The Guilt-Free Banana Bread Recipe You Have All Been Waiting For …
Posted by alisa on May 11, 2009 | 35 Comments
Okay, maybe not ALL of you, but ever since I posted about the Breakfast-Worthy Banana Bread from my book, Go Dairy Free, I have been flooded with requests for the recipe. It is in the book (along with tons of dairy-free living info and many other awesome recipes, if I do say so myself), which can be ordered on Amazon for an insanely good price … but enough with the sales pitches … I am more than happy to share that recipe with you here!
But first, a little background on the recipe …
An important part of going dairy-free for me was turning to home-baked bread. At the time, every last loaf at my local grocer contained milk in some form (milk powder, cheese, whey, caseinate, etc.). Even when a couple specialty vegan/dairy-free brands appeared, they were way too costly to warrant regular purchase.
While I learned to enjoy pounding on dough for a good homemade yeast bread once in a while (excellent stress reliever), I don’t always have time or the patience for the process. So I set out to create a quick bread that was nutritious enough to use for my morning toast. With that in mind, this bread is completely sugar-free, using just the bananas for a hint of sweetness. I find it perfect as a base for nut butter, jam, or honey, each of which adds their own dose of flavor, wouldn’t you agree Ricki? [Ricki has a new cookbook out called Sweet Freedom - desserts without wheat, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar - so I consider her the ultimate expert on sugar-free baked goodies]
If you want a little of the sweet stuff, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of your favorite sugar (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, evaporated cane juice, sugar straight up, etc.) to the recipe. But, if you want a loaf of sugar-loaded, dessert banana bread, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Healthy foodies who know how to savor the flavor … read on, and fire up that oven!
Breakfast-Worthy Banana Bread
Recipe from “Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living” by Alisa Fleming (yours truly!)
This Recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free and Optional Nut-Free
“Going out on a limb, I created a banana bread recipe that is completely void of added sugar of any kind, relying solely on the extra-ripe bananas for their natural sweetness. What resulted was a mildly sweet loaf of bread that my entire family adores. It is perfect for breakfast, and won’t leave you face down on your keyboard by 10am. Feel free to make this bread the night before, allowing the banana flavor to infuse and giving the bread time to take on some moisture. If you do prefer a bit of a sweeter loaf, add a bit of sweetener with the wet ingredients.” – [Yes, I just quoted myself]
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Milk Alternative of Choice
2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
2 Cups Whole Grain Spelt Flour or Whole Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Grapeseed or Coconut Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 to 4 Medium-Sized, Very (Very) Ripe Bananas, Mashed (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups mashed)*
1/2 Cup Nuts, Dried Fruit, or Other Add-ins (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the milk alternative and flaxseed and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Returning to your mixing bowl, blend in the oil, vanilla, and bananas until well mixed. Stir in the dry ingredients by hand, being careful not to over-mix; a few lumps are okay. Gently fold in the nuts, fruit, or any other add-ins, if using. Spread the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is browned and resilient to the touch. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mini-Loaf Option: The loaf pictured above is actually a mini-loaf. This recipe will make four mini loaves, baked at 350º for about 22 to 25 minutes. I topped the loaves with some sliced almonds just before popping them in the oven and subbed the vanilla extract with 3/4 teaspoon almond extract for a slightly almond vibe.
* I prefer to use a full 2 cups of banana for the deepest flavor and a very moist bread, but using 1/2 cup less will allow the bread to rise a bit more.
Yields 10 to 12 servings
Tags: baking, bananas, bread, breakfast, brunch, cookbooks, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, Go Dairy Free, milk-free, nut-free, quick bread, recipe, soy-free, spelt, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free, whole grain
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Comments (35)
Alisa, your readers can rejoice because this is THE BEST banana bread! I fell in love when I made it after getting your book–it’s the perfect blend of just sweet enough, substantial, moist and intensely banana. Mmmm, I’d love a piece right now!!
That looks delicious and healthy! I bet the spelt or whole wheat flour adds a nice taste.
can’t wait to give this a try! and your book the next time i’m on amazon
Nice looking bread! I just had a request for banana bread from my oldest, so this one is definitely going to be made next…I may have add the sugar though…for the kids!
Thank you so much!! I’m super excited to try this. In fact, I have some bananas ripening on the counter right now because I was anticipating an attempt at sugar-free vegan banana bread this week!
[...] Breakfast-Worthy Banana Bread recipe is now viewable in a new post for you to [...]
Going to have to try this with a nice little blend of gluten-free flours. Looks delish!
…i agree with meghan. gotta try it with gluten fre flours! i like that it doesn’t have any added sugars or sweetners to it!
I need to try this!! It looks so tasty. What a beautiful photo, too!
I love the texture it looks so good that I want to sink my teeth into it right now – gorgeous!
Oh, how I wish I’d been in possession of this recipe on Sunday morning when I made a delicious, yet notably less healthy version of banana bread than yours. This looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Can I replace “Unsweetened Milk Alternative of Choice” with water?
Yes, any liqiud (within reason!) will work. Milk alternative will give you a slightly richer and more flavorful end result than water. Orange juice or pineapple juice might also be a good sub (and add a little more sweetness) if you want a bit more flavor than plain water.
This recipe looks fantastic. I just printed it and found myself nibbling a corner of the paper- HaHa! Seriously, I keep flaxseed in my freezer, so any excuse to use it in baking is good enough for me. Now I’ve got to hurry those bananas along in their ripening process!
This is the healthiest recipe I’ve seen for Banana Bread to date. Can’t wait to make it! One interesting variable I’ve added to banana breads in the past, is to add about a tablespoon or so of pure orange juice on top of the batter, right before baking. Sounds strange, but adds a nice crunchy, sweet top and edges which adds to the overall texture.
Thanks for sharing and experimenting!
sounds great! anyone ever try using coconut milk for the “unsweetened milk alternative of your choice”? I am thinking about it but have not worked enought w/ coconut milk to know about its “issues’ when baking with it.
This is so delicious! I used rice milk for my wet liquid. What do you typically recommend(not juice).
This is fabulous! We try to eat gluten and dairy free and this recipe really fit the bill. I love that it doesn’t have added sugars either! I used rice milk and a gluten-free flour blend and it was terrific. Thank you!!!
[...] muffins (less moist in the middle!) which were a little too dense. Finally, I found a great recipe online that rises beautifully, I add whatever fruit I want (and some oats) to it, and we’re [...]
oh i love to eat bananas raw. i also love foods and recipes with banana in it. they taste very very good
Love that there’s no sugar in this — perfect when cooking for a two-year-old. Recipe worked well in all regards except for baking time. Pulled it after 40 minutes because we had to leave the house but was still not quite as done as I’d have liked it. Will bake it longer next time and suspect the loaf will be spot on. Thanks for the recipe.
[...] found the recipe here: Banana bread , but I substituted oil with apple sauce.I suggested you use really ripe bananas. Mine [...]
I made it yesterday and it’s gone today! You csn’t ell that it’s made withour sugar. Wonderful!
i can’t EVEN BELIEVE i finally found the recipe i’ve been searching for. i can’t even estimate the number of hours i’ve wasted searching for a vegan recipe without sugar and sugar ’substitutes’! i am forever grateful. not to mention it’s an amazingly delicious bread! WOW!!! keeping on baking, ms. frugal!
[...] and fruit. In our day to day lives, I really prefer just making fruit-sweetened goodies, like our favorite Banana Bread and our breakfast smoothies. But, here and there I use a little honey or maple syrup to jazz up a [...]
[...] Breakfast Worthy Banana Bread [...]
[...] I’m not one to photograph what I eat all the time, but I plan to highlight favorite foods from the week too – I can always use some inspiration when my mind goes blank on what to eat. This week I have been playing around with my favorite Breakfast-Worthy Banana Bread recipe. [...]
[...] morning I decided to make a batch of Alisa’s Breakfast Worthy Banana Bread. I didn’t take a picture because mine ended up looking pretty destroyed. I had to leave my [...]
Is there anything that can replace the grapeseed or coconut oil?
Oh my gosh this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I have 3 overly-ripe bananas right now, and a little muffin pan I want to try out. Mini banana muffins! Yipee!
Brilliant! Seriously, bananas are so sweet, one does not need extra sugar. This IS the banana bread I’ve been waiting for all my life. Thanks
I was very excited about this recipe…until I made it. It had no flavor. I used King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour and four super-ripe bananas and NO FLAVOR. I bake a lot and I’m always looking for a new more bread-like (and less dessert-like) banana bread recipe and this one was very disappointing. Additionally, I’ve been cooking dairy-free for over a year now for my dairy and soy allergic son. To see if the bananas just weren’t sweet enough, I baked a different banana bread which came out quite flavorful. Hoping to toast it later and see if that saves it but, not hopeful. I would not recommend making this recipe with whole wheat flavor and I won’t make it again with any other type of flour either.
Nikki – Very strange – the recipe has been tested in many kitchens and all said it was full of flavor. Keep in mind, this isn’t intended as a sweet banana bread and makes great breakfast toast.
If you want heightened flavor, just add about 2 tablespoons of your favorite sweetener (I like honey/agave or brown sugar/evaporated cane juice in this recipe), and it will help to bring out the banana flavor of less ripe fruit without adding too much sugar per serving.
I LOVE this banana bread! I add about 4 T. of agave or honey to sweeten it up a bit. I have 3 kids (7, 4, and 2) and they devour it! In fact, I now make double batches and put it in the freezer. I’m so glad I found this website. I’m looking forward to tying more recipies since my oldest has a dairy allergy. Keep up the great work!
This is now my go to banana bread! I love it! It’s moist, flavorful, nutritious, and so simple to make. Thanks for the great recipe!