This zucchini olive oil banana bread is the evolution of one of my family’s recipes – even though it looks nothing like that recipe today. But that’s why we love recipes that are passed down, they change and evolve over time, and get better with every person who makes them.
And this bread is the perfect thing to make if you are overloaded with summer zucchini. It’s sweet, so so moist, super soft and filled with flavor. Plus, it’s just comfort in a one-bowl recipe. No one can ever tell me banana bread is out of style, she’s timeless 😍
Table of contents
The story behind this zucchini banana bread
Now for the story behind this zucchini banana bread – if you are from the Midwest, odds are high that there is a newspaper clipping of some kind of recipe that your family passes down because your grandma thinks it’s the best. For my family, that is a banana bread The St. Louis Post-Dispatch printed in 1969. And that printed article survived the 70’s, the 80’s and even the 90’s, but the recipe began to shift and change as each baker tested and tried it. The evolution of the recipe is what made it our own <3
When the latest version of the recipe finally made it to me, I took some creative ~liberties~ that turned it into the Zucchini Olive Oil Banana Bread that you see today. The original recipe called for canola oil, but the fruity spiciness of olive oil is just that much better! And instead of three bananas? How about two bananas and a zucchini? I made this recipe during summer, after all 😍
And my last contribution is serving this bread chilled (a family secret) with a bit of vanilla ice cream and olive oil on top. It’s not traditional, but it’s my favorite part of this recipe.
Ok enough about the story behind the zucchini bread, the full recipe is below!
Ingredients you will need for this zucchini olive oil banana bread
What I like about an olive oil baked bread is its simplicity. Here is everything you need for this zucchini banana bread:
- 2 large bananas, 260 grams
- 1 zucchini, 200 grams
- 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp olive oil, 95 grams
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed, 100 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 180 grams
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
How to make this olive oil zucchini bread
Another thing I love about a good family recipe is when it all comes together in one bowl. For this recipe, it’s pretty straightforward – the only slightly fussy thing is squeezing out the zucchini, but if you are fine with a longer bake time and slightly denser dough, you don’t even need to worry about doing too much there! Here’s the full break down of instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- On a flat surface, use a fork to mash the bananas, it’s easier than a cutting board, I promise!
- Next use a microplane to finely grate the zucchini, use a paper towel to squeeze out any excess moisture. Add the shredded zucchini in with the banana.
- In a large bowl, add the olive oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, then add in the banana and zucchini and whisk again until the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold this in with a spatula until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour this batter into a parchment lined 9″x4″ loaf pan.
- Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing, then enjoy!
Looking for other baking recipes?
Blueberry Loaf
Peach Galette with Rosemary Blueberries
Sweet Potato Focaccia
And that’s it for this zucchini olive oil banana bread!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas, 260 grams
- 1 zucchini, 200 grams
- 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp olive oil, 95 grams
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed, 100 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 180 grams
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- On a flat surface, use a fork to mash the bananas, it’s easier than a cutting board, I promise!
- Next use a microplane to finely grate the zucchini, use a paper towel to squeeze out any excess moisture. Add the shredded zucchini in with the banana.
- In a large bowl, add the olive oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, then add in the banana and zucchini and whisk again until the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold this in with a spatula until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour this batter into a parchment lined 9″x4″ loaf pan.
- Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing, then enjoy!
Comments
I made this the day you posted it, which is a new record for me! Hope this novel-length comment is helpful for others:
I substituted light brown sugar and used half olive/half canola oil. My bananas were ripe but not super spotty brown, and my zucchini was sadly pretty flavorless. I baked in a 9×5 pan for 45 minutes.
The texture was incredible, not dry at all, even 3 days later; however, my qualm is the lack of flavor 🙁 and this may be due to my substitutions. I couldn’t detect the cinnamon, and for sweetener, I served it with a drizzle of honey.
I think I’ll make this again with riper bananas and a better-tasting zucchini—the microplane method makes it disappear into the batter, like magic!
Sorry to respond for Justine but how is that her fault to get a 3 star rating?
You substitute for different stuff and used unripe banana and tasteless zucchini.
This rating is unfair for the recipe.
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