Zucchini Banana Bread

Sweetened with nothing but bananas and maple syrup, this Zucchini Banana Bread still tastes so good, no one will ever guess that it’s actually healthy!

Despite being sweetened with nothing but bananas and a little bit of maple syrup, this Zucchini Banana Bread still tastes so indulgent, no one will ever guess that it’s actually that healthy!

Frankly, I think it’s even better than the real thing. It has so much more depth to it, so much flavor, and character, too! Its interior is agreeably dense, but also sort of fluffy at the same time while its crust is perfectly light and crispy.

Plus, can you see all the beautiful specks of vibrant green that the zucchini contributes to this cake? It’s soooooo pretty! I don’t think I’ve ever seen no ordinary Banana Bread look that good before!

Of course, this Zucchini Banana Bread makes for a stupendous on-the-go snack, but it’s also fantastic in the morning, next to a couple of pan fried eggs (hey what can I say? I really do love my eggs in the morning!) and a few slices of apple. Especially if you’re going to cover it with a generous amount of some kind of all-natural nut butter…

I personally tried it with some Toasted Almond Butter, which has proven to be a good choice… but for a particularly memorable experience, I say top with my Nut ‘N Seed Butter! Now THAT was so good, I’ve been practically living off this duo for the past week.

In fact, I had the last slice yesterday and I came this close to shedding an actual tear. For realz. Now I think I need to whip up another one… immediately! Sadly though, I’m all out of over-ripe bananas!

Does anyone have a couple of over-ripe bananas they could spare? I’m ready to pay a good price for them, you know!

On second thought, you should hang on to them and make this beauty for yourself…

First, preheat your oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and set it aside.

Next, in a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix them with a flat whisk until well combined.

Thirdly, in another, larger bowl, combine the bananas, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract.

Keep the grated zucchini in a separate bowl for now…

Mix the wet ingredients with a whisk until they are well combined and practically lump free, mashing the bananas with the whisk as you go. Oh and by the way, the riper and uglier your bananas, the better!

Then, add the grated zucchini to the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until well incorporated.

Note that you do not need to squeeze the water out of the zucchini – its moisture content is actually accounted for and needed in the cake! I don’t know about you, but that’s music to my ears!

Once all the wet ingredients have been well stirred, add the dry ingredients all at once.

In case you’re not so sure, yes, the walnuts actually get added directly into the flour mixture. Mixing them in with the flour like this prevents them from sinking directly to the bottom of the pan while the cake is baking.

Now stir the dry ingredients into the wet until they’re just incorporated, no more. Don’t over-mix or your banana bread will be sort of tough.

Transfer the batter to your prepared pan, spread it evenly and then if you want to, sprinkle a few tablespoons of maple sugar flakes all over the top.

Honestly, I strongly suggest that you want to, because the sugar flakes add just the best, sweet little crunch, but if you’d rather not add the extra sugar, you could also use chopped walnuts instead.

Or leave that top entirely naked…

Bake your banana bread for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the top is a beautiful golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes…

Finally, unmold your beautiful zucchini banana bread and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice and serve warm, at room temperature or chilled (personally, I prefer the latter, but you know me: I’m weird like that…)

Any leftovers you should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container where they will keep for up to a week.

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5 from 4 votes

Zucchini Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Sweetened with nothing but bananas and maple syrup, this Zucchini Banana Bread still tastes so good, no one will ever guess that it's actually healthy

Servings: 12

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Wet Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup grated zucchini, (no need to squeeze water out)
• 2 large overripe bananas
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, storebought or homemade

Dry Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt

Optional Garnish

• 2 tbsp pure maple sugar flakes

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix with a flat whisk until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients with a whisk until well combined and practically lump free, mashing the bananas as you go.
• Add the grated zucchini and mix with a spatula until well incorporated, then add the dry ingredients all at once and stir until just incorporated.
• Transfer the batter to your prepared pan, spread evenly and sprinkle with maple sugar flakes if desired.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the top is a beautiful golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then unmold it and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 225mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 80IU, Vitamin C: 2.7mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 0.9mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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