Zucchini Banana Bread

5 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 25

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Meryl Downing

Ingredients

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