When summer hits and the neighbors are leaving bags of squash on your porch (and running away) it's time to pull out this easy zucchini recipe!
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love it
- It's a great way to sneak vegetables into your kids!
- This quick bread recipe is not too sweet - this is not like cake at all.
- Freezes like a dream.
- You can make muffins with this recipe, too.
Pineapple zucchini bread with pecans is a delicious summer breakfast treat. While some zucchini breads are more like a pound cake this recipe has a hearty, old fashioned flavor that makes no apologies for definitely being a bread.
It's one of those great recipes you just turn to again and again!
Give this cookies and cream banana bread a try next!
🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
First step
- Heat oven to 325F. Shred fresh zucchini and pat dry.
- Beat oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Mix in zucchini and pineapple.
- Add all purpose flour and the other dry ingredients.
Step two
- Fold in pecans.
- Stir until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake until done. Cool on wire racks.
🎥 Video
Click on the image to watch me make this recipe from start to finish with extra tips! (Video opens in a new tab).
🥫 How to store zucchini bread
You can wrap pineapple zucchini bread in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store at room temperature. It will last for about 2 days on the counter or in the refrigerator up to a week.
How to freeze
Homemade zucchini bread freezes well for up to 3 months. Here are some different ways to freeze it.
- I like to slice it and put parchment paper between the individual slices of zucchini bread then freeze it in an airtight container. That way I can pull just one or two slices out at a time.
- Let the loaf cool completely. Double wrap it - first in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil.
- Carefully use a vacuum sealer to seal the loaf in a plastic envelope that comes with the vacuum sealer. This is the best way to guard against freezer burn but you have to remove the air gently and guard against squishing the loaf.
📖 Variations
- My pineapple zucchini bread recipe is not super sweet. If you want it sweeter add a ½ cup of brown sugar with the sugar.
- Divide zucchini bread batter between two bowls and add ½ cup of white chocolate chips to half the batter. The one loaf with the white chocolate will be the best zucchini bread you ever tasted!
- To make zucchini muffins spoon into paper lined muffin cups and bake at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes. Check often after the first 10 minutes.
- Once in awhile I add 1 cup white or milk chocolate chips and substitute macadamia nuts for the pecans.
- A teaspoon of vanilla extract is delicious in this. Add it to the oil and egg mixture.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Use an insta-read thermometer to tell when the bread is done. The center of the loaf will read 200F when it's baked through and ready to come out of the oven.
- It's quick and easy to shred the zucchini in a food processor.
- If you don't have a food processor a box grated is the next best thing.
- Be sure to press as much of the liquid out of the grated zucchini as possible. A paper towel works great for this.
- Make sure the pineapple is well drained.
- Have your eggs at room temperature.
- If you have time toast the pecans for about 5 -10 minutes in the oven at 350F. Stir often and keep an eye on them. They'll have a better flavor.
- Using parchment in the bottom of the greased loaf pans keeps the bread from sticking.
- When you pull the loaf pans from the oven place them on their sides on the counter with a tea towel over the top. After about 3 to 5 minutes the bread will easily loosen from the side and you will turn the pan over to the other side. After 10 minutes total the bread should slip easily from the pan and you'll pull the parchment off and let the loaves cool.
- Cool completely before slicing!
- This zucchini pineapple bread is better the next day if you can wait that long.
👩🍳 FAQs
No, there's no need to unless the occasional green specks in the bread bother you.
The best way is to use an insta-read thermometer. A good, moist zucchini bread will register 200F in the center when it is done. You can also stick a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it the bread is done.
After 10 minutes remove it from the pan, peel off any parchment or waxed paper, and cool completely on a wire rack that's elevated a few inches off the counter.
Put it into a 350F oven and bake it for 10 to 15 more minutes.
It's best fresh but if it's tightly covered in plastic wrap it will last around 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. See the section on storing zucchini bread for more information.
📚 Related recipes
How about some more easy bread recipes?
📞 The last word
When summertime hits we all need more easy zucchini recipes in our lives!
My mom had a couple of zucchini bread recipes. This one, not too sweet with just a hint of pineapple flavor, is my favorite.
I hope you like it as much as I do. There's nothing like sitting down with a cup of coffee and a slice of this with a thick layer of cream cheese.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Bread with Pineapple and Pecans
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Instructions
Step one
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- Spray two 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans with nonstick spray then line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again.
- Set aside.
Step two
- Drain the crushed pineapple and place in a strainer over a small bowl. Set aside.
- Grate the zucchini and place it in a colander over another bowl. Set aside.
Step three
- Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to a large bowl.
- Blend well and set aside.
Step four
- Add the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat until the mixture is light yellow and completely mixed.
Step five
- Stir in the zucchini and pineapple to the egg mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Stir by hand until well blended. Don't over-mix!
- Add in the pecans and fold until they are evenly spread throughout the batter.
Step six
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Bake at 325° for 1 hour, or until done. The loaves are done with a insta-read thermometer poked in the center reads 200° or a toothpick comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Remove from the oven and lay the bread pans over on their sides. Cover with a tea towel.
- 3 minutes or so later Switch the bread pans so that they are laying on their other sides. Cover with a tea towel.
- After 6 to 10 minutes total slide the bread out of the pans, remove the parchment paper on the bottom, and cool completely on wire racks that have been elevated off the counter.
Notes
- Use an insta-read thermometer to tell when the bread is done. The center of the loaf will read 200F when it's baked through and ready to come out of the oven.
- Be sure to press as much of the liquid out of the zucchini and the crushed pineapple as possible.
- Using parchment in the bottom of the bread pans keeps the bread from sticking.
- My pineapple zucchini bread recipe is not super sweet. If you want it sweeter add a ½ cup of brown sugar with the sugar.
- Cool completely before slicing!
- To make muffins spoon into paper lined muffin cups and bake at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes. Check often after the first 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!
We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published June 28, 2021. Last updated May 31, 2022 to add freezing instructions.
Marilyn
I want to make these in mini loaf pans was wondering if I should use the temperature for the loaves or the temperature for the muffins, I have a 6 mini loaf pan.Thank you
Marye
Use the temperature for the loaves. 🙂 Just a shorter cooking time.
Rachel
First time I made this quick I doubled and followed the recipe exactly-excellent!
The second time I followed the recipe closely but I added unsweetened chocolate chips, toasted the pecans and the brown sugar…. Delicious!!!
Freezes perfectly!!!
My new go to recipe for using up zucchini!
Nancy
I did just like you said and it ended up making 3. I only chose 2x. We'll see how it tastes.
Marye
So help me understand why you'd give it one star when you haven't even tasted it yet and apparently you used a different sized pan?
Doug
Anxious to give your recipe a whirl but.....
WHEN should I add the zucchini & pineapples ?
I'd guess in step #5 with the pecans ?
Marye
Yikes! Sorry about that. I've fixed the recipe but actually I add them in before the dry ingredients.