Breakfast-Worthy Dairy-Free Banana Bread
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is a sample recipe from my flagship book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. Going out on a limb, I decided to create a banana bread recipe that is completely void of added sugar. It relies solely on extra-ripe bananas for natural sweetness. The result was this very mildly sweet loaf that my entire family adores. It’s perfect for breakfast, and won’t leave you face down on your keyboard by 10 a.m. It also toasts well and is a perfect medium for your favorite nut or seed butter, buttery spread, or chia jam.
Author: Alisa Fleming
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened plain dairy-free milk beverage
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 cups spelt flour, whole wheat flour, or white whole wheat flour (see post above for gluten-free tips)
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda (reduce to 1 teaspoon above 3000 feet)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ to 2 cups mashed very ripe banana (3 to 4 large bananas; see Banana Note below)
- ¼ cup grapeseed, rice bran, or other neutral-tasting oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup nuts, dried fruit, or other add-ins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan (you can alternately line it with parchment paper).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk beverage and flaxseed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add the bananas, oil, and vanilla to the flaxseed mixture. Beat with a hand mixer until relatively smooth, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Some small lumps are okay; you do not want to overmix. Fold in the nuts, fruit, or chocolate chips (if using).
- Scrape the batter into your prepared loaf pan and even it out.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden brown and resilient to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the bread and carefully remove it to the wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Leftover bread slices can be individually wrapped and frozen to enjoy later. They toast well from frozen.
Notes
BANANA NOTE: I prefer to use a full 2 cups of mashed banana for the deepest flavor and very moist bread. But using just 1½ cups will allow the bread to rise a bit more.
MINI LOAVES VARIATION: Pour the batter into 4 greased and floured mini-loaf tins (6 × 3 inches) and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
SWEETER VARIATION: Add ¼ to ½ cup honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, or your sweetener of choice with the wet ingredients in step 4 and increase the salt to ½ teaspoon. You might need to bake the loaf a little longer.
MINI LOAVES VARIATION: Pour the batter into 4 greased and floured mini-loaf tins (6 × 3 inches) and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
SWEETER VARIATION: Add ¼ to ½ cup honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, or your sweetener of choice with the wet ingredients in step 4 and increase the salt to ½ teaspoon. You might need to bake the loaf a little longer.
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/guilt-free-dairy-free-banana-bread