Cool morning, sun rising, a hot cup of coffee, and a slice of gluten free zucchini banana bread. Sounds like nirvana to me!
With a plethora of end-of-summer produce and craving chilly-weather comfort foods, welcoming fall with this recipe simply makes sense.
And here are the deets on this zucchini banana bread: it's paleo, gluten free, low carb, and dairy free. Smear each slice with some homemade ghee for a real treat!
The quick bread for indecisive people
What I LOVE about this recipe (and, in fact, most of the quick bread recipes on my site) is that it combines two different stand-alone quick breads into one succinct recipe.
Because why make JUST zucchini bread when you've also got bananas browning on your countertop?
So use up that zucchini and those bananas for one hella good gluten free zucchini banana bread recipe. Fruits and veggies in one quick bread? Genius.
Ingredients for zucchini banana bread
To keep this recipe gluten free, paleo, and low carb, you've got to get a little creative with the ingredients.
Almond flour: Since it's made from just almonds, it's low carb and higher in fat. The best almond flour is fine, not mealy. I like this one!
Coconut flour: Almond flour is much more moist than wheat flour, so coconut flour helps soak up that moisture. How much moisture? That varies by brand, but most are generally the same. I get bulk coconut flour from Natural Grocers, but my other favorite brand is this one.
Tapioca flour: Yes, you can substitute this with arrowroot flour if necessary. Tapioca flour gives the quick bread that lightness and "oomph" that prevents the overall recipe from being gummy.
Bananas: You want to use browned bananas for this recipe. I mean, is there a banana bread recipe that isn't made better from brown bananas? Pro tip: peel and freeze past-their-prime bananas to "save up" for a banana bread baking heyday.
Zucchini: Do you have to peel your zucchini for zucchini bread? NO! I actually love the speckles of green throughout the bread. I would suggest scooping out and discarding the seeds, though - especially if your zucchini is enormous and has hefty seeds.
Add-ins for zucchini banana bread
You'll notice in the pictures that I made my zucchini banana bread two ways: with chocolate chips and with pecans.
And let me tell you, I couldn't decide which was my favorite. So I thought I'd just give you a list of quick customization options for all your zucchini banana bread fantasies:
- stir ½ cup Equal Exchange bittersweet chocolate chips into the batter before adding to the loaf pan
- stir in ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter and/or top with more nuts before popping in the oven
- stir ½ cup of sugar free dried cranberries or raisins into the batter
- instead of 1 teaspoon cinnamon, use 1 ½ teaspoons gingerbread spice for a more aromatic, spiced bread
More paleo quick bread recipes
- Plantain Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Paleo Banana Bread
- Paleo Sausage Chili w/ Skillet Cornbread
📖 Recipe
Paleo Zucchini Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Can't decide between zucchini and banana bread? This is the quick bread for you! Stir in chocolate chips or pecans to jazz it up even more. This recipe is paleo, gluten free, low carb, and vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 brown-spotted bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on each side. Alternatively, oil the loaf pan with olive oil or ghee.
- In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the peeled bananas and mash them. Stir in eggs, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and honey, mixing until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine. Add the shredded zucchini and any other optional mix-ins and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing and eating. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Julie Skennerton says
Hi, do you know what i could use instead of eggs?
Chelsea Joy says
Hi Julie! I don't have much experience with eggless baking, but you could try substituting a "flax egg". 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2 1/2 Tbsp water = 1 egg
Cherylyn Jensen says
Hi Chelsea
Why do you put apple cider vineger? This is my first time baking zucchini banana bread.
Chelsea says
Hi Cherylyn! Adding apple cider vinegar (or vinegar) in baking helps to activate the baking soda in the recipe, resulting in a little more fluffiness. 🙂