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An old family favorite zucchini bread recipe lightened up with applesauce and reduced sugar.
It's so funny to me that you never know when a recipe you receive or find will become a family treasure. That's the case with this yummy bread. I remember the first time I tried it; a co-worker brought it for a treat to work one day many, many years ago. I took one bite and knew I'd have to have the recipe. I'd tasted and tried a lot of zucchini bread but this one was different. It had something special about it that I couldn't quite determine till I asked her- it was crushed pineapple! The pineapple adds an extra layer of sweet deliciousness and moisture. The spices are just perfect - this just seems to be one of those "never fail" recipes!
One day I went to look for the recipe and it was GONE, MISSING, AWOL! I looked everywhere but to no avail, Not only that, but I had moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina and had lost touch with my friend. This was before computers so I couldn't even check with Mr. Google (a very good friend of mine). Every time I got a new cookbook or saw a recipe in the newspaper (or a magazine) for zucchini bread I'd check to see if it had pineapple, nope, nope, notta!
A few years later, while spending a weekend with my mom I was absently looking through her recipe box and there it was! SCORE!!! I couldn't believe it. I copied it down quickly and from that day on kept it in a safe place. Nowadays I"m double safe as Cait has the recipe also!
This zucchini bread is a staple in our house, we make about once a week and it gets gobbled up every time by whoever happens to be hanging about - visitors, my kids, my husband, ME! The recipe originally came from my grandmother, I believe, but it had an entire cup of oil in the ingredient list. Since I wanted to not feel terrible about feeding it to my family on a regular basis I started slowly substituting applesauce for the oil increasing the amount with each time I made the recipe. Eventually, I added too much and the bread got dry and chewy, however, I found that I could use somewhere between ⅓ and ½ of applesauce in place of the oil without anyone noticing! I also decrease the sugar by about ¼ cup since there's sweetness gained from the applesauce. So, between those substitutions and the two zucchinis that are already in the recipe, I feel pretty good about giving this to my kids as dessert! And for me and my sweet tooth? Shhh, but sometimes I add a bit of cream cheese frosting on top...yum!! Enjoy, and thanks, Grandma!
~ Caitlyn
P.S. I call it Cait's Zucchini Bread for two reasons, first of all, because she changed the recipe a bit as noted above (making it more nutritious). Secondly, I think she deserves it because she can whip up a batch of this bread faster than you can say "lickedly split"! One day while I was visiting this Fall, I went upstairs to my room for not more than a few minutes. By the time I got back downstairs, a batch was in the oven and she was cleaning up the kitchen! That's my girl! 🙂
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- ⅔ cup oil
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped nuts pecans, walnuts, macadamia, really whatever kind you like
- 1 cup raisins
- 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, undrained
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Instructions:
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Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease two large bread pans. (Mine are 5x9 inches)
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Mix sugar and oil. Add eggs. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
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Pour into 2 large greased bread pans
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Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Pat says
Any thoughts about combining brown sugar and granulated sugar?
Chris Scheuer says
That would be delicious!
Michelle says
Love this recipe.. Breakfast, lunch, snacks at night watching TV.. Could you email me a set of labels for the zucchini bread.. Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Michelle! We do not have labels for this recipe at this time.
Michelle says
Chris quick question.. What would be the cool time if I used the mini pans 3 x 5s.. We love these but want smaller ones for lunch boxes.. Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Michelle, did you mean cook time? I would test them after 25-30 minutes and then every 5 minutes after that. If you use an instant thermometer to test, you will get the most accurate results. The internal temp should be 200-205˚F.
Angie H says
I just made this -again! It is wonderful and anyone who receives a loaf always raves about it! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Angie!
Aileen says
Hi, this looks wonderful. Can i remove the raisins? Do you think I need to make some adjustments if I remove the raisins?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Aileen, you can definitely omit the raisins and you don't have to alter the recipe at all.
Aileen says
Hi Chris, I am ready to make this bread and I can't wait. Do you peel the zucchini skin or you grate the whole thing? I only have raw walnuts, can I use that as well? Thank you for replying.
Aileen
Robin says
Can you make this without the pineapple? Would any other ingredients need to be adjusted?
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Robin, I haven't tried this recipe without the pineapple so I would need to do further testing before advising you.
silvia says
Hello! Please, could you send me this recipe in metric systems, please?
I follow your blog and I see that this one is old and there are no metric measurements. I want to make sure this recipe turns our great!
I am writing from Barcelona, by the way! 🙂
Thanks,
Sílvia.
Kathy says
I love the pineapple in this recipe…sounds so yummy! I am bookmarking!
Amanda Shaffner says
I just made this, I left out the raisins and nuts (I just don't like them), and I had to bake each individually since I had one pan. I baked each for 40 mins which was perfect (I'm at high altitude-Denver). I would suggest adding a bit more cinnamon/nutmeg. It's a very moist cake with a great crusted outer, delicious!