We! Love! a! Loaf! One of my most popular loaf recipes of all time is this Brown Butter Banana Bread. Simple, easy, and gorgeous. Now she has a cousin – this Brown Butter Zucchini Bread (with miso!), and of course, she is equally delicious.
I shouldn’t bury the lead: this brown butter zucchini bread is hands down one of the best zucchini breads I’ve ever made. And yes, I mean it. We’re talking about a deeply moist zucchini loaf that gets a serious flavor boost from nutty brown butter, a little unexpected white miso, and melty chunks of dark chocolate. And the best part? It only takes about 90 minutes from start to finish.
I used to think miso was overdone, a trendy ingredient that didn’t need to be in EVERY dessert. But trust me, in this recipe it’s there for a reason. The salty-sweet, caramelized thing that happens when you mash white miso into bubbling brown butter is excellent. The zucchini keeps everything tender and moist, while the miso and chocolate team up to make every bite taste complex, earthy, and just sweet enough.
This isn’t just another loaf cake to have with coffee—it’s the kind of homemade zucchini bread that makes people immediately ask for the recipe.
Why this Brown Butter Zucchini Bread is worth making
There are already a million zucchini bread recipes out there, so let’s talk about why this one deserves a spot at the very top of your list.
- Brown butter, of course: Browning butter is one of those simple tricks that makes everything taste like you worked twice as hard as you did. Nutty, toasty, and complex.
- Miso in dessert = that little something extra: A spoonful of white miso adds umami and a savory depth that balances sweetness. Instead of cloying, the loaf tastes layered and sophisticated.
- Moist but not soggy: Thanks to zucchini, the crumb stays tender for days without collapsing. This is a loaf you can bake on Sunday and enjoy all week. I am incredibly picky about my loaf moisture, so you know you can trust me on this.
- Chocolate chunks: Because obviously!! The dark chocolate melts into little pockets throughout, balancing the earthy zucchini and savory miso. But you can use any kind of chocolate you like.
If you’re looking for the best zucchini bread recipe, this is it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You don’t need anything wild here—just a few pantry staples plus zucchini, miso, and chocolate.
- 2 medium zucchini (400g) – shredded, with just a little moisture squeezed out.
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g) – the base for our brown butter, if you only have salted, that’s fine, too.
- 2 tablespoons white miso – subtle but powerful!
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (165g) – this keeps things sweet, but not overly so.
- 2 large eggs – for added structure, they are what hold the bread together.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – because it would be wrong without it.
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (210g) – your classic base. You can opt for whole wheat if you prefer!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder + ½ teaspoon baking soda – Using both kinds assures initial power from the baking soda and backup reassurance from the double-acting baking powder.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (if using Diamond Crystal) – balances all the flavors. If you are using a finer grain salt, use half the amount.
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped – but semi-sweet or milk chocolate works fine, too.
Step-by-step: How to make Brown Butter Zucchini Bread
This is a straightforward loaf, with one small twist: making that miso brown butter. Don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds, and you don’t need to cool it!
- Prep the zucchini: Grate your zucchini with a box grater on the largest setting, then give each handful one gentle squeeze to release excess water. You don’t need to wring it dry—just enough so it’s not soggy.
- Make the brown miso butter: Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the miso and mash it in with a spatula until it forms a paste. Let it bubble, foam, and turn golden brown, about 4–5 minutes. The smell? Incredible.
- Combine with zucchini: Pour the hot brown butter mixture directly over the grated zucchini and whisk together. This cools the butter while infusing the zucchini with flavor.
- Whisk in the wet ingredients: Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients: Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a spatula when the batter thickens.
- Fold in chocolate: Gently mix in the chopped dark chocolate.
- Bake: Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment, pour in the batter, and bake at 350°F for 50–55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool (the hardest part): Let the loaf rest 30–45 minutes before slicing. Be strong—it’s worth the wait.
Tips for the Best Zucchini Bread
- Don’t over-squeeze the zucchini: A little moisture is key for that tender crumb, and to hold the wet ingredients together. So squeeze it well, but no need to wring it dry.
- Use good miso: White miso paste is best here—it’s mild, slightly sweet, and blends beautifully into desserts.
- Chocolate choice matters: I love a bar of chocolate that I can chop into slivers. It’s much better than chips, IMO!
- Lining your pan: Parchment paper makes it so much easier to lift out the loaf without breaking it apart.
- Storage: This moist zucchini bread keeps covered at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge up to a week.
Why add miso in zucchini bread?
If you’ve never used miso in baking before, you might be skeptical. But here’s the deal: miso adds saltiness, depth, and umami. Instead of making your loaf “taste like miso soup,” it enhances sweetness the way a pinch of sea salt makes chocolate taste better. It rounds everything out, leaving you with a loaf that’s craveable and subtly salty, rather than cloying.
Combined with brown butter, miso turns this into moist zucchini bread with a sophisticated twist. You’ll never go back.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is amazing as written, but here are a few fun twists if you want to experiment:
- Nutty vibes: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
- Spice it up: A teaspoon of cinnamon would pair beautifully with the miso and chocolate.
- Gluten-free: Swap the flour for a good 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Mini loaves or muffins: Adjust bake time to about 20–25 minutes for muffins.
How to store your Brown Butter Zucchini Bread
One of the best things about this moist zucchini bread is that it keeps beautifully, which makes it perfect for baking ahead. Here’s how I like to store it:
- At room temperature: Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or store in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days on the counter.
- In the fridge: If you want it to last longer, store your homemade zucchini bread in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just let slices come to room temperature (or give them a quick toast) before eating.
- In the freezer: This loaf freezes like a dream. Slice it first, then wrap each piece in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. That way you can pull out a single slice whenever the craving strikes.
And that’s it for this Brown Butter Zucchini Bread (with miso!). If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 9×5' baking dish preferably steel
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, 400 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 113 grams
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 165 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton’s
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Use the largest holes in a box grater to grate the zucchini into big shreds. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini, but don't go crazy, just one good squeeze per handful will do. Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl.
- Place a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the 113 grams of butter. Let this melt, then add in the miso. Use a spatula to mash the miso into the melted butter, creating nearly a paste. Stir occasionally and let this toast over medium heat until nice, foamy, and beginning to turn a deep golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the brown miso butter to the bowl with the zucchini. Whisk together to allow the zucchini to cool the brown butter.
- Add in 165 grams of granulated sugar, 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
- Then add to the bowl 210 grams of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Stir with the whisk to combine, then switch to a spatula to fold in the 6 ounces of chopped chocolate.
- Line a 9 by 5-inch baking tin with parchment paper. Pour in the batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Let this cool at room temperature for 30-45 minutes (I know…but be strong). Then gently remove from the pan, slice and serve!
Comments
Amazing idea!!! I’m going to bake it right now! Can I also use dark miso paste?
Red or white miso work wonderfully!
Is there a substitute for maple syrup or honey instead of sugar? Thank you!!
Hi! While I personally haven’t tested it with either of those, I know from past baking that honey tends to dry out a cake as a substitute. If you are using one or the other, I’d opt for maple syrup!
Thank you for this lovely recipe! The sweetness is perfectly balanced and the brown butter and miso are very gentle but not too much so!
I am so happy to have stumbled upon your content via YouTube- your cooking is amazing. Just finished baking the zucchini brown butter miso loaf and can’t wait to taste. I tweaked the recipe and added some orange zest sugar mixed with black tea on the topping. Keep up the great work.
PS- your kitchen renovation is gorgeous.
Thank you <3 And wow I am so glad you made this loaf so quickly, I hope it turned out well!!
I always turn to your recipes when I’m in a bit of a cooking rut. Made this tonight on a whim after making the tamari heirloom tomatoes with crispy rice (also amazing), and it’s my new fave zucchini bread. So perfect. Used a huge golden zucchini from my garden and red miso paste. Love it all.
Gosh this comment makes me so happy. I’m so thrilled you liked it!!
This is a yummy yummy treat! Like many of my favorite desserts, it isn’t too sweet, has a great texture, and such an interesting and tasty flavor! As with all of Justine’s recipes, it’s so easy to follow and a for sure delight for guests! Highly recommend!
This comment is the kindest – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Is the 400g of Zucchini before or after it’s been grated?
Either! The grating shouldn’t change the weight 🙂
Love it!!
What ingredient can I use to substitute miso?
Thank you
Hi there! It’s hard to sub, so if anything I would suggest you omit it and add 1/4 teaspoon more of salt or MSG if you have it!
Will it affect the recipe too much if I skip the miso? I don’t like sea salt on my chocolate. Also, I watched your video on this bread on instagram, and I thought it would be so great if the loaf tasted like coffee (I love coffee desserts). Could I swap the miso with a bit of coffee or maybe just pour a bit right into the batter? If I do, should I add extra dry ingredients? I understand if you can’t answer these questions, as you haven’t tested coffee in the recipe, I just thought you may have some insight since you make so many of your own recipes. I really enjoy your recipes.
Hi Kate, I wouldn’t add any dry ingredients if you add coffee. Just leave it as-is and see how the flavor changes! You can absolutely skip the miso if you don’t like a savory kick.
Just made this and it turned out great! I used cherries as I had some I needed to use up but didn’t have any chocolate. I left out a bit of zucchini (maybe 30-50g) and it turned out perfectly moist and soft. I love that the miso and brown butter give it a hint of savoriness too.
This loaf is so delicious. I am always very cognizant of sugar in desserts so, without fail, I reduce the sugar I use in all recipes. For this one, I used 1/4 cup of sugar instead of what was called for. The sugar was not missed!!!! It was so very tasty!
Made it with wholemeal flour, reduced sugar by 20% and only had 130g dark chocolate at hand. Just had a slice – delicious!
I just wanted to double check if subing the egg for flax meal instead would work out just fine? Thank you in advance!
Hi there! The loaf won’t have a ton of lift, but if you are fine with a flatter cake, flax egg is a great sub!
I made this yesterday with a mix of milk and semi sweet chocolate. This exceeded my expectations . Shared the loaf with some friends and everyone loved it! Next time I will add some walnuts but overall a very solid recipe. Also super easy to make, thank you Justine!!
So SO happy you liked it!
Could I also turn this into a cake? By maybe adding a cardamom frosting on top (like the one from the carrot loaf recipe) and bake it in a round baking dish?
A round baking dish will decrease your baking time, so I’d start checking it around the 30 minute mark!
I have just made this cake fully following instructions and the end result was a quite dense cake, more like fudgy rather than fluffy. Also, the two tablespoons of white miso resulted in a very salty cake with a saltiness that lingers in the mouth for a long time. I gently squeezed out the water from the zucchini – wondering if I should have worked harder to remove more?
My oven is usually very reliable and I cooked it with ventilation at 180C. I did leave the cake resting for 1h before baking.
Any idea what could have gone wrong to lead to this result?
Hi Elisabete! Lots of factors could have led to this, from the moisture in the zucchini being too high, so the baking time being too low, to your leaveners being expired. This is designed to be a moist cake, the photos are a good descriptor of how it should look. The miso should not cause a saltiness other than the same level a small pinch of salt would, so I’m worried there might have been too little sugar or flour, which can also greatly impact a cake’s texture. Did you measure all the ingredients by weight? I assume yes since you measure in Celsius, but that is always my first route when trouble-shooting an error!
The Facebook video of this had me salivating and I needed a breakfast “cake” for and OW swim meet, so this sounded good. It’s a pretty straightforward recipe, I used half rye and half Freee GF flour, which has worked well, it did take much longer to cook, so maybe I should have squeezed out more water from the courgettes.
I’ll definately be making this one again!!
So glad you liked it!
In general, just wanted to take a moment to say that I appreciate you putting the quantities in recipe directions in addition to the ingredient list, saves me from having to scroll up 4738743x to double check how much flour I should be adding
Delicious recipe, the umami of the miso balances the sweetness of the chocolate beautifully. It was somewhat difficult to tell if my butter was browned once I added the miso as it turned it all a light brown color once it was mixed in so I went by smell rather than color to determine browning. This is how my second favorite zucchini dessert recipe (#1 is still your sticky oat zucchini cookies)
The first part of this comment made my day, the second part is equally nice and I do understand how it can be tricky to gauge your butter browning, since the miso is so prominent compared to the milk solids. My best advice would be to lower the heat a touch if you feel your miso is browning too quickly and look to the edges to see where the milk solids are at in their browning process. I hope this helps next time you make it <3
This recipe was posted less than a week ago and I’ve already made 3 loaves! I followed the recipe exactly and loved it. Thank you for a delicious new recipe for my rotation!
One question I have… I’ve never browned the butter with the miso mixing in it before. It appears to me that when I’m cooking it, the miso is browning before the milk solids in the butter are toasting? It is hard to gauge the browning of the butter because the miso is getting so toasty. I’ve browned plenty of butter in my life, but with the miso mixed in I’m not sure if I’ve even browned the butter or if the miso is the only part browning. Or maybe they are melding together and I just can’t tell… Either way, it’s delicious!
In my experience they are melding, which I know can be hard to gauge since the miso is so chunky and large compared to the milk solids! To keep their speed at a similar time, I lower the heat on the pan if I see the miso is browning too quickly compared to the butter, but even then my miso can get pretty dark before my milk solids are ready. I’m so glad you liked the loaf and I hope this (sort of!) answered your question!
How do we feel about leaving out the chocolate? Would I need to adjust anything else if I do that? TY!
No need to adjust! It should turn out very similar 🙂
just made this, and it may be a new favourite baking recipe! agree with a few other commenters that it could use less sugar – I did 120g but would do less next time, still (but that’s a personal preference) 🙂
also, I used a shallow baking dish and it worked great, extra crisp!
Any alterations to ingredients or time or temp if going full maverick and baking as muffins (in a Silpat muffin ‘tin’)? Thanks for your time and expertise!
Hi! I would suggest dropping the baking time to 23-25 minutes 🙂 Then checking them from there!
I made this and subbed the AP flour with part 1-to-1 GF flour and almond flour and it turned out great! I appreciated the amount of sugar used too since other recipes I was looking at had nearly double the amount. The bread was a hit with my family. My first Justine Snacks recipe, will definitely be trying more 🙂 Thank you!
So so happy you liked it!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this recipe. Baked it with ingredients measured using a food scale (all flour I have says 30 gm = 1/4 cup – so the cups listed here don’t match that). My batter was definitely a bit moist compared to the video, but my zucchini wasn’t particularly water-y so not sure! It did bake up ok and the texture was lovely – moist but not gummy. I shared it with a few people who thought it tasted good but not like zucchini bread. I think this was just a touch too salty for me, and I didn’t love the browned butter miso flavor paired with the squash-y flavor of the zucchini! It almost had an essence of corn – so I could see this combo being amazing in a cornbread. I think I was also missing the warm, molasses-type flavors of zucchini bread which to me I prefer with the squash flavor. Appreciate the creativity and it may be the recipe for you if you want a different take!
sooooo gooood. doubled the recipe after i realized i grated too many squashes. used brown sugar / coconut sugar and granulated sugars. i did not add the chocolate inside but put a thin layer of chocolate ganache on top of a few loaves which converted a 12 year old to believe zucchini bread is part of a summer garden harvest. i have made many zucchini breads in my day and this was perfectly moist, salty, sweet and brown buttery. delicious with or with out chocolate.
I’m so so happy to hear you liked it!
A hit with the whole house. Second loaf already in the oven. Used 90% cocoa choc because it’s all I had but sprinkled some brown and raw sugar on the top to balance. Perfection.
So so happy to hear this. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
A wonderful recipe!! Keeps well on the counter for days (although usually dosent last that long). I prefer milk chocolate chips but any kind are great!!
I’m so thrilled you love it, it’s one of my favorites! Thank you for taking the time to leave review!
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