If you’re looking for a way to use up ripe bananas and a stray zucchini sitting in your crisper drawer, this recipe is exactly what you need.
This Zucchini Banana Bread skips the added sugar entirely, relying on ripe bananas for natural sweetness while zucchini keeps every slice soft and moist.
It’s made with oat flour instead of regular white flour, which gives it a heartier, more filling texture that holds up well whether you’re eating it for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
This loaf is simple to put together, uses ingredients you likely already have on hand, and bakes into a soft, tender bread that tastes just as good on its own as it does topped with a little something extra.
Let’s get into exactly what you’ll need and how to make it happen in your own kitchen.
Why This Bread Works So Well
The combination of mashed bananas and shredded zucchini does double duty in this recipe.
The bananas bring natural sweetness so you don’t need any added sugar, while the zucchini adds moisture that keeps the loaf soft for days.
Using oat flour instead of white flour makes this bread more filling and gives it a slightly nutty flavor that pairs really well with the cinnamon.
This bread is a great option if you’re trying to cut back on added sugar without giving up baked goods altogether.
It’s also flexible you can dress it up with mix-ins like chocolate chips or walnuts, or keep it simple and let the banana and cinnamon flavors shine on their own.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for one loaf. Measurements are given in cups and teaspoons, which should match what you already have in your kitchen.
- 3 ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 124 grams)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or white vinegar)
- 2 cups rolled oats, processed into flour (or 1½ cups oat flour if you already have it on hand)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
A quick note before you start: don’t wring out the liquid from your shredded zucchini. That moisture is part of what makes this bread so soft, so let it go into the batter as is.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add the shredded zucchini directly into the bowl, including the liquid do not wring it out.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the bowl, then mix everything together until combined.
Add the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl, then give it one final mix until everything comes together. Keep in mind the batter will be thick once it’s fully mixed.
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Check the loaf around the 35-minute mark. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with a piece of aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake time.
Once the loaf is out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for 20 minutes.
Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for another 20 minutes before slicing.
That’s the full process from start to finish. The waiting time might feel long, but it makes a real difference in how cleanly the loaf slices once it’s cooled.
A Few Helpful Notes
The lemon juice in this recipe isn’t just for flavor it reacts with the baking soda to help the loaf rise properly, so don’t skip it.
If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, white vinegar works as a substitute and does the same job.
If you’d like a bit more sweetness beyond what the bananas provide, you can stir in ¼ to ⅓ cup of coconut sugar along with the dry ingredients.
This is completely optional and won’t change the texture of the finished loaf.
This recipe is also easy to customize. Feel free to fold in chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or raisins at the end of mixing, right before you transfer the batter to the pan.
Each of these add ins brings its own texture and flavor, so pick whatever sounds good to you.
For serving, try toasting a slice once it’s fully cooled and drizzling it with a little honey or maple syrup.
That warm, slightly crisp edge paired with a touch of sweetness makes for a really satisfying snack or breakfast.
If you already have oat flour instead of rolled oats, use 1½ cups of oat flour in place of the 2 cups of rolled oats called for in the ingredient list.
No, and this is an important step to skip. The liquid from the shredded zucchini is needed to keep the bread moist, so add it straight into the batter without wringing it out.
This recipe was designed around oat flour for its texture and heartiness. If you want to try all-purpose flour, you may need to adjust the amount slightly, since oat flour and all-purpose flour don’t always behave the same way in baking.
A thick batter is normal here and expected. It’s what gives the finished loaf its dense, moist texture once baked, so don’t worry if it looks thicker than a typical quick bread batter.
It’s best not to skip it. The lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to help the loaf rise, so leaving it out could result in a flatter, denser loaf. White vinegar can be used in its place if needed.
Once fully cooled, store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days, or in the refrigerator for about a week. It also freezes well if you’d like to save some for later.
Yes. Chocolate chips, walnuts, or raisins can all be folded into the batter at the end of mixing, right before it goes into the pan.
The ripe bananas provide a good amount of natural sweetness on their own. If you prefer a sweeter loaf, adding ¼ to ⅓ cup of coconut sugar is an easy way to boost the sweetness without changing the recipe much.
It’s great on its own, but toasting a slice and adding a drizzle of honey or maple syrup makes for an even more satisfying treat.
No Added Sugar Zucchini Banana Bread: A Wholesome Loaf You’ll Bake Again and Again
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas about 1½ cups mashed
- 1 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar
- 2 cups rolled oats processed into flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 0.3 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat and prep pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Mash bananas: Mash 3 ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed) in a large bowl.
- Add wet ingredients: Add 1 cups shredded zucchini (do not wring out the liquid), 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoons lemon juice (or white vinegar); mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients: Add 2 cups rolled oats, processed into flour, 1 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 0.3 teaspoons salt; mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.
- Fill pan: Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake: Bake for 55 minutes
- , or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check at 35 minutes and loosely tent with foil if browning too fast.
- Rest in pan: Let the loaf sit in the pan for 20 minutes
- Cool and slice: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for another 20 minutes
- before slicing.
