Bread Machine Zucchini Bread

This bread machine zucchini bread recipe creates a sweet & delicious old fashioned zucchini bread. It is a “quick bread” recipe similar to banana bread recipes… but you kick out the bananas for some garden fresh zucchinis!! This tasty zucchini bread is made with chopped walnuts (or mini chocolate chips if your family can’t eat walnuts).

Gardeners often get stuck with tons of home grown zucchinis at the end of the summer. They scramble to think of different ways to use this massive bounty (even making zucchini French fries!). Of course, an easier way to get rid of “excess” zucchinis is to make some delicious zucchini bread.

Bread Machine Zucchini Bread with Delicious Chopped Walnuts

Since the zucchini bread recipe on this page is done in a bread machine, it is simple & easy to make. It should take you only 10 minutes or so to prepare and then you let the bread machine do the rest of the work. For more bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread or banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s main Bread Machine Recipes section. You will also find a printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of this page.

Bread Machine Zucchini Bread – You can see the grated zucchini & chopped nuts in the top of the zucchini bread

Ingredients – Bread Machine Zucchini Bread – 2 lb Loaf

• 3/4 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 175 milliliters
• 2 Large Eggs (lightly beaten)
• 2 Teaspoons – Vanilla Extract – 10 milliliters
• 1 1/4 Cups – Light Brown Sugar (packed cups) – 270 grams
• 2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 240 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon – 5 milliliters
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1 Cup – Zucchini (packed cup & zucchini grated into small shreds) – 130 grams (rough estimate as some variability due to moisture)
• 1 Cup – Chopped Walnuts – 135 grams – Optional – Instead of walnuts, you can use MINI chocolate chips.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, soft flexible spatula, vegetable grater, oven mitts, wire cooling rack… and a bread machine.

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Fresh Zucchini (with Grater)

Instructions – Bread Machine Zucchini Bread

• Unplug the bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine.
• Grate the zucchini into small shreds.
• Lightly beat the eggs.
• Pour the vegetable oil & eggs into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients (except the grated zucchinis & chopped walnuts which are added later). Try to follow the order of the ingredients listed above so that liquid ingredients are placed in the bread pan first and the dry ingredients second. FYI – Consider premixing the ingredients (except zucchinis & chopped walnuts) before adding the batter to the bread pan if you want to prevent flour sticking to the sides of the bread pan and/or finding small flour “clumps” in the finished zucchini bread. See tips below.
• Put the bread pan with all of the ingredients (except zucchinis & walnuts) back into the bread machine and close the bread machine lid.
• Plug in the bread machine.
• Enter the bread machine settings (Sweet Quick Bread/Cake, Light Color, 2 lb) and press the start button. FYI – Before making this recipe, please read the tips section below for more information regarding the sweet quick bread setting used to make zucchini breads. The setting may be called “quick bread”, “quick bread/cake”, “cake”, etc. However, some manufacturers use the “quick bread” setting are for rapid sandwich-type breads that use yeast (and not for quick breads such as zucchini bread that use baking powder/soda). Therefore, this setting can be very confusing… but the tips section below will help you to find the right setting to use on your machine. You need to enter the correct zucchini bread setting used by your SPECIFIC bread machine model or the zucchini bread could be under or overcooked.
• After the first bread machine mixing cycle and before the second mixing (final mixing), add the grated zucchini & chopped walnuts (or mini chocolate chips). This is when the machine “pauses” and the mixing paddle stops for several minutes between mixing cycles. Some bread machines will also give off a “beep” to tell you when to add extra ingredients (i.e. nuts) to the mixing process. Read your bread machine manual for more details.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the zucchini bread, unplug the bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan and place it on a wooden cutting board (without removing the zucchini bread from the bread pan). Use oven mitts when removing the bread pan because it will be very hot!
• After removing the bread pan from the bread machine, you should let the zucchini bread stay within the warm bread pan on the wooden cutting board for 10 minutes (as this finishes the baking process). Wear oven mitts.
• After the 10 minute “cooldown”, you should remove the zucchini bread from the bread pan and place the zucchini bread on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Use oven mitts when removing the bread.
• You should allow the zucchini bread to completely cool before cutting. This can take up to 2 hours. Otherwise, the zucchini bread will break (crumble) more easily when cut.
• Please READ the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully and to avoid common bread machine problems with moister “quick bread” recipes such as zucchini bread.

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• Bread Machines – My favorites
• Bread Machine Cookbooks
• Bread Mixes – Ingredient kits
• Bread Tools – Bread slicers, etc.

Tips – Bread Machine Zucchini Bread

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and those who haven’t touched their bread machine in years. I apologize for the lengthy list of “tips” but bread machines differ & we have tried to cover any differences between machines.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on Bread Machine Recipes (such as buttery white bread, banana bread, multigrain bread and French bread).

• Warning – The number 1 error that people make when creating a bread machine zucchini bread is using the WRONG setting. The people who have a problem often use the “quick” or “quick bread” setting designed for fast sandwich bread recipes that use yeast… and NOT the “quick bread” or “cake” setting designed for moist quick breads (i.e. banana bread & zucchini bread) that use baking soda/powder. These are two totally different settings. You need to find the correct baking soda/powder “quick bread” setting used with YOUR specific make & model of bread machine. FYI – To avoid this error, please read the setting tips lower down in this tips section.
• Warning – The number 2 error is using zucchini “mush” (which adds too much moisture). Please read the tips below about using young zucchinis (& not old watery zucchinis), etc.
• IMPORTANT – If your machine’s electronic display is showing 50-60 minutes (total time for mixing & baking) before you press the “start” button, you have entered the WRONG setting. The total time should be roughly 1:40-1:55 hours (100-115 minutes). Moreover, the baking length of the “quick bread” setting is roughly 1:10-1:20 hours (out of the total 1:40-1:55 minutes for this setting). Yeast breads spend a long time on kneading/rising and much less on baking (where as moist quick breads spend only a short time on rising – as they are using fast rising baking powder/soda – and a long time on baking). Therefore, a 1:55 hour yeast bread setting will NOT work for a 1:55 hour moist “quick bread” setting. You need to use the correct setting for this recipe to work in your bread machine.

• Before making this recipe, please read the tips below especially the section focused on the “sweet quick bread/cake” setting (located around the middle of our tips) because bread machines vary & require you to be knowledgeable about your specific bread machine model when making a zucchini bread. For example, if you do not use the correct setting, you will have trouble with bread machine recipes (i.e. your zucchini bread may be potentially under or overcooked). The setting name used for zucchini breads differs on many bread machine models and may be called “Quick”, “Quick Bread”, “Cake”, “Cake/Quick Bread”, etc. Therefore, you need to determine the specific setting on your bread machine model (READ YOUR MANUAL) that was designed for sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. zucchini bread) that use baking soda/powder and not yeast. I know that this can be confusing… but the “sweet quick bread” tips section below will help you to find the right setting to use on your machine.
• To find the “quick bread/cake” setting names used by some of the most popular bread machines, you should visit my Bread Machine Quick Bread Settings page. I set this up to help people find the correct setting for their particular machine.
• This recipe will NOT work in smaller bread machines that have only 1 lb loaf capacities. It will only fit larger bread machines with 1.5 lb or higher capacities. “Quick bread” loaves such as zucchini bread and banana bread don’t rise very much (unlike sandwich-type breads). Therefore, this 2 lb loaf should fit into a 1.5 lb or higher capacity bread machine.

• As you probably know, zucchini bread is not a sandwich-type bread. Rather it is a sweet & moist “quick bread” similar to banana bread. It is great as a snack or dessert.
• Use a neutral flavored vegetable oil (i.e. canola oil or corn). Stronger tasting oils can impact the flavor of the zucchini bread.
• Do not use monster sized zucchinis to make this recipe. See the taste & moisture comments below.
• Use small young zucchinis for the best taste & structural results. Larger/older zucchinis can be a little bitter and/or tough. Ideally, your zucchinis should be roughly 6-8 inches in length.
• Young zucchini are also better because there is less zucchini “mush”. Large zucchinis can have greater moisture variability and potentially soft mushy insides. This extra moisture can potentially throw off the recipe.
• Before grating the zucchinis, you should wash the zucchini exterior in order remove any dirt, etc.
• Be careful when grating the zucchini so you do not slice your fingers. Wear oven gloves.

• Try to pack the measuring cup with grated zucchini in order to avoid any moisture problems (i.e. the zucchini bread being too dry). Do not leave air spaces between the zucchini shreds.
• You do not have to peel the zucchinis when making zucchini bread. Just grate the zucchinis into small shreds.
• Use small shreds of zucchini (not large strips of zucchini). Large strips of zucchini will reduce the structural integrity of the zucchini bread.
• Don’t squeeze out any liquid from the grated zucchini. You will need this natural moisture in order to make a nice zucchini bread. Also do not dry off the grated zucchini “shreds”.
• This recipe uses ONLY 1 CUP of shredded zucchini. Do not add extra zucchini to this recipe because you will be adding excess moisture and this will cause the zucchini bread to come out undercooked. If you have leftover zucchini (beyond the 1 cup used for this recipe), you can turn it into delicious zucchini fritters, sautéed zucchini, grilled zucchini, etc.

• Since many zucchinis do not have a ton of flavor, the addition of spices helps to create a delicious zucchini bread. My recipe uses ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and light brown sugar to enhance the flavor of the zucchini bread. However, be aware that other bakers also like to use additional spices such as all spice and nutmeg.
• Zucchini are added to sweet “quick bread” recipes in order to add moisture, improve the bread’s texture, add bulk & extra nutrients (i.e. folate and potassium)… and to deliciously get rid of excess homegrown zucchinis!!
• FYI – The batter may look a little dry (looks almost like taffy) in the bread pan until you add the grated zucchinis. It will eventually look like normal quick bread batter after the zucchinis (and associated moisture) get mixed in.
• When you add the grated zucchini & chopped nuts, you might like to use a soft flexible spatula to mix them into the batter a little bit (during the machine “pause”). However, if you don’t, the bread machine will mix everything over time.

• If your family does not like walnuts, you can use chocolate chips. I recommend using MINI chocolate chips because they are lighter and spread more evenly throughout the bread. Unfortunately, regular sized chocolate chips are too heavy and tend to sink to the bottom of the bread.
• You can make this zucchini bread even better by adding some homemade whipped cream on top. See our Blueberry Quick Bread recipe for details on how to make homemade whipped cream.
• Sweet “Quick Bread” Setting Details – According to Wikipedia and most bakers, zucchini bread is a type of “quick bread” (that uses baking soda/powder instead of yeast). Unfortunately, this term (quick bread) has led to a lot of confusion because bread machine manufacturers often use similar setting names to make rapid/express/quick sandwich-type breads as well as completely different sweet quick breads (i.e. zucchini bread & banana bread).

• IMPORTANT – Make sure to use the specific setting on your bread machine designed for SWEET QUICK BREADS/CAKES. Read your manual! This setting is for sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. zucchini bread or banana bread) that use baking soda/powder (and not yeast).
• Be aware that the setting name used for zucchini bread recipes can vary by bread machine manufacturer. Here are some examples of the setting names used to make zucchini bread on various bread machines – the Sunbeam Breadmaker 5891 uses the “Quick” setting, the Hamilton Beach Bread Maker 29881 uses the “Quick” setting, the Black & Decker BOOONJBYXO Bread Maker uses the “Quick Bread” setting, the Breadman 2lb. Professional Bread Maker (BK1050S) uses the “Quick Bread” setting, the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Bread Maker uses the “Cake” setting and the Cuisinart CBK-100 Bread Maker uses the “Cake/Quick Bread” setting. Therefore, you must check your bread machine’s instructions for the exact setting name used to make zucchini bread by your specific bread machine model.
• However, be aware that some bread machine models have only a limited number of settings and may NOT have a setting that can be used for sweet quick breads (i.e. zucchini bread). These bread machines are primarily focused on making sandwich-type breads. For example, the Oster Expressbake Breadmaker, 2-lb. Loaf Capacity (model CKSTBRTW20NP) does not have a setting for zucchini breads (the “sweet” and “quick” settings on this model are used for yeast breads). However, other Oster models do have a quick bread/cake setting. In addition, the Breadman TR444 does not have a setting for quick breads but some of the more advanced Breadman bread machines such as the Breadman 2lb. Professional Bread Maker (model BK1050S) do have a quick bread setting. Always read your bread machine manual carefully in order to see if your specific bread machine model can make zucchini bread-type quick breads (check the setting and recipe sections of the manual for definitive examples).

• You can not use regular sandwich-type bread settings in order to make zucchini bread. For example, the length of the baking cycle often differs.
• Don’t be fooled by setting names like Rapid Bread or Express Bread (as these settings are often used for the baking of very rapid yeast-based sandwich breads and are not used for sweet quick breads that use baking powder/soda). They will leave your zucchini bread undercooked. For example, on my Sunbeam, the sweet quick bread setting lasts for roughly 1:40 hours versus the express setting which lasts for only 58 minutes.
• IMPORTANT – Be aware that some bread machine manufacturers even label the rapid/express sandwich bread setting as “Quick Bread”. This can cause a lot of confusion!! because they use the “quick bread” name in order to describe a setting that makes a rapid sandwich-type bread with yeast. This setting is not used to make a sweet quick bread recipe (such as zucchini bread) that uses baking powder/soda. In general, a setting used for yeast breads can’t be used to make quick bread recipes (such as zucchini bread) due to different rising & baking lengths.

• Moreover, in many bread machines, the “sweet bread” setting is used for sweet breads that use YEAST (not zucchini breads that use baking soda/powder). “Sweet bread” recipes are different from sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. zucchini bread) and utilize different mixing & baking times. Therefore, a bread machine zucchini bread recipe is unlikely to work on the “sweet bread” setting.
• If you are still having trouble finding the sweet quick bread setting, check your bread machine manual for details regarding the “Cake” setting on your machine. Some bread machines have a cake setting that states that they can be used for zucchini breads & sweet quick breads (and the mixing & baking will last roughly for 1 hour 40-50 minutes). However, other bread machines have a cake setting that is not designed for sweet quick breads. For example, my bread machine (Sunbeam) has a cake setting (that lasts for 2 hours 50 minutes) and a “Quick” (used for quick breads such as zucchini bread & banana bread) setting (that lasts for roughly 1 hour 40 minutes). Therefore, this zucchini bread recipe would probably not work well with the cake setting on my machine.
• FYI – A couple of visitors have mentioned that their Pohl machines can occasionally underbake moist “quick breads” (i.e. banana bread & zucchini bread). As a solution, these visitors like to premix the batter and then use the “bake” setting (not cake setting) to create a longer baking time (versus relying on the preset cake setting) in order to fully bake their quick bread. Given this issue, please read the Pohl manual carefully on how to make moist quick breads with your specific machine.
• On my Sunbeam bread machine (and a number of other bread makers i.e. Hamilton Beach), the sweet quick bread setting lasts for roughly 1:40 hours… with 20 minutes of mixing & 80 minutes in the baking stage.

• Be aware that older and newer models from the same manufacturer can even use different setting names. Therefore, you need to read the manual included with your specific model in order to determine the correct setting used by your bread machine. Don’t guess with settings or assume that the setting used by a similar model from your bread machine manufacturer is the same as the setting used by your model.
• I know this can be super confusing… but always read your bread machine manual and look for the specific setting designed for zucchini breads & sweet quick breads (that use baking soda/powder and have lots of sugar & butter/oil in the recipe).
• If you have lost your bread machine manual, you can usually find it by searching online. For example, I can find my manual by typing “Sunbeam bread machine manual” into Google.
• Many bread machine manufacturers also have recipe booklets where you can also find more information on how to make a zucchini bread with your specific bread machine model. These manufacturer recipes can also help if you are still uncertain on what bread machine setting to use. Look to see if there is a sweet quick bread recipe (i.e. zucchini bread, banana bread or pumpkin bread) that uses lots of sugar, moisture (i.e. milk, bananas, pumpkin puree, applesauce, etc.), butter/oil, baking powder/soda and NO yeast. This should give you an idea about what setting to use for sweet quick bread recipes on your machine..

• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. baking soda and flour) for the best results. For example, if you use stale baking soda and/or baking powder, your zucchini bread will not rise properly and will be too dense. Baking soda & powder is best if used within 6 months of opening the container.
• Flour sticking to the sides of your bread machine zucchini bread? Unfortunately, bread machines have a harder time mixing moister sweet quick bread recipes (versus drier sandwich bread dough). Therefore, after the first mixing cycle has fully stopped (and before the second & final mixing cycle has begun), I like to scrape the sides of the bread pan with a flexible silicon spatula (not a metal spatula). This loosens any flour that may be sticking to the sides of the bread pan (because a bread machine mixing “paddle” doesn’t quite reach the sides of the bread pan). For safety purposes, I do not scrape the sides of the bread pan when the mixing blade is moving. In addition, people should not stick their hands inside bread machines. Moreover, people should always wear oven mitts when dealing with a bread machine because the bread pan & bread machine interior can get quite hot.
• Nevertheless, ALWAYS follow the instructions included in the manufacturer’s manual for your specific bread machine in order to safely scrape the inside of your bread pan.
• Some people get around this issue by PREMIXING their ingredients. They will first mix all of the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl and then add it to the bread machine bread pan (versus adding all of the ingredients to the bread pan and letting the bread machine mix everything). While this is an extra step, premixing the ingredients greatly reduces the potential for any unwanted small flour “clumps” and/or flour sticking to the sides of the finished zucchini bread. After hand mixing the ingredients, you should just follow the rest of the recipe instructions (i.e. enter proper bread machine settings and so on). However, always remember to add the ingredients (or hand mixed batter) to the bread pan when the bread pan is out of the bread machine and the bread machine is unplugged.
• Another way to deal with flour “clumps” – You can use a fine mesh strainer or flour sifter to sift your flour (before mixing the flour with the wet ingredients). This “aerates” the flour and breaks up & screens out small flour lumps.

• You need to leave the bread in the bread loaf container for 10 minutes after you take it out of the bread machine. Denser sweet quick breads take a little longer for the interior dough to be fully baked.
• Be careful when removing the zucchini bread from the bread loaf pan. Zucchini breads are much softer than sandwich-type bread loaves. Therefore, they can break or “dent” more easily when you remove them from the bread loaf pan. When removing the zucchini bread from the bread pan, you should also be careful of the movable bread pan handle (because it can swing into the zucchini bread and cause damage).
• Optional – If the top center of the bread looks too moist when you take it out of the bread machine (or you want to make sure the zucchini bread is completely cooked), you can try the classic baking “toothpick test”. Gently push a long wooden skewer (or long wooden chopstick) into the center of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the skewer. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan and bread machine will still be hot. If batter is sticking to the skewer then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread loaf pan back into the still warm bread machine for another 5-10 minutes. After the 5-10 minutes, remove the bread pan and retest the zucchini bread again with the skewer.
• Since a toothpick can be too short, I like to use a long chopstick or wooden skewer when conducting the classic “toothpick” test. Remember always wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot bread pan and bread machine.
• Visitors – If you have any questions about this recipe, please ask BEFORE you make your bread machine zucchini bread. This will save you from a possibly over or undercooked zucchini bread. Post all questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

• If you liked this bread machine “quick bread” recipe, you should try some of Bread Dad’s other quick bread bread machine recipes such as Bread Machine Banana Bread, Bread Machine Gingerbread, Bread Machine Pumpkin Bread, Bread Machine Sweet Cornbread, Bread Machine Apple Bread, Bread Machine Cinnamon Bread, etc.
• If you have a problem with a zucchini bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (because bread machine “quick bread” recipes are not very forgiving). You will need to make sure that you are inputting the correct bread machine settings, using the exact ingredient measurements (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup), using the exact ingredients called for in the recipe (i.e. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes unless you are willing to live with your experiments!
• Please read the instructions/manual included with your bread machine in order to use it safely and effectively. Recipe instructions & settings may differ slightly depending on the brand & model of bread machine utilized.

• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (i.e. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (i.e. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (i.e. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
• This recipe contains nuts. Do not serve to anyone with potential nut allergies. Nuts can be a potential choking hazard. Do not serve food with nuts to young children.
• For more easy bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread, pizza dough, banana bread, French bread, whole wheat bread, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s main Bread Machine Recipes section.

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Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Bread Machine
• Wikipedia, Quick Bread
• Wikipedia, Zucchini

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