Recipes › Simple bakes› Cardamom zucchini bread
Simple bakes · Easy · Serves 1

Cardamom zucchini bread

A tender zucchini bread with cardamom and toasted walnuts. One bowl, no mixer, and the trick that keeps it from ever baking up soggy in the middle.

Anna Lind Harper
by Anna Lind Harper
Tested twice · Published 2026-07-12
A golden loaf of cardamom zucchini bread on a wire cooling rack, two slices leaning against it, with green cardamom pods and a small whole zucchini beside it on a striped linen.
Prep
15 min
Cook
60 min
Serves
1
Difficulty
easy

Every July the zucchini arrives faster than anyone can cook it, and this zucchini bread is where mine goes. One bowl, no mixer, and a crumb that stays tender for days.

The cardamom is the same trick my banana bread leans on. It does not make the loaf taste fancy, it makes it taste finished, especially next to a strong cup of coffee.

“The zucchini keeps it tender, the cardamom makes it interesting, and one bowl keeps it a Tuesday project.”
Why this one earns a weeknight

What you'll love about it

  • 01One bowl, a whisk, and no mixer to wash.
  • 02Cardamom and cinnamon together taste finished, not fancy.
  • 03It stays moist for days without going gummy, thanks to one towel trick.
  • 04Slices freeze beautifully for solo breakfasts.
Anna in a white linen button-down wringing a linen towel full of grated zucchini over a glass bowl at her marble kitchen counter, pale green liquid dripping down, a box grater and halved zucchini beside her.
The squeeze is the recipe. Keep wringing past the point that feels reasonable.
Ingredients

The zucchini and wet

  • 2 packed cupsgrated zucchini, squeezed very dry, from about 1 lb (2 medium zucchini)
  • 2large eggs
  • ½ cupgranulated sugar
  • ¼ cupbrown sugar, packed
  • ⅔ cupneutral oil
  • 1 tspvanilla extract

The dry

  • 2 cupsall-purpose flour
  • 1½ tspground cardamom
  • 1 tspcinnamon
  • 1 tspbaking soda
  • ½ tspbaking powder
  • ¾ tspkosher salt
  • ¾ cuptoasted walnuts, roughly chopped
Method

How I make it

  1. 01
    Grate and salt the zucchini.
    Coarsely grate about 1 pound of zucchini, skin on, until you have 2 packed cups. Toss with a pinch of salt in a colander and let it sit for 10 minutes while you get everything else ready.
  2. 02
    Squeeze it truly dry.
    Pile the zucchini into a clean kitchen towel and wring it over the sink until nothing more drips out. Keep going past the point that feels reasonable. You should be surprised by how much water comes out.
  3. 03
    Whisk the wet.
    In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, both sugars, oil, and vanilla until smooth and slightly thickened, about a minute.
  4. 04
    Add the dry.
    Whisk the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a second bowl, then fold into the wet ingredients until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine.
  5. 05
    Fold and bake.
    Fold in the zucchini and walnuts, scrape the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, and bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer poked into the center comes out clean.
  6. 06
    Cool completely.
    Ten minutes in the pan, then out onto a rack until fully cool. Slicing warm zucchini bread compresses the crumb, and this one is worth the wait.
    Hands slicing a cooled loaf of zucchini bread on an oak board with a serrated knife, three cut slices lying in a row.
    Fully cool before slicing. Warm zucchini bread compresses under the knife.
Extreme close-up of a broken slice of zucchini bread showing a moist tender crumb flecked with green zucchini threads and toasted walnut pieces.
A note from Anna

Measure the two cups of grated zucchini before you squeeze, then wring the towel until nothing more drips out. A cup of unsqueezed zucchini is half water, and that water has to go somewhere, which is usually the middle of your loaf. Dry zucchini is the whole difference between tender and gummy.

What to serve with it

Round out the table.

  • ·01
    Salted butter
    On a thick slice, with a little flaky salt if you are feeling brave.
  • ·02
    Strong coffee
    The cardamom was built for it.
Storage & reheating

Keeping the leftovers good.

Fridge: Wrapped, up to 5 days.

Make ahead: Keeps wrapped at room temperature for 2 days, and honestly tastes best on day two.

Freezer: Slices freeze well for 2 months with parchment between them. Toast straight from frozen.

Recipe card

Cardamom zucchini bread

A tender zucchini bread with cardamom and toasted walnuts. One bowl, no mixer, and the trick that keeps it from ever baking up soggy in the middle.

Prep
15 min
Cook
60 min
Serves
1
Total
75 min
Ingredients
  • 2 packed cups grated zucchini, squeezed very dry, from about 1 lb (2 medium zucchini)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ⅔ cup neutral oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
Method (short version)
  1. 01Grate and salt the zucchini.
  2. 02Squeeze it truly dry.
  3. 03Whisk the wet.
  4. 04Add the dry.
  5. 05Fold and bake.
  6. 06Cool completely.

Nutrition information is an estimate. See full nutrition disclaimer.

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