Zucchini Banana Bread
Zucchini Banana Bread is healthy, moist, and delicious. Made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey, it's the perfect way to use up abundant zucchini and overripe bananas!
'Tis the season when I'm seeing friends and neighbors overrun by a bounty of zucchini from their summer gardens. So I figured there's no better time than now than to share my healthy, 100% whole wheat, Zucchini Banana Bread!
Once our new house is built, I'm excited to plant my own little garden. But in the meantime, I'm reliant on the kindness of others to share a few of the bazillion zucchini that overtake their gardens from June through August. So when I recently found myself with several extra zucchini at the same time my kitchen counter was sporting a bunch of aimless bananas, I knew that whipping up a loaf of Zucchini Banana Bread was just the solution!
My kids gobbled down this wholesome loaf without a clue that it was even good for them. I didn't initially disclose to the picky 6-year-old that it included shredded zucchini, because I'm afraid she never would have even tried it. But once she took a bite, she honestly though she was eating regular ol' banana bread...so I didn't make a big deal about the zucchini part. 😉
What Makes this Zucchini Banana Bread Healthy?
So what wholesome ingredients are in this Zucchini Banana Bread? Shredded zucchini and mashed banana, obvi. But also...
- Whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour lends baked goods a lighter texture than regular whole wheat flour, while retaining the wholesome nutritional benefits of 100% whole wheat. If you can only find regular whole wheat flour, I recommend making this recipe with half all-purpose white flour. Or, if you don't care about the whole wheat aspect, you may certainly make this recipe with all-purpose white flour instead.
- Honey. The bananas provide plenty of natural sweetness to this quick bread. But I like supplementing that with a an additional unrefined sweetener as well. You can add anywhere from ⅓ to ½ cup of honey to your Zucchini Banana Bread, depending on how ripe your bananas are and how sweet you like your bread (I used ⅓ cup and thought it was plenty).
- Coconut oil. If you prefer, you may use extra-virgin olive oil (or your favorite oil for baking) instead.
- Plain yogurt. Either regular yogurt or Greek yogurt will work here...it's up to you!
I typically also opt to toss a cup of chocolate chips into my batter because I'm a rebel like that. I actually saved a few of them to sprinkle over the top to make my loaf extra purty. But this bread is equally delicious untainted with chocolate.
(Or you could even schmear your slice of healthy Zucchini Banana Bread with a bit of cream cheese frosting...your secret is safe with me!) 😉
How to Make Zucchini Banana Bread
This recipe is pretty quick and simple to throw together. The baking time is around an hour. But be forewarned that you'll likely have to lay a sheet of foil over the top of the loaf about halfway through to prevent the top from overbrowning while the interior finishes baking.
Let's break down the steps, shall we?
- Preheat the oven and grease a loaf pan.
- Grate the zucchini and mash the bananas. I actually toss a teaspoon of sugar into my shredded zucchini and put it in a colander set over a bowl while I prep the rest of my ingredients so that the sugar has a chance to draw the excess moisture out of the zucchini. Also, since this recipe only requires about ½ of an average-sized zucchini, I go ahead and shred/drain a whole zucchini. I measure out the amount needed for this recipe and then pop the rest of the shredded zucchini in a freezer bag to be used for a future loaf.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Mix together the wet ingredients.
- Gradually incorporate the wet into the dry and stir until just combined.
Add those aforementioned chocolate chips, if desired. - Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake.
Be sure to test for doneness with a toothpick before removing from the oven, as an underbaked loaf may end up sinking quite a bit. - Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a cooling rack and allow to finish cooling. Good luck with that last part! Just slice slowly and carefully if you can't wait to dig in until completely cool.
So who's ready to put all of that summer zucchini (and those spotty bananas) to good use? And P.S. ~ I have a few other zucchini ideas under the recipe card, just in case you happen to need even more ways to keep that crazy garden under control... 🙂
More Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Fudge Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
- Savory Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
- {2-Ingredient} Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds
- Zucchini Marinara
- Zucchini Fritters with Asian Dipping Sauce
Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup grated zucchini (approximately ½ of an average-sized zucchini)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup mashed banana, from approximately 2 medium overripe bananas
- â…“ cup honey
- â…“ cup coconut oil, melted & slightly cooled
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- â…“ cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- With the rack in the center position, preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan (I prefer using softened butter).
- Place the grated zucchini in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and toss to coat. While you work on the batter, the sugar will draw the moisture out of the zucchini. Press down on the zucchini occasionally to squeeze the liquid into the bowl, removing as much liquid as possible before adding the zucchini to the batter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the drained shredded zucchini, mashed banana, honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients; stir. Add the yogurt; stir. Add the remaining flour mixture and chocolate chips, if using. Stir until just blended.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center of the bread tests done with a toothpick (my loaf required 55 minutes). Check the bread between 20 and 30 minutes and lay a sheet of foil over the top if it's getting too brown (I covered at 25 minutes). Once the bread is done, remove from the oven, carefully run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the pan, and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run the knife around the edges again and then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- It is recommended that ingredients be room temperature so that the melted coconut oil doesn't re-solidify when it touches cold ingredients. You can quickly warm up a cold egg (before cracking) by putting it in a bowl of warm water.
- You may use up to ½ cup honey, if you wish, depending on how ripe/sweet your bananas are and how sweet you prefer your bread.
Delicious and easy to make. I doubled the recipe decreased the amount of honey because my bananas were really ripe and used half white half brown flour. My family loves it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I am obsessed with this bread!! Half of it is gone on the first day alone…. Followed the recipe but added some cinnamon to it.