Olive Oil Zucchini Bread is SUPER moist, made healthier with more than two cups of zucchini, Greek yogurt, and part whole wheat flour. Using oil in Zucchini bread helps keep it moist for days left on the counter and creates a great texture and flavor. 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! You’ll love this delicious Mediterranean twist on a classic.
Baking with olive oil is one of my favorite things. You’d be surprised by how the earthy flavor of the oil pairs really well with some more traditionally sweet things. I use it to bake a super moist banana bread, and even in cakes.
When I went away for the weekend and came back to a literal mountain of zucchini in my garden, I knew what must be done. Olive oil zucchini bread! And with so much zucchini, I wanted to pack as much into the bread as I could without making the batter too watery.
By removing some of the water from the grated zucchini before stirring it into the batter, and topping the loaf with a little more, you can use up to 2 ½ cups of grated zucchini in the loaf.
Between packing this easy quick bread recipe with tons of healthy veggies, using healthy olive oil, part whole wheat flour, and high protein Greek yogurt, this zucchini bread is healthier than other recipes, but doesn’t sacrifice taste or texture in the slightest.
Be sure to check out the video for how to make zucchini bread in the recipe card below!
Ingredients and Substitutions in Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini – or summer squash, or a combo. Summer squash can have more liquid in it, so make sure to dry it out well (more on this below).
- Olive oil – or another oil of choice. I love baking with coconut oil or canola oil – canola will have a more neutral taste.
- Brown sugar – this adds a nice flavor, but white sugar can also be used.
- Eggs
- Greek Yogurt – or sour cream. Regular yogurt or milk can also be used at a lesser amount (see recipe notes).
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg – can be omitted, or substituted with another warming spice (like pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cardamom, etc.)
- All-purpose white flour
- Whole wheat flour – or you can use all white flour if you prefer (add an extra two tablespoons of it).
- Kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda
How to make Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
- First, grate the zucchini onto a clean towel and set aside. This will help it dry out a bit while you mix the batter.
- Mix the batter – whisk everything together except the flours and zucchini in a large bowl. Then, add the flours and mix until just combined.
- Pat the zucchini dry with the towel – if it’s super watery, you can wring out the liquid over a bowl or your sink. Add the zucchini to the batter and fold it in.
- Liberally grease a loaf pan with olive oil and then add the batter to it.
- If you like, you can top your loaf with some extra grated zucchini for decoration + extra veggies.
- Finally, bake the zucchini bread, allow it to cool for a bit, then remove from the pan and serve! (tip: run a knife along the edge and then tap it upside down to dislodge the loaf – it should pop right out).
FAQs
The olive oil in this zucchini bread makes it last longer than other recipes. Store the bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter, or in the fridge for about a week.
Yes! Besides the difference in color, summer squash often has more water than zucchini, and the larger ones can also have some seeds. Remove or leave the seeds in – it’s up to you – but do make sure to remove as much water as possible from the grated summer squash by wringing it out in a clean towel.
My favorite thing to do is to slather zucchini bread in salted butter. If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll butter both sides and grill it quickly in a skillet until it’s crispy. But it’s also perfection just plain.
Other recipes that use oil for baking
- Olive Oil Banana Bread
- Coconut Oil Blueberry Muffins
- Olive Oil Lemon Cake
- Olive Oil Orange Cardamom Cake
- Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread
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Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (plus another optional ¼-½ cup to top the bread, from about 1 large or 2 small zucchini)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (or other oil, see notes)
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream, see notes)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour (see notes)
Instructions
- 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.
Video
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 squash can 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Anita
Thank you for this wonderful zucchini bread recipe! I made it for the first time this summer, and made 2 loaves (doubled the recipe). My husband and his coworkers loved it. I am getting ready to make 2 loaves again today. Have some wonderful garden zucchini squash to use and can’t wait to have the lovely aroma through the house of this bread baking. Was specifically searching Pinterest for a zucchini bread recipe using olive oil and found yours…so glad I did! Wonderful flavor with the whole white wheat flour, all the spices, and so moist! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Huge hit with this baker as well as her husband!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it!