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Pecan Praline Zucchini Bread

Pecan praline zucchini bread with a tender loaf and a sticky, caramelized praline pecan crown. This Southern zucchini bread bakes until nearly done, then gets topped and baked again for a glassy, crunchy finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bread
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
  • 0.5 cup pecans, chopped
Praline Topping
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 0.75 cup pecan halves

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Preheat and prepare pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together until evenly combined.
Mix batter
  1. Beat brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  2. Stir in grated and squeezed-dry zucchini until evenly distributed.
  3. Fold in dry ingredients and chopped pecans until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Bake until nearly done
  1. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake 50–55 minutes until nearly done.
Make praline topping and finish baking
  1. Meanwhile, melt butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat for 2–3 minutes until syrupy.
  2. Stir in pecan halves and cook briefly just to coat.
  3. Pour praline topping over the partially baked loaf.
  4. Return to oven and bake 10–12 minutes until the topping is set and bubbling.
  5. Cool 15 minutes before carefully removing the loaf.

Notes

Pro tip: squeeze the grated zucchini very well so the loaf stays tender, not gummy, and the praline crown turns glassy and crisp. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; rewarm slices briefly. Freeze baked slices up to 2 months. For a dairy-light swap, use evaporated milk or half-and-half instead of heavy cream (texture stays good, slightly softer topping).