Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe

This easy zucchini banana bread is studded with chocolate chips and packed with flavor! Enjoy it warm from the oven, or freeze a loaf for later!

Recommended Equipment

Before You Begin…

Spray your bread pans with cooking spread and then take a paper towel and wipe the spray off the top inch of the pan, all the way around. This will help the batter “catch” the side of pan and then poof up in the middle. Your loaf will be both gorgeous and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe

Did you ever play school when you were growing up? I totally did and I was pretty darn sure I was going to grow up to be a teacher. I didn’t. But I did grow up to be a banana bread lover. Not sure what that has to do with being a teacher, but it’s the truth.

Zucchini bread on the other hand, gross. I did not like the texture as a kid at all. I refused to eat it, which must have been so much fun for my parents. And then I slowly forgot about it until I became a food blogger. If there’s one thing pinterest doesn’t need more of it’s quick bread recipes, so obviously I chose to give you all one.

Not true? Well, either way I decided it was high time I tried this whole zucchini bread thing again and guess what, I was a total chicken about it. I mean, I couldn’t just jump in right? I’m a toe dipper in the pool for heaven’s sake! I needed a slow start so what better thing to try than a chocolate chip zucchini banana bread? And guess what? It’s so blasted delicious I’m going to try a zucchini bread tomorrow. All by myself. If I hate it, I’ll give it away to the neighbors, ha!

Zucchini Banana Bread Ingredients

As with most quick breads, this chocolate chip zucchini banana bread requires mostly pantry staples:

• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour works great
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder: act as leavening agents to give the bread its rise
• Cream of Tartar: gives the bread a little tang that is so tasty, but can be omitted if you don’t have it
• Salt: enhances all the flavors in the bread
• Canola Oil: adds fat and moisture
• Granulated Sugar: gives the bread the extra sweetness it needs
• Egg: adds structure to the bread
• Mashed Banana: adds natural sweetness and banana flavor
• Grated Zucchini: adds moisture to the bread
• Chocolate Chips: chocolate is great little addition to this bread and it really wins the kids over!

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card at the end of the post to find all the measurements for the ingredients.

How to Make Zucchini Banana Bread

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the egg, sugar, and oil.
3. Whisk the grated zucchini into the egg mixture.
4. Add in a little of the flour mixture, followed by some of the mashed banana. Continue alternating between the two until everything is added to the batter.
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Turn the batter into a loaf pan and bake until done.

All of these instructions can also be found in full detail in the recipe card down below.

Watch How This Banana Zucchini Bread is Made…

Why Does Banana Zucchini Bread Fall in the Middle?

The most common reason for zucchini bread and other quick breads (and cakes) to collapse as they cool is the ingredients are too vigorously or quickly mixed, which incorporates lots of less stable air bubbles into the batter. As the bread or cake cooks, those air bubbles make it rise, but because they are unstable, the bread or cake then collapses as it sits.

An excessive amount of baking powder in a banana or zucchini bread recipe can also cause the dough to rise very quickly and then fall in the center when the resulting air pockets collapse. If you use baking powder or baking soda that has aged, it may lose effectiveness.

Excess moisture or an inaccurate dry-goods measurement can cause the middle of your loaf to sink because the center of the bread is too moist and soft. Use bananas that are overripe and soft, but not mushy. The softer bananas get, the higher the liquid content becomes. Add a tablespoon of flour at a time to help reduce the moisture of the batter, just until it is thick and not watery.

Too much banana or zucchini can create a heavy loaf that may sink in the center. Follow the recipe to ensure that you add enough banana or zucchini without adding too much.

Can I Make This Banana Zucchini Bread into Muffins?

Yes, this batter makes great muffins! You will follow the directions as written filling the cups of a muffin tin (use liners if you want) about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Tips for Making Zucchini Banana Bread

• Use super ripe bananas for this recipe for maximum sweetness and banana flavor.
• Grate the zucchini as fine as possible so that it blends into the batter.
• Squeeze as much of the moisture out of the shredded zucchini as possible. If you allow too much moisture into the bread, it won’t setup properly.
• Use oil instead of butter. I know! Don’t get crazy on me. I love butter more than anyone, but oil really does make a better quick bread. It just does.
• Don’t overmix the batter! Once a few streaks of flour remains in the batter, stop mixing.
• When baking this bread, note that lighter loaf pans yield better results than dark pans.
• You’re welcome to add various mix-ins to this quick banana bread recipe. We kept it simple and used just chocolate chips, but a mixture of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, etc. will work.
• If you’re not a fan of banana and want to make regular zucchini bread, I recommend checking out our recipe for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. This way, you won’t have to guess at any substitutions.

How to Store Zucchini Banana Bread

To maximize the shelf life of banana zucchini bread, cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag to prevent drying out. Properly stored, freshly baked banana zucchini bread will last for about 1 to 2 days at normal room temperature.

Can You Freeze Zucchini Banana Bread?

Zucchini bread and Banana Bread definitely freezes well. It can remain frozen for two to three months if properly wrapped. I would suggest that you double-wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. When you decide to thaw the bread, just remove the foil, but leave the plastic wrap on until it is completely thawed.

If you need a fail-proof recipe to use up all that zucchini coming from your garden, then this zucchini banana bread is your answer! It’s my go-to after school snack for those first few weeks of school.

More Easy BANANA BREAD RECIPES:

Chocolate Chip Banana Zucchini Bread

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