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Today is a chocolate chip olive oil zucchini banana bread kind of day…for so many reasons.
For one, it’s FRIDAY and you guys know me, my mom always taught me that all Friday’s require a little chocolate. Two, we had a really long week of filming new recipe videos and it’s totally left me (and my brother Kai who films and edits all of HBH’s videos) just a little beat. And three, as many of you know, my grandma is not doing well and it’s been really hard for everyone. Things are pretty sad over here and I can’t deny it’s an extremely hard time right now.
Thank you all again for the continued kind words. It means so much, especially to my mom who I know appreciates the kindness and love you guys are sending. I think we’re all just trying to keep our heads up and be there for each other as best as we can. It’s really all we can do.
One of things I do when I’m sad or stressed is bake. I wish I was baking up a fresh loaf of this zucchini banana bread today, but even just being able to share the recipe with you guys excites me.
So. in trying to keep things positive, let’s chat banana bread…with chocolate chips, because let’s be real, is there really another way to bake up banana bread?
Nope, not around here.
First though, how do you guys feel about banana bread? I think it’s one of those foods you either love or hate. I have loved banana bread for as long as I can remember. When I first got into cooking as a teen, I’d make banana bread for mom as a healthier dessert and the two of us would eat it warm, straight outta of the pan with a side of cold milk…probably while huddling next to the oven at the same time because mom and I are almost always cold. <–clearly a mother and daughter duo, huh?
Anyway, for as many loaves of banana bread as I have baked (see this ricotta banana bread, this toasted coconut banana bread, and this almond butter banana bread), I’ve never baked up one quite like this.
I mean, hello to that olive oil and that zucchini. I know, kind of weird ingredients, but for as weird as those two ingredients sound, trust me when I say, you’re going to love this healthier banana bread.
Honest.
The olive oil adds a fruitiness that is so subtle, but yet so delicious. It’s a little different, but it mostly just adds a slight touch of fruity sweetness that’s really nice, especially with the chocolate chips!
And the zucchini?
Well, you barely even notice it’s there. It mostly just adds moisture to the bread, and a little texture that is also surprisingly nice. Plus, it’s a great way to use up all that zucchini that seems to be just about everywhere right now, plus get a serving of vegetables in, all while eating something sweet. Um? OK. Cool.
The other ingredients are pretty basic banana bread staples: over ripe bananas, eggs, flour, etc. I did use maple syrup as my sweeter and whole wheat flour to keep the bread nice and healthy for us all.
As I mentioned, mom and I like to eat banana bread warm outta of the pan, but this banana bread will stay delicious and moist for days (it’s that zucchini, I swear it might be the secret to keeping all baked goods extra moist). Warm or cold, this bread is so good…I’m pretty sure the first time you make this won’t be your last .
Just one thing? An extra handful or two of chocolate chips is never a bad idea…
Just telling it like it is.
And with that, I hope everyone has a great weekend…
Watch the How To Video:
Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Zucchini Banana Bread from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Zucchini Banana Bread
Servings: 16 servings
Calories Per Serving: 198 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, grated (about 1 1/2-2 cups grated)
- 3 medium over ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.2. Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and spread the zucchini out on the towel, cover with another clean towel and let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out any excess water. 3. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the banana, olive oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini.4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until center is set. If the top begins to brown, tent the bread with foil. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting (or just eat it warm). Bread will keep (covered) for 3-5 days.
Notes
makes 1 (9x5) loaf
And bake up some fresh zucchini banana bread.
Hi! Overall, this turned out pretty well. Most ingredients were simple and it’s tasty.
A couple things to note:
1. The video/instructions do not capture just how SOPPING WET the shredded zucchini is at first. The video shows a quick towel pat. I, however, needed to wring out the clumps in my fists like wet socks and went through 20+ paper towels. Any better ways to do this?
2. I spent a while doing Algebra 2-like math equations trying to figure out how to sub the white whole wheat flour for all-purpose. I ended up using a little under 2 + 3/4 cup of all-purpose. Mine wasn’t quite as moist as I’d expected—perhaps related to the flour? I baked it in a tin for 60 mins (as it was still very gooey inside at 45).
3. I may use a bit more maple syrup next time, or perhaps riper bananas (mine had some brown spots but weren’t entirely brown). Could have beet a bit sweeter but still delicious! I recommend a maple syrup drizzle. And the lower sweetness level means it could work as both a breakfast and desert, lol.
I may go with a more classic/sweet banana bread recipe next time, but overall I’m glad I tried this one.
Hey Abby,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! It depends on the zucchini, some are more wet than others, wringing it out in a dish towel helps a lot. Yeah, I didn’t test this with just the all purpose flour so that could have affected the turn out. Thanks for sharing your feedback! xT
Hi there! This will be my second time using this recipe, but I’m currently out of maple syrup— could I use raw honey in replacement? Would it be the same amount of honey as the maple syrup? Thank you! My 3-year-old daughter and I love making your recipes together!
Hey Hannah,
Yes, an equal amount of honey will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was so delicious! I ended up using cake flour and Almond Flour and it still turned out perfect. Such a good recipe and it stayed fresh and moist tasting more 5 days.
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner and really appreciate you making it:) xTieghan
Hello , my name is Rose Loeblein,
I have made your chocolate chip, banana, zucchini bread. Unfortunately it did not look anything like your picture, it was very dense and did not rise to well The taste was ok ,but felt like it was not quite cooked through, even though I did more than 50 min as recommended, now my granddaughter did the cake a day before me and she sent me the link. When we compared notes, hers turned out exactly the same. Only difference is she used the White whole wheat flour, and I used only the White flour. (ran out of whole wheat).
any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I love your recipes.
Hi Rose,
Thanks for trying the recipe, sorry to hear you had some issues. I would check your baking powder and flour to ensure both of the ingredients are fresh! xxT
Horrible recipe. Waste of money for all these expensive ingredients. Tasteless.
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Is there something that I can help with or a specific issue that you had? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I did this recipe 2 times and it is still comes not cooked! Left it 20 min longer. I squeezed all water and I used less zucchini and banana the second time.
Not sure what happens but I won’t make it again 🙁
Hi Sylvia,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear you had issues. Was there anything you may have adjusted? What kind of baking pan did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Why isn’t it cooking?!?! It’s been in the oven for over 1 hour ??♀️?
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? What kind of pan are you using? What is your oven temp at? More info would be helpful:) xTieghan
Hi! After reading some other comments, I think it might be because I didn’t squeeze out all water in the zucchini. I followed the recipe exactly as written and used a silver Wilton loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry about that!! Yes, step 2 is crucial to the recipe:)
I will do better next time!!! Waiting for bananas to RIPEN ??Thank you!
Just made this today and it turned out fabulous!! And my husband and I had a hard time not eating the whole loaf! I used whole wheat bread and cake flour as well as all purpose and it worked like a charm. Those who said it wouldn’t cook should check their oven.
Hey Karen,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
I made this tonight, used a 9 x 13 pan because it was all I had and it turned out amazing !
Hey Elizabeth,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I totally messed this one up! I even dried out the zucchini like you said. But somehow still way too moist. Kind of like bread pudding even after baking for an extra 20 minutes. Oh well, I’ll try again one day! Thanks for another delicious recipe!!!
Hey Rachel! Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything else you did differently? Thanks for letting me know! xxTieghan
This bread is DIVINE! My mother in law makes this on repeat and the entire family loves it every time. I’m normally skeptical of veggies in desserts, but don’t be wary like I was because you will seriously be missing out on something delicious. Make this ASAP — you won’t regret it.
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
Hi! Would it work to make this bread into muffins? Love your recipes and excited to try this one. Thanks!
Hey Jordan,
Yes, that would work well, just be sure to reduce your baking time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Love the zucchini and banana however had trouble with the center being raw. I never used parchment paper and maybe that did not allow it to cook enough? It was a glass loaf pan. Should it be metal? Do I need the parchment paper? I bought a metal pan now so wanted to know if I should try without the paper. Not sure what happened. I took all the liquid out of zucchini too, Help!
Hey Therese,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sometimes glass can take longer to bake in. I would check the middle before removing from the oven, if it needs a bit longer to bake then just allow it to do that:) I hope this helps! xTieghan
I have made this so many times since first finding your recipe. My whole family thinks it is delicious as is, but we’ve played with the recipe too (a few months of quarantine will do that)!
We have great luck with it as long as we keep the moist/dry ratio pretty much the same. Have subbed in pineapple for the zucchini. Have used oatmeal for 1 cup of the flour. Dried cherries or raisins are a fun change (or addition to) the chocolate chips. Only had 1/3 cup olive oil last time, and it was still perfect!
We use the knife trick–each oven can be a wee bit different and we play around with our ingredients so it makes sense to test.
Thank you again Tieghan! This one is a keeper for us!
Hey Heather,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
Hi ?? If I only have all purpose flour, can that still work?
Hey Em,
Yes that will work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am wondering if I’m doing something wrong. I’ve made this twice now and after cooking for 60 minutes the bottom and middle wee not cooked through. The first time I thought I might have used too much zucchini so I reduced it. I checked my oven thermometer to make sure it was at the right temp too. And this time i cooked it 75 minutes and same result. Any ideas what the issue could be? The flavor is great but the center is the texture of bread pudding. 🙁
Hey Sarah,
I am so sorry you are having issues with this bread. I am wondering what size pan you are using? That could have a huge impact on the baking time. Also, have you adjusted the recipe at all? Again, this will yield different results and step 2 is also key! If you don’t let the moisture release from the zucchini, the bread will be very wet. I hope these help for next time! xTieghan
Made this today to the delight of my family. It did take longer to bake than presented. Read on King Arthur flour website that quick bread is done when internal temperature is 205 degrees. Used that as my metric for the bread being finished. Delicious.
Hey Carolyn,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT