Pumpkin Zucchini Bread is loaded with flavor and just the right warm fall spices and add-ins. This bread is a delicious alternative to our usual Banana Bread Recipe and it’s so easy to make.
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
I absolutely love this bread! A sweet, fluffy quick bread filled with pumpkin, zucchini, and delicious fall spices. Whether you are preparing for coffee time or you simply want to send a delicious treat in your kids’ lunch box, this Pumpkin Zucchini Bread is the answer!
I had a surplus of zucchini in my garden this year and wanted a fall twist on a traditional zucchini loaf! Pumpkin and zucchini both make baking extra moist (like in Zucchini Brownies and Zucchini Cookies).
Tips for How to Make Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
- You can easily grate the zucchini with a hand grater and there is no need to peel it first (don’t worry, you’ll never know the zucchini is even in there).
- Don’t squeeze the zucchini dry for this recipe as the moisture is required to keep the loaves nice and moist!
- As with all quick breads, be sure to mix the wet and dry ingredients just until combined as overmixing will cause a chewy dry loaf.
- Glaze on the Side: The cream cheese topping the perfect topping on this bread. It’s sweet and creamy with the perfect balance of cream cheese and sugar! Keep in mind the topping is soft and it will not set as a frosting would. Because of this, I usually slice the bread and drizzle the glaze overtop if I am serving it right away. If not, I either skip the glaze or just drizzle a little on each piece as I serve or eat it.
How to Store Pumpkin Zucchini Bread for Later
My family absolutely LOVES this bread! If I’m able to pry any bread away from their hungry hands I store it sealed at room temperature for up to 2 days (after that I freeze it as it’s so moist it can spoil quickly).
Freezer: Another great idea is to slice and freeze this bread and just take a couple of slices out for a snack or to add to a lunchbox. It will defrost on the counter in about 20 minutes or a few seconds in the microwave will do the trick!
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins – Big batch baking… freezes well!
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Soup – The best ever!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Pumpkin Pie Recipe – Classic pumpkin pie recipe!
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 cups shredded zucchini do not drain or squeeze
- ½ cup walnuts or mini chocolate chips (optional)
Cream Cheese Glaze
- ¼ cup cream cheese , softened
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons light cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two loaf pans and set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder with a whisk. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, pumpkin, and sugar.
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Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in zucchini and nuts or chocolate chips if using. Pour into prepared pans.
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Place in the oven and reduce heat to 325°F. Bake 40-50 minutes for a 9x5 pan and 45-55 minutes for an 8x4 pan or until a toothpick comes out clean. DO not over bake!
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Cool 20 minutes and remove from pans.
Cream Cheese Glaze
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Beat cream cheese & powdered sugar together. Stir in cream a little at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency. Pour over cooled loaves.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
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Slightly adapted from Taste of Home
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- Pecan Coconut Banana Bread Recipe
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- Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
That was delicious. What a perfect way to use up summer zucchini in the early fall! It’s getting me ready for the season! This was probably the most moist and delicious pumpkin bread I’ve made. I added. Nuts in the bread and on the surface for an extra crunch (but I did have to cover the tops with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the nuts from burning. I got a great rise, great crisp on the outside and delicious flavor! I also wanted to note I subbed coconut oil for canola, because I didn’t have any on hand. Turned out fine. I also added a splash of vanilla and nutmeg because I had it in the pantry.
This bread was really soft and delicious, but I feel I followed the recipe precisely and my loaf did not raise up in the middle as pictured. Is it possible an adjustment needed to be made for higher altitude baking? My elevation is 4800 feet in Idaho.
I don’t have experience with high altitude cooking so I can’t say for sure.
I don’t understand the confusion with the pumpkin measurement. It clearly states one cup of canned pumpkin NOT one can. I used frozen pumpkin (processed from my last year’s garden harvest) and it worked fine. Baking is a science that requires careful measurement and re-reading recipes. I’m a seasoned baker and learned this the hard way in my novice days of cooking and baking. Thank you, Holly, for all your great recipes!
Super easy and just as delicious!
Made this recipe today and WOW we LOVE it!!! So moist and so much flavor! I’ve made many of your recipes, Holly, and you never let me down :)
Thank you for your kind words Lisa Marie, so glad you loved this recipe!
Just ok. I make a lot of bread, and this was just eh. I cooked significantly longer and it’s still pretty moist on the inside, like a gooey brownie that leaves a bunch of bread left on the knife when you cut it. I think there’s way too much pumpkin here. I think the recipe needs to be altered to one pan and cut down on all the sugar and flour and pumpkin. it did not bake well the flavor was just OK. By reading the reviews, it looks like I was not the only one with this problem. One can of pumpkin is definitely not right.
Hi Mlzy, the recipe ingredients list calls for 1 cup canned pumpkin, not 1 can. Unfortunately it will not turn out if you use a whole can.
Then why does the recipe say 1 can! I just dumped a whole can in and now, how do I fix it?
Hi Sutton, the recipe read 1 cup of canned pumpkin. I hope that helps!
I used an 8×4 loaf pan and this only barely filled it with a little bit left over. In no way was my mixture going to fill 2 loafs.
I did cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, but that was the only adjustment I made (and it works with every other recipe I’ve made without anything going wrong). Will probably cut the flour by 1/2 cup if I make this again. I noticed the mixture was very, VERY thick once I added the pumpkin mixture, which probably didn’t help it stretch to two loafs either. I did let the batter hydrate for a couple minutes so it’d be slightly less thick, but it was still mostly spoonable and not a thick pour.
For most baking recipes, please include whether you spooned, scooped, or packed and leveled the flour.
Sorry this recipe wasn’t your favorite! We always follow this easy guide to measure flour when baking. Hope that helps!
I made this with a whole (small) can of pumpkin instead of one cup, I misread, someone else did too. Maybe it should say 1 cup pumpkin (canned). So it took longer to bake (about 80min), in fact I think is still not completely done but tastes really good. I didn’t make the icing, I just warm it and put butter on it to eat, YUM! Also I was out of vegetable oil so used walnut oil, worked just fine.
Thanks for leaving a comment, Jane! Glad you liked it!
This was phenomenal! I cut the sugar down by half a cup, added the option half cup of chocolate (I used 70% dark), and didn’t make the icing. I have saved the recipe and will be making again! Thank you!
The recipe should be edited to include the measurement if pumpkin – cans come in many sizes. It is also not clear that this is for 2 loaves.
The recipe does indicate that there is one cup of pumpkin (not 1 can). The first instruction says: Grease and flour two loaf pans and set aside. Hope that helps. Enjoy the Pumpkin Zucchini Bread!
The recipe did say 1 cup of canned pumpkin. It also stated 2 loaves.
Just made this. It is very good. I have a friend with a cinnamon allergy, so I subbed in cardamom and cloves, but did everything else per the instructions, and I’d definitely make this again. maybe with walnuts next time (I skipped the chip/nut step).
Would this work as is with only 1 cup of sugar? it’s a little sweet for my taste (though I think the inclusion of walnuts would cut the sweetness a little anyway)
Other readers have with great results! I would love to hear how it turns out for you, Al!
The flavor is pretty good, but I think I may have over mixed it because it has a weird rubbery texture. It was still delicious though and I will certainly make this again.