Can I freeze this bread?

This zucchini banana bread recipe freezes fairly well (although truth be told, we prefer it fresh out of the oven!) We recommend freezing individual slices of leftover bread in an airtight container or freezer bag and defrosting just a slice or two at a time, as needed. Defrost for an hour or two on the counter when you're ready to serve. Sliced bread will keep in the freezer for 3-4 months before it starts to dry out.

Can I turn this recipe into muffins?

Yes! You can bake this easy zucchini banana bread batter in a muffin pan. You will need to adjust the bake time: we recommend checking muffins for doneness starting around 20-25 minutes and adding time as needed (for more guidance on great muffins, check out our banana chocolate chip muffins or apple butter muffins !)

What if my loaf starts to brown too much before it's all the way baked?

If your oven runs hot, you may notice the top and edges of your bread start to brown quite a bit before the bread is all the way baked in the middle. If you're noticing too much browning, loosely cover the top of your bread with a piece of aluminum foil for the rest of baking: This will prevent additional browning but give the batter a chance to finish cooking all the way through!

Zucchini Banana Bread

Description

Get the best of both worlds with this cozy zucchini banana bread! Shredded summer zucchini and overripe bananas keep this lightly sweetened loaf moist and delicious. Great on its own or topped with butter and a drizzle of honey.

Ingredients

Scale

215 grams over-ripe banana (2-3 medium bananas)
70 grams brown sugar (⅓ packed cup)
1 egg
53 grams unsalted butter (¼ cup, or 1/2 stick), melted
80 grams milk (⅓ cup)
4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
14 grams apple cider vinegar (1 Tablespoon)
180 grams shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini; do not squeeze any of the moisture out)
270 grams all purpose flour (about 2 ¼ cups when measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)
2 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)

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Instructions

Heat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a 9x5" metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash banana with a fork until it's fairly smooth.
Add sugar, egg, melted butter, milk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar to the mashed banana; whisk to combine.
Fold shredded zucchini into the mixture.
Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Transfer batter into prepared bread pan and spread into an even layer. Bake at 325° F for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Additions and substitutions. Add chopped, toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans) or chocolate chips to the batter. Add a streusel topping before baking. Top the finished loaf with powdered sugar or a quick cinnamon glaze if you like. Use melted coconut oil or vegetable oil in place of the melted butter. Adjust the amount of cinnamon to suit your tastes. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg or ground cloves if you'd like more fall spice.

How ripe should my bananas be? We prefer using very ripe bananas here because they are a bit sweeter and softer. Choose bananas with heavily browned peels and very squishy fruit.

Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable – for best results, use a scale to measure by weight with the gram measurements provided! We use and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results. Note: If you have a different brand of kitchen scale, you may want to use a volume (teaspoon) measurement for ingredients less than 5 grams; some scale brands struggle to measure such small amounts, although we've found Escali scales to be very reliable at small quantities!