Zucchini Banana Bread — This zucchini banana bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light! It’s just sweet enough to taste like a dessert and not like you’re eating vegetables. It really is the BEST zucchini bread recipe!!
Zucchini Banana Bread Mash-Up
I love banana bread and I have over 30 different recipes for banana bread and dozens more for banana muffins and banana cakes.
And I have lots of zucchini-banana recipes. But you can never have too many and I just adored this bread.
This zucchini banana bread a spin-off of my Carrot Zucchini Bread, adapted from Carrot Apple Bread, which is adapted from my favorite banana bread recipe. It’s a very adaptable quick bread base and never lets me down.
This easy zucchini bread requires no mixer and goes from bowl to oven in minutes. I used liquid-state coconut oil so there’s no butter to cream and no mixer to dirty. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter, and I prefer it. I love baking with coconut oil for muffins, cakes, bread, cookies and more.
Baking with zucchini and bananas adds so much moisture that it’s impossible to have a dry loaf. I grate the zucchini by hand using the coarsest blade on a box grater. It only takes a few minutes and I’d spend much more time washing food processor parts than doing it the old-fashioned way.
It is so flavorful and moist that it doesn’t even need butter. Although I wouldn’t say no to a cream cheese glaze or browned butter glaze.
What’s in Zucchini Banana Bread?
To make this zucchini banana bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Coconut oil
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Grated zucchini
- Mashed bananas
How to Make Zucchini Banana Bread
Mix the sugars and wet ingredients together, then stir in the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the grated zucchini and mashed bananas, then turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Bake the zucchini banana bread until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Can I Add Mix-Ins?
Yes, you’re welcome to add up to 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, raisins, craisins, etc.
Tips for Making Zucchini Banana Bread
Coconut oil adds a nearly imperceptible undertone that’s sweeter and more fragrant than canola or vegetable oil, but substitute as desired.
Note that the batter should be on the thicker side. If it’s not, you may wish to add up to about 1/4 cup additional flour. All zucchini and bananas vary in their moisture content and the consistency of batters will vary.
Note that the zucchini will release water into batter during baking and it’s better to err on the side of a thicker than thinner batter by adding additional flour if you deem it necessary.
Pin This Recipe
Zucchini Banana Bread
This zucchini banana bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light! It’s just sweet enough to taste like a dessert and not like you’re eating vegetables. It really is the BEST zucchini bread recipe!!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup liquid-state coconut oil (canola or vegetable may be substituted)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cup sour cream (lite is okay; or Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional if necessary (see step 4 in directions)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup grated zucchini, laid loosely in cup and not packed (about 1 medium/large trimmed zucchini; note – wring out zucchini in a paper towel if it seems very moist)
- 3/4 to 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium/large bananas)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, raisins, etc., optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. Note – Loaf is not very tall as baked in a 9×5 pan, but I fear an 8×4 pan will be a bit too skimpy.
- In a large bowl, add the the first six ingredients, through vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Add the zucchini (wring out in a paper towel if it’s very moist), bananas, optional walnuts or raisins, and fold gently to combine. Batter should be on the thicker side. If it’s not, you may wish to add up to about 1/4 cup additional flour. All zucchini and bananas vary in their moisture content and the consistency of batters will vary. Note the zucchini will release water into batter during baking and it’s better to err on the side of a thicker than thinner batter by adding additional flour if you deem it necessary.
- Turn batter out into the prepared pan , smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 52 to 60 minutes (I baked 57 minutes) or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Tip – Tent the pan with a sheet of foil draped loosely over it at the 35 minute-mark to prevent top and sides from becoming overly browned before center cooks through. Baking times will vary based on moisture content of zucchini, bananas, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock and don’t worry if it takes longer to bake than the baking estimates provided.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g
More Zucchini Recipes:
My Entire Zucchini Recipe Collection — From sweet to savory, sides to main dishes, this collection of amazing zucchini recipes has you covered!
Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe — Super moist, tender, loaded with chocolate chips, and so EASY to make!! One bowl, no mixer, and THE BEST zucchini bread you’ll ever try!!
Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (vegan) – You’ll never complain about eating your vegetables again! Soft, healthy, so good!
Carrot Zucchini Bread — Fast, easy, one bowl, no mixer!! Super soft, moist, and tastes so good you’ll forget it’s on the healthier side!
Blueberry Banana Zucchini Bread — Banana bread just got BETTER with juicy BLUEBERRIES in every bite!! The zucchini (you can’t taste it) keeps it moist and HEALTHY! Easy and DELICIOUS!!
Triple Chocolate Zucchini Muffins — NO dairy or butter and only 1/4 cup oil in the entire batch!! Promise you CANNOT taste the zucchini but it keeps the muffins so soft and moist! Love sneaking in extra veggies with lots of CHOCOLATE!!
Blueberry Zucchini Bread — Juicy BLUEBERRIES in every bite of this soft, easy, no mixer bread!! If you have picky eaters who don’t like zucchini, don’t worry because you can’t taste it! It keeps the bread tender and HEALTHIER!!
Originally posted June 20, 2018 and reposted August 4, 2021 with updated text.
Love your recipes. I have tried many of them and I am very pleased and happy with the turnout. Thanks for shearing.
I am glad to hear you love my recipes and that they turn out very well for you!
I stumbled upon this recipe this morning and decided to try it. It is SO good. I ate mine warm and it was a little soft but I know it was the amount of banana I used. I did squeeze out some of the water of the zucchini. I also added walnuts in it that gave it a good crunch. I will for sure be making this again!
I am glad it was so good and you’ll make it again!
I am a HUGE fan of your desserts and your blog is my go-to. However, I have this recipe is incredibly frustrating for me.. I have now attempted to bake it 3 times and every time it is so moist it falls apart when I take it out of the pan. Even after baking for 90 min it just will not cook through. I have rung the zucchini, added an extra cup + of flour.. the batter tastes amazing but with the sour cream, oil, and zucs/bananas it just won’t cook properly. If I try it again I would probably do half the banana and no sour cream.
Sorry it isn’t working well for you. Sounds like you’ve tried everything and that it’s just too moist. Other idea…bake it in an 8×8 or 9×9 inch cake pan. That will allow it to cook through more easily in the center.
And yes with all the wet ingredients in the loaf, it does take some time to cook. Not sure why you’re isn’t setting up.
Try King Arthur brand flour. It is the gold standard in baking and has a slightly higher protein content and gives better results than other (cheaper) brands of flour in my experience. And cut back on the sour cream, oil, etc, by a few tbsp on each and see if that helps too. Just trying to offer you some suggestions.
Wow. My first Averie Cooks fail.
I followed exactly as written adding an additional 1/4 cup flour as was suggested. It was like banana pudding. When I compared lots of other banana bread recipes, they had very similar ratios of ingredients except they had double the flour. I don’t think this recipe has enough flour. It sank and was runny even after two more rounds of 20 minutes in the oven. It ended up in the compost bin and I took cheese and crackers to my book club meeting instead.
I’ve made so many great things from this site so I’m very surprised at this fail.
Sometimes in baking even though you compare something to other recipes, it’s not always a direct comparison.
I am thinking what happened is that your zucchini was extremely moist and you didn’t wring it out, or not enough, and that is why this was very soft and like pudding. In that case, yes, more flour would have helped possibly but it’s hard to say for sure. Baking with two very moist ingredients like zucchini and banana can at times be tricky. Sorry this didn’t work out for you.
Hi Averie! This bread is delicious! I wanted to share that the last time I made this, I made it as mini muffins. I plan on freezing some & packing them as snacks for my kindergartner & 2nd grader’s while they are at school. The recipe made 24 mini muffins & 2 regular sized muffins, which I plan on eating myself! This is my first time using a recipe from your blog & I’ll definitely be checking out more. Thank you for a good one!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as mini muffins! LMK what else you make!
Making this right now. However I’m using last summer’s zucchini and so it was less thick then it should be, I did not want to keep adding flour so I opted for quick oats!! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Not sure how you managed to use zucchini from a year ago! but hey, glad it seems to be working out! Wish I could make my produce last that long :) Good call on the quick oats. Keep me posted!
In case anyone was wondering, this recipe also does great with a handful of mini chocolate chips tossed in! ;)
Making a triple recipe this morning to take to work to celebrate a co-worker’s new baby. I’ve made this twice before and it comes out perfectly!. I squeeze the zucchini lightly in paper towels and add no more flour. Thanks for the recipe! I know I need to take the recipe with me today because everyone’s going to be asking.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you – twice before! And that’s wonderful you’re making a triple batch today and taking the recipe with you. Hope everyone enjoys the bread. So nice of you to bake for your coworkers!
Made this yesterday…. it turned out perfect! I didn’t add the extra flour, but did add a handful of oatmeal and flaked unsweetened coconut… it is perfectly moist and absolutely delicious! I didn’t tell my husband there was zucchini in it until after he proclaimed it amazing! :) I have tried a few of your coconut oil baked goods and am a big fan! Thank you!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! The addition of oatmeal and coconut sounds great!
I tried thisrecipe today, it was divine!!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Hi Averie,
I made this recipe last night and it turned out so perfect and delicious. Granted, I didn’t read the instructions the whole way through before making it, so I thought my batter was way too thick and dry, I added in about a 1/4 cup of milk (plus I only had one banana). Then I started reading the comments once I put it in the oven to bake. I then realized that zucchini lets a lot of moisture out as it bakes, I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before I added in the milk. But, I still saved it and it came out looking the same as your picture! I increased the oven temp to 375, and baked for almost an hour. Right now I am snacking on it for breakfast with some coffee. It is so delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you even with that extra milk! Yes the batter is thick by design to compensate for all the water that zucchini releases but glad you just kept baking it til it was done and that you have a great treat with your coffee now :)
Have you ever tried using a sweetener other then sugar? I usually use honey or maple syrup to sweeten my baked goods but 3/4 of a cup seems like it would be quite a bit of honey. Just wondering if you have a suggestion for how much I should sub the sugar for honey.
Adding a liquid sweetener (honey) to a recipe that was developed using a dry one (sugar) is going to change the consistency of the batter and in this case, 3/4 c honey would definitely change it quite dramatically and the loaf may not set up unless you started tweaking other things like flour, leaveners, etc.
I haven’t tried the recipe any other way other than I wrote it so can’t say for sure what to do or advise you on.
These turned out delicious! I made two different sizes of mini loaves. One very small, like 2×3″ and one 3×4″. I used more bananas than it called for since I had way too many frozen ones and added a fair amt more zucchini and flour to thicken the batter. I thought these would cook a lot quicker because of their size but it took almost as long as the recipe said for large loaves. May be because my oven is crappy or I used a lot of bananas but just check yours often. The smaller ones also browned quicker on the outside than they cooked on the inside.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Way to go with using up your frozen banana stash and compensating with extra flour/zuke. The long cooking time is probably because your batter was super moisture-filled from all the zuke and bananas. Both have soooo much moisture and when I bake with zucchini especially, I’m always reminded of that and remind myself ‘just bake until done, however long that takes’ and good job for doing that and glad they’re delicious!
Oops – I meant flax eggs in place of eggs!
Do you have a suggested vegan substitute for the sour cream? I routinely use flax eggs in place of flax, but what would you suggest to sub for sour cream? I thought about maybe just some applesauce and a squirt of lemon or vinegar for the tang? What do you think? This recipe sounds delish, and I need to use some overripe bananas stat!
http://followyourheart.com/products/sour-cream-3/ That should do the trick!
Baked it for 75 minutes. Tooth pick came out clean. Let it stand and then when I tried to remove it from the pan it fell into 8 pieces because parts of it are still raw, apparently. Back in the oven, shoved together, it’s no longer a loaf, more like breadcrumbs. Not what I usually get with standard banana bread or zucchini bread recipes.
With zucchini AND bananas, they can vary widely in the amount of moisture and just natural juiciness since Mother Nature is never the same twice. That said, it sounds like you had some very moist zucchini (and possibly bananas) and I would suggest that in the future you could wring out the zuke very well in paper towels or a kitchen towel before adding it, and/or add a bit more flour to the batter to thicken it up. Thanks for trying the recipe and I think a couple little tweaks for the future will solve this issue.
Hi Averie,
I tried this bread today. You know I’ve made close to 100 of your recipes. (no jokes there) :) but this one came out similar to ”Jessica L” who commented before me. I guess I did not know exactly what you meant when you replied to that lady by “wringing out the zucchini”. So what I did was I shredded my zucchini and then with a paper towel tried dabbing it repeatedly so it could soak up the vegetables natural water. Do you think I should have taken the grated zucchini and squeezed the heck out of it? *This is my first attempt to baking with zucchini. BTW, I could tell the flavor would have been good if it was baked ideally. I baked it for 50 min and then tried it. Way too moist so I did bake it 20 more min. And still on the soft side. Regardless you know I love your site so it’s not like I wont try your other recipes that include it.
Do you think I should have taken the grated zucchini and squeezed the heck out of it? <--- yes! That's what I tried to say in the directions without being quite as blunt, but yes wringing it out in paper towels is what you should have done and/or add more flour. Sometimes zucchini are very juicy and give off lots of water, other times not as much. But to be safe, wring, add flour, and bake as long as necessary is the basic, bottomline advice. And I know you have tried to many of my recipes and I think with just a little tweaking with this bread, you would have been all set! And yes, continue to bake with zucchini and keep trying because it's great once you master it :) And healthy!
This looks wonderful, Averie! You know how I love my banana breads. :)
And you make amazing ones, and they’re always healthy!
The more recipes for banana bread better! Is always so most and I love that I can delude myself into thinking it’s healthy! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
Oh my gosh, Averie – this bread looks marvelous! So moist and tender, and I love the strips of zucchini swirled throughout. I bet this has a TON of flavor!
Sooo much flavor and I didn’t feel bad at all downing most of it myself since it’s half vegetables :) That’s what I said anyway!
I adore banana bread so much!!! Love the addition of zucchini and coconut oil too! Now I can’t wait for the farmer’s market to open, so I can start buying zucchinis!!!! Yum!!!
Farmers markets and summer are just the BEST aren’t they!
I love this mixup on two classic breads. What a treat!
I’m with you – I love banana bread – especially banana nut bread loaded with walnuts! I’ve never mixed it up with zucchini before – but this looks incredible! I’m definitely making this. Love your note about mostly using oil in lieu of butter for moistness too!
Help! My batter came out a bit soupy. When I baked it, the bottom was still very under baked! I’m guessing because of the soupy batter :(. The taste, though, is very good.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I updated some info within the recipe about wringing out the zucchini and possibly adding up to about 1/4 cup additional flour as needed since all zucchini and bananas vary in their moisture content. In your case, wring out the zucchini and add a touch more flour and I think you’ll be set – batter won’t be as thin and bake as long as necessary til doneness.
Holy yum…this bread looks like HEAVEN!! :) Perfect for indecisive people like me who can never decide if what we really want is zucchini bread or banana bread! Absolutely in love with this <3
YUM! I was just asked to bake something for our staff get together tomorrow and I’m so going to make this! Have you ever baked them in a mini muffin tin? Thinking I’ll give it a shot…
No I haven’t but I think some readers have made the carrot-apple bread into muffins. You could read through the comments on that post but pretty sure it’s been done successfully. LMK how it goes if you try!
This looks fantastic Averie!! Pinned!!!
Thanks for pinning my friend!
This bread looks AMAZING!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Ooh. I have good luck every time I use your carrot apple bread, so this must be another winner. Mmm.
Another version on that theme and so good :)
My husband just informed me that we already have 3 zucchinis on our plant. Bread is in my future!! *happy dance* This looks perfect Averie!
I didn’t know you grew zucchini!!?? OMG beyond impressed!!!! I actually didn’t know you gardened!
I’ve made the carrot zucchini bread twice since you posted. Now I’m excited to try this one, too!
Thanks for trying that recipe and yes this is another version on that theme and so good!
Wow. I have never thought of using Zuchinni in a sweet dish muchness banana bread. You have my attention. I will be looking forward to baking this recipe :)
I noticed your email addy is .au so maybe it’s an American thing but it’s so good!
I just love banana bread and agree that you can’t have too many recipes!
Averie this bread looks so delicious and those slices are so neatly cut that this is way better than any bakery stuff! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
I love zucchini and banana bread on their own, so this is sure to be a hit! Love how you combined them :)
This is totally the absolute BEST of both zucchini bread and banana bread worlds!! This loaf looks so ultra moist from both the banana and zucchini, I can hardly stand it! I just wanna sink my teeth into a slice. ;) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and I pinned and want your perfect guac!!
My hubs is a banana bread FANATIC! And I am always looking for ways to get him to sneakily eat veggies, since he doesn’t believe in “green food.” Men.
So, this? It’s perfect! And I LOVE Nutiva – the best~ Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and this is the perfect el sneaky recipe :)
I need to pass this (and all your zucchini recipes) along to one of my neighbors who grows it. She was about over run with them last year!
My boyfriend isn’t a squash person but I am. S,o when an opportunity arises where I can sneak in some healthiness to his desserts in the form of squash, I cease it. He does enjoy zucchini bread. Looks like I’ll be making this recipe soon.
If you try it LMK and it’s the best way ever to work in some veggies :)
I’ve been making banana bread weekly lately and this one looks so moist I can’t wait to add it to the rotation.
Can I come eat your leftovers! I love banana bread in all ways and forms!
I love the idea of not creaming any butter. So much healthier and easier! Plus, you get that great arm workout grating zucchini. ;)
This bread looks beyond perfect. I can’t imagine what heights it would climb to with a brown butter glaze!
I actually almost never cream butter for my banana breads and almost always use oil. I used to use melted butter but the past 5 years or so, I think oil keeps it softer AND it’s….easier than dealing with butter in any form!
You can never have too many zucchini or banana recipes because they are two things there always seem to be a few too many of! The texture of this bread looks ridiculous – soooo good!
MMM this bread looks so delicious. can’t wait to try it.
Definitely agree- you can never have too much banana bread! So much tastier than plain bananas. I love how light the crumb looks here, too.