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The Best Classic Zucchini Bread with Toasted Walnuts (Easy)

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This classic zucchini bread is incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and studded with crunchy toasted walnuts. It’s an easy, one-bowl recipe that uses simple pantry ingredients and is perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups grated zucchini, squeezed gently (about 1 medium zucchini)
  • ¾ cup walnut halves, toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray, then line it with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the two long sides.
  2. Toast the walnuts: Spread the walnut halves in a single layer on a small baking sheet or in a dry skillet. Toast them in the preheating oven for 5-7 minutes, or until they smell fragrant and have darkened slightly. Let them cool completely, then roughly chop them. Set aside about a tablespoon of the chopped walnuts for sprinkling on top of the batter before baking.
  3. Prepare the zucchini: Wash the zucchini, trim off the ends, and grate it using the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 1 ½ cups of grated zucchini. Place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels and gently squeeze out some of the excess moisture.
  4. Whisk the dry ingredients together: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  5. Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they’re light and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold them together with a rubber spatula. Mix just until you can’t see any more streaks of flour — about 10 to 12 strokes.
  7. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts: Add the squeezed zucchini and the chopped toasted walnuts (reserving that tablespoon for the top). Fold them in gently until they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use your spatula to scrape every bit of batter into the pan. Smooth the top gently, then sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of chopped walnuts evenly over the surface.
  9. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. The top should be golden brown and cracked beautifully. If the top is browning too quickly after about 40 minutes, tent the loaf loosely with aluminum foil.
  10. Cool properly: Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper sling, lift the loaf out of the pan and transfer it directly to the wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Don’t over-squeeze the zucchini; just remove surface liquid. Toast walnuts every time for best flavor. Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling. Let eggs come to room temperature. Check doneness with a toothpick. The bread tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: zucchini bread, toasted walnuts, easy zucchini bread, classic zucchini bread, quick bread, summer squash bread

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