Moist, tender, and packed with flavor, this zucchini banana bread is a delicious way to use up ripe bananas and fresh zucchini in one easy loaf!
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Super Easy Zucchini Banana Bread
When I learned that adding grated zucchini to banana bread didn’t change the flavor, but added nutrients, moisture, and those adorable green flecks, of course, it became a favorite! Zucchini banana bread is the best combination of easy banana bread and zucchini bread in one loaf, ready in just over an hour.
I like mine plain, but you can add things like nuts, chocolate chips, and raisins if you like. Once it cools, it keeps at room temperature for a while, which is great for having a healthy snack at the ready whenever the kids are lurking in the kitchen!
Ingredients Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Grated zucchini and mashed banana: Once grated, squeeze as much excess water out of the zucchini as you can. Use ripe bananas; the riper the better for sweetness.
- Unsalted butter and sugars: We’re using both white granulated sugar and brown sugar for sweetness, but the brown sugar adds a little extra moisture and flavor, which pairs nicely with the cinnamon.
- Large egg and sour cream: Bonus if you remember to bring these both to room temperature about 30 minutes before you start. It helps to have all your ingredients starting at the same room temperature so they blend evenly into the batter.
- Baking soda and baking powder: These work together to give the banana and zucchini bread a soft crumb and a nice, fluffy rise.
- You’ll also need: Vanilla extract, all purpose flour, salt, and cinnamon.
How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread
Squeeze the zucchini in a cheesecloth or clean towel to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible.
In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, sugars, egg, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Fold in the grated zucchini and mashed bananas and stir again until everything is evenly dispersed in the batter.
Transfer the batter into a prepared 8×4 loaf pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
- Squeeze out the zucchini! I can’t say this enough. Zucchini holds a surprising amount of water, and skipping this step or rushing it will make your bread dense and soggy in the middle.
- The riper the bananas, the better. Overripe, spotty bananas have lots of natural sweetness and mash more easily, which means better flavor and a more tender loaf.
- If your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, pop them (unpeeled) in a 300°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins turn black.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go in, stir just until everything is combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and leads to a tough, dense loaf instead of a tender one.
- Check early. Oven temperatures vary, so start checking at the 45-minute mark. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs, not wet batter!
Variations
- Add chocolate chips or peanut butter chips
- Stir in some walnuts or pecans for crunch
- Raisins or dried cranberries would be a fun addition to this banana zucchini bread recipe
- Grab a muffin pan and turn these into banana zucchini muffins.
More banana bread recipes to try include sour cream banana bread, banana nut bread and blueberry banana bread.
More Quick Bread Recipes
Banana Zucchini Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup mashed banana , about 3 bananas
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted
- ⅓ cup (70g) brown sugar , packed
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 cup raisins, chocolate chips or chopped nuts
Instructions
- Prepare and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×4 inch bread pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Extract moisture from zucchini: Put grated zucchini between two paper towels, or cheesecloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mix 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, one egg, 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well combined.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon. Fold in 1 cup grated zucchini and 1 cup mashed bananas. Spread evenly into the loaf pan.
- Bake: Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
