Name: Banana Zucchini Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Western
Ingredients: 2 overripe medium sized (20cm in length) bananas; 1/2 cup (125g) ricotta; 2 extra large eggs; 1/3 cup (55g) packed brown sugar; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1tsp vanilla extract; 1tsp cinnamon; 1 1/2 cups (190g) wholemeal flour; 1/2 cup (55g) rolled oats plus extra for sprinkling; 1 medium zucchini grated with as much moisture removed as possible (see note one); 1.5 tsp baking soda

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You will love this delicious Banana Zucchini Bread. It is a flavour packed, nutrient dense twist on a traditional banana bread. It’s made with bananas, zucchini, wholemeal flour and oats. And this is a fantastic lower sugar option for school lunches, snacks or even breakfasts. This banana and zucchini loaf comes together simply all in one bowl and stores beautifully.

“Oh, YUM”. Ah the sweet sound of my picky pants 9 year old sinking his teeth into this delicious healthy twist on the traditional banana bread. And he’s totally right. It is yum. But, from him, this is high praise indeed.

This Banana Zucchini Bread has just the right amount of sweetness, mainly from the overripe bananas, but it has a small amount of added sugar. And I do mean small – only 1/3 cup of brown sugar. This is less than half the amount of added sugar than some of the most popular banana bread recipes.

So not only is this banana zucchini loaf lower in added sugar it’s also packed with goodness and fibre from the zucchini, wholemeal flour and oats.

This recipe also boasts a good amount of protein from the eggs and ricotta. So all in all, a great option for school lunchboxes or even your breakfast!

So now onto the taste! The bread has a great crumb and is soft and moist on the inside. The banana flavour shines through with a delicious aftertaste of cinnamon. And if you are worried about tasting the zucchini – don’t! It is imperceptible.

This recipe is absolutely delicious still slightly warm from the oven (and just made for a spread of butter but that is totally optional) and it is equally lovely cold too!

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe uses simple easily sourced ingredients that you will often have on hand. I have included some possible substitutions. You can find the quantities in the recipe card below.

Bananas – definitely a staple ingredient in this Banana Zucchini Bread 🤪. I recommend using overripe bananas so the recipe is sweet enough. If you don’t have overripe bananas you can ripen them quickly in the oven. Preheat the oven to 150c. Pop the bananas still in their peels on a lined oven tray and then bake for around 15 minutes turning half way. Allow them to cool then mash. My other hack with the bananas is to mash them on a clean wooden board before transferring to the bowl. It makes the mashing process sooo much easier!
Eggs – I used extra large eggs in this recipe. Eggs are a great source of protein and contain 13 different vitamins.
Ricotta – I love to use ricotta in baking as it adds some extra protein and adds moisture and creaminess. If you don’t have any on hand it is easily substituted for unsweetened Greek yogurt, plain unsweetened natural yogurt or sour cream.
Brown Sugar – I love the depth of flavour brown sugar brings to this banana bread. You could use white sugar if you don’t have any brown sugar on hand.
Olive Oil – I use an extra virgin olive oil that is low flavoured. You could sub for an equal amount of any baking oil ie avocado, vegetable, coconut. You could also use around 60g of melted butter.
Cinnamon – the perfect spice to accompany bananas. So warm and cozy and it brings out the sweetness of the other ingredients. It’s an optional ingredient but I really would recommend including. You could also add in 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.
Vanilla Extract – I use a good quality extract rather than an essence but you could use this too. You could leave this out but it will alter the taste. I would recommend leaving in.
Zucchini – also known as a courgette. This vegetable is perfect in baking, adding extra nutrition. Zucchini is high in Vitamin A and is a good source of fibre. You will need to remove the moisture from the zucchini when baking this recipe and the cook time will vary if you use a larger zucchini because of the additional moisture.
Wholemeal flour – this is also known as whole wheat flour. Using an unrefined flour adds extra fibre and protein to this banana bread. You could substitute with a plain flour but you may need to adjust the cooking time as the wholemeal flour is more absorbent so just make sure you are testing the bread with a skewer to make sure it is baked through before removing from the oven.
Rolled Oats – these are so filling and add more fibre along with a number of minerals to the banana zucchini bread.
Baking Soda – also known as bicarbonate soda this helps the banana bread to rise.

Optionally you could also add in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to this recipe if you think it would help your little ones enjoy this recipe even more.

How to make Banana Zucchini Bread

This recipe is really easy to make and comes together all in one bowl.

First, preheat your oven to 175c then grease and line a 24cm loaf pan. Mash your bananas on a clean chopping board with a fork until smooth then add them into a large bowl.

Next, add in the eggs, ricotta, brown sugar, olive oil, cinnamon and vanilla extract and with a whisk mix together until smooth and well combined.

Grate the zucchini into a clean tea towel and then squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible. Then add the zucchini into the bowl with the flour, oats and baking soda and mix with a spatula until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the loaf tin and then sprinkle with rolled oats. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden and the bread has cooked through. To check if the loaf has cooked through, insert a skewer into the centre of the loaf and then remove. The skewer will be clean when the Banana Zucchini Bread has cooked through.

Let the banana bread stand in the loaf pan for around 5-10 minutes then cool on a wire rack before cutting into 9 pieces with a sharp serrated knife. Resist the urge to cut into this straight away as it will not cut well when it’s very warm.

Storing the Banana Zucchini Bread

You can keep the bread in an airtight container at room temp for around three days. If it is very hot you may wish to store in the fridge. You can also freeze this bread too.

You can reheat the bread in the microwave for around 30 seconds on high to enjoy warmed. Note that this time will vary dependant on your microwave.