This banana zucchini bread is the perfect way to use overly ripe bananas. Hearty and healthy, it’s packed with produce and makes for the perfect on-the-go breakfast.
You know the story – you have a bunch of bananas going brown on your counter and you need to do something with them…and quick! Nothing is worse than watching good fruit go to waste, but I’m here to tell you that there’s a great solution: banana zucchini bread.
This recipe for banana zucchini bread is a great way to prevent food waste, while also creating a delicious and wholesome treat for your family. Packed with grated zucchini, smashed bananas, and a healthy dose of chocolate chips, it tastes like a treat but has a substantial serving of fruit and veggies hidden in all its deliciousness. You can truly have your Banana Zucchini Bread and eat it too!
What is Banana Zucchini Bread?
Banana zucchini bread is a loaf cake that is made with a batter of grated zucchini, smashed bananas, and chocolate chips. Below, find a rundown of the flavor, texture, and cooking time.
- Flavor: The flavor of this banana zucchini bread is similar to that of a chocolate-covered banana with a bit of spice.
- Texture: While the bread itself is moist and easy to chew, you’ll get the occasional pocket of melted chocolate chips. Yum!
- Time: From prep to table, this banana zucchini bread takes just over an hour to make.
Did you know? Loaf-style bread have a longer shelf life than other baked goods and naturally retain a ton of internal moisture. Why? Because they are less exposed to oxygen (which leads to drying out). Instead of pre-slicing your loaf, only slice pieces when you are ready to eat them. If you pre-slice the loaf, you expose each piece to more oxygen, causing it to go stale faster.
How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread
Making banana zucchini bread only requires a few simple steps and a handful of wholesome ingredients. Below, find a brief overview of the recipe.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Grate Zucchini: Grate zucchini on the smaller side of the grater. Using a kitchen towel, squeeze any excess water out of your grated zucchini.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat eggs, smashed bananas, oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Stir in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Bake the Banana Zucchini Bread: Grease a loaf pan with butter or oil. Pour the batter inside. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best Banana Zucchini Bread
Below, find a couple of tips and tricks to yield the best banana zucchini bread ever!
- Use ultra-ripe bananas. Let your bananas turn almost completely brown before making this bread. The browner they are, the sweeter and moister they will make the cake!
- Use semi-sweet chocolate chips. The cake will already be sweet enough, so opt for semi-sweet chocolate chips of milk chocolate chips.
- Grate your zucchini versus shredding it. Finely grated zucchini will make the bread more moist.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Remove any lumps from the dry ingredients by using a flour sifter.
Other Ingredients to Add to Banana Zucchini Bread
There are so many ways to customize banana zucchini bread with additional ingredients. Don’t be afraid to stray away from the recipe and add in some of your favorite morsels. Want to add more protein? Throw in some nuts. Like it extra sweet? Throw in your favorite dried fruit.
The following are great (and healthy!) additions that you can play around with:
- Walnuts
- Cranberries
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Raisins
- Dried Apricots
- Dried berries (goji berries, blueberries, etc.)
- Dried coconut
- Dried Figs
Banana Zucchini Muffin Hack: If you are really in the market for an on-the-go breakfast, bake this Zucchini Banana Bread muffin style! This is a great method if you are a bit pressed for time or if you like to be in control of your portion sizes. Preheat your oven to 350°F and bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, or until you can pull a toothpick out of the center of each one and it comes out clean. Store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast option.
Storing Banana Zucchini Bread
- Room Temperature: Store the banana zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature. It should stay fresh for 2-3 days.
- Refrigerator: To retain maximum moisture, keep banana zucchini bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 5 to 7 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Freezer: Wrap completely cooled down zucchini bread in plastic wrap. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in the freezer for up to two months. When you are ready, let it defrost at room temperature for about 3-4 hours.
FAQ
Should I take the skin off the zucchini before grating it?
There’s no need to take the skin off the zucchini bread. It will soften up as it bakes and adds a nice bit of fiber to your diet. You won’t even notice it.
Should I squeeze excess water out of the grated zucchini?
Yes, you should squeeze any excess water out of your grated zucchini. Do so by draining it in a colander first. Then, place grated zucchini in a kitchen towel. Twist the top of the towel to secure it inside and ring out the moisture with your hands.
What makes banana zucchini bread moist?
The smashed bananas and grated zucchini make the bread moist, as well as the oil. Typically, baked goods made with oil versus butter tend to come out more moist.
Should you refrigerate banana bread?
You should refrigerate banana bread if you know you’ll have leftovers for up to a week. If you plan to eat the bread within 2-3 days, storing it in an airtight container on the counter works just fine.
Other Banana Bread Recipes
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe – Hearty and healthy
- Banana Apple Bread Recipe – Perfect for Fall
- Banana Bread Recipe – Classic banana bread
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup bananas mashed
- 1 1/2 cup zucchini grated
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl grate zucchini and squeeze any excess water out.
- In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, bananas, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Combine egg mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Fold in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a well-oiled loaf pan.
- Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Can I replace the sugar with maple syrup?
Hi Steph, I have not tried that. If you give it a go, would you let me know the result?
Just baked! But they are cooling:) how long and what temp should you bake mini loafs?:)
Hi Sadee, Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out clean and the outside is golden brown. I hope this helps. Enjoy!
Delicious bread! We penned the name Bikini Bottom Bread (thanks sponge Bob). My kids love this. But this recipe calls for olive oil, and I don’t think I’d ever use olive oil in a baking recipe! I made that mistake once when I was still learning to cook and it was so gross. I subbed vegetable oil and used duck eggs. SO MOIST SO YUMMY!
Hi Jessie, thank you for sharing your feedback and your process with me! I am thrilled that this recipe was a success. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for the recipe!! I made it into muffins (12) and 350 degrees for 30 minutes as you suggested was perfect! It did take me quite a while to squeeze all the moisture out of the grated zucchini but it was well worth it! I made it with coconut oil and topped with shaved coconut. The shavings gave a nice crunch, thanks again! 💕
Hi there, I am so glad that the recipe was a success! Thank you for sharing your process and feedback. The muffins sound like they turned out incredible! Enjoy!!
how long and at what temperature would i need to bake this recipe as muffins?
Hey Alex, same temperature but for about 20 minutes or so. Enjoy, its a good one!
Hi Alex, I would say at 350 for 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out dry. We have a zucchini chocolate chip muffin recipe that I will link below for you to check out. Hope this helps, Enjoy!
https://momsdish.com/zucchini…
What size loaf pan do you use? Mine was a bit shorter and fatter and I had to overbake a lot to get middle cooked. Still delicious but it was definitely a bit crispy on edges !
Hi Marta, I use a regular laof/bread pan, It is a 9x5 I will link a similar pan to mine. https://amzn.to/3AgRz94
This is my first time baking anything except with mixes from the store and I’m overwhelmed by how perfect this recipe was. So moist it was like a dream! Not only was it the best version of zuke-banana bread I’ve ever had, but it gives me the confidence to keep trying baking (which I’d always found intimidating). Thank you so much!
Hi Lu- oh this comment warms my heart! 😀 Thank you for trying my recipe for your first time baking. I'm SO glad it turned out perfectly and that you now have the confidence to keep baking! You've got this!
I wanted to let you know that I made this with a gluten free all 1-to-1 flour (I used Bobs Red Mill) and it turned out beautifully! So delicious! Thank you!!
Hi Kim- Oh thank you so much for that feedback! I'm so glad it came out wonderfully for you and that you loved it 😀
Delicious! One of the best recipes I've ever tried. Moist, rich, not over sweet at all. I added walnuts for an extra touch.
Natalia, I love the additional of walnuts. Sounds incredible. Thanks for sharing your feedback.
It was ok, but it didn't cook very well. Got pretty dark on the outside and the inside was so moist, it was almost like pudding. Maybe I'll try it with less banana and zucchini and/or more flour? Anyone else have this issue?
Happened to me too! I think pan size was my prob
Hi Sheila, that could happen if the water are not fully squeezed out of zucchini. Otherwise, I dont think you need to reduce the amount of banana and zucchini. Hope this helps.
This recipe was really good. The only tip is that usually the ingredient list is put in the order of how it is mixed together. I also added cocoa powder to make it chocolaty although I had to leave the liquid of the zucchini.
Hi Stephanie- thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe otherwise! 😀
This recipe is fabulous! My 3 year old son loves to help me bake and enjoyed mixing and mashing everything! He’s a fan of mini muffins though, so we made this recipe into 48 mini muffins and cooked for about 11 mins. They are perfectly moist and very delicious. Good use of our surplus of zucchini’s from our garden!
Hey Christina- thank you so much for the feedback and for giving our recipe a try. I'm so glad you and your son enjoyed these muffins 😀 I'm certain others will find your baking tips on making this recipe into mini muffins very helpful!
I made this bread today and it is fantastic! Pretty quick to pull together and what a super moist, well balanced treat! It looks like I have a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Ah, I'm so happy that you found a new recipe that you love! Thank you for sharing 🙂
The conversions aren’t accurate, 1C chocolate chips certainly weighs more than 7.5g. Not sure about the conversions for all of the other ingredients.
Hi Marianne- thank you for pointing this error out, 1 cup of chocolate chips would be closer to 170 grams.
This was absolutely perfect! My husband said it reminded him of childhood! Thank you for this recipe!
Oh I love that! Thank you for sharing, Jenn.
I made this recently and followed the recipe with no changes. My grandkids loved it!! Has anyone made a gluten free version of this? What would be your recommendation for a flour substitute? I have a baking blend of coconut flour and oat flour and am wondering if it would work.
Hi Jane, I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. I personally haven't tried substituting with gluten free flours, but if you decide to give the coconut and oat flours a try, please let us know the end result; there may be others who have the same question!
I did use the coconut and oat flour blend in the recipe. I made it for a family vacation for my daughter in law who has Celiac’s. Everyone loved it!! And they all wanted the recipe!!
Jane, thank you for sharing this! It will be helpful to others.
Bobs 1:1 gluten free flour works wonderfully! Great recipe!
Hi Rut, oh that's good to know. Thanks for sharing!
the picture looks like the bread is baked in a pullman loaf pan. Is that right?
Hey Julie, it's just a regular bread/loaf pan, here is a link to something similar to what I use: https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Go…
I would recommend adding the squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini into the actual instructions instead of in an FAQ section. It's a bummer I didn't see that until after the batter was made so definitely messed with the ending consistency. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Rosemary- that's a great point, I'll make a note to update that in the recipe card. Thanks for the feedback and I'm sorry that it affected the consistency of your bread.
Is there a way to salvage the bread if I didn’t get all the moisture out of the zucchini? Like bake it longer with foil on it, etc?
Hey Chelsea. I'm not sure- I haven't had this happen so I don't have any tips for you, sorry!
Hi how can I use whole wheat flour?
Hi there- I haven't tested this recipe with whole wheat flour. Generally speaking whole wheat flour can be used in place of AP flour, except it'll make the bread more dense/heavier. I would recommend doing a 50/50 blend of whole wheat and all purpose flour for better results. Good luck!
Absolutely amazing. The texture is similar to banana bread, but a lot better because the chocolate chips give it yumminess and add to a perfectly moist bite! Thank you for sharing this recipe and giving my family a variety and twist to the same ole’ zucchini bread😉
Thank you, Aide! Glad you enjoyed my take on the classic. 🙂
This looks delicious! Do you squeeze the water out of the zucchini before adding into the batter?
Hi Sara - You do it before adding it to the batter, or else it will water the batter down. Hope this helps.
Ummm so delicious!!! Will make over and over again!
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you for sharing, Genevie!
Can I substitute butter for the oil?
I made this recipe exactly as written except I substituted butter for the oil. It came out absolutely delicious and very moist. I will definitely make this one again!
Thanks for the feedback!
Hi there Emily! Thanks for reaching out. We always use oil because it makes the bread so moist. We haven't tried butter before, but my guess is that it will make it turn out a bit more dry. Let us know how it works out!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! Looked up what I could make with the bananas and zucchini that I had and found this recipe. Will definitely make this again. Even hubby, who’s pretty picky, loved this.
Hi Susan, I am so glad you loved the recipe, zucchini and banana are really an amazing combo!
Hi! If I double the banana will that affect the recipe's liquid ratios? Any suggestions of how to adjust?
Hey Jenn, if the banana is doubled, the rest of the ingredients need to be doubled. Enjoy the recipe!
Can you use canola oil instead of olive oil? Also, if using olive oil, is extra virgin olive oil okay? Thank you!
Hey Susan, you can use canola oil or olive oil. Extra virgin wouldn't work in this recipe because there it has a strong smell. Hope this helps.
Made this into muffins and I am obsessed. So yummy! I might have to make another batch next week, I love them so much
So glad you loved it, thank you for your feedback!
This was such a hit here and everyone loved this bread especially my son! We just loved the combination of bananas, zucchini, and chocolate! I'll definitely be making this again.
Glad you loved it!!
I had so much zucchini that I was able to make two loaves! They are delicious!
So glad you loved them!!
Thank you, Natalya. Many years ago I bought this kind of bread at Trader Joe. Liked it, and started to bake the simple banana bread.
I am so glad you loved the recipe, thank you for your feedback!