Savory Zucchini Quick Bread with Cheddar and Jalapeños

Savory zucchini muffins with cheese on top of a muffin tin.

4.80 from 10 votes

Savory Zucchini Quick Bread with Cheddar and Jalapeños

This Savory Zucchini Bread is cheesy with a little bit of subtle heat - and has so much flavor. The shredded zucchini keeps the bread from drying out, and cheese makes everything delicious.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American, Southern

Keyword: savory zucchini bread, zucchini bread

Servings: slices

Calories: 159kcal

Author: Kari

Equipment

a loaf pan

Ingredients

1 ½ cups zucchini grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk room temperature
1 large egg room temperature
3 tablespons butter melted and allowed to cool
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar grated
2 - 4 jalapeños finely diced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a standard loaf pan - a 9x5 bread pan - with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray or coat with softened butter.
Place grated zucchini in a towel over a strainer and let it sit while you grate cheese and prepare the other ingredients. When you are ready, squeeze some of the liquid out of the zucchini - it doesn’t have to be totally dry, but try to get as much out as you can.
1 ½ cups zucchini
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (I like to sift it.)
2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, cooled melted butter, and egg.
1 cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 3 tablespons butter
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients but do not overmix - the batter will get mixed more when you add the cheese and zucchini. The batter will be thick.
Add grated zucchini, cheese, and diced peppers. Gently fold the batter until it is combined. It will be pretty thick and sticky.
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar, 2 - 4 jalapeños, 1 ½ cups zucchini
Pour batter into prepared pan or muffin cups.
Bake at 350°F for one hour for the loaf and 35 minutes for muffins.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the bread. If it comes out clean, it is done! The bread will be golden brown on top. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Notes

Because of the moisture content of the zucchini, you really want to make sure that you get to the center of the loaf with a toothpick or a knife - it might appear to be fully baked, but the inside could still be gooey.

I like to double this recipe when I have lots of zucchini or giant, overgrown zucchini - and make a loaf of bread and a batch of muffins at the same time.

They both freeze really well and reheat well, toasted with some butter for an easy breakfast or afternoon snack.

This recipe makes 12 muffins, 6 jumbo muffins, or 1 9x5 loaf.

Variations

Add Bacon - I have also made this recipe with jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and diced bacon. It is SO good. I cooked and diced up 3 strips of bacon and mixed the diced bacon into the batter. Make sure to drain off excess grease from the bacon on paper towels - otherwise, the bread will absorb all that grease.

Swap Jalapeños for Green Onions - I can't take full credit for this delicious bread recipe - it was inspired by the Laughing Spatula. They use a buttermilk substitute and green onions - so definitely give that combination a try! You can also add finely diced onion, a pinch of onion powder or garlic powder, or even some fresh chives. This is a really flexible recipe.

Change Up the Cheese - This recipe is a great way to use up any kinds of medium or hard cheeses that you have. I have used parmesan cheese, smoked gouda, smoked cheddar, and pepper jack. I have even thrown in some Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar. I wouldn't use a soft cheese like blue cheese, cream cheese, or gorgonzola because they will completely melt and burn when baked, but you can definitely spread some veggie cream cheese on a slice of cheddar zucchini bread when serving. Yum!

How to Store Zucchini Bread

Because of the high moisture content in zucchini bread, it can grow mold easily. (Especially in the summer in the south when humidity is high.) Once zucchini bread has cooled, I store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat in the toaster before serving with a little butter on top - it is perfect!

Zucchini bread also freezes really well, so that is another option to ensure optimal freshness. For a family of two, like us, bulk baking is easier but can result in waste if we aren't careful. I leave enough out that will last us 2 - 3 days, and I freeze the rest in 2 - 3 day portions, so we can just grab what we need.

You can also bake your bread in 1 or 2 cup Souper Cubes or a mini loaf pan, then freeze mini loaves for easy and delicious fresh zucchini breakfasts any time of year. (Bulk food prep is such a great way to do a lot of work at one time to enjoy delicious food at a later date - especially when summer produce is involved!)

Make it into Muffins

I LOVE to make this bread recipe into Zucchini Muffins. I almost prefer a zucchini muffin to zucchini bread, but I wanted to give both options for you to try. Follow the same recipe, but scoop about ¼ - ⅓ cup of the zucchini mixture into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.

To make jumbo muffins, one batch of this recipe will make 6 muffins. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes.

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