What’s better: banana bread or zucchini bread? Now you don’t have to choose! Make this banana zucchini bread, the perfect mashup of everyone’s favorite loaves. It’s ultra moist and fluffy, with just the right fruity banana-meets-cinnamon flavor. Use up those past-ripe bananas on your counter right along with that seasonal green veggie.
Ingredients in banana zucchini bread
This banana zucchini bread is simple to whip up if you’ve got both of the produce items on hand. Other than that, it’s a simple list of items you might already have on hand in your pantry or refrigerator. The ingredients for zucchini banana bread are:
Ripe bananas Zucchini Salted butter Neutral oil Granulated sugar Eggs Vanilla extract Baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt All-purpose flour
The riper the bananas, the better!
You’ll want bananas that are as ripe as they come: browned and blackened is great! This is the way to infuse the strongest fruity perfume into your bread and the sweetest flavor. Wait as long as possible for the best tasting moist bread.
Tips for making zucchini banana bread
Like any quick bread, for zucchini banana bread you mix the wet and dry ingredients into a batter and bake until fluffy and golden. There are just a few things to keep in mind with this specific bread:
Vary the sugar to match the banana ripeness. You’ll want extremely ripe bananas for this bread recipe. If they aren’t completely mushy and brown, add a little more sugar to make up for it flavor-wise (using 1 cup instead of ¾ cup). Of course you’ll still want the ripest bananas you can, which yields the best result. Mix the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing a quick bread can lead to holes in the texture. Note that often a zucchini bread tends to have more holes than other breads due to the zucchini shreds. Mix the ingredients just until no more streaks of flour remain. Bake in a 9 x 5″ aluminum loaf pan. Aluminum tends to make for a more consistent bake for quick breads. This recipe is optimized for quantities to fit a 9 x 5 pan, but you can also use an 8 x 4 pan: simply bake the bread a bit longer until the top springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted has just a few clinging crumbs.
Variations and mix-ins
There are lots of way to mix up this banana zucchini bread if you want to get creative! Here are a few options that are plays on some recipes we love:
Toasted nuts: Mix in ¾ cup toasted walnuts, reserving a few for topping Chocolate chips: Add 1 cup chocolate chips, reserving a few for topping (though keep in mind, the top chocolate chips will remain melty for a few hours so it will take longer to cool before removing from the pan) Lemon: Increase to 1 cup granulated sugar, add 1 tablespoon each lemon zest and lemon juice, and top with this lemon glaze
Storage info
What’s the best way to store this banana zucchini bread? The bread keeps up to 3 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, or up to 1 week refrigerated. We like to store quick breads in the refrigerator to extend their life; simply allow to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. You can also freeze slices in a sealed container or tightly wrapped and placed in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
More zucchini and banana bread variations
Love a great zucchini bread, or a moist loaf of banana bread? Here are a few other ways to spin this recipe:
Try light, zingy Lemon Zucchini Bread Go for rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread (or even muffins) Opt for classic Zucchini Bread Make Our Best Banana Bread, Banana Nut Bread, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Blueberry Banana Bread
This banana zucchini bread recipe is…
Vegetarian. 5 from 2 reviews
