and it's the perfect way to have veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats for breakfast!
Place the grated zucchini onto a clean towel and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan liberally with olive oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients besides the zucchini and flours (½ cup olive oil, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda).
Add the all purpose flour (1 cup) and whole wheat flour (½ cup) to the bowl. Mix together until just combined.
Pat the zucchini with the clean towel to remove some of the excess moisture (it doesn't have to be completely dried out, but give it a good squeeze). Add the grated zucchini (2 cups) to the bowl and fold it in.
Add the batter to the greased loaf pan. Spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the extra ¼-½ cup of grated zucchini on top, if using. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
For best results, allow the zucchini bread to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove it. Run a knife along the edges, then flip upside down and tap the pan gently to dislodge it. Slice into 8-10 slices and serve.
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Notes
Store the zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the fridge for about a week. Cool completely before storing.
Serve the zucchini bread plain, or with salted butter or cream cheese spread on it. You can also butter it on both sides and give it a quick grill in a skillet until it's browned and crispy and warmed up - my favorite!
Yellow summer squashcan be used in place of zucchini. Sometimes it can have more water content, so make sure to give it a really good squeeze before adding the grated squash to the batter.
Extra-virgin olive oil is great for its health benefits, but you can use another olive oil, or canola or vegetable oil.
Greek yogurt and sour cream can be used interchangeably in this recipe. They are both rather thick - if you want to use regular plain yogurt, which is thinner, I recommend using ⅓ cup instead of ½ cup. You can also use ¼ cup of milk (or plant-based milk) in place of the Greek yogurt.
For the nutmeg, you can omit it if you like. I like to grate whole nutmeg on my microplane zester - it has a stronger, fresher taste.
For the whole wheat flour, I recommend white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, but regular will work just fine. If you want to omit the whole wheat flour and use all white flour, I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour in addition to the ½ you use to replace the whole wheat.
I prefer a glass loaf pan because it doesn't retain heat as much as metal, so with the long baking time the bottom doesn't get too dry or overcooked. If using metal, I suggest a lighter color.