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This banana zucchini bread recipe is the perfect mashup of everyone’s favorite breads! It comes out fluffy and moist, and is a total crowd pleaser.
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.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This banana zucchini bread recipe came out great! I did add dried cherries to the batter before mixing in the flour. The cherries added just the right amount of sweet.” – Tanya V.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This banana zucchini bread is simple to whip up if you’ve got both ingredients on hand. Other than that, it’s a simple list of items you might already have 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
Use Extra Ripe Bananas!
You’ll want bananas that are as ripe as they come; browned and blackened is great! This is the way to infuse your bread with the strongest fruity perfume 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 together to form a batter, then 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 possible for the best results.
- Mix the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing a quick bread can lead to holes in the texture. Note that zucchini bread often has more holes than other breads due to the zucchini shreds. Mix the ingredients just until no more flour streaks 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 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 ways to mix up this banana zucchini bread if you want to get creative! Here are a few options that are plays on some recipes I 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
This bread keeps up to 3 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, or up to 1 week refrigerated. I like to store quick breads in the refrigerator to extend their life; simply allow them to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
You can also freeze slices in a sealed container or tightly wrap them and place them in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian.
Banana Zucchini Bread
This banana zucchini bread recipe is the perfect mashup of everyone’s favorite breads! It comes out fluffy and moist, and is a total crowd pleaser.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ¼ cup melted salted butter
- ⅓ cup neutral oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (for very ripe bananas, or 1 cup for ripe bananas)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mashed banana
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 8 ounces), grated with large grater
- 1 ¾ cup [245 g] all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Melt the butter, then whisk in the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Use a spatula to mix in the mashed banana and shredded zucchini. Then mix in the flour until just combined, mixing just until there are no longer streaks of dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with a few teaspoons of extra sugar (or turbinado sugar, if desired).
- Bake 60 to 65 minutes, until the top springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few clinging crumbs. Cool in the pan for 1 hour. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread keeps up to 3 days at room temperature, wrapped in aluminum foil, or up to 1 week refrigerated (allow to come to room temperature before serving). You can also freeze slices in a sealed container or tightly wrap them and place them in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Just a couple corrections. Throughout instructions you say a “9×9” pan. In the recipe you say “9×5” pan. Since it’s a bread and not a cake I’m guessing you mean the 9×5? The other is re the flour…1 3/4 cups flour is about 218 grams, not 245. One cup is usually 125 grams. I hope it turns out ;)
Thanks for this note! The 9 x 9 was a typo: we’ve corrected that! The ratio we use for flour is 140 grams per cup of unsifted flour (our publisher’s style guide), which is 245 grams for 1.75 cups.
This banana zucchini bread recipe came out great! I did add dried cherries to the batter before mixing in the flour. The cherries added just the right amount of sweet.
As an aside, cinnamon was listed in the ingredients but not mentioned in the instructions.
Thanks!
Love the idea of adding cherries! Thanks for the note about the cinnamon and we’ve updated the recipe accordingly.
Let us know if you have any questions!