As a gut nutritionist [1], I’m always looking for great gluten free bread recipes and this zucchini buckwheat banana bread recipe is a very yummy one! Not only it’s gluten free, it also has no dairy, no eggs, no yeast or nuts added but it still tastes delicious!
Achieving good gut health is a key goal of many of my clients who suffer from bloating, flatulence, reflux, indigestion, intestinal parasites [2] or food sensitivities.
Gut microbiome friendly diet plays a key role in helping to improve gut health and related conditions including leaky gut, hormone imbalances, fatigue and sleep, among others.
Decreasing food sensitivities lowers gut inflammation [3]as well as inflammation anywhere in the body. I find that gluten free and dairy free diets definitely help with reducing food sensitivities and improving digestion. However, many clients feel deprived removing these staple foods, and are often frustrated and disappointed when looking for tasty substitutes.
They come to me for help with finding suitable recipes and meal options they can enjoy and indulge in from time to time. The zucchini buckwheat banana bread recipe given here is one of the most loved recipes of all. Many clients with a large number of food intolerances who make this bread use it as a birthday cake option they can enjoy safely. Adding the chocolate avocado frosting to the cake makes it a real treat (recipe included below).
I highly recommend you make it and see how delicious this gluten free and dairy free bread really is!
Recipe: Zucchini buckwheat banana bread
Free from gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, yeast, low sugar
Ingredients
- 1 medium organic zucchini [4]
- 2 large ripe bananas
- 2 cups of organic buckwheat [5] flour – other flour options: rice, quinoa [6], almond meal (if tolerated), or spelt flour for a gluten containing version
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
- 1/2 cup almond milk / any dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup dark or white chocolate chips
- Handful fresh raspberries or other berries
- Optional: chopped nuts of your choice (if tolerated)
Method
Preheat oven to 180C (356F). Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
In a bowl, mash bananas, grate zucchini then add milk and sugar. Mix well.
Next, add sifted buckwheat flour, bicarbonate soda and chocolate chips or a good quality dark chocolate cut into pieces. Gently mix well and pour into a loaf tin. Top with fresh strawberries and /or nuts. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Switch off the oven and leave the loaf in for 10-15 minutes.
Have fresh or toasted – both are delicious. The bread keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It also freezes well.
Have 1-2 pieces as a snack or dessert with butter (if not dairy free) or on its own. It goes really well with jasmine green tea, in my opinion:)
For special occasions such as birthdays, bake the cake in a round form and add a delicious dairy-free chocolate avocado frosting (see recipe below) to create a delicious gluten and diary free birthday cake!
Joanna’s notes:
- I used buckwheat flour for a gluten free version and it worked very well. The taste was slightly nutty and the bread was moist and had a beautiful deep brown colour. I also used other gluten free flours (as well as spelt flour) for this recipe, but buckwheat is my favourite tried and tested option
- This is a low(wish) sugar version so you may consider adding additional tablespoon of sugar if you’d like
- I used coconut milk for a diary free option
- Adding raspberries on the top (press them in a bit), added a beautiful flavour and the loaf also looked great as you can see on the photos
- The texture is moist, the loaf is well formed and easy to cut
- Modification: sometimes I add 1.5 banana instead of 2, and 1.5 medium zucchini instead of just 1. That way the bread is more moist and softer
If you’d like to print out this recipe, scroll to the end and click on the ‘Print this post’ link.
Here are a few photos of this yummy and healthy cake I took recently.
Recipe: Chocolate avocado frosting (dairy free)
- 1 ripe avocado [7]
- 1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons soft coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla essence
- Pinch of Himalayan salt
Method
Scoop out the avocado flesh into the food processor or blender. Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla essence and salt. Blend until the frosting is super-smooth. The frosting can be used as a replacement for regular frosting on cakes or cookies, or on its own as a dessert mousse.
As you can see on the photos, I didn’t make the frosting this time, just sprinkled the banana bread with melted dark chocolate. It tasted great and looked nice, too.
Comment below if you make this yummy banana bread, please. I’d appreciate the feedback and any tips on modifications to the recipe.
Enjoy!
Good health and blessings
[8]
Joanna Sochan
Wholistic Health and Lifestyle Therapist
Natural and Lifestyle Therapies for Abundant Health and Wellbeing
You may also like these recipes:
- Almond mandarin cake recipe: gluten free and delicious [9]
- Top 5 bliss balls recipes: tried and tested many times over [10]
- Beautiful cakes and my 2 favourite cake recipes [11]
Joanna Sochan is a Natural Therapist and founder of Naturimedica Holistic Wellcare. She has a passion for helping clients transform their lives by becoming healthy and well naturally. Joanna has 12+ years experience in clinical practice and has special interest in solving complex cases, gut health, food sensitivities, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders and weight loss. She helps clients individually (mostly online) Australia-wide and also offers online therapeutic programs, eCourses and self-help books. View full bio [12].