Banana Zucchini Bread
Homemade banana zucchini bread is a delicious recipe for easy quick bread that kids love. It's a great idea for using up older bananas and extra zucchini in late summer. For best results, use overripe bananas and medium zucchini to make a healthy zucchini bread with just the right amount of sweetness.
I've been making this easy zucchini bread recipe for over a decade, it is one of my girls' all-time favorite breakfast treats. They get so excited when they smell the kitchen as the bread bakes.
It is one of our favorite quick bread recipes because individual slices can be popped in the toaster and warmed through for a healthy afternoon snack.
You could bake it in a traditional loaf pan or make sweet mini loaves for sharing with friends.
If you've got lots of zucchini and brown bananas, you're all set to make the best banana bread recipe you've ever tried.
However, if you don't want to use bananas, be sure to check out my classic zucchini bread recipe because it has lots of fun variation ideas included.
And if you're looking for more ways to use this prolific garden vegetable, don't miss my 30 zucchini recipes here.
Why This Is the Best Recipe
- One Bowl: The entire banana bread recipe is mixed together in just one mixing bowl so there's almost no mess to clean up after.
- Ten Minutes: Shredding the zucchini will be the most complicated step and the recipe can be prepped super quickly. You can use a food processor or a simple box grater.
- Delicious Crust: The crust is the BEST part. It has a fantastic sugary crispness. We all fight over the end pieces.
- Moist Center: The bread is very thick and deliciously tender.
Looking for a lighter, fluffier banana bread recipe? Our bread machine banana bread recipe with pecans is a sliceable bread that makes amazing French toast.
Ingredients
This easy zucchini banana bread recipe has a short list of ingredients, you likely have most of this in your pantry right now!
- Flour: I use all purpose flour for this recipe but you could use a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour if you prefer.
- White Sugar: Regular white sugar gives the crust an amazing texture, but you could use part brown sugar if you prefer.
- Buttermilk *See recipe card for an easy substitution
- Vegetable Oil: I always use vegetable oil for my baking but coconut oil would bring an interesting flavor to the bread, too. I do not recommend olive oil in this recipe.
- Large Eggs: Room temperature eggs definitely bake better but in a pinch, I use them straight from the fridge.
- Butter
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla Extract
- Mashed Bananas: For the best banana flavor, choose brown bananas with plenty of polka dot spots on them. I use medium bananas, you may need to adjust the quantity if yours are extra large.
- Grated Zucchini: Always use fresh zucchini. I prefer medium sized ones but if you have a large zucchini or extra small zucchini, just grate the vegetable and then measure it with a measuring cup.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch bread pan with softened butter.
Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Add the wet ingredients: grated zucchini, eggs, canola oil, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients together until everything is completely combined.
HINT: If the melted butter is still hot, don't pour it directly onto the raw eggs or they'll begin to cook. I prefer to mix the melted butter into the batter and then add the eggs. This helps cool the butter down before it touches the raw egg.
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Add the dry ingredients: Once the batter has been stirred, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and stir it together.
Be sure to really scrape the bottom of the bowl, you don't want any hidden dry pockets of flour mixture in your batter.
Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Smooth it out and nudge it into the corners.
Run your spatula down the center of the bread to help even it out.
NOTE: I have found a basic metal bread pan to be the best tool for this recipe. I have a prettier ceramic baking dish with ruffled edges but it tends to burn the outer crust before the inside of the bread is finished baking.
Bake the bread for 60 - 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The outer crust will develop a deep golden brown color but the inside could still be very much underdone. You absolutely need to do the toothpick test to be safe.
This is a very thick batter and the center takes a long time to cook properly. If your bread is getting too dark, you can cover it with aluminum foil to help prevent further browning.
If you've greased your baking pan with butter, your quick bread should pop right out easily for serving.
Variations
This is banana zucchini bread is simply perfect as is, but next time these would be some fun ways to mix things up a little:
- Chocolate Chip Banana Zucchini Bread - Toss ½ cup chocolate chips in 1 tablespoon flour and stir them into the batter just before adding to the pan. (This helps prevent the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the quick bread.) You could even make these chocolate zucchini muffins by baking them in a muffin tin.
- Pineapple Zucchini Bread - Add crushed pineapple and shredded coconut.
- Banana Nut Zucchini Bread - Add ½ cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the batter just before adding to the pan. Pecans or walnuts would be excellent.
- Cinnamon Spice Banana Bread - Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg to the batter along with the dry ingredients.
- Banana Streusel Muffins: Spread the batter out into a muffin pan and top with this easy homemade streusel mix.
- Banana Bread Muffins: Skip the streusel and just make these classic banana bread muffins with a hint of cinnamon or for special dietary needs, you could try these almond flour banana muffins.
Storage
This quick bread rarely lasts more than a couple days at our house. It is best served warm the day it is baked but keeps well in an airtight container for 3 days.
To Freeze: Let the banana bread cool completely, wrap in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn and then place inside a freezer bag for extra protection, and freeze for 3 - 6 months. Simply loosen the wrappings to prevent condensation on the bread and thaw in the fridge overnight.
Top tip
Remember, the batter will be very thick and it takes a long time to bake completely through. Be sure to prick the center with a toothpick to test for doneness.
Recipe FAQs
Usually the bananas I use in this recipe are 2 - 3 days from the grocery store purchase. They have a smattering of black or brown polka dots on the outer peel but haven't completely turned color yet.
This is a great way to store bananas if you don't have time to bake them up right away. Just store the whole banana in an airtight container in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight, remove the peels, and proceed through the recipe as directed.
Rinse the zucchini well. Trim off one end with a knife. Then simply use the medium grate on a box grater placed over a plate to catch the shredded zucchini. You do not need to wring the moisture from the zucchini before using. Just measure what you need with a dry measuring cup and add it to the batter.
Easy Breakfast Treats
Looking for a few more ideas to add to your breakfast menu?
These delicious baked treats are perfect for a special weekend breakfast or festive brunch:
More Quick Bread Recipes
If you love the ease of baking quick breads, don't miss my other favorite breads:
How to Use Leftover Zucchini
If you have a little leftover grated zucchini after making this quick bread recipe, don't toss it out!
You can mix it together with just 3 more ingredients to make my favorite cheesy grated zucchini gratin side dish.
📖 Recipe
Banana Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup grated zucchini
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup buttermilk *See Notes for substitution
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the baking rack in the center of the oven. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with 1 tbsp softened butter and set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the shredded zucchini, melted butter, canola oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Stir together with a spatula until well blended. Mixing Note: If you stir the melted butter into the buttermilk first, it will help cool it down so it doesn't cook the raw eggs.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to the mixing bowl. Combine with the wet ingredients until just blended. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so you don't have any hidden dry pockets of flour.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and run a spatula down the center to pop any air bubbles.
- Bake for 60 - 70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean with moist crumbs attached. It is a very thick bread and may require a little more time depending on your oven.
- Cool the bread for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
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Does it need to be while milk? Rather, can I use a substitution for the milk like almond or soy milk?