This is my favorite recipe for zucchini bread (best ever!) using leftover sourdough starter discard. My secret is a specific mixing order which creates the most amazing, melt-in-your-mouth texture every time!
Many of you have requested more sourdough discard recipes, especially muffins, quick breads and easy sweet treats. It’s such a great way to use up leftover starter without the waste! In fact, diving deeper into this topic was my favorite research while writing Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
For this recipe, I’ve adapted my ultimate sourdough banana bread (with a few tips from the comment section) to create the best sourdough zucchini bread. It’s got that same velvety texture, notes of rich caramel, and for a simple twist, the batter is lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
How To Make Sourdough Zucchini Bread
For the Batter
Just like my sourdough banana bread, the secret to this recipe is the specific mixing order.
Cream only a portion of the wet ingredients first, followed by the dry ingredients, ending with the remaining wet ingredients (oil and milk). Follow the instructions exactly and you’ll get the best melt-in-your-mouth texture every time.
How To Grate Zucchini
After the batter is mixed, the final step is to fold in the zucchini.
I use a box grater to grate the zucchini because it’s quick, easy to clean and you don’t have to dig out an additional appliance like the food processor.
Additionally, there’s no need to squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini; it’s used to hydrate the batter.
TIP: The texture of the batter should be thick and pourable but not runny. This will all depend on the brand of flour you’re using and the thickness of your sourdough starter. Add more flour as needed to get it right.
Bake The Zucchini Bread
Pour the batter into loaf pans, either mini 7x3x2-inch pans (pictured above) or a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake until perfectly golden. Cool in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack. Be patient!
When ready to eat, try a slice (warm) with a pat of salted butter, or simply plain with a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s the best sourdough zucchini bread you’ll ever try!
To Freeze: Wrap the zucchini bread in a few layers of plastic wrap (or a reusable wrap of your choice), then foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature. You can reheat to serve, which is optional. You can also freeze this bread in individually wrapped slices.
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Best Sourdough Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Packed with fresh zucchini, this sourdough zucchini bread recipe uses a simple mixing method for a soft, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that’s never soggy. It’s one of the best, ever!
Notes & Substitutions
- Non-Sourdough Version: Just leave it out. No additional adjustments needed.
- Dairy Free: Use unsweetened almond milk or another plant milk of your choice. Use oil or plant butter to coat the pans.
- Gluten Free: Use King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour & a GF sourdough starter
- Pan Sizes: (2 or 3) mini 7 x 3 x 2- inch OR (1) standard 9 x 5-inch
Ingredients
- Butter, for coating the pan
- 2 cups (220 g) grated zucchini, from appx. 1 medium zucchini
- 125 g banana weighed with the skin on (about 1 small banana)
- 225 g (1 1/4 cups lightly packed) light or dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g (appx. 1/2 cup) sourdough discard OR bubbly, active sourdough starter
- 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 125 ml (½ cup) neutral flavored oil like sunflower (mild olive oil works, too)
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk or unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
How to Prepare your Sourdough Starter: if using leftover sourdough discard, make sure it’s in good condition (no brown liquid, no vinegary smell, not straight from the fridge). I use recently fed or just collapsed starter. Alternatively, if using active starter, you’ll need to feed it prior to making the recipe and wait for it to become bubbly and double in size.
- Preheat the oven to 360 F. Lightly coat (2 or 3) 7 x 3 x 2 mini loaf pans or (1) 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter. Note: Using 2 mini loaf pans instead of 3 will you get you slightly taller loaves.
- Using a box grater, grate the zucchini on an angle on the side with largest holes. No need to drain out the excess water. Set aside.
- Add the banana, sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Cream with a hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (some small lumps of banana are okay).
- Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Add the sourdough starter.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Working in batches, add this to the banana mixture.
- Add the oil and milk and mix until just combined. Do not over do it; the banana bread will be tough. The texture should be thick and pourable, but not runny. Add more flour if needed. Fold in the grated zucchini.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). For 2 mini loaf pans, fill about 3/4’s full. For 3 mini loaf pans, fill about 2/3’s full (these loaves will not be as high). Place onto a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes for the 2 mini loaf pans (about 30-35 minutes if using 3 mini pans) or 60-65 minutes or more for the standard 9 x 5-inch pan. Cover with foil if the loaf browns too quickly.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To Store: wrap the loaves (plastic or reusable wrap) and keep at room temperature. Because of the moisture in the zucchini, the texture will get softer and softer each day.
- To Freeze: Once completely cool, wrap the loaves, label and date; they will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
- To Double: simply double the ingredients as listed. I recommend using a stand mixer.
Comments
Sany says
Hi! Where did you buy these paper baking loaf pans? 😍
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sany! I got the small paper loaf pans on Amazon (linked here)
Jeannette Veich says
What if I dont have a banana, nor eat them?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the banana in this recipe.
Kelly J says
Wow! I’ve been making zucchini bread for years but wanted to try using my sourdough discard in it. This recipe is amazing. Seriously you are spot on with the pillowy, amazing texture.
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Thank you Kelly! The texture is truly unique 🥰
Diane says
After you add the sourdough starter, how long do you mix it for before adding the dry ingredients?
Kristin Anderson says
This is a very forgiving recipe. I didn’t have banana, so I used yogurt. I doubled the recipe, and they came out really beautifully.
Sophie says
This is actually the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made
Saving the recipe and only making this one for now!
Dawna says
Active sourdough is the leavening. Is it necessary to use baking soda?
dmh
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! You can use active or discard for this recipe. In either case, baking soda is used to neutralize/tame any strong sour notes from your starter so that it doesn’t over power the zucchini bread. It’s common practice in a lot of sweet sourdough discard recipes.
Carol says
I think this recipe could be muffins too!!
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely! Muffins would be fantastic!
Katie says
I made this with some changes:
-I subbed applesauce for banana because that’s all I had
-I subbed honey for the sugar
-I used 50-50 fresh milled spelt and hard red wheat flour
-I fermented overnight on the counter. It was so puffy the next morning that I omitted the baking soda (I’ve had quick breads overflow in the oven when combining overnight room temperature ferment + baking soda).
-I also added a handful of chocolate chips :)
It was delicious!
Tina says
Great suggestion with the applesauce. I am adding chopped pineapples, coconut and macadamia nuts. Cold fermenting over night so I will bake tomorrow. Next time I may add mini chocolate chips and toasted walnuts.
Odilija says
The best! So moist, fluffy but dense at the same time. Have made it multiple times.
Millie Tormey says
My bread turned out perfect! I did substitute the sugar with honey, also doubled the cinnamon amount. Very happy with this recipe!
Sadie says
This zucchini bread is exactly as described. The crumb is moist, light and tender, unlike many zucchini breads that have a dense, somewhat gummy texture. I made a half recipe in a 7×3-inch pan. The bread domed beautifully and cracked down the middle. It was picture-perfect. I made it twice back to back, following the recipe with no changes the first time, and adding ginger, cardamom and lemon zest the second time. I also increased the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg for the second loaf.
Kelly says
Is it possible to replace brown sugar with honey or maple syrup? Also can you replace bread flour with whole wheat flour?
Lyn says
This was sooooo good! First time making a sourdough sweet bread. Unbelievably moist and delicious. I doubled the recipe and it worked perfectly. Both loaves were gone in 3 days!
Shannon says
Hello,
I’m excited to make this! Would coconut oil work instead of sunflower or olive oil? Thanks!
Gina says
This zucchini bread is excellent. After reading comments, I experimented with a carrot harvest version. I substituted half the zucchini with grated carrots, increased cinnamon to 2 tsps and fresh nutmeg to 1/4 tsp. When folding in zucchini/carrots, I added 1/2 cup each raisins, coconut and chopped pecans. I bake quick breads at 425 degrees for first 10 minutes and then reduce to recipe temperature to increase the rise.
Your soughdough banana bread is the best I’ve eaten. Thanks for your great recipes.
Julia O. says
Made this today, and it was delicious! Incredibly moist. Even my very reluctant, picky-eater husband had two pieces! It took a lot longer to bake than listed, but turned out perfectly once fully baked.
Patricia says
Hello Emilie, for the sourdough discard, does its “age” matter? I use my sourdough very rarely so it “hibernates” in the frig for weeks/months. Looking forward to making this recipe! ~ Patricia
Emilie Raffa says
I believe so. As you’ve mentioned, when your starter sits in the fridge for a long time, the quality of the discard is not very good. Too acidic. I’ve used acidic discard in baking and it’s not good. As you can imagine, it “sours” anything sweet! So, with that said: fresh or recently fed and collapsed sourdough discard is ideal. You might want to feed your starter a few times before using it for discard baking. When in doubt, just follow your nose…
Barney F Bilello says
Fantastic muffins! Come out perfect everytime!
Nancy H. says
This IS the best sourdough zucchini bread! I used Central Milling Co (Costco) bread flour, double the cinnamon and my sourdough discard was 3 days old (but didn’t smell sour). It came out better than perfect! This is a keeper.
Crystal says
The texture was great. I added chopped pecans and 1/2 tsp more of cinnamon, but would add more next time because I like mine with more spices. The only thing is my bread didn’t get that nice done on top. It was pretty flat.
Jerilyn says
Can you leave our banana and replace with same grams of zucchini? Thank you!
Lisa says
I am curious about replacing the banana in this recipe, as well. We have a few family members that have an allergic reaction to bananas. I think I may try substituting with plain yogurt or sour cream.
Heather B says
How did this work out? I don’t have a banana and was thinking of substitute apple butter or apple sauce.
Jaclyn says
Did you end up subbing apple sauce for the banana? I was thinking the same thing.
Leah says
Delicious, I added chocolate chips and baked as muffins (got 18 muffins, 23 min)!
Todd says
I am about to make my 8th batch of this year.
PERFECT Loaf every time.
My sons bring it high school and are swarmed by friends asking for some.
Todd says
Jamie says
I come back to this recipe again, and again. Due to food allergies, I make mine both gluten-free and dairy free. I find that with gluten-free recipes, they tend to be much more moist in general. For that reason, when I make gluten-free adaptations of recipes such as this one, I tend to omit moisture adding elements such as the oil or even the banana. It helps balance the moisture content. This is a family favorite and I highly a recommend.
Lorena says
Awesome sourdough zucchini bread recipe! All your sourdough recipes, that I have tried to date, have been a hit with my family! I was wondering if I could include nuts in the sourdough zucchini bread and the sourdough banana bread recipe and if so which ones would you recommend. Looking forward to more delicious recipes!
Cristina says
Amazing recipe, my favorite of all the zucchini-bread recipes I’ve tried. Moist, flavorful, not too sweet, and a wonderful use of sourdough discard. Tonight I made it with a combination of AP, wheat, and rye flours, and it’s wonderful. Thank you so much for the recipe!
monique says
Hi
I just fed my very established starter yesterday, and put it back in the fridge. If I take it out now and let it come to room temperature can I use in this recipe.
Thanks
Monique
Kali says
Hey Emilie, thanks so much for all your recipes. I tried this one today for the first time, and instead of oil I used melted (and cooled) butter. Would that make a difference in the texture?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely. Oil to butter is not always an even swap. In my experience, you might need to add more butter to get that classic “moist” texture. But the flavor should still be good!
Annelies says
Is it possible to make it without the banana? Or replace it with something else? I can’t eat bananas.
Jo says
I’ve made this before with no issues, everyone loves it! But this last batch just would not cook. I had it in the oven for 3 hours and could not get it to set. The muffins turned out fine but the middle of my loaves just stayed doughy. All I can figure is maybe there was too much zucchini
Sg says
Delicious! Added 20g more zucchini, and it still turned out great!!! Never used a mixer- just a whisk and spatula for everything. Rave reviews. Going to try as muffins next time!
Tanya says
If I wanted to half the sugar in this recipe how would I adjust the other ingredients?
Lauralee says
I made these today and they were an instant hit. We are vegan and oil free, so I subbed out the eggs with the equivalent in Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacement and the oil with applesauce. I am happy to say that they worked beautifully and I will definitely be making them again!
Edit: I am so sorry, I meant to give this recipe a 5 star rating.
Emilie Raffa says
Excellent! So glad you like them :) Thanks for the applesauce tip too. I just bought a pack of individual applesauce containers, which as luck would have it my son “doesn’t like,” so I was hoping to add them to muffins or quick breads. PS: I received your second comment about the stars. Now worries all fixed. Thank you.
Elsie says
This is the best zucchini bread ever . I didn’t hVe bananas on hand so I used pumpkin filling . So so good , Thankyou !
Sara Sestito says
Could I make this batter at night and then bake the next morning? I was thinking about mixing everything and allowing to ferment, then adding the zucchini and baking soda right before baking.
Samantha says
Hi! Is it supposed to be overripe banana or regular ripeness? Can I use greek yogurt or sour cream in lieu of banana and if so how much?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Samantha! Regular ripeness or overripe bananas will work. The latter will give you more flavor, which is what I tend to go for. I’ve never swapped the banana for Greek yogurt or sour cream. Keep in mind, if you experiment, the banana adds sweetness (not just moisture). So, if you choose to add yogurt or sour cream instead, you might need to increase the sweetness too.
Happie says
One of our breakfast favorites!
Good tip: Always make more than 1 loaf, they disappear very quickly with hungry little hands in our house!
Great recipe, thank you! The kids love this (almost as much as your heavenly banana bread!)
(Review provided by a support team member for theclevercarrot.com)
Lauren says
I have made this recipe over 10x and will never look for another. It’s delicious, fool proof, and a great way to use up zucchini! I have used it to make loaves, muffins, cupcakes, and have added walnuts, raisins and chocolate etc. It’s a favorite in our household. Thank you so much!!!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks so much for your feedback Lauren! Glad you liked it! xx
SD says
This is easily my fav discard recipe I’ve come across! I double the batch and make muffins and the bread (as others have recommended). The muffins only took about 20 mins (12 * 1 cup or so tins) and I usually let the bread go a little longer (70-75 mins). Everything came out super moist and delicious. Thanks for posting!!
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome! Glad you liked it! :)
Ashley Kennedy says
Look no further-this is the only zucchini bread you need. Beautiful texture and perfect flavor. My husband and 3 daughter ages 2,8, and 14 loved it. My 8 year old even told her friends “zucchini bread sounds gross but this taste even better than banana bread!”
Rebecca Bryan says
Absolutely delicious with the best texture I’ve ever experienced in a quickbread! Just as you said it would. I used 1/3 whole wheat flour. Yum, yum, yum.
Lori says
I baked these as muffins using standard muffin tins at 350 for 22-24 minutes with a yield of 18. I had used buttermilk and added a cup of dark chocolate chips and added 1 tsp of chai spice along with the 1 tsp of cinnamon. They are amazingly soft with a perfect texture- thanks, Emilie
Emilie Raffa says
Love, love, love. I imagine the chai and chocolate was an amazing combo :)
Happie says
Amazing! I am probably the world’s biggest fan of your banana nut loaf, it is a “down to the scraps” staple in our house.
Very much looking forward to trying out this recipe, your timing could not be more perfect. Zucchini’s are in abundance in our garden!
Thank you as always for sharing such fun summer recipes… maybe something else with tomatoes soon?? That would help out big time with the summer harvest :)
(Review provided by a support team member for theclevercarrot.com)
Elyse says
Delicious! I used a mix of AP and spelt flour, and baked in my mini loaf pan. I have a feeling I’ll be making this again with all the zucchini growing in our garden.
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds fantastic. I’m going to try it with spelt flour- one of my faves! Thanks, Elyse. :)
SN says
I tried this out too but with 1/2 high protein / high gluten bread flour and 1/2 white spelt flour and it turned out amazing. The texture super soft but not gummy. Little one loved it as well! The discard I used was actually from the fridge but was still bubbly (only about a week old), I just let it sit out an hour or so at room temp and all was good – starter was 1/2 Bread Flour 1/2 Whole Wheat Spelt 100% hydration. Thanks for the recipe!
Carol says
Nice recipe! However I got a bit of a reaction to the amount of baking soda. Could baking powder be substituted for a portion of the soda? If so, can you suggest an amount? I was considering 1 teaspoon of each. Many thanks.
Kim says
I made these into muffins. I’m moving house this week and the loaf tin was packed but I had freezer banana to use and zucchinis are in season so I bought too many and needed to come up with things to use them in. They made 9x 1-cup silicone trays filled about half way and baked for 23 minutes. The tops were just starting to brown and the consistency was perfectly moist. Emilie, your recipes are truly fool proof. My copy of your book is well worn and I at least an extra half a dozen copies are out in the world after I recommend it to everyone who loves my baking and asks me how I do it. Keep up the great work. And yes please, more discard recipes would be amazing!
Karin Roberts says
Assume the milk is whole. What about low-fat milk, 1% or 2%? Same amount as whole?
Emilie Raffa says
You can use any % for the milk :)
Kylie says
This is by far the best zucchini bread ever!!! My kids are huge fans and so are their friends . I’m baking my 3rd loaf in 3 days. I love the banana and the nutmeg!!