Bacon gruyere zucchini bread is a savory quick bread filled with shredded zucchini, crispy crumbled bacon, and gruyere cheese. It makes a great snack or side dish for your next meal.
Recipe summary
Flavor: Cheesy, salty, savory
Key ingredients: Gruyere cheese, crumbled bacon, and shredded zucchini.
Pan size: 9x5 loaf
Great for: Snacking, dinner side dish.
Similar to: Cheese Zucchini Bread and Tomato Basil Zucchini Bread
Jump to:
Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need 220 grams or 1.5 cups of finely grated zucchini (or about 1 to 1.5 medium zucchini). After measuring, you'll need to squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini so that there isn't too much moisture in the recipe. Too much moisture makes your bread soggy and gummy.
- All-purpose flour - I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, so I can't say for sure how other flours will turn out. If you have a different type of flour on hand, I recommend searching for a recipe that is developed with that specific flour in mind.
- Whole milk - Adds moisture to your zucchini bread. Using lower fat milk may cause your bread to turn out a little dry.
- Eggs - Add structure and moisture to the zucchini bread.
- Oil - Adds moisture to the bread and helps prevent a gummy texture.
- Leavening - You'll need baking powder for this recipe, not baking soda. The two are not interchangeable.
- Seasoning - Salt and pepper enhance the flavor of the bread. I do not recommend omitting the salt because your bread will taste bland.
- Bacon - You'll need about six slices of cooked and crumbled bacon for this recipe, or about ⅓ cup of bacon crumbles.
- Gruyere cheese - Adds savory flavor and gooey cheese pockets to the bread. If desired, it can be substituted with other cheeses like cheddar or pepper jack. I recommend using cheese freshly shredded from a block rather than pre-shredded cheeses. Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated in anti-clumping powders that can add a grainy texture when melted.
How to make bacon zucchini bread
- Add wet ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Last, add bacon pieces and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and optionally, sprinkle more bacon pieces on top.
- Bake until golden brown across the top and the center pops back when gently pressed.
Heather's Top Tip
Use an instant-read thermometer to test the doneness of your zucchini bread. Quick bread is done when it reaches 200 to 205F in the center. This ensures your bread is perfectly baked, not doughy or dry.
Tips and tricks
Shredding zucchini for bread - I recommend using the small side of a box grater to grate zucchini for baked goods. Finely grated zucchini melts seamlessly into the batter when baked with the only sign of zucchini being the tiny green flecks. The large side of a box grater also works but adds a noticeable texture to your baked bread. Here's the box grater I use: OXO Good Grips Box Grater
Gently mix batter - If the batter is overmixed, the gluten is overworked and your bread can turn out tough. Instead, use a gentle stirring motion with a spoon (no need for a stand mixer or hand mixer) and only stir until ingredients are just incorporated.
Pan size - This recipe makes one 9x5 loaf of zucchini bread. These are the pans I use for all my zucchini bread recipes: Farberware Loaf Pan 9x5, Set of 2
Storage
Bacon gruyere zucchini bread should be stored in the refrigerator after 2 hours and will keep for 3 to 4 days. The USDA does not recommend storing baked bread containing meat at room temperature.
I recommend warming leftover bread in the microwave using 5-second increments or lightly toasting in the toaster oven before serving.
Zucchini bread can be frozen for up to 6 months in a tightly sealed, freezer-safe container. To thaw a whole loaf, place on the countertop for up to 3 hours to bring to room temperature. Single slices will thaw in about 1 hour or less.
See my full post for more information: How To Store Zucchini Bread
Frequently asked questions
No, there's no need to peel your zucchini before shredding it for zucchini bread. The skin of the zucchini contains fiber and other nutrients you'd otherwise be missing out on by peeling it off.
Once your bread is baked, the only sign of zucchini is tiny flecks of green throughout. Otherwise, the zucchini (skin included) melts right into the bread.
Yes, for this recipe you'll need to squeeze the excess liquid from the shredded zucchini before adding it to the batter. Too much liquid will make this bread soggy, gummy, and dense.
No, zucchini has a mild flavor that makes it ideal for baking. Cucumber has a fresh "melon" flavor that's much more pronounced and not ideal for hiding in baked goods. For more information: Zucchini vs Cucumber - What's the Difference?
Troubleshooting
If your baked zucchini bread turned out soggy or sinking in the center, then it was either underbaked or had too much moisture. Make sure not to add extra wet ingredients to this recipe, like extra zucchini, a dollop of sour cream, applesauce, or extra vegetable oil. This recipe includes exact measurements of wet and dry ingredients to ensure your bread turns out perfectly baked and moist, not wet or soggy.
Dry baked goods can happen for several reasons. Either your bread was overbaked, too many dry ingredients (like flour) were added to the recipe, or the moisture-adding ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, zucchini) were reduced.
Bland baked goods can happen for a few reasons. Omitting the salt, reducing the sugar, or adding too much flour can cause your bread to turn out bland. Salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients - it's not there to make your bread "salty". Measure flour accurately by weighing it using the gram measurements listed in the recipe card. If you don't have a scale, use the spoon and level method. Gently spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Scooping flour with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. Decreasing the listed sugar can also make your bread turn out bland (and sometimes dry).
📖 Recipe
Bacon Gruyere Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups (220 g) finely grated zucchini, after measuring, squeeze liquid out
- 1 cup (227 g) whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (50 g) vegetable oil
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup (56 g) freshly grated gruyere cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease one 9x5 loaf pan (or line with parchment paper) and set aside.
- In a bowl, add finely grated zucchini (after liquid has been squeezed out), milk, eggs, and oil. Whisk until evenly incorporated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir until incorporated. Add cheese and bacon and stir just until incorporated. Batter will be thick.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 48 to 55 minutes, OR until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean/with dry crumbs, or bread reaches 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit in the center (baking times will vary based on your oven and type of pan used).
- Allow bread to cool completely on the counter before removing from pan and slicing.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Bacon gruyere zucchini bread should be stored in the refrigerator after 2 hours and will keep for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: Zucchini bread can be frozen for up to 6 months. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap/foil and store in a freezer safe bag or container. Thaw on the counter top for 1 to 3 hours.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!