Banana Zucchini Bread

By Elizabeth Waterson // Sep 8, 2023 (Updated Sep 25, 2024) // Leave a Comment

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This easy banana zucchini bread recipe has a surprise ingredient-zucchini-and it's delicious and nutritious. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this super easy quick bread!

slices of banana zucchini bread on a pink plate on top of a blue linen on a light surface.

I love making a quick bread to snack on through the week and I often find myself wanting banana bread or zucchini bread. This recipe is the best of both worlds, my new go to quick bread is this banana zucchini bread- you get the sweetness from the bananas and so much moisture from the zucchini. It's the perfect snack anytime of day!

hand holding a slice of zucchini banana bread up to the camera.

Let's get to the recipe

About the Ingredients

For this simple quick bread recipe you will need:

Unsalted Butter. Luckily there is no waiting for softened butter you just need to melt the butter for this recipe!
Sugar. I like to use a combination of granulated white sugar and light brown sugar for the ultimate flavor.
Large Eggs. Your eggs should be at room temperature, so they can easily incorporate into the other ingredients.
Pure Vanilla Extract. Don't use imitation vanilla go for the real pure vanilla extract.
Shredded Zucchini. I just use my box grater for shredding the zucchini. You do not need to peel zucchini before grating if for zucchini bread. The zucchini skin softens while baking. If you are using a large zucchini and it has seeds make sure to use a spoon to remove all of the seeds before grating. You do not need to squeeze the zucchini in this recipe. This recipe has been formulated on just grating the zucchini and adding it all to the batter. All the moisture helps create a tender, moist quick bread.
Mashed Ripe Bananas. The browner, spottier your bananas are the better.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

All-Purpose/ Plain Flour. Make sure you measure your flour accurately!
Baking Soda. This chemical leavening agent helps the bread rise while baking.
Salt. Salt helps balance out the sweetness as well as help the other ingredients flavor profiles shine.

Variation Ideas: You could add some spices like a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg to the dry ingredients or a cup of chocolate chips or chopped walnuts to the batter if you want.

ingredients for banana zucchini bread on a light surface.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions For Zucchini Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9X5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl mix together the melted butter and sugars. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract.

wet ingredients for banana zucchini bread in a glass bowl mixed together in a glass bowl on a light surface with a blue linen.

Stir in shredded zucchini and mashed bananas.

bananas and zucchini added to wet ingredients in a glass bowl on a light surface with a blue linen.

In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

dry ingredients whisked together then mixed into wet ingredients in a glass bowl on a light surface with a blue linen.

Gently fold in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, until just combined- don't overmix!

zucchini banana bread before baking in a metal pan on a light surface.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for approximately 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with no wet batter. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before inverting to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. If you plan to eat it in 2-3 days store at room temperature if you live in a cool environment otherwise store the bread in the refrigerator.

sliced banana zucchini bread on a metal rack on a light surface.

Tips for Success

You want very ripe, brown bananas. The browner your bananas the sweeter they will be!
You can make this banana zucchini bread gluten free by using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour.
To freeze leftovers, once completely cooled from baking wrap the whole loaf or slices of zucchini bread in plastic wrap tightly, twice. Then place in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. To thaw the banana zucchini bread let it sit at room temperature for a few hours. It will take longer if you are thawing a whole loaf as opposed to slices.