This yellow squash bread recipe makes a moist and delicious quick bread perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. It’s made with white and brown sugar, warm cinnamon and a secret ingredient that adds a bit of tanginess and moisture to the bread, resulting in a tender texture.
Making this bread is the perfect way to use the abundance of yellow squash that most gardens yield every season. When neighbors and coworkers load me up with some of their surplus I make this bread for them. This is a great way to ensure that I am first on the list to get what they are unable to use year after year. It is a win-win!
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Ingredients
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Ingredient Notes
While this may seem like a lot of ingredients you probably have many of these in your cupboards right now.
yellow squash – also known as summer squash, straightneck squash or crookneck squash and is slightly sweeter than zucchini.
flour – we use regular all purpose flour.
canola oil – I use this because it is what I keep on hand.
sour cream – this is that secret ingredient I mentioned above, it works well to activate the baking soda in this recipe.
eggs – fresh room temperature eggs work best.
sugar – we use equal amounts of white sugar and light brown sugar.
leavening agents – using a combination of baking powder and baking soda results in a more consistent flavor, texture, and appearance in many quick bread recipes.
salt – this ingredient helps to enhance flavor and texture in baked goods.
cinnamon – a spice that pairs well with the squash to give our bread great flavor.
vanilla – make sure you are using pure vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla.
How to make this summer squash bread recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9″ X 5″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Grate the yellow squash.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
- Mix the oil, sugars, eggs, sour cream and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Stir in the grated squash.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until the top dries out and begins to crack, the loaf pulls away from the sides of the pan or a toothpick or cake tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes then take it out of the pan and cool completely.
Tips
- I use the large grating holes of my box grater to grate the squash.
- This bread has a crunchy exterior right after it comes out of the oven. If you wrap the cooled bread in plastic wrap the crust will soften.
- The flavors meld together and the bread becomes more moist if you wait to eat it the next day.
- Take your eggs and sour cream out of the fridge about an hour before you want to make this so they can come to room temperature.
- The color of your pan will effect the baking time and color of the bread. Dark pans result in a slightly shorter cook time and darker crust.
Substitutions and additions
- You can swap the yellow squash with zucchini.
- Swap in whole wheat flour for some of the white flour. Because wheat flour will absorb more moisture resulting in a denser texture I would not use more than maybe ½ cup.
- Vegetable oil or melted coconut oil can be used instead of canola oil. Olive oil is not recommended in this recipe.
- Instead of sour cream use an equal amount of applesauce or plain Greek yogurt.
- Add about 1 cup of chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts.
Can you use summer squash in zucchini bread?
Yes, you can use summer squash in any zucchini bread. Just make sure you prepare it as specified in the zucchini bread recipe. You may notice a slightly different flavor and color but it should not effect the overall finished bread.
Storage
I don’t have an airtight container that is the right shape and size for this bread. So, I wrap my bread in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil that I fold tightly around the plastic wrap. This is how my mother-in-law did it and that is how I have always done it. Store at room temperature for about 3 days or in the refrigerator for about a week.
Did you love this recipe?
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Yellow Summer Squash Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups grated squash about 1 medium
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9" X 5" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.cooking spray
- Grate the yellow squash.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined; set aside.1 ¾ cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix oil, sour cream, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Stir in grated squash. Add squash mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.½ cup canola oil, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 ½ cups grated squash
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 1 hour, or until the top dries out and begins to crack, the loaf pulls away from the sides of the pan or a toothpick or cake tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes then take it out of the pan and cool completely.
Notes
Bookmark this page to find it quickly when you are ready to make this recipe!
Nutrition Facts
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This is delicious, great taste and texture that honours the squash!
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for commenting and reviewing!
Hi, Mandy.
Tried your yellow squash bread recipe!
I made a double batch!
They just.
Came out of the oven and looked wonderful
Could I frost one and use it for a birthday cake?
Do you have any suggestions for a frosting?
thanks!!!!
I think a cream cheese frosting, or maple or vanilla buttercream would be delicious!
Just made a double Batch.
And it turned out Wonderful.
I’d like to frost one and use it for a birthday cake.
Do you think it would work thanks? Do you have a suggestion for the frosting?
Made these into mini muffins and added mini chocolate chips. Cooked 18 minutes. Made almost 2 dozen.
Thanks for sharing!
This bread was absolutely delicious. I substituted the sour cream for applesauce.
Thanks Julie, I’m glad you like it!
hi, I have excess yellow squash (lol) and was thinking about making this bread, but the ones I have have a lot of seeds. Will those grate up; or should I try to cut the middle out before grating; or just wait till I have other squash?
HI, Lisa,
If the seeds are large or tough, it’s best to scoop them out before grating. But if they’re small and tender, you can grate the whole squash just fine.
I hope you like it!
Mindy
I made this bread yesterday. It’s very moist like I like a quick bread to be, but I didn’t think it had much flavor. I will make it again but I’ll add more cinnamon to it and maybe another teaspoon of vanilla. I made the 3 mini loaves which is just the right size for my husband and myself.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and sharing your experience! My family really enjoys it as written, and I’ve had several comments both on the blog and Pinterest from others who’ve loved it too. But that’s the beauty of baking at home, you can easily tweak it to suit your own tastes! I think extra cinnamon and vanilla sound like delicious additions. I’m glad the mini loaves worked out well for you and your husband!
Do you squeeze the excess liquid from the squash before mixing it all up?
I don’t and it helps to keep the bread moist.
Thank you so much. I plan on making this real soon, summer squash is starting to come outta my ears. LOL
Switched it to a gf recipe for my friends that can’t have gluten. Left my squash juicy as gf flour sometimes absorbs a lot of liquid. Turned out super moist and was a big hit
So glad this came out great gluten free!
My friends and family love this summer squash bread! They asked me to make it again and to share the recipe.
I am so glad everyone loved it, thanks for commenting and reviewing!