Yellow squash bread is an extremely moist and flavorful treat that can easily be frozen so you can enjoy it any time of the year. It is the perfect recipe for when you have a ton of excess summer squash on hand with no idea how to use it. This quick bread is so sweet and delicious, that no one will even know there is squash in it!
This squash bread is a real treat, no matter what time of year. I love to wrap it up and put it in gift baskets alongside some pineapple pie bars and oatmeal raisinet cookies. Enjoy!
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It always seems that I have a massive amount of yellow squash at the end of the summer. Therefore, I'm always on the lookout for tasty dishes and recipes to try so that this versatile squash doesn't go to waste!
This summer squash bread is the perfect solution to having excess squash on hand. It is a ridiculously easy quick bread that is insanely delicious. Even picky eaters will love it.
🥘 Ingredients
The key to this recipe is choosing the right squash. Make sure you choose younger yellow squash (crookneck or straight neck) that are small or medium in size for the most impactful flavor.
Yellow Squash Bread
- Eggs - 3 room temperature large eggs that have been beaten.
- Sugar - 1½ cups of white granulated sugar.
- Oil - 1 cup of vegetable oil.
- Vanilla - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
- Flour - 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder - 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Cinnamon - 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. If freshly grinding whole nutmeg, only use ¼ teaspoon, as it is much more potent.
- Yellow Squash - 2 cups of shredded yellow squash (*see note).
Lemon Icing (Optional)
- Confectioners' Sugar - ½ cup of confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar).
- Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, plus more as needed for adjusting the consistency.
- Lemon Zest (optional) - Sprinkle some lemon zest over the icing for some extra flavor and texture, if desired.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Yellow Squash Bread
This is such an easy bread recipe, it is even beginner-friendly. Make sure to grab your mixing bowl and 9x13 pan (or a loaf pan).
This recipe will make 16 servings. These serving sizes may appear slightly different depending on whether you choose to use a 9x13 pan, loaf pan, mini loaf pan, or a muffin tin.
Make The Bread
- Preheat and prepare. To begin, preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish (*see note).
- Beat the eggs. Add your 3 eggs to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them until they are fluffy with plenty of bubbles.
- Combine ingredients. Add in the 1½ cups of sugar, 1 cup of oil, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Beat the mixture to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Add the 3 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg then mix until evenly distributed.
- Add flour and squash. Mix in the 3 cups of flour, scraping the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl until smooth. *Your batter will be fairly thick. Gently fold the shredded squash into the batter and then transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
- Bake. Bake for about 45 minutes at 325°F (165°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (*see note for baking times using different pan sizes).
- Cool. Once the bread is done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before drizzling with icing.
Make The Lemon Icing
- Mix and adjust. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup of confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Adjust the consistency by adding small amounts of powdered sugar (to thicken) or lemon juice (to thin).
- Drizzle. Once you are satisfied with the consistency of the icing, use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled squash bread. Sprinkle with lemon zest, if desired.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Choose young squash (crookneck or straight neck) for the best flavor! It is best to pick up squash that is small to medium in size, as they are more flavorful. Large squash can lose flavor and become watery.
- To give this bread a twist, you can add on a tasty crumb topping instead of the lemon icing!
- You can also use this recipe to make muffins, just follow the same instructions and bake for 20 minutes!
- If using an 8x4 loaf pan, bake for about 60 minutes. A mini loaf pan will bake for about 50 minutes.
- If using a loaf pan instead of a 9x13 baking dish, this recipe will yield about 1 standard loaf pan as well as 2 mini loaf pans.
- For some great texture, add some almonds, pecans, or raisins to your batter!
🥡 Storing
In a sealed container, this bread will keep for 2-3 days on the counter at room temperature. In the fridge, it can last for 1 week.
This bread freezes great! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place the loaves into a Ziploc bag. Simply thaw the loaves on the counter when you want to enjoy this bread again, any time of year.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Of course! Zucchini and yellow squash are super interchangeable when it comes to cooking and baking.
For another zucchini baked good, try out my pumpkin zucchini muffins!
Yellow squash has very thin and tasty skin. There is no need to peel it before cooking, baking, or even shredding!
Technically, you can- but I wouldn't recommend it. Yellow squash has the best flavor when it is small to medium in size. As it grows larger, the flavor becomes more and more diminished and the squash gets excessively watery.
🥖 More Quick Bread Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread - This recipe combines your favorite banana nut bread and adds in some sweet chocolate chips!
- Lemon Strawberry Bread - This wonderfully citrus bread has a flavor that is reminiscent of some refreshing strawberry lemonade!
- Blueberry Muffin Bread - Yes, this bread is exactly as delicious as it sounds! It has all of the yummy blueberry muffin flavors, but put into an easy-to-make loaf of bread!
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread - Anytime I'm treating myself to this incredibly decadent treat, I always forget that I'm not eating a slice of cake! It is moist, delicious, and ultra-fudgy!
- Pumpkin Streusel Bread - This warm and comforting fall-inspired bread is topped with a sweet and satisfying streusel topping!
- Apple Banana Bread - This tasty bread adds a fresh and new twist to your classic banana bread recipe!
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📖 Recipe Card
Yellow Squash Bread
Ingredients
Yellow Squash Bread
- 3 large eggs (beaten, at room temperature)
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups yellow squash (shredded - *see note)
Lemon Icing (Optional)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (more as needed)
- lemon zest (optional, for sprinkling over icing)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Make The Bread
- To begin, preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish (*see note).
- Add your eggs to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them until they are fluffy with plenty of bubbles.
- Add in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Beat the mixture to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg then mix until evenly distributed.
- Mix in the flour, scraping the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl until smooth. *Your batter will be fairly thick. Gently fold the shredded squash into the batter and then transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 45 minutes at 325°F (165°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (*see note for baking times using different pan sizes).
- Once the bread is done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before drizzling with icing.
Make The Lemon Icing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Adjust the consistency by adding small amounts of powdered sugar (to thicken) or lemon juice (to thin).
- Once you are satisfied with the consistency of the icing, use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled squash bread. Sprinkle with lemon zest, if desired.
Notes
- Choose young squash (crookneck or straight neck) for the best flavor! It is best to pick up squash that are small to medium in size, as they are more flavorful. Large squash can lose flavor and become watery.
- To give this bread a twist, you can add on a tasty crumb topping instead of the lemon icing!
- You can also use this recipe to make muffins, just follow the same instructions and bake for 20 minutes!
- If using an 8x4 loaf pan, bake for about 60 minutes. A mini loaf pan will bake for about 50 minutes.
- If using a loaf pan instead of a 9x13 baking dish, this recipe will yield about 1 standard loaf pan as well as 2 mini loaf pans.
- For some great texture, add some almonds, pecans, or raisins to your batter!
- To store: In a sealed container, this bread will keep for 2-3 days on the counter at room temperature. In the fridge, it can last for 1 week.
- To freeze: This bread freezes great! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place the loaves into a Ziploc bag. Simply thaw the loaves on the counter when you want to enjoy this bread again, any time of year!
Catherine Hoffman says
All I have to say is "whoa." Made this for the first time tonight. I didn't measure the squash. Just used what I had. I also added Garam masala, the Indian spice just because I had some. I also added some milk to the glaze because it was too thick. This is definitely going into the rotation!
Nancy Roy says
This bread is amazing! Perfect use of all that summer squash you have. Easy to make…I’ve made the bread and muffins. Added chocolate chips to the muffins and also blueberries to the bread. Delicious! Freezes great!
Meg says
This was delicious! I had to make some substitutions, but it turned out amazing! My daughter has an egg allergy, so I substituted flax “eggs” and I did not have vegetable oil, so I used avocado oil. Even my husband who turned his nose up to the idea of squash in dessert ate it and liked it! Thank you!
Jean Duffy says
This sounds yummy! How can I make it without the eggs?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thanks! See my egg substitute guide and find one that suits your needs to bake an egg-less version. Enjoy!
maryhelen says
can i use squash that has been frozen?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I would be careful with that as the frozen squash may end up being to watery. I suppose you could if after thawing you squeezed excess the moisture out.
Michael Chambers says
This was the first time I've tried this recipe. After reading the comments and a few other recipes for this I made it with 1/2 cup each of regular sugar and brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda, and three cups of shredded squash squeezed as dry as possible through paper towels (cheese cloth would have worked better). I'd never tried the crumble topping so I thought I'd use that instead of the lemon drizzle, mainly because of less sugar. I had the topping ready by the time the bread was done, then found out it should have been added before baking, so that was a bust, but the bread was still excellent in spite of that.
David D says
Loved this recipe. My only change next time I make it will be to add a pinch of salt into the batter, but other than then it is fabulous. But we usually eat it hot out of the oven with some butter slathered on. Cold leftovers may get butter, or a healthy topping of reddi whip or other whipped topping (maybe not very healthy, but also quite a treat!)
Michelle says
I haven’t made this yet, but I just wanted to comment on how nice and smart it was to add the measurements under the directions. SO convenient 🤗 👏🏻
Margaret A says
We have had so much yellow squash this year... I made this today and accidentally used 3 cups of squash instead of 2..... it still turned out fabulous! Very good and reminded me of amish friendship bread..... the lemon zest icing really added flavor as well. Great recipe! Thank you!
Jennifer says
This is a fantastic recipe. It tastes like a spice bread/cake. This a great way to use up a bumper yellow squash crop. I doubled the recipe, and it made 18 muffins and 1- 9x13. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! 🙂