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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 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,
- Milk
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
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 a soup like Broccoli Cauliflower Soup or this reader favorite Chicken Soup, or a healthy salad like the Chickpea Buddha 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,
Cheesy Zucchini Bread Recipe
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
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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made it this morning and it is delicious! I baked the bread in mini loaf pans (for about 45 minutes, checking after 30) and love the crusty edges. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I plan on making lots of loaves this summer for eating and freezing 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the cheesy zucchini bread and love the idea of using mini loaf pans for those extra crusty edges. It makes me happy to hear you’ll be making more loaves to enjoy and freeze this summer!
Have not tried this but would like to. Is the sugar absolutely necessary? I’d love to leave it out. Thank you.
Great question! The sugar isn’t strictly necessary—it just adds a hint of sweetness and helps with browning, but you can definitely leave it out if you prefer. The bread will still turn out cheesy and delicious! Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Do you know if buckwheat flour would work?
For your Cheesy Zucchini Bread, buckwheat flour could work as a substitute, though it will give the bread a slightly different texture and a deeper, earthy flavor. Buckwheat flour is denser than all-purpose flour, so the bread may come out a bit heavier. I’d suggest trying a 50/50 mix of buckwheat and all-purpose or another light flour (like rice or almond flour) to maintain a good texture. If you’re aiming for gluten-free, buckwheat should pair well with a bit of a starchier flour (like tapioca or potato starch) to help with binding.
The flavor is wonderful but the bread is so dense in the middle. What would you suggest, more oven time, maybe more flour, less cheese or ring the zucchini out more. Regardless, I’m still enjoying it. Thank you!!
It sounds like you’re on the right track with troubleshooting your Cheesy Zucchini Bread! Since it’s dense in the middle, a few adjustments could help. First, definitely try wringing out the zucchini more thoroughly to remove excess moisture, as this is often a culprit for density. Additionally, ensuring that your oven is properly calibrated and possibly extending the baking time slightly could help the bread cook more evenly without getting too dry. Adjusting the amount of flour might also help, but start with these tips first. I’m glad to hear you’re still enjoying it!
I want to make this for a reception, preferring savory bread to crackers and cheese. Will it be OK frozen then thawed and served without heating? Room temp? I also was thinking about adding some olives?
Yes, you can freeze the cheesy zucchini quick bread loaf and then thaw it to serve at room temperature without heating. This should work well for a reception, especially if you prefer savory bread over crackers and cheese. Just make sure to wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag to maintain its freshness. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw it at room temperature for a few hours.
Adding olives to the bread sounds like a great idea! They will complement the savory flavors well. Make sure to drain and chop the olives before adding them to the batter to prevent excess moisture. Enjoy your reception!
In the oven as we speak!! For future reference, how long would this bread need to thaw/heat up in the oven if I decide to freeze?
Thank you!
If you decide to freeze your cheesy zucchini quick bread and want to reheat it later, the thawing and heating process is quite straightforward. First, allow the bread to thaw at room temperature for several hours or overnight, which helps it to heat evenly in the oven. Once thawed, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and heat the bread for about 10-15 minutes or until it’s thoroughly warm and the cheese is nicely melted. This method ensures that your bread retains its moisture and flavor, just like when it was freshly baked.
Easy and oh so tasty! The perfect combination in my opinion! This bread turned out great with a lightly crispy crust. I did substitute 1/2 whole wheat flour and added a smidge of cayenne pepper… one large zucchini was the perfect amount. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Delicious bread! My husband has been asking for zucchini breads and this didn’t disappoint. I have a milk allergy and swapped the milk for milkademia and lemon juice. I had some flour sacks on hand and squeezed and squeezed. It was worth it!
I plan to make this over and over!
Thanks for the delicious feedback, Lisa 😀
Great recipe. We had a huge zucchini grow in our backyard so saw this recipe and used some of the zucchini for it. Was delish!! My 3 and 6 yr old devoured their pieces. Will def make again.
I love hearing when kids devour recipes, thanks for the great feedback and rating, Kat 😀
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!