Best Zucchini Bread with Pineapple

Moist and delicious, this is a quick bread recipe with zucchini and crushed pineapple that is very easy to make! It has walnuts for crunchiness and some whole wheat flour, but can also be made with all purpose flour only. It keeps really well, can be frozen, and also made into muffins or a tube cake if you double the recipe.

Originally posted on April 2012 this post is updated with images and text to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.

The first zucchini bread recipe I ever made is this one and it turned out so wonderful that I hardly ever strayed. It's an amazing recipe that renders a moist bread, and also a great way to take advantage of this vegetables's bounty.

I have to admit that I make an exception with this Zucchini Cake because it has a cinnamon streusel that won me over, as it always does. But truthfully, this bread is my go-to recipe when it's that time of year and I'm up to my eyeballs in zucchini.

I made a few changes because I didn't want to use all white refined flour. So a part is whole wheat flour and it marries super well together with the pineapple. It is sweet with an earthy undertone and crunch from the walnuts and that beautiful golden crust. And makes the bread a tad bit healthy? I don't know about that.

But it can be made with all purpose flour only, similar to our popular banana bread with chocolate chips. They both are great recipes if made with some whole wheat flour but also if you omit it. Your choice.

Simple steps 

1. Put dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Add grated zucchini (image above, left) and mix.
3. Add the zucchini mixture (or wet ingredients) to the dry ingredients and mix (image above, right).
4. Add walnuts and pineapple (image below, left).
5. Mix all well until no dry spots remain.
6. Put in prepared pans and smooth top (image below, right).
7. Bake until tester inserted comes out clean and let cool on wire rack.

Top tips 

• Zucchini: grate it with a coarse grater (large holes) or in the processor, as I do. Be careful not to make a zucchini paste if processing them. But make sure they are minced. This recipe doesn't work well if you coarsely chop the zucchini.
• Flour: you can use only all-purpose or cake flour, but I think that adding a part whole wheat flour makes it richer. Make sure it is superfine for best results. I use one that is almost as fine as all-purpose. If you use a coarser whole wheat flour the bread will have a denser texture.
• Pineapple: I tried this recipe both with canned and fresh pineapple. The former gives better results, but, if you want to use fresh fruit anyway, the bread will still be very good but less sweet and with less depth of flavor. Make sure it is finely chopped.
• Nuts: walnuts are perfect for this recipe, but pecans work just as well. I haven't tried it with any other nut, though I think macadamias and hazelnuts would probably work.
• Keeping: this bread keeps for one or two days at room temperature. But be careful if the room is hot since the fruit might ferment and ruin the bread. If that is the case I suggest you keep it in the fridge, well wrapped. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a month. I like to cut it before freezing and take out as many slices as I need. Then warm it in the oven or toast it. It's great with cream cheese, or plain at room temperature.

You can make muffins

I use this recipe to make amazing zucchini pineapple muffins too (image below).

They are moist and sweet and just delicious in the morning, which is my favorite time for eating them. They don't even need a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Though you might want to add it if you like a sweeter muffin.

Simply follow the recipe and use regular muffin tins with or without paper liners. Fill them ¾ full. It yields a lot, like 24 regular muffins, so consider halving the recipe or be prepared to freeze some. Unless you have a huge household or school bake sale.

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Zucchini Pineapple Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 2 medium loaves 1x
• Category: Quick bread
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Moist and delicious Zucchini Pineapple Bread! With walnuts and some whole wheat flour, it is very easy to make and keeps really well.

You can also make this recipe into muffins.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, room t°
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup organic light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups grated zucchini (about 2-3 medium) see Notes
• 1 cup crushed or chopped (drained) pineapple
• 1 cup walnuts, walnuts

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. I like to line them with a strip of parchment paper (aluminum foil works too) so it's easier to unmold.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl, lightly beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil.
5. Add zucchini to wet ingredients and mix well. If they released liquid between the time you grated and added them to the batter, squeeze them out before adding. 
6. Add flour mixture and stir.
7. Stir in pineapple and walnuts and mix well.
8. Pour batter into prepared pans. Smooth tops.
9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until loaf springs back when lightly touched.
10. Cool on wire rack before removing from the pan.

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Notes

• Zucchini: grate them at the last moment possible to avoid them from releasing liquid. Do so with a coarse grater (large holes) or in the processor, as I do. But be careful not to make a zucchini paste if processing them. But make sure they are minced. This recipe doesn't work well if you coarsely chop the zucchini.
• Flour: you can use only all-purpose or cake flour, but I think that adding a part whole wheat flour makes it richer. Make sure it is superfine for best results. I use one that is almost as fine as all-purpose. If you use a coarser whole wheat flour the bread will have a denser texture.
• Pineapple: I tried this recipe both with canned and fresh pineapple. The former gives better results, but, if you want to use fresh fruit anyway, the bread will still be very good but less sweet and with less depth of flavor. Make sure it is finely chopped.
• Nuts: walnuts are perfect for this recipe, but pecans work just as well. I haven't tried it with any other nut, though I think macadamias and hazelnuts would probably work.
• Keeping: this bread keeps for one or two days at room t°. But be careful if the room is hot since fruits ferment and ruin the bread. If that is the case I suggest you keep it in the fridge, well wrapped. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a month. I like to cut it before freezing and take out as many slices as I need. Then warm it in the oven or toast it.

Making zucchini pineapple muffins.

• Simply follow the recipe and use regular muffin tins with or without paper liners. Fill them ¾ full.
• It yields a lot, like 24 regular muffins, so consider halving it or be prepared to freeze some.
• Eat them plain or with a sprinkling of powdered sugar if you enjoy a sweeter muffin.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/16
• Calories: 337
• Sugar: 18.4 g
• Sodium: 167.5 mg
• Fat: 19.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 37.5 g
• Protein: 5.1 g
• Cholesterol: 34.9 mg

Keywords: zucchini bread, zucchini pineapple bread

Adapted from Kathleen's Bakeshop Cookbook, by Kathleen King

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.