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Best Cinnamon Streusel Zucchini Banana Bread (Easy Recipe)

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This incredibly moist and tender zucchini banana bread is topped with a buttery, crunchy cinnamon streusel. The zucchini disappears completely, leaving behind insane moisture, while the bananas provide natural sweetness and cozy flavor.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour – ½ cup (60g)
  • Light brown sugar – ¼ cup (50g), packed
  • Granulated sugar – 2 tablespoons (25g)
  • Ground cinnamon – 1½ teaspoons
  • Unsalted butter – 4 tablespoons (56g), cold and cut into small cubes
  • Ripe bananas – 3 medium, mashed (about 1½ cups or 340g)
  • Shredded zucchini – 1 cup (about 1 medium zucchini)
  • All-purpose flour – 2 cups (240g)
  • Baking soda – 1 teaspoon
  • Baking powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Salt – ½ teaspoon
  • Ground cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
  • Ground nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon
  • Unsalted butter – ½ cup (113g), melted and slightly cooled
  • Granulated sugar – ½ cup (100g)
  • Light brown sugar – ½ cup (100g), packed
  • Large eggs – 2, at room temperature
  • Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons
  • Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream – ¼ cup (60g)

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prep your pan. Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of overhang on the long sides. Lightly grease the exposed sides of the pan with butter or nonstick spray.
  2. Shred the zucchini. Wash your zucchini and trim off the stem end. Using a box grater, shred the zucchini—skin and all. You should end up with about 1 cup of loosely packed shreds. Set it aside. Do not squeeze it.
  3. Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Refrigerate while you make the batter.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  5. Mash the bananas. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining. You want about 1½ cups of mashed banana.
  6. Combine the wet ingredients. To the mashed bananas, add the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
  7. Add the zucchini. Fold the shredded zucchini into the wet mixture using a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
  8. Combine wet and dry. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold gently with the spatula until just combined. A few streaks of flour are okay—do not overmix.
  9. Fill the pan. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer.
  10. Add the streusel. Take the streusel out of the fridge. Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the batter, pressing it down very gently so it adheres.
  11. Bake. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the streusel is browning too quickly (around the 40-minute mark), tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
  12. Cool properly. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper to lift it out and transfer it to the rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not squeeze the moisture out of the shredded zucchini—that liquid is what makes the bread so tender. Use very ripe bananas for best sweetness. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a fork or your fingers to make the streusel, but work quickly so the butter stays cold. The bread freezes beautifully; wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: zucchini banana bread, cinnamon streusel, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, zucchini bread, streusel topping

Find it online: https://zoeplate.com/best-cinnamon-streusel-zucchini-banana-bread-easy-recipe/