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Home » Breakfast Muffins + Pastries + Breads » Cheesy Zucchini Bread (Quick Bread)

Cheesy Zucchini Bread (Quick Bread)

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon Jessica Randhawa
November 9, 2019
4.79 from 179 votes


Last Updated September 21, 2020 | 16 Comments

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2.5K shares
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Cheesy Zucchini Bread made with fresh and healthy zucchini, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives is a delicious and easy savory quick bread loved by the whole family. No fancy mixers or kneading required.

cheesy zucchini quick bread with melted cheese

Cheesy Zucchini Quick Bread Recipe

If there is one thing on my bucket list I could easily check off, but don’t, it’s to learn how to make fresh bread. No, not the quick-cooking kind. The kind of bread that needs yeast to rise and strong muscles to knead. Yes, that kind of bread. For whatever reason (maybe because it takes forever), baking my own crusty sourdough bread isn’t on the top of my to-do list. I mean, I have made my own homemade focaccia bread once and it was a pain in my…

Anyway, what is at the top of my list? Quick bread. I love quick bread. All kinds of quick bread. Sweet quick bread, savory quick bread, healthy quick bread…all the quick bread. Quick bread recipes are, well, quick. Meaning, I get to eat my food sooner and with less effort. What’s not to love?

Love quick bread too? Check out these recipes: Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread and Banana Bread.

Ingredients in Zucchini Bread

  • all-purpose flour
  • sugar
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • buttermilk
  • egg
  • butter
  • EXTRA SHARP cheddar cheese
  • zucchini
  • chives

How to Make Your Own Buttermilk

Making your own buttermilk is easy. All you need is,

  1. Milk
  2. Vinegar, fresh lemon juice, or cream of tartar

Hopefully, you have milk (yes, dairy milk) and one of the other things, otherwise, I hope you live super close to the grocery store or you have super friendly neighbors…

  • To make with vinegar or lemon juice, simply add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and fill with milk until it measures 1 cup.
  • To make buttermilk with cream of tartar mix one cup milk with 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar.

Baked cheesy zucchini bread

How to Make Zucchini Bread

To make this cheesy zucchini bread recipe,

First things first, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9 x 5 bread loaf tin with non-stick cooking spray. Next, in a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk and egg. Whisk well to combine, then add the butter to the buttermilk mixture.

With the wet and dry ingredients prepared, add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix! Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, shredded zucchini, and chopped chives.

Finally, transfer mixture to your prepared loaf pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting over a cooling rack to remove from the loaf pan. 

Tips and Tricks

This savory quick bread is about as easy as it gets. In fact, it’s pretty hard to mess this one up. However, I have a few simple suggestions on how to make this delicious cheesy zucchini bread even better.

  1. Get all the water out of that zucchini. I mean it, my friends. Just trust me here. The best way to do this is to transfer your shredded zucchini to a flour-sack towel, wrap it up, and squeeze the water out. You won’t believe how much water comes out.
  2. Use stinky, extra EXTRA sharp cheddar cheese. Just because you may not want to eat the stuff plain, by the slice, doesn’t mean it won’t taste delicious in this bread. This savory quick bread is begging for stinky cheese, don’t let it down!
  3. Make an extra loaf and freeze it! Ok, so this isn’t going to make your cheesy zucchini bread taste any better, but you will be so happy on a cold and rainy soup day that you have a loaf of this delicious, cheesy goodness just waiting to be eaten.
  4. For an extra cheesy surprise, sprinkle the top of your zucchini loaf with extra shredded cheddar and chives and place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Sliced savory quick bread with cheddar cheese and zucchini

What to Serve with Cheesy Zucchini Bread

This is not a light bread. I’m so (not) sorry about that. Some things in life are better left packed full of delicious cheese and all-purpose flour. With that in mind, I like to serve this cheesy zucchini bread with soup like this Healthy Roasted Cauliflower + Broccoli Soup or this Winter Vegetable and Oat Soup or a healthy salad like this Eggplant Bowl or Creamy Pea Salad.

This zucchini cheese bread tastes best fresh out of the oven. Unless you plan to feed a large group or your entire family, you’ll probably find yourself with leftovers. To reheat, simply pop a slice of this cheesy zucchini bread in the microwave or toaster oven and voila, warm and cheesy once again.

More Zucchini Recipes,

  • Butternut Squash, Zucchini, and Spinach Lasagna
  • Grilled Peach, Corn, Zucchini and Asparagus Summer Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
  • Chicken, Zucchini + Avocado Soup
  • Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Healthy Corn and Zucchini Chowder
  • Easy Grilled Veggie Skewers

If you try making this Cheesy Zucchini Bread Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.

Moist and cheesy baked zucchini quick bread

Cheddar Zucchini Bread in pan with towel

Cheesy Zucchini Bread

4.79 from 179 votes
Chef: Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa
Cheesy Zucchini Bread made with fresh and healthy zucchini, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives is a delicious and easy savory quick bread loved by the whole family. No fancy mixers or kneading required.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 195 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup butter - melted but not scorching hot
  • 1.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese - shredded (get the aged, stinky stuff)
  • 3 tablespoon chives - chopped
  • 1.5 cups shredded zucchini - squeezed of excess water
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.  Once mixed, add the butter the the buttermilk mixture.  Whisk until fully combined.
  • Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over-mix!
  • Mix in the shredded cheese, shredded zucchini and chopped chives.
  • Spray a 9 x 5 bread loaf tin with non-stick cooking spray and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting over a cooling rack to remove from the loaf pan. Allow bread to cool for an additional 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Jessica's Notes

(originally published on 10.19.15)

Nutritional Information

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 1.2mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)

Keyword cheesy zucchini bread
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About Jessica

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

2.5K shares
Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

About Jessica Randhawa

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

Comments

  1. Merilee says

    September 1, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    I do know that with no yeast breads, if you over mix it that it wl fall in the middle! It was happening to me and then my grandma told me to JUST mix everything, and it did the trick! I hope this helps!

    Reply
  2. VeggieGirl says

    July 7, 2021 at 6:32 pm

    Can I use this recipe to make muffins instead of bread ?

    Reply
    • Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa says

      July 7, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      Yes, you can. The bake time will be less, so start checking after 20-25 minutes or so 🙂

      Reply
  3. Toni says

    February 1, 2021 at 8:51 pm

    5 stars
    It’s official! My family said this is the BEST savory bread I’ve ever made. I used Asiago and Parmesan cheese instead since I was making pasta and it was closet I could get to “stinky” cheese on hand!

    Reply
    • Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa says

      February 2, 2021 at 8:40 am

      Thank you for the BEST comment Toni 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kathy says

    September 10, 2020 at 9:39 am

    5 stars
    This was great! I used green onions (in place of chives) and added diced jalapeños and garlic.

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    August 25, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    4 stars
    I made this yesterday, it taste very good but…even though I cooked it more than the time needed, the toothpick test was dry and clean, the bread still collapsed and the bottom half of the bread was dense and more like heavy Thick quiche. The top half was more bread like. If I was to try again, I would possible try in smaller pans with less dough in each.

    Reply
  6. Diana j says

    July 23, 2020 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    Came out great and was a big hit!

    Reply
  7. Jane says

    July 18, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    Hi from Quebec, Canada, I made this today from a zucchini from a friends garden.
    It is sooo good! I used gluten free all purpose flour and at the end covered in old cheddar
    and chives and broiled for a few minutes. I will make this again! Thanks so much for the
    recipes.

    Reply
    • Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa says

      July 19, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      Thanks for the kind feedback Jane 🙂

      Reply
  8. Megan says

    July 17, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    Hi! I can’t seem to find a 9×5 pan, is there another size I can use?

    Reply
  9. Aisha Anjum says

    June 23, 2020 at 11:59 am

    Hi dear ! I made this bread today and it turned out super and finished in 10 minutes . But the bread texture is not like bread but like some mashed potato when I cut
    What was the reason ? May be I didn’t squeeze the zucchini
    Properly

    Reply
    • Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa says

      June 23, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      Great question Aisha. It is hard to say exactly without watching the entire process all the way through. But yes, it sounds like the Zucchini wasn’t squeezed enough as you seem to be thinking the same 🙂

      Reply
    • Pam says

      August 4, 2020 at 6:22 am

      I made this yesterday. It fell in the middle and I squeezed the zucchini thoroughly. I don’t think there is enough flour in the ingredients but that’s just me and I am not a baker. But I can follow any recipe with successful results. It had good flavor though.

      Reply
  10. Sue McCaffrey says

    July 17, 2019 at 5:21 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I was in the mood for caramelized onions so I chopped up a 1/2 large white onion and caramelized the onion bits using the 1/4 cup butter. I then added them with the butter and eliminated the chives. Additionally, I used shredded Parmesan cheese. The result was really tasty! I like how versatile this recipe is!

    Reply
  11. Trish says

    January 25, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    5 stars
    Such a great bread – thank you!

    Reply

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Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

I’m Jessica! Aka mom, wife, chef, and travel-obsessed photographer. Welcome to The Forked Spoon. Here you can browse hundreds of incredible family-friendly recipes covering dozens of diets, courses, and cuisines. Learn more about me.

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