A zinc electrode for use in alkaline batteries comprises a mixture of 0.425 to 1.55 volume parts of zinc oxide with a volume part of a metallic oxide chosen from the group consisting of: calcium oxide, barium oxide, and mixtures thereof, together with hydroxy-ethyl cellulose, an oxide dispersant chosen from the group consisting of: soap derivatives, anionic polyelectrolytes, anionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof, and a binder. The electrode is prepared by mixing zinc oxide with the chosen metallic oxide in an aqueous medium such as water or potassium hydroxide, stirring overnight, filtering and drying the mixture, optionally adding a further small amount of zinc oxide, optionally adding other metallic oxides, and adding hydroxy-ethyl cellulose, an oxide dispersant, and a binder. The aqueous paste os slurry thus formed is placed on a conductive substrate, drawn through a sizing gap, cut and dried, to form low cost pasted zinc oxide electrodes.