Sweetly simple gluten free banana & zucchini bread is made with whole grain flour and summer's zucchini, plus walnuts for crunch. A great way to use up the squash in the garden.
I am a huge fan of dressing up banana bread whenever possible, be it with fruit to make a gluten free blueberry banana bread or a gluten free easy banana strawberry bread, or with a vegetable (think gluten free rhubarb banana bread - yep, rhubarb is a veg!) like in this banana & zucchini bread! It's a quick and easy recipe that will make good use of the zucchini in your (or your generous neighbor's) garden.
I used oat flour to keep things ultra simple here with a whole grain punch, and you can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend or a single-origin gluten-free flour if you prefer. Enjoy slices warm or cold for breakfast, a snack, or add them to lunchboxes. Easily made dairy-free if needed, too. (If you love oat flour as much as I do, see my oat flour recipes page for more inspiration.)
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Really? Banana & Zucchini Bread?
Yeah, really! Have you made my gluten free banana zucchini muffins? This recipe is similar but slightly different, and just as delicious. It calls for a bit more sugar and butter (or oil) to make it extra moist and more of a treat. I love how the sweetness of the bananas plays against the slight, earthy sweetness of the squash here, and a little warming spice accents the flavors perfectly.
Zucchini is so great to bake with - tuck into a gluten free chocolate zucchini cake, a batch of muffins, or a quick bread loaf. It adds moisture and extra nutrition, as well as helps to form a tender crumb. I added walnuts here as well for a bit of crunch, but you can easily leave them out or ... try chocolate chips!
Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick look at the basics in this recipe. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Bananas - Very ripe bananas are always welcome in baking recipes. If you can plan ahead, chuck those browning bananas into the freezer to use whenever you need them.
- Zucchini - I like to squeeze the zucchini very well to get out as much of the water as possible. You want the finished bread to be nice and moist but not overly soggy. No need to peel the zucchini, but do give it a scrub first before grating.
- Butter - I use unsalted butter here for richness, but I'll also use a neutral oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil, and have even used olive oil for a different flavor note.
- Eggs - Large eggs work best.
- Oat flour - Go ahead and learn how to make oat flour to use in this bread, or use brown or white rice flour or sorghum flour if you don't eat oats. Or, use my homemade gluten free flour blend by weight or a 1:1 blend you like.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine, or use coconut sugar or granulated sugar.
- Baking powder
- Ginger - I love ground ginger in this recipe, and cinnamon (or an equal blend of both) is nice, too.
- Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt.
- Walnuts - This is an optional but welcome addition if you like a bit of nutty crunch.
How to Make Banana Zucchini Bread
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this easy, quick bread recipe:
1. Make dry mix: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients: Combine the bananas, zucchini, butter, and eggs.
3. Combine: Stir the dry mix into the wet ingredients, then fold in the walnuts if using. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Bake: Place in a 350°F oven and bake for about an hour.
Recipe Tips
- Use frozen bananas: Save ripe bananas (skin on or off) in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer. When you're ready to make this recipe, take out as many bananas as you need, let them defrost in a bowl, and drain away any liquid before mashing them up for the recipe.
- Use another flour: You can use a gluten-free flour blend instead of the oat flour by weight. Or try another single-origin gluten-free flour, like sorghum flour or brown rice flour, by weight. Or, swap 2 cups of all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour if you don't need to keep gluten-free.
- Try other spices. Instead of ginger, use ground cinnamon or cardamom. Add a pinch of nutmeg for a slightly different flavor note. Or, use pumpkin pie spice!
- Add vanilla. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste when combining the wet ingredients.
Variations
- Chocolate - I love regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips in this bread to make it a little extra!
- Carrots - Swap the zucchini for shredded carrots, or stir in ½ cup of carrots in addition to the zucchini.
- Dairy-free - Easily make this dairy-free with your choice of ½ cup of oil instead of the butter.
- Applesauce - Reduce the amount of butter/oil by doing a combination of ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce and ¼ cup of butter or oil.
- Lower sugar - Reduce the amount of sugar to ½ cup, especially if your bananas are very sweet.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Keep bread covered or in a sealable bag on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Make the bread last longer by placing it in a sealed bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Wrap the whole loaf in plastic and place it in a sealable freezer bag, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, cut up the loaf and place slices in a freezer bag with a piece of parchment in between each one. Defrost in the fridge before serving.
More Banana Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Gluten Free Banana & Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (squeezed)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted, or oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups oat flour or gluten free flour (280 grams)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×5-inch pan and line with a parchment sling if desired.
- In a large bowl, stir together the 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas, 1 cup shredded zucchini, ½ cup unsalted butter, and 2 large eggs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups oat flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir the dry mix into the wet ingredients and fold in the 1 cup walnuts if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Let batter rest for 10-15 minutes, then bake for 55-60 minutes until golden brown a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
-
- Use frozen bananas: Save ripe bananas (skin on or off) in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer. When you're ready to make this recipe, take out as many bananas as you need, let them defrost in a bowl, and drain away any liquid before mashing them up for the recipe.
-
- Use another flour: You can use a gluten-free flour blend instead of the oat flour by weight. Or try another single-origin gluten-free flour, like sorghum flour or brown rice flour, by weight. Or, swap 2 cups of all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour if you don't need to keep gluten-free.
-
- Try other spices. Instead of ginger, use ground cinnamon or cardamom. Add a pinch of nutmeg for a slightly different flavor note. Or, use pumpkin pie spice!
-
- Add vanilla. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste when combining the wet ingredients.
Variations
- Chocolate - I love regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips in this bread to make it a little extra!
- Carrots - Swap the zucchini for shredded carrots, or stir in ½ cup of carrots in addition to the zucchini.
- Dairy-free - Easily make this dairy-free with your choice of ½ cup of oil instead of the butter.
- Applesauce - Reduce the amount of butter/oil by doing a combination of ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce and ¼ cup of butter or oil.
- Lower sugar - Reduce the amount of sugar to ½ cup, especially if your bananas are very sweet.
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