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Pair sweet, fresh blueberries with late-summer zucchini in this easy blueberry zucchini bread recipe! Try it topped with butter or cream cheese for a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack. This recipe makes two loaves—enjoy one now and share or freeze the second for later. Make the quick-bread batter in 20 minutes before baking the loaves for 1 hour.
I adore quick breads. Not only are quick bread recipes easy to make (even for beginner bakers!), they exude coziness and are the perfect giftable baked good.
Depending on the season, my go-to quick breads are Dominique Ansel’s banana bread, my favorite classic pumpkin bread recipe in the fall, or zucchini bread in late summer.
Even though I love zucchini, my family does not so I have to sneak it into recipes like pineapple zucchini cake, my kids’ favorite chocolate zucchini muffins, and this blueberry zucchini bread.
This recipe is a twist on my classic zucchini bread recipe. Grated zucchini keeps the bread moist while blueberries add sweetness and a burst of summery flavor. I also like to finish the bread with a sprinkle of coarse sugar that bakes into a crunchy topping in the oven.
This recipe makes two loaves. Enjoy one right away with a pat of butter or smear of cream cheese for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Gift the second loaf to a neighbor or freeze it to enjoy later!
Recipe testing notes
Toss the blueberries with a bit of flour before adding them to the batter. This helps keep them from sinking straight to the bottom during the hour-long bake time.
This is a great way to use up larger zucchini. Over-large zucchini tend to have a spongier texture and less flavor. Turning them into bread is a great way to use them up, since they get grated and almost melt into the batter during baking anyway.
Don’t squeeze or drain the grated zucchini. Unlike when you make something like zucchini fritters, you want the moisture in the zucchini for a moist and delicious bread. Simply grate the zucchini using a box grater and add it to the batter as-is.
Zucchini prep tip
Unlike recipes like chocolate zucchini bread where the dark color of the batter completely hides the zucchini, you will still see flecks of green in the finished bread if you leave the skin on the zucchini.
If you want to completely hide the zucchini from your picky kids (or partner), peel the skin off before grating the zucchini. If you’re using large zucchini, the skin tends to get a bit bitter anyway, so taking an extra minute or two to peel it is a good idea.
How to make this blueberry zucchini bread
This easy blueberry zucchini bread comes together with the “muffin method” — mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then stir them together at the end.
To start, use a mixer to beat the eggs and sugar together. As you beat air into them, the mixture will thicken slightly and become pale in color.
At that point, add the oil. Once that is combined, mix in the zucchini and vanilla and set this mixture aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. You don’t want to over mix. Gently fold in the blueberries (make sure you coated them in flour first!).
Divide the batter between two 8×4-inch loaf pans. For a crunchy sugar topping, sprinkle some coarse sugar over the loaves before baking at 350°F for 55-60 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Let the loaves cool for about 20 minutes before turning them out from the pans. Cool completely before slicing and digging in!
Storage and freezing
Store the cooled blueberry zucchini bread well-wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
This bread freezes beautifully. Wrap the cooled loaves in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let the bread thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours before enjoying.
You can also freeze individual slices of the bread. I like to wrap the slices in plastic wrap before storing them in a zip-top freezer bag. Frozen slices can be unwrapped and microwaved for about 60 seconds to thaw and warm them through.
Blueberry Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries gently tossed in 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- course sugar for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease (2) 8×4-inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until thickened and pale yellow in color. Beat in the vegetable oil. Mix in the vanilla and zucchini. Set aside.3 large eggs, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 2 cups grated zucchini
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the flour-coated blueberries.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. If desired, sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar onto each loaf.course sugar for topping
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.
- Let the loaves cool for 20 minutes before turning them out from the pans. Place the loaves on cooling racks to finish cooling.
Notes
Ingredients
- Any neutral oil, such as avocado oil, may be substituted for the vegetable oil.
- If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw. Toss them with the flour and add them to the batter right from the freezer to prevent them from staining the batter.
Storage
- Store well-wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze wrapped in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes! Do not thaw the berries first; toss them with the flour and add them to the batter right from the freezer.
Yes. Divide the batter into a greased or lined muffin tin, adding about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. Bake for 18-22 minutes.
I typically use the large holes on my box grater when I make this recipe, but I have also used the smaller holes for more finely shredded zucchini as well.
This recipe was amazing. I tried it first in a loaf tin and found it a bit too dense and moist for my liking. The next batch I baked up I did as muffins which were fantastic. The extra amount crisp on the edges really contrasted nicely with the inner. This has gone on my summer must bake list, it is a real challenge to use up all those zuchinni and it makes for a great snack.
Delicious! I find blueberry bread/muffins kind of boring but this had great flavor and texture. I actually think next time I may try and add more zucchini for a bit more savory taste.
One change I made: I used whole rye flour instead of all-purpose flour to add a little more nutrition. Rye flour tends to add chewiness that whole wheat flour does not.
I love blueberries and just picked some this week fresh from the farm and have zuchinni from my garden. My bread came out of the oven not more than 25 minutes ago and I had to slice off a bit to try while it was still piping hot and it is YUMMY! I’m sure it will be even better once it has cooled a little more and the flavors have a chance to marry, but I couldn’t resist! Plan on making another loaf in the a.m. to take to a get together and I can guarantee that none will be left and they will want the recipe. Thanks!!
Hi Jamie, I just made a double recipe this weekend and shared some at work today. The loaf got gobbled up so fast by co-workers, I was glad I made extra so I had some at home to eat later! Everyone loved how moist it was and how it wasn’t too sweet! Thanks for the great recipe!
Looks great, I think that I will try it with some healthy additions like the ones that you mentioned. Applesauce, wheatgrem and ground flax seed
I just took this bread out of the oven, and had a little bite — holy yum! It’s so so good! I swapped in 1/4 cup ground flax seed for 1/4 cup all purpose flour, and added 1/4 cup brown sugar, and it’s just delightful. Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this and it turned out great. I added pecans and some vital wheat gluten. Just the right amount of sweet. I just started my own blog and used my adapted version of your recipe as my first post, thank you!
clair, how do I find your zucchini blueberry bread with added glutin
This bread sounds fabulous! Love the combination of zuccini and blueberries!
Quick breads are one of my top favorite baked goodies to make–so quick and so many flavor combo possibilities. I like the sound of yours–once the zuchinni gets in season, I plan on trying it!
Now I can’t wait to get that zucchini plant in the ground. This looks wonderful – and have never paired blueberry and zuke…. great combo!