Yellow Squash Bread (like zucchini bread)

This yellow squash bread is a delicious twist on classic zucchini bread, made with yellow squash for a moist, soft crumb. It’s lightly sweet, comforting, and the perfect way to use up fresh summer squash.

Zucchini bread with yellow squash

As much as I adore zucchini bread, sometimes my garden is overflowing with yellow summer squash! If the same thing happens in your garden, you're in luck.

Dare I say, this yellow squash bread might even be better than zucchini bread. I won't say it myself, but I will tell you this: my husband said it's the best bread I've ever made!

It's moist and perfectly sweet with warm cinnamon and grated summer squash. Don't take my word for it. Try it out and see for yourself.

Key Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card for exact ingredients and amounts.

• White and brown sugar - A combo gives the perfect texture and flavor!
• Vegetable oil - While I love butter, oil keeps a quick bread wonderfully moist. If you prefer to avoid vegetable oil, you can use another neutral-flavored oil instead.
• Mashed banana - Make sure and use a ripe banana! Mashed banana adds moisture to the bread and a subtle flavor that complements the squash. (Try my banana bread recipe too!)
• All-purpose flour - I've not tried this quick bread with wheat flour. If you want to make this bread gluten-free, swap the all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
• Cinnamon - The warmth of cinnamon is the perfect touch!
• Yellow squash - Yellow squash has a mild flavor and subtle sweetness that makes it perfect for quick breads! You won't miss zucchini at all.

How to make yellow squash bread

This sweet loaf is pure bliss and it's so easy to make!

• Preheat your oven and grease a loaf pan. I just use a simple nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix both sugars with the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Don't be afraid to give it some muscle until all the ingredients come together and look smooth.

• Add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir until a smooth batter forms.
• Stir the shredded squash into the batter. You don't need to squeeze the liquid out of the squash first.

• Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. I've made this recipe several times now and each time that was exactly 70 minutes for me.
• Let the bread cool in the pan for a little bit before you turn it onto a cooling rack. Sometimes, I just cut slices straight in the pan.

Recipe tips

• I used the large holes on a box grater to grate the squash. After cutting off both ends, I grate it from the round side rather than lengthwise. This keeps the strands from getting too long and makes them easier to incorporate into the batter.
• Make sure the loaf is completely baked before taking it out of the oven. Seventy minutes may sound like a long time, but that was the perfect baking time in my oven. Because the squash adds so much moisture, you don't want to pull the loaf out too early and end up with a gummy center.

Substitutions

• Summer squash - You can absolutely swap the yellow squash with shredded zucchini if that's what you have. Or just follow my zucchini bread recipe!
• Oil - If you don't want to use vegetable oil, melted butter or coconut oil should work too.
• Mix-ins - You could definitely add raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, or even dried cranberries to this quick bread.

Can yellow squash be substituted for zucchini in bread?

Absolutely! Yellow squash and zucchini are both summer squash with a mild flavor, tender texture, similar sweetness, and high water content. Because of these similarities, yellow squash makes an excellent substitute for zucchini in quick breads.

You can swap them one-for-one, so your favorite zucchini bread recipe can easily become yellow squash bread.

storage tips

• It's important to let the quick bread cool completely before storing it. If you wrap it while it's still warm, trapped condensation can make the bread soggy and cause it to spoil faster.
• Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a large zip-top bag, pressing out as much air as possible before sealing.
• Squash bread freezes beautifully! I like to freeze it in individual slices so it's easy to thaw just what you need. Place the slices in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, removing as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months.

More quick breads to try

• Honey Banana Bread
• Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Bread
• Banana Bread with Frozen Bananas