Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
The BEST healthy zucchini banana bread lightly sweet, perfectly moist, and bursting with banana flavor. This delicious loaf is loaded with fresh zucchini and overripe bananas and has no refined sugar. Best of all, you can make it in the blender!
If youve been around a while, you know Ive made my Healthy Banana Bread for years. Its a beloved bedtime snack and no-fuss breakfast in our house. So I make it pretty much every week.
But one day, as I was grabbing an egg in the fridge for our weekly loaf, I spotted a sad-looking zucchini in the crisper. You know slightly shriveled and spotted. Just sad.
So you know what I did? Ill give you a hint.
Ok, so the first loaf did not look this luscious. In fact, it was wet and mostly inedible but I persisted.
I dialed back the banana, increased the leavening, and even squeezed the zucchini . By the fourth try, I got four enthusiastic thumbs-ups from the fam.
This healthy zucchini bread is sweetened only with bananas. Its slightly sweet and has no added sugar just bananas, baby.
Sure I throw in some semi-sweet chocolate chips, which negates the no added sugar aspect, but chocolate chip mix-ins are just how we roll around here.
When I get sidetracked and forget the chocolate chips , I whip up a little honey butter , and we spread that on instead.
SO GOOD.
Even naked.
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This healthy zucchini banana bread is loaded with fresh zucchini, overripe bananas, and has no refined sugar.
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini
- 1 ¾ cups mashed overripe banana
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut, avocado, or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips
Almond Flour Banana Bread
This shockingly moist and delicioushomemadealmond flour banana bread recipe might be the best banana bread youll ever try.
The naturally gluten free banana bread recipe can also be oil free, dairy free, low carb, and vegan, with NO added sugar and no coconut flour required.
While I know almond flour can be expensive and isnt always easy to find, the results of this healthy breakfast or snack recipe are absolutely worth it.
So if youre wondering what you can make with almond flour, definitely give this recipe a try. Honestly, I wasnt prepared for it to taste so good!
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Forget everything you thought you knew about banana bread.
Without any white flour to weigh down the flavor, the wholesome and grain free banana bread has the most unbelievable melt-in-your-mouth texture.
I ate two slices with breakfast three hours ago, and Im still dreaming about it.
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But Its Nothing To Worry About
After cutting carbs and sugar, you may lose weight incredibly quickly. However, those pounds that youre shedding are likely water weight, not fat. According to dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick, the reason you shed water weight first is that carbs hold a lot of water. Kirkpatrick also mentions that the lack of glucose will make your body look for stored forms of it, otherwise known as glycogen. She went on to say the loss of stored glycogen truly is what is releasing all that water.
Is The Banana Bread Keto Friendly
Bananas are low in fat and sodium, cholesterol free, and packed with nutrition, including fiber, potassium, folate, vitamins and antioxidants.
However, bananas are also a high carb fruit, with over 20 grams of net carbs in one banana. This means that bananas are not keto diet friendly. So the idea of keto banana bread is an oxymoron.
If you need a truly keto banana bread recipe, I recommend making your favorite basic regular keto bread recipe and just add banana extract for a banana flavor without as many of the carbohydrates.
The recipe below is lower carb than traditional banana bread. This one has about half the carbs of regular banana bread and around a third of the net carbs. There are 7 grams of net carbs in this banana bread recipe.
You also might like this Keto Pumpkin Bread
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What Is Almond Flour Is It The Same As Almond Meal
Almond flour is a paleo and grain free flour made from blanched almonds that have been ground into a fine consistency.
The skins are usually removed after blanching, resulting in a light color and smooth finish. Almond flour gets its name due to its texture resemblance to wheat flour, but it contains no gluten.
Almond meal is also made from ground almonds but tends to have a courser texture and darker appearance due to the skins being left on the unblanched and unpeeled almonds.
While there are differences between almond flour and almond meal, the two can be used interchangeably in many low carb recipes, including the almond banana bread recipe below and in my Keto Peanut Butter Cookies.
Above, watch the almond flour banana bread recipe video
And Youll Have A Lack Of Fiber To Thank For That
Heres yet another carb-cutting side effect. A lot of carbs, like wheat bread and enriched pastas are chock-full of fiber. When we stop ingesting enough of those fiber-rich foods, our bowel movements tend to come to a halt. And if youve ever been constipated, you know thats not comfortable at all. People tend to forget that some carbs can be a good source of fiber, and fiber helps move food through your digestive system, said Gina Sam, a New York City-based gastroenterologist.
So if youre not going to eat carbs, make sure to incorporate other fibrous foods into your diet.
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Bread Without Sugar: What Are The Best Brands
April 27, 2020
Do you know how hard it is to find bread with no added sugar? Recently, I went off of sugar for three weeks and I had to search!
The bad news is that there werent many options and the ones that fit the bill were expensive. The good news is that I found my new favorite bread.
My favorite healthy bread is 100% whole wheat and is pretty delicious. You can find decent bread in the store if you look hard enough.
All the breads featured here do have a little sugar . Yeast needs sugar in order to create the texture of bread so it is impossible for bread to have no sugar added.
Compared to other 100% whole wheat breads that add sugar for flavor, these three breads have far less sugar and are all sprouted grain bread.
Sprouted grain breads may be a little more nutritious than regular bread but I like them because of their lack of added sugar.
Instead of grinding up the whole grains and making flour, the grains have been allowed to germinate before they are ground into flour.
Their flavor comes from the nuttiness of the grain and not from sugar. This makes them a bit of an acquired taste if you are used to sweeter, fluffy bread.
In addition to being the lowest in sugar that I have found, these store bought brands have much more protein than regular bread.
The best one was called Squirrelly and did not remind me of anything a squirrel would eat. I didnt miss the sugar!
For one slice of Sprouted Power – The Big 16 :
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Ingredients For Healthy No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Mashed overripe bananas: The browner the better.Fresh, or frozen and defrosted both work! More on using frozen bananas below.
- Eggs: Regular ol large eggs are best. Ive not tried this recipe with flax egg or other egg alternatives, so let me know if you do!
- Oil: I prefer to use a neutral- to light-flavored oil like avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
- Vanilla or Banana Extract: Ive only used vanilla extract but if you want to elevate the banana flavor, you can substitute the vanilla for banana extract.
- Flour: This recipe calls for white whole wheat flour but Ive also made it using 1 cup all-purpose flour + ¾ cup whole wheat flour and it turned out great!
- Leaveners: A mix of baking powder and baking soda give this quickbread its rise. I used mostly baking powder since there is not a whole lot of acidity to counteract the alkalinity of baking soda.
- Kosher Salt: I use kosher salt in all of my recipes, but table salt or sea salt would also work. Since table salt is much finer than kosher salt or sea salt, Id recommend reducing the amount of table salt just a smidge.
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No Added Sugar & Gluten
Zucchini bread is so easy to make and it comes out delicious each time! The zucchini actually makes the bread even more moist and delicious.
As with most of my recipes, I aim to create recipes full of fiber and healthy goodness, while reducing how much added-sugar is in a recipe.
I am always doing recipe development with the goal of reducing or eliminating added sugar in recipes. When I first wanted to make a zucchini bread recipe, I was a bit horrified by how much sugar was added to all the recipes.
My kids dont get a lot of dessert type of foods, so they are happy to eat anything that resembles treat food, even if it doesnt have any added sugar. I normally try to sweeten the food with a banana, figs or dates.
Its Not Healthy To Live This Way Though
According to Readers Digest, while a lot of people report feeling fuller on low-carb diets, theyre most likely eating lean meat and healthy fats to replace all those missing carbs. And those substances take more time to break down. Over time, the heavier foods can be detrimental for your health. In fact, Jessica Crandall, RD, a certified diabetes educator, said that these kinds of diets are not sustainable in the long run.
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Its Hard To Say Goodbye To Bread For Good Reason
According to Vice, when you give up carbs, you may begin to feel dizziness, fatigue, and weak, which could last for a few days or weeks. Some experts call this the low-carb flu. Dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Kristin Kirkpatrick told Vice, The reason you feel fatigued in the beginning is that youve depleted this main energy source which you are very much used to having.
Is Sugar Required To Make Good Bread
Yeast needs sugar in order to produce gas to raise the bread, but it doesnt need to get it from anything other than the flour you use to make the dough.
Its very good at breaking down the sugar molecules in the flour, so its fine to do its job without the assistance of added sugar.
Additional sugar isnt required when making bread since there is natural sugar in the flour. Most traditional bread didnt use sugar because its not necessary. Youll get better results in most bread recipes by cutting out the sugar and allowing for longer rising times.
Sugar can be useful if youre interested in speeding up the bread-making process, but bread thats made faster just doesnt have the same complex flavor as bread thats had a long rise.
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Arnold Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Of course, if you cut out an entire food group from your diet you will lose weight initiallybut Crandall assures you that it won’t last. As long as you’re watching portions and are mindful of calories, eating bread will not stop you from reaching your goals.
“I usually look for slices of bread to have less than 20 grams of carbs per slice and usually around 100-150 calories per slice,” says Crandall. This Arnold loaf definitely fits the bill.
With only 100 calories per slice and almost no fat, Milton’s Healthy Whole Grain bread is a great option for maintaining your weight loss goals.
“Made with ingredients like whole wheat, brown rice and oats, Milton’s Healthy Whole Grain Bread combines great taste and texture,” says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, author of The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility. “And each slice provides 22 grams of whole grains and only 13 grams of net carbs.”
How To Make Banana Bread With Frozen Bananas
I rarely have enough overripe bananas to make this healthy pumpkin banana bread, so I typically use a mix of fresh and frozen.
- Freeze overripe bananas. Peel the bananas and place them in an airtight freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible when sealing the bag and place it in the freezer. Bananas can last up to 6 months in the freezer, maybe longer.
- Let frozen bananas come to room temperature. When defrosting, its important to let the bananas defrost completely and come to room temperature. Your banana bread will not cook completely if the batter is cold.
- Drain the excess liquid before mashing. Frozen bananas release a lot of liquid as they defrost. Youll want to drain this and just use the bananas themselves. If you dont, your banana bread will be too wet.
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Banana Bread Flour Options
This recipe is flexible! Any of the following flours will work well. I love to use white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flourthey offer all the whole wheat nutrients, without the characteristically nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- White whole wheat flour
*To substitute oat flour, youll need to use 2 1/2 cups, for reasons elaborated in my guide to oat flour.
Want to make your banana bread with almond flour? You sure can, but its not a simple substitute, so follow my almond flour-based banana bread recipe instead.
Watch How To Make Healthy Banana Bread
- Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield:1 loaf 1x
4.8 from 2422 reviews
With this healthy banana bread recipe, youre only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! Its made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten freecheck the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf .
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Healthy No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread
The best ever healthy no added sugar pumpkin banana bread is bursting with fall flavors and is made with no refined sugar, just healthy, real food ingredients. Enjoy it plain, or add some mix-ins: walnuts, pecans, raisins, or my favorite, chocolate chips!
You guys. Its pumpkin season arguably my favorite season of the entire year. I mean, the holidays are great, but pumpkin season gives me all of the same warm and cozy feels without having to buy or wrap a single. solitary. gift. Not one! In fact, every bite of this healthy pumpkin bread feels like a gift alone lately.
Ive been making No Added Sugar Banana Bread for a long time. In fact, Ive been making it so long that my original recipe lives on a completely different blog that I sorta unintentionally abandoned after having our first baby. What can I say, #lifehappens.
But when I got my first whiff of fall a few weeks ago, my mind immediately went to pumpkin, and then to this No Added Sugar Banana Bread.
I thought: What if pumpkin bread and my favorite banana bread could have a baby of their own?
I knew I had to make it happen, so I did. And with only one bowl.
Behold, Healthy No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread.
No Added Sugar Banana Bread
- accordingtoelle.com
- Summary: Ingredients 2 cups mashed bananas 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (or other neutral-flavored oil of
- Matching search results: While I want to say I finished strong, Ill be honest. I made it to day 21 before falling off the wagon, face-first into a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I know full well that deprivation is the root of why restrictive diets fail, weight
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Tips For Perfect Zucchini Banana Bread
Weigh your bananas and zucchini. Bananas and zucchini are both fairly wet ingredients, and having too much of either can make for a soggy loaf. The easiest way to ensure youve got the perfect amount of bananas and zucchini is to weigh them with a digital kitchen scale. Ive been using this for nearly ten years now , and I highly recommend it. I promise, once youve experienced baking with a digital scale, youll never go back. Not only is weighing ingredients more accurate, but it is also so much easier, faster, and less messy than measuring everything in cups.
Let your frozen bananas come to room temperature, and keep the liquid. I cannot emphasize this enough. If your previously frozen bananas are still cold, your bread will not bake properly. The outside will be burnt before its cooked all the way through. So whatever you do, DO NOT USE COLD BANANAS. Comprende?
Expect a bit longer baking time if youre adding mix-ins. Adding mix-ins like chocolate chips or walnuts will increase the baking time slightly.
Test for doneness in a few different spots. Dense banana breads can be deceiving, so I always test for doneness in 2-3 other places between the center and the ends with a toothpick or wooden skewer. If any batter sticks to the toothpick, pop the loaf back in for another 4-5 minutes and check again. Its easier to undercook than overcook this loaf, so if youre not quite sure, cooking it for a few extra minutes is your best bet.