Banana Walnut Zucchini Bread

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Zucchini is one of the easiest garden vegetables to grow here in Alabama, and it’s usually most plentiful at the end of summer. My favorite way to use up those late summer zucchini is with this spiced banana walnut zucchini quick bread. The baking process takes the zucchini flavor down a few notches to something more subtle while the high water content adds moisture to the bread. The zucchini also adds more nutritional value; if you’d like a healthier version, substitute half the flour with whole wheat flour.

Banana Walnut Zucchini Bread Ingredients

Brown Sugar – I like to use only brown sugar in banana bread because it adds more flavor and moisture.

Nutmeg – Freshly grated nutmeg has a completely different flavor than pre-ground. I prefer to keep a bag of whole nutmegs and grate them as needed using a microplane grater.

Cardamom – Like the nutmeg, cardamom has a much stronger flavor if it is freshly ground. The cardamom seeds should be removed from the pod and then ground in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. If you are not using freshly ground cardamom, you may want to raise the amount of ground cardamom to ½ teaspoon.

Oil – Refined coconut, sunflower seed, and peanut oil are my favorite neutral-tasting oils to use for baking.

Mashed banana – I recommend always measuring fruit by weight, because fruits come in different sizes. Even if you are measuring the mashed banana in a cup, it will not be as accurate as measuring by weight.

Grated Zucchini – Just like with the bananas, it is best to measure the zucchini by weight. Grate the unpeeled zucchini using the large holes on a box grater, then wrap the grated zucchini in cheesecloth or a couple of paper towels. Squeeze most of the juice out into the sink, but don’t wring it completely dry. This will help prevent extra moisture from accumulating in the bread and making it gummy.

How to Make Banana Walnut Zucchini Bread

• Banana zucchini bread is only a little more difficult than regular banana bread, since you have an additional ingredient. The best way to mix it is to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then mix them together and stir in the add-ins at the end.
• It’s easier to make the bread if you have all of the add-ins prepared beforehand and ready to go.
• I find using a potato masher to be the most efficient way of mashing the bananas so that there are hardly any lumps. Set the mashed bananas aside until you are ready to add them to the wet ingredients.
• Wash and dry the zucchini, but leave it unpeeled. Grate it using the large holes on a box grater, turning the zucchini to a different side once you reach the seeds. Wrap the grated zucchini in cheesecloth or some paper towels and squeeze most of the juice out into a sink. Set the zucchini aside until you are ready to add it in, after you have begun to mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
• Chop the walnuts finely using a food processor and set them aside, stirring them in at the end along with the zucchini.
• While with most quick breads you would mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, this batter is a lot denser, so I added the dry to the wet, as you would when making a cake. The batter needs to be this dense because a lot of liquid will come out of the zucchini as it bakes.

Banana Walnut Zucchini Bread

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 12 Slices

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (130 g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 200 grams mashed banana (about 3/4 cup)
• 100 grams grated zucchini (about 1 cup) with the liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (50 g) (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C) and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grate the zucchini, squeeze out the excess liquid, and set aside. Chop the walnuts and set aside. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.
• In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom until well combined.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Next, whisk in the mashed bananas. Add about half of the flour mixture and whisk until almost combined. Switch to a large spoon and add the remainder of the flour mixture, as well as the zucchini and walnuts, and stir until fully combined. Be careful not to overmix.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350° F (180° C) for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Store at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Keyword banana, breakfast, brunch, quick bread, walnut, zucchini