Easy Banana Zucchini Bread Recipe

Banana Zucchini Bread is an incredibly moist and delicious quick bread recipe and the perfect way to use up overripe bananas and extra zucchini. Makes a great breakfast or afternoon snack. 

For more easy quick bread recipes, try Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread -- my very favorite banana bread recipe -- and Lemon Blackberry Bread, a 5-star recipe that always gets rave reviews!

Zucchini Banana Bread

If you're a fan of classic banana bread, you're going to love this easy zucchini bread recipe. It has all the flavor of banana bread with the tenderness and moisture that zucchini adds to baked goods. 

It's an easy bread recipe that stirs together in one bowl (no need to haul out the mixer) and a great way to use up older bananas or all that summer zucchini. 

If you love baking with bananas and zucchini, these tasty recipes from talented food bloggers are worth a peek: Pineapple Zucchini Bread and Bananas Foster Banana Bread.

Why You're Going to Love This Recipe

• Super moist and tender bread -- almost doesn't even need butter!
• Great way to use up that summer bumper crop of zucchini
• Easy zucchini banana bread recipe that stirs together in a few minutes

Ingredients

Mashed bananas. You'll need about 2 medium bananas for one cup of mashed banana. For best results, use overripe bananas. Dark brown bananas are sweeter and add the most banana flavor. 

Canola oil. You can use any kind of vegetable oil. 

Sour cream. Sour cream adds moisture and makes the bread super tender. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt also works. 

Brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar adds rich flavor. You can use dark or light brown sugar. 

Fresh zucchini. One medium zucchini yields about one cup of shredded zucchini. To avoid getting too much moisture in the bread, wrap the grated zucchini in paper towels or a kitchen towel and gently squeeze out any excess water. 

All purpose flour. Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top. Scooping it out of the bag compacts the flour and you can end up adding too much, which can make the banana zucchini bread dry. 

Optional add-ins. Feel free to add ½ to ¾ cup chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit. 

How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread

1. Prep the oven and loaf pan. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 5 bread pan with nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper. 

2. Grate the zucchini. 

Trim the ends off the zucchini and shred it with a grater. Wrap the grated zucchini in paper towels and squeeze out the excess liquid. Set aside. 

3. Mix the wet ingredients. 

Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and sour cream.  

Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir. 

Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract. 

4. Stir in the flour and zucchini. 

Add the flour and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the shredded zucchini. 

5. Bake, cool, enjoy! 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 65-75 minutes. It's done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean and the internal temperature reads 200. 

Tent with foil toward the end if it looks like it's getting too brown. I add foil at about the 60-minute mark. 

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove it from the loaf pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 

It's delicious served warm with a generous smear of regular or cinnamon honey butter. 

How to Tell if Zucchini Bread is Done

It can be a little tricky to tell if zucchini bread is done because the top often gets dark golden brown before the middle is completely cooked through. There are a couple of methods you can use to tell if it is done. 

Toothpick test. Poke a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes back clean with moist crumbs, it's done. 

But sometimes the loaf is too tall to poke a toothpick all the way down into the center. So I use a thermometer. 

Best way: Instant-read thermometer. To truly know what's going on inside that loaf, use an instant-read thermometer. Banana zucchini bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees f. 

Storage 

Store zucchini banana bread covered in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for about a week. 

Freezing

Banana zucchini bread is a really good quick bread to freeze -- by the loaf or in slices. Here's how:

• Let the bread cool completely before freezing. 
• Wrap a full or partial loaf or individual slices in 2 layers of plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil. 
• Place the foil packet into a large freezer bag or freezer-safe airtight container.
• Freeze for up to 3 months. 
• Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge. 

Success Tips

Lining the pan with parchment keeps the banana zucchini bread from sticking to the pan and makes it easy to lift the warm loaf out of the pan. 

No need to peel the zucchini. The skin gets nice and soft as it bakes in the bread. 

If you're using frozen and thawed bananas, strain off the liquid. Too much liquid can make the banana zucchini bread dense and gummy. 

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