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Healthy Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread

Healthy Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread made with rolled oats, no added sweetener, and no oil! This moist and delicious zucchini banana bread is an amazing snack or breakfast.

Loaf of zucchini banana bread sliced on a white backdrop with a plate with a slice on it in the back.

Combining two of my favorite recipes – The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread with The Best Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread –  generates an ultra classic loaf that everyone can be excited about!

This healthy zucchini bread recipe is sweetened entirely with banana, requires no oil, and is naturally gluten-free.

Made with rolled oats, this delicious bread is a good source of whole grains and complex carbohydrates, ideal for a pre-workout or post-workout treat to replenish glycogen. 

In addition, because we’re using a great deal of banana for both sweetness and moisture, we don’t need to use oil and the banana bread is still moist. 

Recipe Highlights:

  • Flourless and Gluten-Free
  • Oil-Free
  • Dairy-Free
  • No added sweetener
  • Great source of complex carbohydrates

Rolled oats get blended into a flour in your blender, then everything gets mixed together in a mixing bowl. 

This healthy zucchini oatmeal banana bread is very lightly sweet, so if you like your breads on the sweeter end, feel free to add anywhere between two tablespoons and half a cup of your favorite granulated sweetener, such as coconut sugar, maple sugar, regular cane sugar, or sugar-free sweetener.

If you’re adding pure maple syrup, I wouldn’t recommend adding more than a couple of tablespoons as other adjustments would need to be made to the recipe to offset the added moisture.

Loaf of zucchini banana bread on a white backdrop in slices.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this banana zucchini bread.

Ingredients for Healthy Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread:

Rolled Oats: Used in place of flour, we blend up rolled oats to create the base for this banana bread. All you need to do is buzz old fashioned oats up in a high-powered blender until it resembles the consistency of flour. 

If you don’t have oats on hand, use 1 ⅔ cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour. 

I use gluten-free sprouted rolled oats, which are also glyphosate-free.

Ripe Bananas: Use overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best results. Because we’re using bananas as the majority of the sweetener, we want them to be nice and sweet, so the more ripe, the better. 

Zucchini: Grated zucchini brings that unique earthy flavor to the zucchini bread. A perfect use for an abundance of fresh zucchini from the garden.

Eggs: A couple of large eggs helps to fluff up the bread and make it nice and fluffy. I haven’t tested the recipe using an egg substitute like flax egg for a vegan zucchini bread so I’m not sure what other adjustments (if any) would be needed.

Vanilla Extract: While vanilla extract is optional, it adds a nice warm flavor to the bread to help round out the flavor palate.

Baking Soda: Used as the leavening agent, baking soda helps the bread rise and keeps it held together nicely.

Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is added to react with the baking soda. Anything acidic works here, like cider vinegar, rice vinegar, etc.

Cinnamon: Bringing warmth to this inviting quick bread, ground cinnamon is an absolute must in my opinion. It also helps the bread taste sweeter without the need for added sugar.

Sea Salt: Salt enhances all of the individual flavors in the bread and brings out the natural sweetness. 

Optional Additions:

For a sweeter banana bread, add anywhere from 2 tablespoons to ½ cup of coconut sugar, maple sugar, white sugar, or brown sugar.

In order to make chocolate chip zucchini banana bread, add 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Add ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you like them.

Because this bread is not very sweet, choose your additions based on your sweet tooth. 

Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients, let’s bake a loaf!

Sliced loaf of zuchini bread with a slice of zucchini bread on a plate

How to Make Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend on medium to high speed until a flour forms. This only takes about 20 to 30 seconds. It is fine if the flour is a little bit gritty…you just want all of the big chunks of oats to be pulverized. 

Use a box grater to grate the zucchini and measure out 1 cup.

Mash the bananas in a separate mixing bowl then whisk in the grated zucchini, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice (the wet ingredients).

Wet ingredients for banana zucchini bread in a mixing bowl.

Note: there’s no need to drain the shredded zucchini of excess moisture, as I have compensated for the moisture with the flour content.

Add the dry ingredients (oat flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon) into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until everything is combined.

Zucchini banana bread batter in a mixing bowl.

Transfer the banana bread batter to the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.

Bake for 40 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.

Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes. Lift up on the parchment paper and place the loaf on a cutting board. Cut thick slices and enjoy!

Loaf of zucchini banana bread in a loaf pan with a fresh zucchini and ripe bananas in the background.

Leave the leftovers in the loaf pan and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also slice the remainder of the loaf into individual slices and store it in freezer bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Enjoy this healthy zucchini banana bread recipe! It’s a great recipe for an afternoon snack, especially with melted butter on top of the bread. This moist bread is the perfect way of using up summer zucchini and brown bananas, and it may just be your new favorite banana bread recipe.

If you love classic quick breads, also try out these delicious gluten-free delights!

More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes: 

Enjoy this fresh and tasty loaf!

Loaf of zucchini banana bread on a white backdrop in slices.

Healthy Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf (10 slices)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

This healthy oatmeal zucchini banana bread is the ultimate healthy breakfast or treat that's packed with whole grains and complex carbs for an energizing treat. No added sugar or oil!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
  • 1 tsp lemon juice*
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon, optional

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. 

    2. Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend on medium to high speed until a flour forms. This only takes about 20 to 30 seconds. It is fine if the flour is a little bit gritty…you just want all of the big chunks of oats to be pulverized. 

    Add the rolled oats to a blender and blend into flour

    3. Use a box grater to grate the zucchini and measure out 1 cup.

    4. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl.

    Mashed bananas in a mixing bowl.

    5. Whisk in the grated zucchini, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice (the wet ingredients). Note: there's no need to drain the shredded zucchini of excess moisture, as I have compensated for the moisture with the flour content.

    Mashed bananas, grated zucchini and eggs in a mixing bowl.

    Wet ingredients for banana zucchini bread in a mixing bowl.

    6. Add the dry ingredients (oat flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon) into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until everything is combined.

    Mixing bowl with wet ingredients, oat flour on top with cinnamon and salt

    Zucchini banana bread batter in a mixing bowl.

    7. Transfer the banana bread batter to the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.

    Batter for banana zucchini bread in a loaf pan, ready to go into the oven.

    8. Bake for 40 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.

    Loaf of zucchini banana bread in a loaf pan with a fresh zucchini and ripe bananas in the background.

    9. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes. Tug on the edges of the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Cut thick slices and enjoy!

Notes

*Use cider vinegar or rice vinegar in place of lemon juice if you'd like. Anything acidic will work to create a chemical reaction with the baking soda.

Add 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of granulated sweetener of choice such as coconut sugar, maple sugar, or cane sugar for a sweeter bread.

Stir 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter for chocolate chip zucchini banana bread.

Add 1/2 cup of chopped raw walnuts or pecans for a banana nut bread.

Leave the leftovers in the loaf pan and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1 Slice (of 10)
Amount Per Serving Calories 133Total Fat 3gCarbohydrates 22gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 5g

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Anna

Monday 8th of May 2023

Fantastic oil, gluten, sugar free recipe! I added walnuts, flax seed, cacao nibs, and a grated apple along with this recipe as written. Delicious nutritious and comes together quickly. Thanks for a great foundational recipe. I will have fun adapting with a variety of add ins.

Julia

Sunday 14th of May 2023

Wahoo! I love hearing that! Thanks so much for sharing, Anna!

Ellen

Sunday 19th of March 2023

What’s the *, next to the lemon juice, for?

Julia

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

Hi Ellen! The * is to signify you can replace the lemon juice with any type of vinegar - Seems as though I neglected to actually put that note in the recipe card. Thanks for catching this! I added the note :) I hope you enjoy the bread!

Daisy

Friday 13th of January 2023

Could I use quick oats instead for this recipe?

Julia

Tuesday 17th of January 2023

Hi Daisy! Quick oats will work! I've found they sometimes condense down more than rolled oats, so if you don't get about 2 cups of "flour" from the oats, I would blend up a little more before proceeding. Hope this helps! xo

Kayla

Tuesday 11th of October 2022

I've been making zucchini bread AND banana bread over the last couple of weeks, in part to prove to my daughter that she would like zucchini bread. What a great idea to combine both, as there's a similarity to both breads. I'm gonna try this!

Julia

Wednesday 12th of October 2022

I hope you and your daughter love it, Kayla!! xoxox

Jennifer

Saturday 24th of September 2022

Made two loaves yesterday - one with nuts, chocolate chips and raisins, and one with nuts and chocolate chips for my raisin-hating child. It's easy, delicious and I didn't feel a bit guilty eating it for breakfast this morning! Question - could I add protein powder to the batter? Would it need extra moisture, say from a bit more zucchini?

Julia

Monday 26th of September 2022

Ooh, that sounds fantastic! I think you could get away with adding up to 3 tablespoons of protein powder without having to add additional liquid. Any more than that and I would probably add more zucchini or a little avocado oil. Hope that helps!

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