This is a moist, protein-boosted zucchini banana bread perfect for a breakfast or snack meal prep with hidden veggies. But when I went back to retest it - mostly because I wanted a good photo of it - I ended up tweaking a few things. I ended up with four loaves, but thankfully they're breakfast meal prep and snack friendly - and I even made a few veggie skeptics won over!
TL;DR
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45-60 minutes
- Meal prep breakfast with yogurt and fruit or as a snack on its own
- Storage: Room temp for 3 days; fridge for a week
- Freezer storage: wrap individual slices and freeze for up to 3 months
- Reheating: Eat cold, reheat in microwave or toasted
- Customise: mix-and-match toppings or swap zucchini for a carrot loaf version.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
Snack prep friendly. Bake on the weekend and you've got snacks ready for your week like my feta spinach muffins or carrot cake protein muffins.
Secret veggies. You don't even taste the zucchini which is perfect for those who need to get in secret veggies (try my chocolate zucchini muffins or zucchini baked oats next).
Breakfast meal prep. If you pair with some yogurt and fruit, you'll have a wholesome breakfast to start your day.
Ingredients and substitutions
Flour. I recommend all-purpose flour because you then have control over the baking powder you put in. But, you can use self-raising flour plus an extra 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Protein powder. This is completely optional and can be substituted with equal parts flour. I recommend a neutral vegan protein powder as this acts the most similar to flour when baking and you won't be left with the "protein taste".
Cinnamon. This adds the warmth and cosy flavor. You can adjust to your preferences depending on how strong you like the flavour.
Coconut oil. I tried this recipe with both coconut oil and variations of butter - both worked well BUT I do recommend the coconut oil as it leaves the loaf fluffier and has a very subtle coconut taste.
Brown sugar. This provides an underlying caramel flavour. You can substitute with white sugar, but you might find the texture of the loaf is different.
Banana. Make sure to have a very ripe banana (almost black). This will give the best sweetness. You can substitute with equal amounts apple sauce or even pumpkin puree - but these will change the colour, texture and flavour of the bread.
Extracts. The almond extract is my secret ingredient for this recipe and really adds to the flavour. If you don't have it, substitute with equal amounts of vanilla extract.
Zucchini. No need to peel, and you don't need to go overboard squeezing out the moisture as I've accounted for this in the recipe.
How to make banana zucchini bread
Step 1: Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, vanilla, and almond extract.
Step 3: Mix in flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the wet mixture until just combined.
Step 4: Fold in shredded zucchini and chopped walnuts (or other add-ins)
Step 5: Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with extra walnuts and cinnamon sugar.
Step 6: Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean (or 200°F 95°C internal temperature).
I recommend doing this on a lower shelf in the oven so the top doesn't over-crisp (unless you like a more hardened crust)
Step 7: Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
My Top Tips
Check doneness early. Every oven differs - start testing at 45 minutes.
Cool completely. It slices cleaner and holds shape once cooled.
Mix-and-match add-ins. Instead of walnuts, try choc chips, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, pepitas, chopped dates or sultanas.
Meal prepping with zucchini bread
You can use zucchini bread as a meal-prepped breakfast with some fresh fruit and yogurt, or as a snack on its own.
It'll last at room temperature for up to 3 days or you can refrigerate it for up to a week so it's perfect to mix-and-match your extras.
If you are refrigerating leftovers, note that it can dry the bread out a little bit.
How to freeze homemade zucchini bread?
I recommend freezing in single slices for easy access when you want just a piece (instead of the whole loaf).
Wrap individually in aluminium, parchment paper or plastic wrap (you could also vacuum seal but you might squash the shape).
It'll freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Microwave. You can microwave slices for 10-20 seconds
Toast. You can toast on a pan or sandwich press (this will give a crisper edge and nutty flavour).
Because of their softness, I don't recommend doing this in a toaster as they may break.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchinis vary in size. About 1-2 medium-sized zucchinis is what you need for this recipe which will make 1 ½ cups (or 180g)
You do not have to. But, you can if you want to. I never do (mostly because I'm lazy). There's no taste or texture difference. The loaf will have more green bits throughout if you keep the peel on.
This is up to you and how moist you like your zucchini bread. I don't normally blot as I think the moisture helps form the bread (but sometimes it can take a little bit longer to cook if the zucchini has a lot of liquid so you'll need to always check with a skewer before removing from the oven).
The options are endless! Chocolate chips, nuts, sultanas, raisins, even fruit like raspberries and blueberries! Then you can top it with icing, chocolate drizzle, cinnamon sugar.
Other snack recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my meal prep friendly snacks for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Protein Banana Zucchini Bread
Save Recipe
Equipment
- Standard Loaf Tin, approx. 9x5-inch
- Mixing bowls
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer, optional
Ingredients
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) flour, See Note 1
- 70 g (½ cups) protein powder, optional, see note 2
- 10 g (1 tablespoon) baking powder
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 8 g (1 tablespoon) cinnamon
- 110 g (½ cups) coconut oil, See Note 3
- 150 g (⅔ cups) brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g (½ cups) banana, mashed, approx.1
- 3 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 3 g (1 teaspoon) almond extract, optional but recommended
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) zucchini, shredded, approx. 1 zucchini, see Note 4
- 60 g (½ cups) walnuts, roughly chopped
- Walnuts & cinnamon sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, vanilla extract and almond extract until combined. Fold in zucchini and walnuts, then combine wet & dry ingredients until just combined.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Using a food processor or grater, finely grate 180 g (1 ½ cups) zucchini
- Mash 100 g (½ cups) banana
- If needed, melt 110 g (½ cups) coconut oil by adding to microwave on 15 second intervals
Prepare batter
- Whisk together 110 g (½ cups) coconut oil, 150 g (⅔ cups) brown sugar, 2 eggs, 3 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract, 3 g (1 teaspoon) almond extract, 100 g (½ cups) banana until combined.
- Add 150 g flour, 70 g (½ cups) protein powder, 10 g (1 tablespoon) baking powder, 5 g (1 teaspoon) salt, 8 g (1 tablespoon) cinnamon to wet mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in 60 g (½ cups) walnuts and 180 g (1 ½ cups) zucchini.
- Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with extra Walnuts & cinnamon sugar
Bake
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean (or 200°F/95°C internal temperature).
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Leave a Reply