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Moist Banana Zucchini Bread + Easy Walnut Streusel

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This incredibly moist banana zucchini bread skips the tedious step of squeezing zucchini dry, resulting in a tender, flavorful loaf with a crunchy walnut streusel topping. It’s the perfect way to use up ripe bananas and zucchini for a crowd-pleasing treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated preferred)
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 medium spotty bananas)
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini (loosely packed, do not squeeze or drain)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • Pinch of salt (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides.
  2. Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Measure 1 cup loosely packed shreds and set aside. Do not squeeze or blot dry.
  3. In a small bowl, mash ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps. Measure 1 cup.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add oil and vanilla extract, whisk until glossy and emulsified.
  6. Fold mashed bananas and shredded zucchini into the wet mixture using a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
  7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two additions, folding gently after each until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
  8. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold cubed butter using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces. Fold in chopped toasted walnuts.
  9. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle streusel evenly over top, gently pressing it into the batter slightly.
  10. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If streusel browns too quickly after 40 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
  11. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use parchment overhang to lift bread out and transfer to rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Do not squeeze the zucchini dry—this recipe is designed to use the moisture for a tender crumb. Use spotty, ripe bananas for best sweetness and moisture. Measure flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid dense bread. For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil in the streusel instead of butter. The bread stays moist at room temperature for up to 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana zucchini bread, walnut streusel, moist banana bread, zucchini bread recipe, easy quick bread

Find it online: https://emmastirs.com/moist-banana-zucchini-bread-plus-easy-walnut-streusel/