Cardamom and Tea

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

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This isn’t just zucchini bread with a few blueberries thrown in. It’s an actual slice of summer. By folding corn into the batter (both cornmeal and sweet corn), blueberry zucchini bread ascends to another level of summer. Eating a slice re-creates the experience of sitting in a veggie garden in July and enjoying a snack, with the smell of fresh tomatoes and zucchini wafting over.

Jump to the recipe to start baking, or read on for a few tips for success.

blueberry zucchini bread loaf

Tips for baking a loaf of blueberry zucchini bread

1) Wring out your zucchini very well.

This is the most important tip. Excess moisture will make the loaf dense and gummy. After grating, squeeze it firmly in a clean towel or paper towels until no liquid drips out. For extra dryness, wring out a second time in a fresh, dry paper towel to absorb any lingering moisture.

2) Use extra blueberries and corn for the top.

If you want the unsliced loaf to display what’s inside, sprinkle some extra blueberries and corn on top right before throwing it in the oven.

3) Swirl on some cream cheese frosting if you’d like!

This blueberry zucchini bread is plenty flavorful on its own and the cornmeal gives it a very moist texture. But if you’d like a little something extra, swirl on a cream cheese frosting. The one in this carrot cake recipe is super easy and one of my favorites. It’s just made with cream cheese and honey.

4) Make it out of season (with a few tweaks).

Zucchini is usually easy to find and high quality outside of its summer peak. Blueberries and sweet corn are another story—their quality significantly declines in the winter months. Corn becomes starchy and blueberries are often less flavorful. But fortunately, corn and blueberries freeze incredibly well, and you can use both in this blueberry zucchini bread.

Substitute frozen corn and frozen blueberries, but don’t thaw them before incorporating into the batter. Also note that frozen berries and corn measure slightly differently than fresh. If you’re weighing your ingredients, it won’t make a difference. But if you’re measuring with cups of ingredients, you should use slightly more. Also be prepared to bake the loaf for slightly longer, as it will be starting from a colder temperature.

5) Freeze for later.

Like most baked goods, this one keeps best in the freezer. If you have leftover unfrosted slices, freeze them and reheat in the toaster. If you have leftover frosted slices, freeze and let thaw at room temperature for a couple hours.

Enjoy alongside all your favorite summer treats, or enjoy all winter long as a reminder of summer days!

blueberry zucchini bread with other summer sweets
blueberry zucchini bread, sliced with cream cheese frosting
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Blueberry Zucchini Bread

blueberry zucchini bread, sliced with cream cheese frosting
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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups [230 g] packed grated and wrung-out zucchini, from about 1 large zucchini
  • ½ cup [105 g] neutral oil, such as canola
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup [130 g] granulated sugar
  • 1 cup [130 g] all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup [105 g] polenta or cornmeal
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ cup [115 g] blueberries (fresh or frozen), plus more for topping
  • ½ cup [80 g] corn kernels, plus more for topping
  • Optional: cream cheese frosting

Instructions

  1. Butter an 8 by 4 in [20 by 10 cm] loaf pan, line it with a parchment sling (see Note on page 257), and preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C].
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the zucchini, oil, eggs, and sugar until completely incorporated.
  3. In another medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and fold together until there are only a couple of remaining dry flour streaks. Add the blueberries and corn and gently fold to combine. Do not overmix.
  5. Scoop the batter into the loaf pan, sprinkle a small handful of blueberries and corn over the batter to decorate the top, and bake for 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing, or let cool for at least 90 minutes before icing (if using cream cheese frosting). If using cream cheese frosting, dollop over the top and swirl.

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Psst… by the way, I wrote a whole cookbook of adaptable recipes like this one. It’s called A Dish for All Seasons!

Check it out for adaptable base recipes + ideas for seasonal (and evergreen!) variations.

Olive Oil Banana Bread

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This olive oil banana bread is tender and balanced. It’s not too sweet and it’s perfectly soft. And the olive oil? It’s not there as some sort of a health swap. Olive oil makes the loaf impossibly tender and adds a richness that somehow tastes more buttery than butter itself. The result is a soft, even crumb and a straightforward banana flavor.

Jump to the recipe + video if you’re ready to bake, or read on for some tips for success, including instructions on making this a vegan banana bread.

olive oil banana bread
olive oil banana bread
olive oil banana bread, sliced
olive oil banana bread

How to bake a fantastic loaf of olive oil banana bread

1. Use overripe bananas

This olive oil banana bread doesn’t have a ton of sugar in it. It gets some of its sweetness from the granulated sugar you add, but it gets a lot of it from the bananas. Overripe bananas are a lot sweeter, so using fresher bananas won’t yield as tasty a loaf. Make sure they’re not just speckled but actually starting to darken. Check for any signs of mold or decay and discard if they have started to actually go bad.

2. Don’t overmix.

Over-mixing is one of the main causes of dry, stale-tasting banana bread. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients together, bring them together with as little mixing as possible. This is a good lesson for most cakes, muffins, and the like.

3. Flavorings, mix-ins, etc.

You can absolutely flavor this loaf with cinnamon, vanilla extract, or your flavoring of choice. I kept it simple while developing this recipe, so it absolutely stands on its own. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add a handful of chopped walnuts, pistachios, or chocolate chips. Dry mix-ins and a small amount of flavoring shouldn’t affect the texture of the bake.

olive oil banana bread, sliced

4. To cool or not to cool: that is the question!

My recipe recommends waiting 30 minutes before digging in. If you dig in early, all future slices will be a bit drier and less pretty. That might be worth it, depending on how much you like warm banana bread. If you can’t help yourself, I recommend letting it cool for a bare minimum of 5 minutes. But if you want your slices to have longevity, patience is a virtue. Waiting yields a really clean slice and perfectly-textured loaf. They’re also great toasted if you want the best of both worlds.

How to veganize it

Olive oil banana bread is already halfway to vegan banana bread—the only thing standing between you and a plant-based loaf is the egg. Simply swap the eggs out for a vegan egg replacement. You can use a store-bought one, but you can also make your own. The following makes 2 vegan “eggs”:

  • 1/3 cup [80g] soy milk
  • 2 tsp [10g] olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp [15g] chia seeds (1 Tbsp for blending, 1 tsp for mixing in)

Combine the soy milk, olive oil, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds in a high-power blender. Blend on high until it turns gray and thickens. If you do not have a high-power blender, blend them with whatever you have, letting them sit halfway through to soak for about 10 minutes before blending fully. Mix in the final tsp of chia seeds in at the end.

No chia seeds on hand? You can also just substitute 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp [90g] additional mashed banana along with 2 tsp [10 g] additional olive oil. It may take a little longer to bake-through (about 7 minutes).

olive oil banana bread, sliced
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Olive Oil Banana Bread (+ video)

olive oil banana bread, sliced
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup [240 g] mashed banana from about 3 very overripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup [105 g] extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs*
  • 2/3 cup [130 g] sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups [200 g] all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ripe banana, split lengthwise (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F [180° C].
  2. Grease an 8 x 4 inch [20 x 10 cm] loaf pan.*
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mashed bananas together with the olive oil until very well combined. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt, and whisk together until completely incorporated.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.***
  5. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Do not over-mix (stop mixing as soon as there are no dry pockets of flour).
  6. Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan.
  7. Place the banana halves cut-side-up on top of the loaf (if using).
  8. Bake for about 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. If it comes out with batter, it needs more time, but if it comes out with just some crumbs, it’s ready to take out.
  9. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

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Notes

* See note above recipe on turning this into vegan banana bread.

** To make this into muffins instead of a banana bread loaf, place 9 muffin liners in a muffin tin (homemade parchment liners or store bought paper ones). If using parchment ones, drizzle them lightly with olive oil. Evenly distribute the batter between the 9 liners, then top each with a 1/2 in [13mm] banana slice. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*** If you want to save on dishes, place a fine mesh sieve over a paper towel and add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the sieve. Sift the dry ingredients directly onto the wet ingredients (and don’t forget the dust that filtered onto the paper towel too).

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20 October 2025 edit: Since originally posting, I’ve tried making this with a homemade vegan chia egg and it worked great, so I added that note to the notes before the recipe. I’ve also since made these as muffins, so I added a note about to the recipe card.

27 October 2025 edit: I also tried making this with just extra banana and olive oil in place of the eggs, which also worked great, so I added a note to the veganize it section.