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Best Moist Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon Streusel

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This incredibly moist zucchini bread features a tender crumb, crunchy walnuts, and a buttery cinnamon streusel topping. It’s the perfect way to use up garden zucchini and makes a delicious breakfast or snack.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini, squeezed dry)
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts (toasted if desired)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
  2. Prepare the zucchini. Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 1 ½ cups loosely packed. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze firmly to remove excess moisture. This is crucial—wet zucchini makes soggy bread.
  3. Toast the walnuts (optional but recommended). Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Watch them closely—they go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Let them cool while you prepare the batter.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  5. Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces. Refrigerate while you finish the batter.
  6. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and emulsified.
  7. Combine wet and dry. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined—a few streaks of flour are fine. Overmixing will make the bread tough.
  8. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Add the squeezed zucchini and toasted walnuts. Fold until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy. That’s exactly what you want.
  9. Assemble the loaf. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the chilled streusel topping over the top, pressing it gently into the batter so it sticks during baking.
  10. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the streusel is browning too quickly after 40 minutes, tent the loaf loosely with aluminum foil.
  11. Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing—about 2 hours. I know it’s hard to wait, but slicing too early will make the bread crumble.

Notes

Squeeze the zucchini thoroughly to remove excess moisture—this is crucial for a moist but not soggy bread. Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour. Room temperature eggs help the batter come together smoothly. Watch the streusel during baking and tent with foil if it browns too quickly. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. The flavors develop over time, so day two is often even better.

Nutrition

Keywords: zucchini bread, moist zucchini bread, cinnamon streusel, walnut zucchini bread, easy zucchini bread, summer baking, quick bread

Find it online: https://lindabake.com/best-moist-zucchini-bread-with-cinnamon-streusel/