Strawberry zucchini bread is a sweet quick bread that's great as a dessert or snack. Shredded zucchini makes this bread moist and tender, and freeze dried strawberries add sweet strawberry flavor.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender zucchini bread packed with fresh strawberry flavor.
Key ingredients: Freeze-dried strawberries, zucchini, and baking staples like eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla.
Pan size: 9x5 loaf
Freezes well: Zucchini bread freezes well for up to 3 months and individual slices reheat beautifully in the microwave or toaster oven.
Great for: Spring and summer baking, less-sweet dessert, brunch.
Similar to: Peach Jam Zucchini Bread, Pineapple Zucchini Bread, Blueberry Streusel Zucchini Bread
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need about one medium zucchini for this recipe, which is 1 ½ cups of finely shredded zucchini, or about 220 grams. Coarsely grated zucchini will work, but may add a noticeable texture to your baked bread.
- Granulated sugar - This recipe works best with all granulated sugar.
- Vegetable oil - Adds moisture to your bread. Canola oil or light olive oil can work as a substitute.
- Eggs - Add moisture and structure to your bread.
- Vanilla extract - Adds depth of flavor to your bread.
- All-purpose flour - Adds structure to your bread. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flour. If you have another type of flour on hand, I suggest searching for a recipe that includes the ingredients you'd like to use. Baking is an exact science, and not all flours can be substituted equally.
- Freeze dried strawberries - Freeze dried strawberries are a must for this recipe. I find freeze dried strawberries in the produce section of my local grocery store. They cannot be substituted with fresh/frozen strawberries or jam. This recipe is written to work with with dried strawberry powder only. Substituting dry ingredients with wet ingredients will make your bread too wet to rise properly.
- Leavening agents - You'll need both baking powder and baking soda for this recipe. They're not interchangeable, and the recipe is written with the exact amounts needed to give your bread the proper rise.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your bread.
How to make strawberry zucchini bread
- Add freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a food processor.
- Cover and pulse until you have a fine powder. Set aside.
- Add wet ingredients to a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients (including strawberry powder) to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add to wet ingredients and stir to incorporate.
- Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan.
- Bake until golden brown across the top, center pops back when gently pressed, and bread reaches 200F in the center.
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.
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
Strawberry zucchini bread can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container.
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.
No, do not squeeze the liquid from your zucchini. For this particular recipe we're utilizing the liquid in the zucchini to thin the batter slightly and add moisture to the bread.
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?
In short - no. This recipe is written to include a dry ingredient - freeze dried strawberry powder. Substituting with a wet ingredient, like fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries, or strawberry jam, will make the batter too wet to rise properly. If you'd like to use jam, try my recipe for peach jam zucchini bread (the jam can be any flavor!).
Freeze dried strawberries add an amazing amount of strawberry flavor to your bread without adding too much moisture. That's why they're a must for this recipe.
You can usually find freeze dried strawberries at your local grocer (check near the produce section). You can also find freeze dried strawberries and strawberry powder (no need to process yourself!) on Amazon:
Augason Farms Freeze Dried Sliced Strawberries - 6.4 oz
Kate Naturals - Premium Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder for Baking - 4oz
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, sugar, 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
Strawberry Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups (220 g) finely grated zucchini, do not drain liquid out
- ¾ cup (148 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1.2 ounces (34 g) freeze dried strawberries, processed into a powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease one 9x5 loaf pan (or line with parchment paper) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add finely grated zucchini (do not drain/squeeze any liquid out!), granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, strawberry powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, OR until the center pops back when gently pressed, 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
- Freeze dried strawberries: Cannot be substituted with fresh/frozen strawberries or jam. This recipe is written to work with with dried strawberry powder only. Substituting dry ingredients with wet ingredients will make your bread too wet to rise properly.
- 1.2 ounces of freeze-dried strawberry powder = 6 tablespoons
- Storage: Leftover zucchini bread will keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If your bread is very moist/wet, I recommend refrigerating.
- 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.
- Peel it? There's no need to peel the skin off your zucchini, and no need to drain any liquid from your shredded zucchini. The recipe is written to include this liquid.
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