Easy Banana Zucchini Bread Recipe
Banana Zucchini Bread is an incredibly soft, moist, and delicious quick bread recipe and the perfect way to use up overripe bananas and extra zucchini. Enjoy this delicious loaf for breakfast or an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.
Looking for more easy quick breads? Try this 5-star Lemon Blackberry Bread and this delicious Banana Bread with Pancake Mix.
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🎥Video: How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread
❤️You're Going to Love This
- Soft and moist bread, it really doesn't even need butter - and it's even better the next day
- Natural sweetness from ripe bananas with just the right touch of cinnamon
- Comes together easily in one bowl. No mixer needed
- Freezes beautifully for quick breakfasts, snacks, or sharing
- Zucchini shreds completely disappear. No one will guess it's in there!
This banana zucchini bread recipe is based on my classic banana bread recipe with the added moisture and goodness of fresh zucchini. It's soft, tender, and an easy quick bread recipe to make in just one bowl, no mixer required!
If you have a few extra ripe bananas and zucchini, try Pineapple Zucchini Bread and Bananas Foster Banana Bread.
🍌Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
- Mashed bananas. For best flavor, use overripe bananas that are dark brown or even black. They're sweeter and add the most banana flavor. You can also use frozen bananas, just thaw, mash, and strain them first.
- Canola oil. You can use any kind of vegetable oil or neutral-flavored 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. For one cup of shredded zucchini, you'll need about one medium zucchini.
- All-purpose flour. Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top. If you scoop it, you may add too much flour, which can make the bread dry.
- Optional add-ins. Feel free to add up to one cup of your favorite add-ins like mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, or dried fruit.
🥣How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread
Step 1: Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the oil and sour cream, then the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, then the sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 2: Add the flour to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini.
Step 3: Pour batter into a 9 x 5 bread pan coated with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven at 350°F for 65-75 minutes.
Step 4: Cool bread in pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove it from the loaf pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with regular or cinnamon honey butter.
✅Expert Tips
- Lining the pan with parchment paper is the easiest way to remove the warm, baked loaf without sticking.
- No need to peel the zucchini-its skin softens during baking.
- If using frozen bananas, strain off excess liquid to avoid a dense, gummy texture.
🧊Storage & Freezing Instructions
- 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.
- To freeze banana zucchini bread, let it cool completely, then wrap the loaf or individual slices in two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Place in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
❓FAQs
No, you do not need to peel zucchini before making this easy zucchini banana bread recipe. The skin is pretty soft anyway, and softens even more during baking.
Zucchini bread can look done on top before it's fully baked inside. Here are two good ways to tell when it's done.
Toothpick test: Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean with moist crumbs, it's ready.
Best method: Use an instant-read thermometer. The bread is done when it reaches an internal temp of 200°F.
The fine side of a box grater works best-it gives you small shreds that melt right into the batter for a soft texture. You can also use a food processor with a shredding blade, especially if you're making a big batch. Just avoid over-processing into a pulp; you still want small, distinct shreds.
Too much moisture can make zucchini bread soggy. After grating the zucchini, gently squeeze out the excess water with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. And be sure to let the bread cool completely before storing it to prevent condensation from making it soggy.
Yes. I love freezing bananas when they turn brown for making banana bread later. To thaw, microwave them at 50% power until thawed. They will be very soft and watery. To use thawed frozen bananas in banana bread, mash them and strain off the liquid before adding them to the batter.
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📖 Recipe
Banana Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 medium
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup shredded zucchini about 1 medium
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 5 bread pan with nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the shredded zucchini.
- 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 pan and cool completely on a wire baking rack.
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Hi Cara, this bread looks delicious. Could I split the 1/2 cup of canola oil with unsweetened applesauce? Also is there another ingredient I could use besides sour cream?
Thank you, and Happy New Year!
Hi, Happy New Year! Yes, replacing half the oil with applesauce should work well, though the loaf may be a bit denser. Greek yogurt or buttermilk are good substitutes for the sour cream, with Greek yogurt being the closest match. Hope that helps, and I’d love to hear how it turns out 😊 Cara
Do I need to squeeze the extra moisture out of the zucchini?
Hi Katelin, Yes, here are the instructions from the recipe card: 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. I hope this helps! Cara
This was probably the best zucchini bread I have ever made. So moist and incredible flavor without being overly sweet.
Hi, Tammy, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the nice note :). Cara
I got to sample this today as did Farr. Here is his comment ; “This is TOP SHELF the best zucchini bread I have ever had”.
Moist, flavorful, excellent!
Oh, good, I'm glad you got to try some! Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it. You made my day :).