Simple Zucchini Banana Bread

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After a lot of trial and error, I have finally perfected my Zucchini Banana Bread! The texture is moist, but not soggy like most zucchini breads. The crumb is nice and fluffy, with a hint of cinnamon and cozy banana flavor. This wholesome loaf is filled with fruit, veggies, oats, and a perfectly subtle sweetness. You’ll never see kids eat a vegetable so fast!

When it comes to sneaking fruits and veggies into kiddos, muffins and quick breads are my go-to. My daughter loves banana baked goods—especially a chocolate chunk muffin straight from the freezer. She’s even been known to polish off a few slices of double chocolate zucchini bread (thank you, cocoa, for hiding the green flecks). She thinks she’s getting dessert… I sip my coffee and smile.

So let’s up the ante and add a little zucchini to our classic banana bread recipe. I actually do this around fall, too, by making a pumpkin banana bread!

Combining zucchini and banana bread makes a fun little loaf that sneaks some extra goodness into your snacking routine. And thanks to the oats, this bread has the perfect texture—soft, fluffy, and a bit more wholesome-ness (that’s a word) than your usual quick bread.

If you love zucchini bread, then you need to try my chocolate zucchini bread recipe and my tangy blueberry zucchini bread.

Why This Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe Works

• Quick oats are the secret ingredient to soaking up excess moisture from the zucchini. As a bonus, the oats absorb moisture and give the bread a fluffy texture. You won’t even detect the oats in the bread.
• Draining and squeezing out the excess moisture from the zucchini before baking ensures a bread that won’t be soggy.
• The overripe bananas not only add moisture but also natural sweetness. You still need some granulated sugar for texture and appropriate sweetness, but the banana does a lot of the heavy lifting!

Banana Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients

• Zucchini – use one medium/large unpeeled, shredded zucchini. If the zucchini is on the large side, remove any big seeds. That will eliminate moisture and seeds that are unpleasant to eat. Tiny seeds are ok to shred.
• All purpose flour – use a trusted gluten-free flour if needed.
• Quick oats – Make sure you use quick cooking oats instead of rolled oats. The quick oats will absorb right into the bread, without a detectable texture. Do not use instant oats or instant oatmeal packets.
• Baking powder + baking soda– to give the loaf a nice lift.
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg 
• Coarse Kosher salt – divided. Kosher salt is not the same as table salt, if you only have fine salt on hand, reduce the amount called for in the recipe by half.
• Oil – I like to use a neutral flavored oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, or even canola oil. You can use melted refined coconut oil or unsalted butter, too.
• Sugar– white sugar adds sweetness without adding weight to the bread.
• Eggs – large eggs are perfect for this recipe. If you have an extra banana (or are short on eggs), a 1/4 cup of mashed banana will replace one egg in the recipe.
• Bananas – Use overripe, brown, spotty bananas—they’re at their sweetest. Two large ones will give you about 1 cup mashed. If you’re a little short, just top it off with unsweetened applesauce or plain yogurt to hit the full amount.
• Vanilla extract

Do I Need to Peel the Zucchini?

Nope! The zucchini peel is thin enough that it won’t be tough to eat in the bread, and it also gives you those beautiful flecks of green throughout the loaf. I do remove the seeds if I’m working with a big zucchini. Big seeds and the pith they sit in add too much moisture and throw off the bread’s texture.

How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread

Full instructions are found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1. 

Preheat the oven (350°F) and spray a 9×5” loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Step 2.

Shred the zucchini and place it in a colander. Sprinkle half of the salt over the shreds and toss to coat everything well. Set the colander over a bowl and allow excess water to drain into the bowl.

Step 3.

Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Step 4.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the mashed banana and mix again to incorporate. 

Step 5.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until partially combined. There should be visible streaks of flour still. 

Step 6.

Use a paper towel to press out any remaining liquid from the grated zucchini. Discard the zucchini water, and add the dry shredded zucchini to the bread batter.

Fold the zucchini into the batter and mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into the prepared pan. 

Step 7.

Bake the zucchini bread for 50-60 minutes until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven, and let it sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack until fully cooled. 

Tips & Tricks

• The bananas need to be super spotty and brown for the best banana flavor and natural sweetness.
• Don’t skip salting the zucchini or squeezing it. The salt pulls out moisture, and squeezing it well removes any remaining water, keeping the bread from turning out gummy.
• The oats are not just for extra vitamins and fiber. They act as moisture insurance to keep your loaf from getting soggy from the zucchini. The quick oats get super soft and fluffy as they absorb water, and you won’t even notice them inside the bread.
• When measuring flour, measure properly. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and then level off. Don’t dunk the measuring cup into the flour to measure.

Substitutions & Variations

• Use all sorts of add-ins like toasted walnuts, pecans, raisins, or chocolate chips in the batter. 
• ¼ cup of mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce can be substituted for each egg in this recipe.
• If you can’t find quick oats, use rolled oats. Chop them into a finer texture using a blender or food processor, or leave them whole. Just note, leaving them whole will change the texture slightly. Do not use instant oats or instant oatmeal.
• Before baking, sprinkle on cinnamon sugar, or add a topping- I like this brown sugar oat topping from my banana blueberry muffins.

Storage

Allow zucchini bread to cool completely before storage. Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or 5 days in the refrigerator. 

In hot and humid kitchens, it’s best to store the bread in the fridge—zucchini adds moisture, and that can make it spoil faster at room temperature.

Freezing This Zucchini Banana Bread

Bake the bread loaf fully and allow it to cool completely before wrapping it for the freezer. You can freeze as a loaf, double wrapped in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, or slice the bread and freeze individual slices (with parchment in between) for easy-to-grab, portioned pieces. Allow to thaw completely before eating.

Serving Suggestions

Slice and eat as is or serve with a layer of softened butter or Homemade Honey Butter and a fresh side of Fresh Fruit Salad.

I recommend pairing a slice (or two) with a brown sugar shaken espresso and a warm mug of oat milk hot chocolate for the kiddos.

More Zucchini and Banana Bread Recipes

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