Banana bread is one of those classic recipes that’s fun to play around with. But I bet you never thought to make sweet potato banana bread! This combination is so synergistic, and is heightened with a generous dose of cinnamon, earthy whole wheat flour, and a good drizzle of maple syrup.
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Banana Bread for a Healthy Treat
This recipe and the images were shared with us by Dole. They are the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables, like bananas and sweet potatoes. Their chefs created this dairy-free sweet potato banana bread, but we have some tips and options to help make it your own.
Can I Make this Recipe into Sweet Potato Banana Muffins?
That should work just fine! I would fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake at the same temperature. Begin checking on them around 20 minutes. They should be firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out with just a few crumbs attached.
What is White Whole Wheat Flour? Can I Substitute It?
White whole wheat flour is 100% whole wheat, but it’s ground from a different type of wheat than regular whole wheat flour. It has a lighter taste and color. You can substitute regular whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or part wheat and part all-purpose flour.
What Milk Alternative Should I Use?
The chefs at Dole use a regular oat milk, which does add a little sweetness. You can use your favorite plain or vanilla milk alternative. Most types should work just fine.
Can I Use a Different Sweetener?
Maple pairs perfectly with sweet potatoes, but you can substitute another liquid sweetener. Most types should work well. However, sugar-free sweeteners might perform differently. If you only have dry sweeteners on hand, brown sugar would be delicious. If the batter looks too dry, just splash in a little extra milk alternative.
Can I Use Oil Instead of Buttery Spread?
You definitely can! This recipe will work great with melted butter alternative (spread or sticks) or your favorite baking oil. No changes need to be made to the amount. But if you are using melted coconut oil, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, including the eggs and milk alternative. Any cool ingredients can cause the coconut oil to solidify into little beads.
How Can I Make this just Sweet Potato Bread, with No Banana?
If I were making this a banana-free sweet potato bread, I would omit the bananas and increase the milk alternative to 1 cup. I would add more milk alternative, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the batter looked too dry and/or thick. I haven’t tested this, but the bread will still have quite a bit of binding moisture from the sweet potato and eggs. The increased milk alternative just helps to balance the wet ingredients with the dry. Another option is to use pumpkin puree in place of the banana for pumpkin sweet potato bread. I would use about 2/3 cup pumpkin puree.
Special Diet Notes: Sweet Potato Banana Bread
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
For egg-free and vegan sweet potato banana bread, see my Egg Substitute Guide. Because this bread is already dense with pureed fruits and vegetables, I recommend using prepared egg replacer powder, which adds less moisture and more lift. You could also just increase the milk alternative to 7/8 cup. The bread should still be fairly cohesive from the purees and flour. Please note that we have not tested this recipe without eggs. This is a suggestion based on many years of allergy-friendly baking.
For gluten-free dairy-free sweet potato banana bread, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free flour blend for baking. But I do recommend using eggs, not an egg substitute, for the best texture. Please note that we have not tested this recipe without gluten. This is a suggestion based on many years of allergy-friendly baking.
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1½ cups white whole wheat flour (see post above for options)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup dairy-free buttery spread, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup + ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (omit for nut-free or sub dairy-free chocolate chips)
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Optionally line it with a piece of parchment paper overhanging on the long sides (for easily lifting the loaf out).
- Poke the sweet potato on all sides with a fork. Place it on a microwave-safe plate or bowl and microwave oven on high for 7 to 10 minutes, or until very tender.
- Let the potato cool for 20 minutes and then peel it and place it in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ¾ cup walnuts, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the banana to your cooked sweet potato, and mash them together. Add the eggs, milk alternative, maple syrup, and buttery alternative, and mix with a hand mixer until combined.
- Fold in the flour-nut mixture just until combined. Do not overmix the batter.
- Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and even it out. Evenly sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup walnuts.
- Bake the bread for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs and the top is golden brown.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then loosen the bread and remove it from the pan.
- Let the bread cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.
Don’t Miss Our Sweet Potato Cookies Recipe, too!
