Zucchini bread with yellow squash

I am always looking for ways to use up the yellow squash and zucchini overflowing from my garden. I wondered how a zucchini bread with yellow squash would turn out.

It's delicious and pretty. The taste and texture are the same, and the interior is a little lighter in color, with little yellow flecks from the yellow squash skin.

This is the best zucchini bread recipe I've made to date:

• Uses 2 full cups of yellow squash (or zucchini)
• Doesn't need water squeezed out
• Uses one bowl
• Bakes up perfectly fluffy and moist
• Can be easily doubled or tripled, or baked into mini zucchini loaves

Jump to:

• Recipe
• Zucchini bread with yellow squash
• Using yellow squash
• Variations & add-ins
• Doubling and Tripling the recipe
• Freezing zucchini bread
• Other recipe tips
• More recipes

Recipe

Using yellow squash

Any type of yellow squash works for making zucchini bread. I've used medium and large sizes and they all turn out great (although I do remove seeds from the larger yellow squash).

The texture and flavor are really perfect, and it makes a nice tall loaf with a crispy top. It has a warm, baking-spice flavor that can handle additions like nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips.

Shredding the summer squash ahead of time

The yellow squash can also be shredded ahead of time and stored, covered, in the fridge for a couple days. It stays surprisingly crisp and doesn't brown. I've made bread using shredded yellow squash and zucchini, kept in the fridge for two days and it worked great (or should I say grate?).

No need to squeeze out water

I think the main selling point is related to the yellow squash. This zucchini bread recipe uses a full 2 cups and the water doesn't need to be squeezed out.

The original version of this recipe is from Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen and she says, "Some recipes tell you to grate zucchini just to wring it out, which, to me, is a monstrous extra step. This style of cake is called a quickbread; I take the “quick” to heart, and I see no reason to dry out your zucchini when the moisture within it is what makes zucchini bread great."

Another similar zucchini bread recipe comes from King Arthur, who also doesn't squeeze out the zucchini. They tell you to lightly pat it dry, but I found that unnecessary.

This version is a merging of those two recipes while using yellow squash, which I think ends up being the best zucchini bread recipe. However, both other recipes are great and I encourage you to check them out too.

• Smitten Kitchen's Ultimate Zucchini Bread
• King Arthur Baking Simple Zucchini Bread
• King Arthur blog post about Zucchini bread with other addin options

Variations & add-ins

This particular zucchini bread recipe has a warm cinnamon and baking-spice flavor that can easily accommodate additions like nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. You can also reduce the sugar in the recipe by ¼ cup if you don't want them to be over sweetened by sugary add-ins. Try any of the following:

• Chocolate chips: add in ¾ to 1 cup of chocolate chips and reduce sugar by ¼ cup.
• Ginger: increase ground ginger to ½ teaspoon and add in ½ cup of crystallized ginger (also called candied ginger). Reduce sugar by ¼ cup.
• Raisins: add ¾ cup raisins, increase cinnamon by ½ tsp, and reduce sugar by ¼ cup.
• Nuts: add in ¾ to 1 cup of your favorite nut, walnuts work particularly well. You can also replace some (or all!) of the vegetable oil with walnut oil (although pricey).

I highly recommend trying out walnut oil in your baking recipes if you are looking for a splurge (or gift!). I use La Tourangelle's walnut oil in banana bread, brownies, and cookies and they are all delicious.

It's worth noting that nut oils don't last as long as other oils, so if you buy it, use it up. (It's also great for roasting winter squash or using in homemade salad dressing).

By the way, that Amazon link is an affiliate link, so I get a small commission if you buy something. I like to be very transparent and only recommend items I personally use, and if it's a suggestion for something I haven't used yet, I call it out.

Doubling and Tripling the recipe

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to use up a bunch of yellow squash or zucchini (a problem us gardeners have!). In the recipe box, you can scale it up.

You can also make this in little disposable tins and gift your neighbors homemade mini zucchini loaves, or toss them in the freezer.

I used the mini tins linked above that measure 3 x 5.5" (and 2" tall). They come with clear domed plastic covers that work 'okay.' They snap on, but it's not a perfect hold and you'll probably want to tape them down when gifting.

How to turn this recipe into mini zucchini bread

• Pour ¾ cup of batter into each tin, which fills 4 tins per recipe
• Mix ¼ cups of add-ins into each individual tin, if desired
• Bake them at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes (mine were done right at 30 minutes when the internal temperature reached 202ºF).

Freezing zucchini bread

To freeze zucchini bread, let it cool completely then prepare it for freezing. Leaving the loaf whole will preserve its texture longer than wrapping individual slices which will dry out faster.

Plastic & foil

First, wrap the loaf (or slices) with a layer of plastic wrap. This helps keep the bread's moisture from escaping. However, thin plastic wrap doesn't hold up to the cold freezer temperatures well by itself.

To stand up to the freezer, you'll want to wrap it again, but with foil this time or placed in a thicker freezer-safe bag or container. The foil alone isn't going to form a tight seal, which is why the plastic wrap was also required. And the freezer-safe plastic bag is decent on its own, but it's hard to get all of the air out, so the extra layer of plastic wrap is still providing protection.

If you baked them in mini tins, you can wrap those in their tins and freeze whole as well. Just follow the same steps.

Vacuum seal

Alternatively, you can vacuum seal the bread to minimize any chance of freezer burn. The trick to vacuum sealing baked goods is to first place them in the freezer until they are hard. Then remove it from the freezer and vacuum seal.

This prevents them from getting squished in the vacuum sealing process. You might think they can be squished and will bounce back when thawed - but that is not the case (as I learned from personal experience).

To eat, thaw in the fridge overnight.

Other recipe tips

I have a few things that should help make this recipe even easier. If you have questions or suggestions, leave a comment and I will update this section.

Batter consistency

The batter for this zucchini bread will be similar to other quick breads, like banana or pumpkin bread. It will be runny but have some structure.

Don't overmix the batter, or the bread can turn out tough or might not rise well.

Baking pan for zucchini bread

Quick breads bake best in a metal pan (rather than glass or ceramic). I used the USA Pan brand aluminum 9x5 pan (listed below on Amazon).

The batter filled it about half way. During baking the middle rose to about 1 inch above the top - it was perfectly light, fluffy, and moist.

Oven setting

I use my oven's bake setting, not convection bake. Quick breads can dry out when the convection fan circulates the hot air around, so it's best to use the regular bake option. This is true for muffins and cakes as well (but cookies benefit from the even heat distribution of convection).

Cooking times

Cooking times can vary by 10 or even 20 minutes depending on your oven, how well it retains heat, how well it is calibrated, and so on. Because of this it's important to check for doneness earlier in the baking process.

Internal temperature: 200ºF - 205ºF

I find the toothpick test unreliable - I'm still not sure how to make a toothpick come out clean but without drying out the zucchini bread. Instead, I use an instant read thermometer.

If you have checked the doneness with a thermometer yet, you are in for a treat. Once you do it, you won't go back. The quick breads are perfect every single time. No more under baked gummy breads or loafs that dry out.

Zucchini bread (and other quick breads) are done when their internal temperature reaches 200ºF and up to 205ºF. This is true for any quick bread recipe.

I have the ThermoWorks Themapen (the gold standard for instant-read thermometers). It's pretty expensive so if it's out of your budget right now, I have a backup to suggest (based on reviews, as I have not tried it myself).

Check the internal temperature starting at 45 minutes. If it's around 130-150ºF, add another 10-15 minutes and check again. I usually have to bake this for just over an hour. I have a modern Miele electric oven (installed in 2022) that holds heat incredibly well. This also bakes well in a large toaster oven (like my Breville Smart Oven), on the bottom rack.

More recipes

If you have a lot of zucchini to use up, make a bunch of quiches and quick breads at the same time. They both make use of shredded zucchini for a fairly efficient afternoon of cooking.

Some of the links I provided are affiliate links to Amazon (like the bread pan and toaster oven). I earn a small commission if you end up buying something. This post only links to items I personally use and hope you enjoy them too.