This snickerdoodle zucchini bread combines two cozy baked goods into the perfect blend of sweet and spice! The moist zucchini bread gets a warm, cinnamon-sugar twist so it tastes a bit like your favorite cookie—but better.
Why we love this recipe
If you love snickerdoodles and zucchini bread: why not enjoy both at once? Welcome to the magic of snickerdoodle zucchini bread, which became an instant favorite in our house! This loaf is moist and sweet, swirled with cinnamon and topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar so it tastes like that cozy cookie.
We created this recipe to use up a bunch zucchini our neighbor gave us from her garden. Since we already have recipes for zucchini bread, lemon zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini bread, we were looking for something a little different. This sweetly spiced spin won us over.
“This is a delicious zucchini bread and lends itself quite nicely to the snickerdoodle flavor profile! And it’s even better on day 2 – I had some with breakfast this morning 😍.” -Valerie
Ingredient notes for snickerdoodle zucchini bread
Snickerdoodle zucchini bread is a simple spin on the classic zucchini bread recipe. It’s a quick bread, meaning it’s baked without yeast (like pumpkin bread, banana bread, apple bread, and others). If you love to make baked goods, it’s a fun thing to bake that feels fancier than it is! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter and neutral oil: The combination of the two makes an ultra-moist bread. Use organic grapeseed or vegetable oil. If desired, you can substitute olive oil, though it may add a slightly bitter undertone.
- Zucchini: Use a large grater to grate the zucchini. Do not squeeze out the water: you’ll need all the moisture for the bread.
- Eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda: These are all the classic baking ingredients that you might already have on hand. Milk can be any type.
- Cinnamon: The cinnamon here is used both in the bread and a cinnamon sugar swirl. It makes a lovely ribbon through the bread!
- Cream of tartar: This is optional, but cream of tartar is classically used in snickerdoodles. If you have it on hand, it’s fun to add here: but the difference it adds is minor.
How to make a cinnamon swirl
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread is special because it has a cinnamon swirl through the middle. You’ll add half the batter to the pan, top with cinnamon sugar, then add the other half of batter and more cinnamon sugar. Here’s how to make the swirl:
- Insert a butter knife in the top corner of the pan so it just touches the bottom.
- Draw a large S shapes across the entire pan.
Tips for baking snickerdoodle zucchini bread
Here are a few more tips for making sure this bread comes out perfectly moist:
- This recipe works in a 9 x 5 inch or 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. If baking in an 8 x 4 inch pan, you may need to increase the baking time slightly.
- Avoid draining or squeezing out the zucchini. This recipe is optimized to use all the liquid content in the zucchini.
- Brushing with butter after baking and adding more cinnamon sugar seals the deal. This makes for the most cinnamon sugary flavor and crunchy topping.
Storing leftovers
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread stores well. Keep it up to 3 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, 1 week refrigerated, or up to 3 months frozen.
More zucchini recipes
There are so many zucchini recipes to use this versatile vegetable. Make it into a main dish with zucchini lasagna or stuffed zucchini boats, or try it as an appetizer with zucchini fritters. Bake it into zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, or zucchini brownies.
There are also so many tasty zucchini bread variations: our top four are lemon, chocolate, banana, and chocolate chip.
Dietary notes
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, substitute a flax egg and use vegan butter.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can omit the cream of tartar if you don’t have it on hand.
No, you don’t need to peel the zucchini. Just wash it thoroughly, trim the ends, and grate it.
You can get creative with add-ins. Chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or cinnamon chips would be delicious additions.
Description
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread combines two cozy baked goods into the perfect blend of sweet and spice! The moist zucchini bread gets a warm, cinnamon-sugar twist so it tastes a bit like your favorite cookie—but better.
For the zucchini bread
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed or vegetable oil)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, optional
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, packed (about 3/4 pound or 2 medium zucchini), grated with large grater
For the cinnamon sugar and topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Melt the butter, then whisk in the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Use a spatula to mix in the flour and zucchini until just combined, mixing just until there are no longer streaks of dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl, mix the 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ cup sugar for the cinnamon sugar (reserve the butter for after baking). Pour the half the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle ⅓ of the sugar mixture evenly on top. Add the other half of the batter, smoothing it with a spatula. Top with another ⅓ of the mixture. Insert a butter knife into the batter in the top corner of the pan and draw an S shapes through the pan to swirl. Reserve the remaining cinnamon sugar.
- Bake 55 to 65 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back when touched (insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf: if it comes out with a few clinging crumbs, it’s done!). While the bread is still warm, melt the 1 tablespoon butter and brush it into the top of the loaf, then sprinkle on the remaining ⅓ cinnamon sugar.
- Cool in the pan for 1 hour. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread keeps up to 3 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, 1 week refrigerated, or up to 3 months frozen.
Notes
Use all the moisture from the zucchini in this recipe, since its liquid quantity is required for the bread (do not drain).
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Quick Bread
- Diet: Vegetarian
