Cinnamon Crunch Zucchini Muffin Quick Bread.

Swirls of cinnamon sugar run through the loaf, while sweet, crunchy cinnamon clusters bake right on top. It’s soft, perfectly sweet, and comes together in just one bowl. A simple way to sneak in zucchini that really is delicious! It’s just right for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a little something sweet after dinner.

There’s something about August that always makes me think of back-to-school season. Even though I haven’t been in school for many, many years (and honestly, I wasn’t much of a fan!), this time of year still feels exciting. Maybe it’s all the fresh produce or maybe it’s the memories of cozy baking, but August always has me craving recipes like this.

One of my mom’s go-to recipes was banana bread. She had a well-loved recipe tucked inside a little booklet, and it was the only one she ever made. I remember it being filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, and it always called for walnuts. Sometimes she’d use them, but more often than not she’d skip the walnuts and double the chocolate chips instead. In our house, banana bread was never made without chocolate chips.

This isn’t banana bread, though. We already have plenty of banana bread recipes here on HBH, and right now it’s zucchini season.

I’ve actually never shared a more traditional zucchini bread recipe, so I borrowed a little inspiration from my mom’s banana bread and created this cinnamon crunch version instead. I left out the chocolate this time, but if you’re a chocolate chip fan like my family, feel free to stir in a handful—or two. You really can’t go wrong.

These are the details

Ingredients

• granulated sugar
• cinnamon
• salted butter
• brown sugar
• plain Greek yogurt
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• zucchini
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda

Crunch

• dark brown sugar
• all-purpose flour
• cinnamon
• salted butter

The steps

Step 1: Make the Cinnamon Sugar

In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. This mixture gets layered through the middle of the bread and sprinkled over the top, creating sweet ribbons of cinnamon in every slice.

Step 2: Make the Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini.

There’s no need to squeeze the moisture from the zucchini. That extra moisture is what keeps the bread soft, tender, and fluffy.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then gently mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Make It Your Own: This is the perfect place to customize the loaf. We love adding chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pecans, or even pistachios. They’re all delicious!

Step 3: Layer the Cinnamon Sugar

Spread half of the batter into your prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle over most of the cinnamon sugar. Add the remaining batter and finish with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.

Using a butter knife, gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter. Just a few swirls are all you need. If you overdo it, you’ll lose those beautiful cinnamon ribbons.

Step 4: Make the Cinnamon Crunch

Stir together the dark brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter until little buttery clusters form. Sprinkle them evenly over the top of the loaf.

As the bread bakes, those clusters become sweet, crisp, and perfectly crunchy. They’re easily my favorite part! They remind me of the cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera, which I clearly need to make again soon.

Step 5: Bake

Bake until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. It’s especially delicious served warm with a generous smear of salted butter.

A Few Tips

Use a medium zucchini and grate it finely. You’ll need about 1 cup of grated zucchini.

And one more reminder—don’t squeeze out the zucchini! That extra moisture is what gives the bread its soft texture.

Be careful not to overmix the batter or over-swirl the cinnamon sugar. Both are key to creating a tender loaf with distinct cinnamon ribbons throughout.

And if you want to channel my mom’s banana bread, add chocolate chips. I left them out this time, but they would be absolutely delicious.

Perfect for Back-to-School

This is such a great loaf to bake at the beginning of the week. It’s perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or tucked into lunchboxes as a little treat.

Bake it on Sunday, let it cool completely, then slice it so it’s ready to grab throughout the week. I love that it feels like a treat while sneaking in an entire zucchini!

Freezing

This bread freezes beautifully. Let the loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly and freeze it whole, or slice it first and freeze the individual slices.

When you’re ready to enjoy it, let a slice thaw at room temperature or warm it in the microwave or toaster oven. Add a little salted butter, and it’s just as delicious as the day it was baked.