Banana bread just hits the spot sometimes, right? Right.
Nut Free Banana Tahini Bread
It’s easy to understand why banana bread is so universally loved; When done right, the texture has an inviting richness, with a smooth banana taste throughout. It begs you to take the next bite. The tahini in this recipe adds an earthy depth to the banana bread, which I absolutely adore. It’s hearty. It’s flavorful. It’s well balanced on the sweet/unsweet scale. It’s almost confusing… you’ll want to savor a slice of it, and yet shove it in your mouth as fast as possible. Yeah, it is that good.
banana tahini bread
I cut myself a slice yesterday, toasted it and smeared on some butter and flake salt. The melty chocolate chips with the salted butter was a revelation! Give this one a try. You won’t regret it. Most recently I’ve been making this with fairly bruised, but not super ripe bananas and I might prefer it! The result is a slightly less sweet but equally delicious loaf. This recipe is dairy free and nut free, and can easily be made vegan by substituting flax eggs for eggs. It packs up beautifully in a lunchbox, and you can serve this any time of day.
I’ve made this multiple times, both with and without chocolate chips, and no surprise, my kids usually vote to include the chocolate chips.
If you make this, tag @lalalunchbox #lalalunchbox so that I can marvel at its beauty!
mashed banana
Banana Tahini Bread
3 ripe bananas + 1 banana for the top (optional)
1/4 cup tahini, well stirred
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons oat milk (you can use any milk here)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan with neutral oil.
Mash 3 very ripe bananas against the side of a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl: tahini, coconut oil, oat milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.
Mix thoroughly. I always make sure to leave some lumps of banana, because that’s how I prefer it, but you can use a mixer if you prefer a smoother textured bread.
Add the cinnamon, salt and baking soda and stir gently.
Slowly add the flour, and continue to stir gently until it is fully combined.
Add the optional chocolate chips and give it one final mix.
Pour into your prepared loaf pan.
Slice the 4th banana in half lengthwise. Place each half on the top of the bread before baking.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
*to make this recipe vegan and egg free, replace the two eggs with 2 tablespoons of flax meal mixed thoroughly with 6 tablespoons of water. Let that sit for at least 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
*to make these into muffins, simply adjust the time. Bake for 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins. To make these into mini muffins, bake for 12-16 minutes.
