Make a loaf of this Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread with the abundance of zucchini coming from the garden during summer! Soft, with lots of streusel and a delicious filling of cinnamon ❤️
We all love zucchini bread around here, and I often make a loaf of healthy chocolate zucchini bread.
But this cinnamon version? It’s what I call my absolutely-not-healthy zucchini bread 😉
Don’t get me wrong, my recipe isn’t too laden with sugar and butter – it has just the right amount it needs to be perfectly delicious.
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread:
How do you keep the bread from turning out dense?
With the cinnamon filling and lots of shredded zucchini in the bread, it’s important to follow a few rules when making this bread so it doesn’t turn out doughy and dense:
Do not skip squeezing the zucchini – you’re asking for trouble if you do!
Do not overmix the batter – the key to a light bread is to only just combine the wet and dry ingredients, some lumps are perfectly fine.
Do not skip chilling the streusel mix – if it’s warm, the butter will simply soak into the bread and make it chewy, but you won’t get a swirl.
Can you make this into muffins?
Yes, just divide the batter between 12 muffin cups.
Use ⅔ of the streusel to add some to the center of each muffin, then sprinkle the rest on top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
How do you store this zucchini bread?
On the counter: Place the bread in an airtight container (or ziploc bag if you don’t have a large enough container) and store it on the counter for up to 3 days.
In the freezer: Wrap the bread tightly in foil, then place in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months) before placing in the freezer.
To defrost, remove the bread from the container and unwrap. Place on a rack on the counter overnight.
More Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love:
Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon or more if you’re into extreme cinnamon flavoring
- ¼ cup butter
For the Zucchini Bread
- 1.5 cups shredded zucchini excess moisture squeezed with a clean tea towel (do not skip the squeezing!!)
- ⅓ cup melted butter OR oil
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make cinnamon swirl: Combine ½ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 360°F. Line the bottom of a 5×9 inch loaf pan and grease the sides.
- Make zucchini bread: Blend zucchini, oil, sugar, eggs, Greek yogurt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Evenly sprinkle remaining ingredients over the top. Carefully mix only the dry ingredients a little, then fold together with the wet ingredients just until combined.
- Bake: Place ⅔ of the zucchini bread batter in the prepared loaf pan. Evenly top with ⅔ of the cinnamon swirl crumbs, gently pushing it into the batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, then sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon swirl crumbs. Bake for 40-50 minutes (it’s best to bake on a lined baking sheet vs a rack, in case of a streusel overflow), or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
LennieL says
Hi, Firstly, thanks for the great recipes!
2. What is the purpose of using cornstarch?
3. Can the cornstarch be omitted?
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Nora says
The cornstarch makes the bread fluffier, but you can just use a tablespoon of all-purpose flour instead. It does make the bread a touch more dense, but still perfectly delicious. Hope this helps!