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This Healthier Zucchini Banana Bread is one of our family's favorite recipes to use that pile of garden zucchini on the counter. Every time I make a loaf, it gets eaten within a day! My kids love it, and I love that it's the healthier version, packed full of two ripe bananas, fresh zucchini, real maple syrup, egg, yogurt, almond flour and pecans for extra protein, and just enough chocolate chunks to make it the perfect breakfast, snack, or lunchbox addition! No refined sugar, no vegetable oil, it's absolutely delicious and you won't feel like it's the healthy version at all!
- Garden Zucchini - One of my favorite things to grow because they just produce like crazy! Baking is my favorite way to use zucchini, I love sneaking in that extra vegetable. This summer I baked at least 10 loaves of this zucchini banana bread, getting the recipe just right, and every time it disappears within a day! Get more ideas for the zucchini pile up with these 15 Ways to Use Garden Zucchini!
- Baking with Healthier Swaps - This is how I always bake, because why not make the healthier version?! With fruits, veggies, yogurt, nuts, extra protein, I'm fine with my kids grabbing a slice for breakfast, or lunch! You just don't need a cup of sugar or vegetable oil to make zucchini bread, and it's still delicious!
- Love Healthier Baking? Also try my Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread and this Spiced Zucchini Apple Bread!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Garden zucchini or just a zucchini from the grocery store, you can make this quick bread any time of year, prepped and in the oven in just 15 minutes!
- Zucchini - Garden zucchini has more water than grocery store zucchini, so a good squeeze with your hand over the sink is important. You don't need to wring it in a dish towel, just press it well in the measuring cup and turn it upside down over the sink. Grocery store zucchini any time of year is also fine. If you are using up a larger zucchini, just don't use all of it.
- Banana - The riper the better, use 2 regular sized bananas. Perfectly yellow bananas are fine to use, but anything on the green size, you should wait a few days. The natural sweetness of the ripe bananas is why you don't need that full cup of sugar lots of recipes use!
- Yogurt - Regular or Greek both work, but make sure to use plain. The yogurt adds moisture, protein, and is one of my favorite swaps in healthier baking. It's the same yogurt we eat for breakfast, flavored ourselves with honey, berries, and Homemade Granola.
- Maple Syrup - Real maple syrup, not pancake syrup (which is just corn syrup), and just ⅓ cup is all you need to sweeten the whole loaf.
- Butter - Just 2 Tablespoons is all you need, and you could substitute melted coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Almond Flour and Flour - I like to use both to increase the protein and make it a bit more nutrient dense.
- Pecans - Adds a pretty topping, more protein and delicious crunch! Use raw baking nuts, walnuts are fine too.
- Chocolate Chunks - They look indulgent, but I only used ⅓ of a cup. Half are mixed in, half sprinkled over the top. You could substitute any kind of chopped chocolate or chips.
See recipe card below for full quantities.
Instructions
Zucchini Banana Bread can be mixed up quick in one bowl, popped in the oven, and there's no need to check on it until the timer is up!
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350°F use a bit of the butter to grease a glass loaf pan.
Mash the bananas with a fork on a cutting board and shred the zucchini.
Step 2 - Add the zucchini to a glass measuring cup and really press the water out with the back of your fingers.
Pour it off over the sink, 1 small sized zucchini will give you about a cup shredded.
Step 3 - Add the banana and zucchini to a bowl along with everything except the flours and toppings. Mix to combine.
Step 4 - Add the flour, almond flour, and about half of the roughly chopped pecans and chocolate chunks.
Step 5 - Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining pecans and chocolate down the middle.
Step 6 - Bake for 70 to 75 minutes. Check for doneness and allow to cool on the stovetop for 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Don't Open the Oven Door - This is the most common mistake in baking. Opening the oven door to peek can cause your zucchini banana bread to sink in the middle when it's trying to rise. It needs consistent heat while it's rising, so don't open the oven door for at least an hour, 70 minutes is better, (unless you know your oven tends to run hot).
- Drain the zucchini well - Zucchini holds a lot of water, especially garden zucchini. A good firm press in the measuring cup with your hand and a lot off water will pour off into the sink. Too much water in the batter can cause a dense, soggy loaf that doesn't cook through.
- Storage - Extra banana zucchini bread can be left covered on the counter for 2 or 3 days (I usually slip the whole loaf pan in a bread bag), or refrigerated a few days longer, or frozen for 3 months. Ours usually gets eaten within a day or two!
Recipe FAQs
No, zucchini is basically neutral in flavor, just adding a healthy boost! You will see the little green flecks, but even my picky eater doesn't mind and loves this bread!
Maple syrup is a great natural sweetener, but it is expensive! I've also made this recipe substituting ¼ cup of regular sugar and it turned out just fine. I think brown sugar or honey would also work great, but I haven't tried it.
Yes, thaw completely and drain very well before using. Frozen zucchini releases a lot of water as it thaws and needs to be pressed firmly in a dish towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
A few things can cause sinking, most likely peeking and opening the oven door too early, not baking long enough (70 to 75 minutes), or too much moisture from undrained zucchini. A slight settling is normal for a moist healthier loaf. And if it sinks significantly, it's probably still fine to eat, just extend the bake time by 5 minute increments and make sure the zucchini is well drained next time.
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Zucchini Banana Bread
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 bananas mashed (a little over 1 cup)
- 1 cup zucchini (1 small sized zucchini - shredded and drained)
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt regular or Greek
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup pecans or walnuts (roughly chopped, half mixed in, half for topping)
- ⅓ cup chocolate chunks or chips (roughly chopped, half mixed in, half for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Use a bit of the 2 Tablespoons of butter to grease a glass or ceramic loaf pan.
- Mash the bananas with a fork. Shred the zucchini, add to a glass measuring cup and use the back of your fingers to press out and discard excess water. Add both to a mixing bowl along with the remaining melted butter and all ingredients through the vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add the almond flour, flour, and half of the chopped nuts and chocolate chunks. Mix to combine.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining nuts and chocolate down the middle.
- Bake for 70 to 75 minutes, don't open the oven or check for at least 65 minutes. Check for doneness and bake longer if needed. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with a great deal of butter!
Notes
- Zucchini - I used one small garden zucchini, shredded on the regular side of a box grater. Add the shredded zucchini to a measuring cup and press it with the back of your fingers. Turn upside down over the sink to drain off as much excess water as you can. You don't need to squeeze it in a dish towel or worry about getting all the water out, just a good squeeze with your hand. Garden zucchini usually has more water than one from the grocery store.
- Baking Time - While all ovens can vary, this bread needs to be cooked at a fairly low temperature (350°F) for a long time (70 minutes) to ensure it cooks all the way through and doesn't sink in the middle as it cools. If it does settle or sink a bit, no big deal, it's still delicious! Do allow it to cool on the stovetop before slicing, it is actually still carry-over cooking!
Nutrition
If you love healthier baking, find more similar recipes in The Healthier Baking Cookbook (ebook)!
With healthier swaps like oats, nuts, yogurt, and maple syrup, this ebook is for you!
Ann says
LOVED THIS RECIPE!!!!! The zucchini makes it so moist. Eat it warm or with ice cream, yogurt, or butter. It melts in your mouth. I pulled it out of the oven about 10 minutes early, because my oven runs so hot. It settled a little, but nothing serious. It turned out delicious!