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Easy Apple Butter Zucchini Bread—a simple zucchini bread topped with clusters of cinnamon sugar and served with whipped cinnamon maple butter. This is not your average loaf. The secret? A little apple butter baked right into the batter. You don’t really know it’s there, but it’s what makes each slice extra soft, perfectly sweet, and so flavorful.
I’ve been in such an end-of-summer baking mood lately. I think it’s the light right now—the way it filters through the trees feels so warm and a little autumn-like. It just makes me want to bake!
Last week, with a pile of zucchini on the counter, I decided to make a loaf. No chocolate this time (even though, yes, that would be amazing). I wanted something simple and cozy… but still special. The apple butter was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it’s what ended up making this bread so delicious.
We might not be in apple season just yet, but this loaf has me counting down the days. It’s that perfect in-between recipe—late summer zucchini meets the warm, spiced flavors of early fall.
These are the details
Ingredients
- Zucchini
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- plain Greek yogurt
- apple butter – you could also use maple, but apple butter is best
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- salted butter
Ingredients – for the Cinnamon Maple Butter
- salted butter
- maple syrup
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- sea salt
Steps
Step 1: grate the zucchini
Grate the zucchini on a box grater using the smaller holes. This gives you fine zucchini pieces that melt right into the batter for a smoother, softer loaf—no big chunks. You’ll hardly even notice it’s there!
Step 2: make the batter
Start with melted butter. I melt mine on the stove until it’s just lightly browned (so good). In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, yogurt, brown sugar, apple butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt (or a gluten-free blend if needed) and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into your loaf pan, then swirl 2–3 tablespoons of apple butter over the top. You don’t have to do this—but that sweet apple swirl is so delicious, I wouldn’t skip it.
Step 3: the cinnamon on top
Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter until clumps form. Arrange these cinnamon clusters over the swirled apple butter.
Bake for about 1 hour, maybe a touch longer—yes, it’s a wait, but so worth it!
Make the maple butter
While the bread bakes, whip butter with maple syrup, then add vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. Whip until light and creamy. Trust me—if you love pumpkin spice, you’re going to love this butter.
Enjoy the bread warm or cooled (though it’s hard not to dig in right away). Leftover slices are great lightly toasted with a generous slather of maple butter.
So good!
Looking for other baking recipes? Here are my favorites:
Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter
Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make this Easy Apple Butter Zucchini Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Apple Butter Zucchini Bread
Servings: 1 loaf (10 slices)
Calories Per Serving: 216 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Swirl
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
Cinnamon Butter
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5 inch bread pan with parchment paper.2. In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, apple butter, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If desired, swirl in 2-3 tablespoons apple butter, leaving streaks of apple butter throughout the batter.5. To make the cinnamon dollops. Mix the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Arrange the clumps over the batter. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until the center is just set.6. To make the cinnamon butter. In a bowl, beat the butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Serve with the warm zucchini bread.
This post was originally published on August 12, 2025
I made the loaf tonight and it is delicious. I used canola oil instead of melted butter. I added the required amount of salt and it wasn’t salty. I did not wring out the excess moisture from the zucchini. I will make this again!
Hi there! So happy to hear you enjoyed this zucchini bread! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Have a great week! 🙂 xT
Good morning, I haven’t tried the recipe yet. However, it sounds so wonderful. Wanted to know if the all-purpose flour can be substituted with almond flour or
Gluten free all-purpose flour? Are any adjustments, need it to accommodate these potential changes in the recipe?
Hi Michael! Thank you so much! I hope you love this recipe! I haven’t ever tried this with gf flour before so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
I liked this one! The apple butter/zucchini combo is perfect to transition into fall. I used a smaller pan so my cook time was way up. And my beautiful crumble top totally sunk into the batter, which is fine but hard to taste now. But still delicious!
Hi Helen! Thank you so so much for trying out this apple butter bread! I agree, I’m all about apples before pumpkin when heading into fall! xT
This tastes so amazing! Ended up adding a bit too much yogurt and squeezed out zucchini so I compensated with more flour and put it in a cake dish for a coffee cake type bread. Definitely keeping this one for the future!
Hi Anne! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed this bread! 🙂 xT
Hi! I’m so eager to try this but hesitant bc of some of the comments. Do you think it would work as muffins and if so how would you suggest adjusting the time and temp?
Hi Colleen! Yes, this should work great as muffins! Just divide the batter into a 12 cup muffin tin, filling each about3/4 full. Bake at 375°F for about 20–30 minutes (or 400°F for 20–25 minutes), checking with a toothpick to see if they’re done. You can still swirl apple butter on top and add the cinnamon-sugar clusters before baking for that same cozy flavor! xT
This is superbly delicious. The cinnamon topping is outstanding and crisps up perfectly when toasted. The flavors epitomize autumn which is a welcomed season as we deal with the summer heat.love love love this bread and the butter knocks it out of the park.
Hey Kim! Thank you so much! I’m sooo glad you are loving this zucchini bread! Thanks for trying out the recipe! 🙂 xT
This was delicious and baked well at exactly 60 mins! I used only all purpose flour and wrung out all the liquid from the zucchini using a dish towel. Did both twirl and topping and turned out really good. The bread is moist and thick like a pound cake. Definitely will make again
Hi Amanda! Thank you so much for trying out this bread! So glad to hear you loved it! Thanks for your input/tips as well! 🙂 xT
The flavor was good, but boy oh boy was the cook time way off on this. And from reading other reviews I strained the grated zucchini and pressed out all liquid. It was still very long bake time. I love so many of the recipes but for me, this was a disappointment overall. I hate that I wasted the ingredients with how expensive groceries are nowadays. I am sure it is something on my end.
Hi Michelle! I’m sorry this recipe was frustrating! Ovens can vary, so baking times may differ. Using an oven thermometer, checking doneness with a toothpick, or tenting with foil if the top browns too fast can help next time. I appreciate your feedback and hope your next loaf turns out perfectly! xT
I made 2 versions of this yesterday, one sugar free for my husband and one with regular sugar for everyone else, I also used less salt then the recipe indicated for both loafs, didn’t affect the taste at all. I did have to bake them both about 8 minutes longer than the recipe suggested, both came out delicious. We love that it’s not too sweet, I might try using a combination of whole wheat and regular flour next time, I used all whole wheat this time. I’d also try squeezing the zucchini in a towel first, overall loved it though and my husband has already said it’s a keeper. Thanks Tieghan 🙂
Hey Wendy! I’m so glad you loved this bread! Awesome to know you were able to adapt it to your needs and make it sugar free! Thanks for giving the recipe a try 🙂 xT
This recipe is not great! Ratios are wrong, mushy, did not cook at all.
Hey Kathy! I am so sorry this bread didn’t turn out for you! Thank you for trying it out! I appreciate the input! xT
I made this using my niece’s homemade apple butter and frozen shredded zucchini from my harvest “last year” that I thawed, drained and dried off the excess water. I baked mine for 53 minutes, but it did test done at 50. I was afraid to swirl in too much extra apple butter, but I know now, I can use at least 3 TBS. since the structure of the bread and texture held up well. I was afraid it would make the bread too wet especially since using frozen zucchini. My only issue is the amount of salt. I hesitated to add 1 full tsp especially using salted butter, but I like to follow recipe as written. The bread is way too salty in my opinion. I will eat it along with a smear of pure churned maple butter but I will need to adjust the rest of my salt intake after I eat a piece! Other than the excessive saltiness, the bread was a winner, and I will make again.
Hi Lori! I’m so glad the bread turned out well and held its texture, even with frozen zucchini! Thanks for sharing your tweaks with the apple butter! Overall, it sounds like it was a success! xT
So very very delicious.
Not too sweet with brown sugar.
I added crushed walnuts and was even more delicious.
Thank you kindly
Great recipe!
Hey Dorothy! I’m so glad you loved it! Crushed walnuts sound like such a perfect addition! Thanks for trying out this recipe! xT
Absolutely delicious and perfect!!
Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe Keanna! I’m so glad you enjoyed this bread! 🙂 xT
Turned out mushy and more raw, I even baked it longer. Yuck.
Hey Jamison! I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for the input, it’s always appreciated! 🙂 xT
This did not turn out well.
Hey Susan! So sorry you didn’t enjoy this bread! Let me know how I can help! xT