Blueberry zucchini bread is a soft, moist quick bread with a golden top, juicy bursts of fresh blueberry and green flecks of zucchini that melt into the crumb. It is the loaf for late summer, when the garden is full of zucchini, and it works for breakfast, a snack or a lunchbox treat.
How to make blueberry zucchini bread: Whisk an egg with brown sugar, oil, granulated sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then loosely measured grated zucchini. Toss fresh blueberries in a little flour, fold them in and bake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan at 350°F for about 55 to 60 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- No mixer. Two bowls and a whisk are all you need.
- No squeezing. The zucchini goes in as it is, straight off the grater.
- Berries in every slice. A light coat of flour helps keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- One loaf, ten slices. Enough for a few breakfasts.
Ingredient Notes
Zucchini. One cup, coarsely grated. Measure it loosely. Do not pack it into the cup and do not squeeze it.
Blueberries. One cup of fresh berries. This recipe was written for fresh ones, not frozen.
All-purpose flour. One cup goes into the batter, and another 1/4 cup is kept back to coat the blueberries.
Light brown sugar and granulated sugar. A packed 1/2 cup of brown and 1/4 cup of white.
Canola oil. A 1/3 cup. Vegetable oil works too.
Sour cream. A 1/4 cup. Greek yogurt is an alternative.
Baking powder and baking soda. A 1/2 teaspoon of each. The loaf uses both.
Ingredients
- 1 egg, large
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, for the batter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, reserved for coating the blueberries
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup zucchini, coarsely grated, measured loosely without packing or squeezing
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh
How to Make Blueberry Zucchini Bread
1. Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour it.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, oil, granulated sugar, sour cream and vanilla together.
3. Add the flour and zucchini. Stir in the 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the loosely measured, unsqueezed zucchini.
4. Coat and add the berries. In a medium bowl, toss the fresh blueberries with the reserved 1/4 cup flour. Add the berries and any flour left in their bowl to the batter. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Bake until the center is done. Transfer the batter to the pan and lightly smooth the top. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
6. Cool before slicing. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
Do You Squeeze the Zucchini for Bread?
Not for this loaf. Grate the zucchini, measure 1 cup loosely and stir it in as it is. The recipe was written for zucchini with its moisture left in.
You will see the opposite advice for some zucchini breads, which tell you to dry the shreds first. That advice belongs to those recipes. Whether to squeeze depends on how the batter was written, so follow the loaf you are baking. For this one: no squeezing.
| Ingredient | Do this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Zucchini | Grate coarsely, measure loosely | Pack the cup or wring it out |
| Blueberries | Toss fresh berries in the reserved 1/4 cup flour | Drop them in bare |
| Batter | Stir just until combined | Beat until smooth |
| Doneness | Go by the toothpick and a set center | Go by the clock only |
The flour coat on the berries is there to help prevent them from sinking. Tip the berries and every bit of loose flour from their bowl into the batter, because that flour is part of the recipe.
Tips for Success
How do I know the center is baked?
The top is golden, the center looks set, and a toothpick pushed into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter. Baking time can vary with how wet the zucchini and the berries are and with your oven, so trust the toothpick over the timer.
How do I keep the blueberries from sinking?
Toss them with the reserved 1/4 cup of flour before they go into the batter. It helps hold them in place.
Why should I not overmix?
The recipe says twice to stir only until combined. Stop as soon as the dry flour disappears.
When can I slice it?
After it cools for about 15 minutes in the pan, turn it out onto a rack and let it cool completely. Then slice.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
This recipe was written and made with fresh blueberries, and frozen ones were not tried in it. I would stick with fresh.
How Long Does It Take?
About 85 minutes before it leaves the pan: 10 minutes to mix, about 60 minutes to bake and 15 minutes to cool in the pan. The loaf then needs to cool completely on the rack before you slice it, and the recipe does not put a time on that.
Variations
Greek yogurt. Use it in place of the sour cream.
Vegetable oil. Use it in place of the canola oil.
Other styles. There are blueberry zucchini breads made with maple syrup and applesauce, with olive oil and honey, or with a lemon glaze. Each is a separate recipe with its own amounts.
Storage & Reheating
This bread is not reheated. Once the loaf is completely cool, store it airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze it for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen bread in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
For more blueberry at breakfast, try slow cooker Amish blueberry oatmeal. For other quick breads, bake chocolate banana bread or cranberry orange bread with simple glaze. If you still have zucchini to use, make baked zucchini fries. And for a blueberry dessert, there is Bea’s blueberry sheet cake or the lemon blueberry cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I squeeze the zucchini before adding it to bread?
Not for this recipe. Measure the grated zucchini loosely and add it without squeezing.
How do I keep the blueberries from sinking, and how do I know the center is baked?
Toss the berries in the reserved 1/4 cup of flour. The center is baked when it is set and a toothpick comes out with no wet batter.
Can I substitute for baking soda?
The recipe does not give a swap, and I will not guess at one. Use the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda it calls for.
What size pan do I need?
A 9×5-inch loaf pan, sprayed with floured cooking spray or greased and floured.
Final Notes
I check the loaf with a toothpick at 55 minutes and go by that, because some zucchini are wetter than others. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Blueberry Zucchini Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 egg large
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup canola oil vegetable oil also works
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream Greek yogurt is an alternative
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for the batter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour reserved for coating the blueberries
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup zucchini coarsely grated; measured loosely without packing or squeezing
- 1 cup blueberries fresh
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour it.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, oil, granulated sugar, sour cream and vanilla together.
- Stir in the 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the loosely measured, unsqueezed zucchini.
- In a medium bowl, toss the fresh blueberries with the reserved 1/4 cup flour. Add the berries and any flour left in their bowl to the batter. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the pan and lightly smooth the top. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
