Banana Zucchini Bread

This delicious banana zucchini bread combines the natural sweetness of over-ripe mashed bananas with the mild earthy notes and moistness of shredded zucchini.

You’ll love this loaf because it’s a breeze to make, healthy and indulgent, and you can have it for a quick breakfast or as a healthy snack.

We developed this recipe without eggs to suit most people, including vegans and people who can’t eat eggs.

The crumb is soft and incredibly moist, thanks to the zucchini. Yet, it slices perfectly and holds well together.

To make zucchini banana bread even tastier, we like to add chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips, but these are optional and up to you.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Wet ingredients

• Bananas: use ripe or over-ripe bananas that have black dots on the skin. They are sweeter and easier to mash.
• Zucchini: you can use any zucchini, including green, grey, and yellow zucchini.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is healthier than most other oils and works perfectly in quick bread. Substitute avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or another neutral vegetable oil like canola oil and sunflower oil (less healthy). We don’t recommend extra virgin olive oil because it has too much flavor.
• Sugar: you can use white or brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract: substitute cinnamon or other spices like nutmeg, cloves, and all-spice.
• Milk: we use almond milk. Substitute other non-dairy milk or regular milk.

Dry ingredients

• Flour: we make this with all-purpose flour. Substitute 50% whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour to make the recipe healthier. We haven’t tried this with gluten-free flour.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt: just a pinch to tie the flavors together.

Add-ins (optional)

• Dark chocolate chips: substitute a dark chocolate bar chopped with a knife.
• Walnuts: substitute chopped pecan nuts, almonds, cranberries, or raisins.

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9 x 5 inches (23cm x 12cm) loaf pan with parchment paper on the bottom and brush the sides with oil or butter.

In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork, then add olive oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond milk.

Stir to combine, then fold in the zucchini, grated with the large holes of a box grater.

Tip: no need to peel or squeeze the water out of the zucchini.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine but without overmixing.

Fold in the dark chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F or 180°C.

The banana zucchini bread should be a dark golden brown on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly dry.

Let it cool down completely – at least 3 hours but better overnight – on a wire rack, then slice into 0.8 Inches or 2 cm thick slices and enjoy.

Vegan zucchini bread

A quick and easy sweet bread made with shredded zucchini, dark chocolate chips, and walnuts. It’s soft, moist, and easy to make.

It’s a classic for summer and early autumn days when zucchini abounds.

Check out our vegan zucchini bread recipe.

Vegan Banana bread

Banana bread is the most popular quick bread of all.

Our version, without eggs, is packed with banana flavor, has a soft and compact crumb, and it’s super easy to make with simple pantry staples.

Check out our banana bread recipe.

Banana nut bread

Banana nut bread combines the naturally sweet flavor of bananas with nutty and mildly earthy walnuts.

We are sure you’ll love this combination of flavors and textures.

Check out our banana nut bread recipe.

Zucchini muffins

Zucchini muffins are made with the same soft and moist crumb of our zucchini bread.

They are a great alternative to quick breads because they areb easy to store and turn into a quick breakfast or snack on the go.

Check out our zucchini muffins recipe.

Don’t overmix the batter: if you mix too much, you will activate the gluten in the flour, making your bread heavy and gummy.

Let it cool down completely: cooling down is an essential part of the recipe because the starch changes textures as it cools down, and excess moisture escapes creating a beautiful crumb.

Three hours of cooling is the minimum requires, and we recommend half day to a day for the best texture and flavor.

Make ahead: banana zucchini bread is an excellent recipe to make ahead because the loaf needs time to cool down completely, ideally for half to one day. Also, the flavors meld as the bread cools, and the recipe tastes much better on days two and three.

Storage: wrap your loaf in plastic wrap and keep it in a dry corner of your kitchen for up to 3 days. Alternatively, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezer: this is an excellent recipe to freeze. Let the bread cool down completely, then wrap it in freezer-friendly film and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze it whole or in slices. Thaw in the fridge, microwave, or at room temperature.

• Zucchini muffins (chocolate chips, milk, flour, vanilla extract, zucchini, olive oil, etc.)
• Banana muffins (banana, flour, milk, vanilla extract, oil, baking powder, etc.)
• Blueberry muffins (blueberries, lemon zest, vanilla extract, flour, milk, etc.)
• Sweet potato muffins (microwave sweet potato, milk, flour, vanilla extract, etc.)

• Zucchini boats (lentils, walnuts, canned tomato, basil, lemon, olive oil, etc.)
• Roasted zucchini (breadcrumbs, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, zucchini, etc.)
• Air fryer zucchini (zucchini, paprika, garlic powder, salt, olive oil, etc.)
• Zucchini fritters (grated zucchini, flour, red onion, egg or chickpea flour, etc.)
• Stuffed zucchini (ricotta or vegan ricotta, sundried tomatoes, breadcrumbs, etc.)

For many more breakfast ideas, check out our breakfast category page.