This amazing pineapple zucchini bread recipe came to me from a lady named Helen Brookman who lovingly passed along her recipes, with the help of the Hospice of The Rapidan. My mom handed the recipe on to me with a few of her own touches.
★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
The best zucchini bread you'll ever try!
Everyone says this is the best zucchini bread they've ever had.
It's become a family fav and I think what makes it is the pineapples! It's very moist on the inside and the flavor is sweet with a hint of salty.
You can top it with icing but it really doesn't even need it. It's great without icing as well. Your choice!
Try this zucchini bread for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Try it for breakfast, brunch or serve it up as a healthy dessert.
This loaf bread make a great brunch menu item for holidays like Easter or when zucchini season rolls around, I make this a lot for a healthy dessert and then again for breakfast the next day.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's everything you'll need to make this yummy, moist pineapple zucchini bread:
- Flour. All purpose flour works great. You do not need to use bread flour since this is not a yeast bread. You can use whole wheat flour or almond flour. If using almond flour, you'll need to double the amount.
- Baking soda. Be sure your baking soda is not expired for best results.
- Salt. Regular table salt is fine but you could also use fine sea salt for a touch of extra flavor.
- Baking power. Again, check your expiration date! Fresh works better.
- Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon powder.
- Nutmeg. This can be left out if you're not a fan of nutmeg but I love the nutty flavor it adds.
- Chopped pecans. You could substitute any chopped nuts.
- Eggs. I prefer organic, corn-fed eggs. They have much more flavor.
- Sugar. Just white table sugar is all you need.
- Cooking oil. Vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil or even coconut oil works well.
- Vanilla. Real vanilla extract is best. (Not imitation)
- Shredded zucchini. Hand-squeeze out extra liquid after shredded. Leave the peel on. I use a food processor to quickly shred.
- Canned crushed pineapples. Do not drain. The extra liquids help produce a delicious, moist loaf.
★ How to Make this Zucchini Bread ★
This bread is very easy to make. It's a quick bread so no rising, kneading and no yeast is required. Just combine ingredients and stir to create your batter, then bake.
Watch step by step how to make this pineapple zucchini bread:
★ Tips & FAQs ★
What size loaf pan works best?
You can bake this recipe as two loaves in a standard 9x5 sized bread pan, you can bake as four mini-loaves or as one big bundt cake.
I personally like the loafs because you get more of the crunch top which is the best part in my opinion. Also, you get two so you can share with a friend!
Choose your pan type.
This recipe makes two standard sized loaves. You'll want to use 9x5 loaf pans. You can use glass, metal or disposable baking pans.
Your cook time may vary slightly depending on the material of your pan. So the best way to know if your loaf is done is by inserting a toothpick into the center. As soon as it comes out clean, it's done.
Mini Loaf Pans. You'll want to reduce the cook time by 15-20 minutes. This can vary depending on the type of pan you have (metal, glass or paper).
Check out these cute, oven-safe, disposable mini loaf pans to share with friends and neither of you have to worry about returning a pan.
Make it a bundt cake. If a bundt cake is more your style, here's the bundt pan I use. You will need to add 15-20 minutes of cook time if making a bundt cake. Use the toothpick test toward the end of the bake time to check and see it it's done. As soon as the toothpick come out clean, pull it!
Don't overcook this bread.
If you overcook this bread, it will loose its wonderful moist quality. This is so important.
You want to check your bread multiple times towards the end of baking. I set my timer 10 minutes early so I can start checking whenever I bake anything.
Since every oven, even pan, and every altitude is different, you can't be 100% sure of the timing. But you can use a toothpick to test your bread. As soon as a toothpick comes out clean, pull your loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pan.
You want to pull the bread from the oven as soon as the toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
A helpful trick is to look for visual clues that it's almost done baking. A couple minutes before it's finished, you'll start to see the middle of the loaf firm up and become less shiny.
Cooling
I usually let mine cool in the microwave uncovered. If you cover your loaves before they cool all the way, the top can get a little soggy and loose its deliciously crusty top layer.
Once your loaves are completely cooled, cover loosely with foil if you're taking them somewhere, or just dig right in if you're enjoying them at home.
★ Tools You'll Need ★
Helpful Tools for Making This Recipe:
• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
• Toothpicks or Cake Tester
• 9x12 Loaf Pans
★ More Recipes You'll Love ★
Love homemade breads?
Have more zucchini to use?
Check out my delicious recipe for Vegetable Lasagna with Alfredo Sauce
This pineapple zucchini bread recipe was featured on Inspire Me Monday, South Your Mouth, Julia’s Simply Southern and Menu Plan Monday!
Pineapple Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking power
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup cooking oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups shredded zucchini squeeze out extra liquid
- 1 8 oz. crushed pineapples (do not drain)
ICING
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- Optional: substitute 1 tablespoon of lime juice for milk
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans.
- In a large bowl beat eggs, add sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in zucchini and pineapple, stir in dry ingredients until moistened.
- Grease loaf pans or 1 bundt pan using Baker's Joy. Bake at 325˚ for 50-60 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. If baking in a bundt pan, gently flip the cake over onto a dish or cake stand.
- Icing: Mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk (add lime juice if you want some tang). Pour or drizzle over top of loaf or bundt cake.
Hi just confirming that the zucchini is to be drained as I read your reply to a comment re not draining the pineapple but draining the zucchini which isn’t in the recipe directions. Thanks
Hi Suzanne, I do squeeze the shredded zucchini to get rid of extra liquid. Nothing too precise, I just grab a handful and squeeze then put it into the measuring cup.
I would recommend changing the recipe or adding to your comment section NOT to drain the pineapple. I made this today and I DID drain it because most recipes I use with pineapple (whether crushed or tidbits call for draining). Hope mine is not too dry 😬!!
Hi--Donna Hofmann again. Also, I would like to make 5 mini bread pans with the recipe. How long to bake it and at what temp?
Thanks again
I would cut the cook time in half for 5 mini loaves, then begin checking with a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf. Pull them out of the oven when the toothpick comes out clean.
Hi,
How can I adjust this recipe for high altitude?
Thanks
Hi Donna, I recommend taking a look at this guide for adjusting for high altitudes: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Should I store left over cake in the fridge?
Thanks😋
Hi Sadie, No need to refrigerate if it's out just for a few days. Just wrap the loaf tightly with plastic and you can store on the counter for 3 days. If you want the bread to last longer, you can refrigerate it for up to a week.
Hi Can you use oat flour instead?
Since oat flour is not the same weight as all purpose flour, you can substitute 1/4 of the amount of flour with oat flour safely. To substitute all of the flour, might cause the bread not to rise as much as it should.
Turned out great.Even my husband loved it.Thanks for the recipe.Will make this again.
Hi Renita, I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
This turned out so good!! The only thing I changed was I made my gluten free and added extra flour for high altitude but it was so good will definitely make again!!
Hi Andria, Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked the recipe!
Can I use dried pineapple in this ?
You could use dried pineapples if you rehydrate them first by soaking them in water for at least an hour or overnight for best results. Otherwise the bread will come out very dry. You can have a little fun with this process by soaking them in fruit juice, rum or another liquid other than water to add an extra layer of flavor. If you try it, let me know how it comes out!