Zucchini Carrot Bread (One-Bowl)
This One-Bowl Zucchini Carrot Bread comes together easily, as all ingredients are stirred together in one bowl. This makes two gorgeous, healthy-ish, and scrumptious loaves. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 3 cups white whole wheat, see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup applesauce
- 2 cups zucchini, grated, lightly packed
- 2 cups carrot, grated, lightly packed
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cups softened butter
- 16 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lb powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans and set aside.
- In a large bowl, gently whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until incorporated. Add the sugar and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center and add the eggs into the well; lightly beat eggs. Add vanilla, oil, and applesauce to the bowl. Whisk/stir to combine ingredients well (batter will be very thick, which is fine.)
- Stir in the zucchini and carrots, using a wooden spatula to fully incorporate the batter.
- Use rubber spatula to transfer batter evenly into your two greased loaf pans. Bake about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out with a few tender crumbs attached.
- Let finished loaves cool completely in pans set on a wire rack at room temp. Once cool, run a thin knife around edges of pan and release the loaves onto serving plates or cutting board.
- Make Cream Cheese FrostingCombine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Beat well. Add sugar gradually and beat well. If too thick, add small amount of milk. If too thin, add small amounts of sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frosting naturally thickens and firms up as it sits. Transfer frosting into a Ziploc plastic baggie, press out the air, and seal. Snip a tiny hole in the corner and drizzle frosting over cooled bread.
Notes
- You can also use half wheat/half all-purpose, or you can opt for 100% all-purpose flour.
- For a finer texture in your finished loaves, finely grate the veggies. If you prefer a bold pop of orange and green in your baked bread, go with coarsely grated. It doesn’t affect the flavor, whichever grate size you use. It’s mostly an aesthetic choice.
- Note that actual bake time varies, depending on your oven, so check every 5 minutes or so.
- Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter and/or topping, if desired.
- This bread keeps well when sealed air-tight at moderate room temperature for a few days.
- This zucchini carrot bread is delicious on its own, but if you want to take it to the next level, try adding a cream cheese frosting. It's a classic pairing that never disappoints.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.2g | Protein: 4.4g | Fat: 8.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Cholesterol: 34.9mg | Sodium: 177.2mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 20.4g