You all asked for a zucchini banana bread recipe, and then later challenged me to make it gluten free and vegan. And let me tell you. EASY. This is my classic banana bread recipe slightly reimagined, using a few tweaks and tricks to make it the most immaculate, addictive, soft, sweet and moist gluten free & vegan zucchini banana bread of all time.
It is a mouthful to say, but it SO deserves it. Welcome to gluten-free-and-vegan-zucchini-banana-bread-heaven. I DARE you to say that five times fast.
Ok ily so here are more details of the recipe below:
Table of contents
- Why zucchini and banana together?
- The dry ingredients you will need for this gluten free zucchini banana bread
- The wet ingredients you will need to make this a vegan zucchini banana bread
- How to treat the zucchini and banana in this recipe
- How to make this zucchini banana bread recipe
- Does the ripeness of my banana affect my banana bread?
- More baking science!
- FAQ
- Want more banana recipes?
- Watch the recipe video here:
Why zucchini and banana together?
You usually see either banana bread recipes or zucchini bread recipes, but you rarely see them combined. That’s because both ingredients provide the same benefit to a recipe – which is moisture, structure and flavor. But people don’t often think to combine them!
I’m combining both in this recipe to maximize on the moist texture, plus take advantage of summer squash when it’s in season! The banana provides sweetness, the zucchini gives texture, and together they really make the perfect loaf.
The dry ingredients you will need for this gluten free zucchini banana bread
- 1 cup (or 140 grams) all purpose gluten free flour, I like the King Arthur Baking 1:1 GF Blend
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
The wet ingredients you will need to make this a vegan zucchini banana bread
- 3/4 cup (or 150 grams) fresh zucchini, shredded and drained (this will be 75 grams once drained)
- 1 large (or 125 grams) ripe banana
- ½ cup (or 100 grams) almond butter
- 2 tbsp flax meal
- 5 tbsp water
- ⅔ cup (or 180 grams) maple syrup
How to treat the zucchini and banana in this recipe
How you prepare the zucchini and banana will make all the difference in this recipe. You just need to pay a little extra attention when you prep them, and your bake will thank you for it.
For the zucchini:
After you grate it, use either a dish towel or a paper towel to squeeze out all the excess moisture. There is quite a bit, so I prefer to do this over the sink. Removing the water content will help create a stable, structured loaf, so be sure not to skip this step!
Tip: I find it helpful to weigh the zucchini before and after you drain it. You should start with 150 grams of fresh zucchini, and then once the water is squeezed out, you should have about 75 grams.
For the banana:
You want to mash the banana until it’s as smooth as possible. Any chunks will take away from the sugar levels in the cake and will impact the texture. I’ve found it’s easiest to mash with a fork, but I know everyone has their preferred method!
Tip: Mash your banana on a cutting board, instead of in the bowl. It’ll be soooo much easier I promise.
How to make this zucchini banana bread recipe
This batter comes together pretty quickly, all you need is bit of prep and then you are good to go! Here’s the deets:
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Whisk together the flax meal and water to make a flax egg. Let this sit for five minutes or until it’s gel-like.
- Using a grater or microplane, grate the zucchini until fine. Squeeze all the excess water out with a towel until the zucchini is relatively dry. If you can, weigh your zucchini after it is drained! It should be about 75 grams.
- On a cutting board, mash the banana and zucchini together until smooth and combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the flax egg, zucchini-banana mix, almond butter and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet and fold until the batter is combined and no dry flour remains.
- In a parchment lined 8×4′ baking tin, pour in the batter.
- Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Does the ripeness of my banana affect my banana bread?
The short answer is: yes! And that’s not always a bad thing. In some instances it can really help you control the outcome of your loaf.
Now bananas have resistant starches in them that break down over time as the banana ripens. As a banana ripens, those starches are converted into sugars, changing both the texture and sweetness of the banana. When you add more sugar to a cookie, cake, or any recipe, you are automatically adding more moisture.
This means when you use a riper banana, you have more sugar, which will equal more moisture in a cake.
Now what does moisture do in a loaf?
That’s the second important question when baking. Moisture impacts many things, and the extent of that impact also depends on the other ingredients in the recipe! For any loaf, more moisture (be it from oil, sugar, milk or an additional fat source) creates a denser crumb and occasionally a sunken center if the other ingredients are out of proportion.
Now, we typically combat the sunken-center-problem with structural components in a recipe, such as eggs or flour. Eggs are usually the more preferred choice, since they create lift in a cake without sacrificing the moist texture. Flour is an option, but if there is too much of it, it can drown out the flavors in the cake and cause a stiff, dry crumb.
More baking science!
You notice I mention an egg above, but this is a vegan recipe! And that’s what I wanted to address here. Since we aren’t using an egg, the impact of the banana & zucchini is more prevalent in this recipe.
This is because in a loaf with eggs, the moisture from the banana is not as noticeable. The structure from the eggs will give the loaf a domed top no matter what. But without eggs, the riper banana causes a slight dip in the center. In the above image, both loaves use this recipe, but the one on the left used a very very ripe banana, while the one on the right used a slightly speckled one.
Often vegan loaf recipes try to overcome this by adding a higher ratio of flour. And while this does fix the aesthetic issue, I find the taste comes out drier and tougher. Two big “nos” in my books.
So where do I net out? Save your flavor and use the ripe bananas! What you sacrifice in look, you more than make up for in taste. But you can mix and match with this recipe and let me know what works best for you!
FAQ
This is totally up to you and what you have! I don’t recommend using a banana that doesn’t at least have a few speckles, and I prefer a darker banana if you can, BUT this is personal preference. Your cake will be moister and stickier with a very ripe banana, but it will have more lift and fluff with a less ripe banana. So it’s dealer’s choice!
Hell yes. I’d recommend adding about 2/3 cup if you want to!
I like to store my bread in the loaf tin it was baked in, covered in cling wrap or another form of air-tight wrapping. You can also store in an air-tight container. To preserve freshness, I recommend keeping it in the fridge!
This vegan and gluten free loaf will keep in the fridge for 7-10 days!
Want more banana recipes?
Watch the recipe video here:
The Best Gluten Free & Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup or 140 grams all purpose gluten free flour I like the King Arthur Baking 1:1 GF Blend
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 3/4 cup or 150 grams fresh zucchini shredded and drained (this will be 75 grams once drained)
- 1 large or 125 grams ripe banana
- ½ cup or 100 grams almond butter
- 2 tbsp flax meal
- 5 tbsp water
- ⅔ cup or 180 grams maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Whisk together the flax meal and water to make a flax egg. Let this sit for five minutes or until it’s gel-like.
- Using a grater or microplane, grate the zucchini until fine. Squeeze all the excess water out with a towel until the zucchini is relatively dry. If you can, weigh your zucchini after it is drained! It should be about 75 grams.
- On a cutting board, mash the banana and zucchini together until smooth and combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the flax egg, zucchini-banana mix, almond butter and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet and fold until the batter is combined and no dry flour remains.
- In a parchment lined 8×4′ baking tin, pour in the batter.
- Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Best gluten free bread I’ve been able to make in Colorado! Can’t get enough.
So glad you liked it!
This looks delicious, do you know if this can be made with almond flour?
I have not personally tested it, but since almond flour absorbs more moisture, I’d recommend using about 1.25 times the amount that the recipe calls for!