Let's be honest, this isn't bread, but is a delicious loaf of banana cake. Banana bread is on repeat in my kitchen all year round! We eat it for morning tea, afternoon tea and I pack some in the school lunchboxes too. This banana bread is really easy to make, and its the best way to use bananas that have softened and turning dark.
Bananas are a great source of potassium and fibre. They're so good for digestive health, I tell my kids all the time, but I don't like the texture of bananas. That's why I prefer to blend them, like in this banana bread recipe. But, I also blend them for smoothies, which is how I mostly consume bananas.
In Australia, bananas are available all year round. And that explains why I bake this banana bread all the time.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Bananas - not just mashed, the banana is blended with the wet ingredients to ensure banana flavour throughout the banana bread
- Dark chocolate - the melted texture of the chunks of chocolate is delicious and makes the banana bread less sweet
- Extra virgin live oil - you won't taste olives in this banana bread, I promise!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Put bananas and all the wet ingredients into a blender
- Step 2: Blend well, the banana should be completely blended, no chunks
- Step 3: Pour the blended wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, already in a mixing bowl and stir
- Step 4: Once combined, pour batter into a lined baking tin and bake at 180 degrees for approximately 45 minutes
Hint: don't waste your bananas! They turn really quickly, but to make the most of them, pop them in an airtight container or freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. The skin will go black, but inside the banana is perfect for using in this recipe.
Substitutions
I have made a few substitutions over the years, these work the best;
- Milk - nut, oat and soy milk are great alternatives for dairy free option
- Oil - melted coconut oil or ghee are great alternatives to extra virgin olive oil
- Gluten free - any gluten free flour can replace the plain flour at a 1:1 ratio
- Brown sugar - instead of maple syrup, brown sugar adds a caramelised flavour to the banana bread
Variations
- Chocolate - add cocoa to the dry ingredients, just minimise the plain flour by 2 tablespoons
- Ginger - add some ground ginger for a gingerbread style banana bread
- Nuts - add chopped walnuts or pecans for texture
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. This hand blender is one of those kitchen tools I'm always reaching for, because it delivers excellent results.
Storage
Keep the banana bread in an airtight container in the pantry and it will last up to 5 days.
Not suitable for freezing, the texture changes too much.
Top Tip
This batter makes delicious muffins! Just pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, check on them as they bake, they'll be ready much quicker in the muffin tin.
Related
Looking for other baking recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favourite drinks to pair with banana bread:
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 180℃. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.
- In a food processor, blitz together the wet ingredients, milk, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla extract and bananas and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, cinnamon, chocolate chips and salt. Now pour the mixture from the food processor and gently mix everything together to form the batter.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes on the middle rack. Cjheck the loaf with a skewer or toothpick. Once cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Let me know if you have tried this recipe