Tahini banana bread

This well-loved vegan tahini banana bread is a real crowd favourite- and for good reason. Beautifully moist, crunchy and not-too-sweet, it is flavoured with tahini, maple syrup, olive oil and dark chocolate and is absolutely gorgeous served warm with slathering of butter. 

We eat a lot of banana bread. There are a lot of really delicious vegan banana breads on the internet and I have to wonder- does the world really need another one? It turns out it does. You see, I have tried various healthy chocolate chip banana bread recipes and there is always one thing missing: tahini. The worlds another vegan banana bread recipe because the world needs THIS tahini banana bread (and maple syrup, sesame seeds and olive oil, to be precise).

Why?

Because TAHINI and dark chocolate and banana and maple syrup is a thing that should be celebrated and banana bread is a great way to celebrate. The texture here is just perfect- it is moist with that much loved banana-bread crumb, the toasted seeds on top provide a delightful crunch and chew and the little speckles of dark chocolate add just the nicest variety. This is the banana bread atet we love the most, and while it is not gluten free, or sugar free or anything else free is it a recipe that you’ll come back to time and again.

Tahini banana bread ingredient list:

Ripe bananas

Of course. To make the most flavoursome loaf you want this extra ripe bananas that are soft, squishy and starting to brown. The ones that you don’t enjoy eating because they are too sweet. Using under-ripe (or firm) bananas will mean the loaf has less flavour and sweetness, as at this stage bananas and more starch that sugar.

Milk of choice.

I like to use this almond milk, but it really does not matter which milk you chose. I would avoid coconut milk as the flavour might be too strong.

Hulled tahini.

Tahini is a sesame seed paste that hails from many middle eastern countries. It has a natural nutty flavour that pairs just beautifully with banana, but not all tahini is equal! To find good quality tahini look for one that is runny, does not have the oil separated on top, and is IN date. Like all nut or seed butters tahini does go rancid, so ensure you are using fresh tahini. 

Note- there are 3 types of tahini on the market. Hulled (my personal favourite), unhulled (this is darker in colour and thicker in consistency) and black tahini (made from black sesame seeds). You could use any of these however both unhulled and black tahini have a more overbearing flavour so I 100% recommend using hulled tahini for the best tahini banana bread ever. 

Pure maple syrup

I added pure maple syrup for 2 reasons. Firstly, I love the way it pairs with tahini. The two together create the more delicious flavour combination, and the sesame seeds drizzled with maple on top of the loaf really make the loaf sing. Secondly, while I wanted to keep the loaf absolutely delicious, I prefer to keep the sugar on the lower side- so we have. mixture of pure maple syrup and coconut sugar to sweeten.

Coconut sugar

The thing about baking with sugar is more than just adding sweetness to a recipe- it also aids in creating a desirable texture. I prefer to use coconut sugar (but please note- coconut sugar is not any healthier than cane sugar) as it has a beautiful, natural camel flavour and doesn’t add too much moistness unlike brown sugar.

Tip: If you want a LOW SUGAR version you can bake this loaf without any coconut sugar at all- I have done this many times when I want to make snacks for etc girls that are free from refined sugar. Expect the taste and texture to be flatter, though. Using monk fruit sweetener like this one is a great option too if you want less sugar but still the sweeter taste and fluffier texture.

Cold pressed light olive oil

You could actually use any olive oil, but I prefer a light olive oil for this vegan chocolate chunk banana loaf so the rich flavour or virgin or extra virgin olive oil doesn’t take over the flavour profile.

Health tip: Cold pressed oils are always the healthiest option as they really on pressure to extract oils from plants rather than harsh chemicals.

Plain flour

Just the original. You could use spelt flour(although I would recommend sticking to 1 cup plain flour flour, 1 cup spelt) or wholemeal (again, stick to a half half ratio), to. I have not tried any gluten free substitutes but use a 1:1 substitute with a good all-purpose GF flour mix like this one and I think it will be fine.

Baking power and baking soda

Both varieties are used for leavening, and I would not recommend skipping on the baking power. the maple syrup in the recipe require a little more baking soda that a vegan banana bread recipe that uses only sugar as the sweetener. I tested the recipe without baking soda and it was too clay.

Salt and ground cinnamon

Because, flavour. I like to use Australian salt- at the most that is pink lake salt from the Source, who work in collaboration with the Barengi Gadjin Land Council, who represents the Wimmera’s traditional landowners. Every year they harvest a small amount of salt from the lake, sinfully avoid impact to the ecosystem there. If you buy exotic salt from a foreign county I highly recommend seeing what is local (and harvested ethically ) to you.

Chocolate chips

I love this brand here and this brand here for the best healthy baking choc chips (or choc drops), or you can just chop up your favourite block of chocolate. 

WHERE I SOURCE INGREDIENTS ONLINE

You can click here for the part&parcel store that stocks all of these ingredients for 20% off, and JADE10 gets you and extra discount on your first order. They stock the best healthy baking choc chips here, tahini here, maple syrup here and monk fruit sweetener here. 

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I make a sugar free tahini banana bread?

There are 2 options. Firstly, you can simply omit the coconut sugar. The loaf is still delicious without the added sugar, but not it won’t be as sweet, moist and perfectly fluffy.

The second option is swapping the coconut sugar with a sugar-free granulated alternative. My preference is lakanto, made from ethically sourced Monk fruit. I have also tried this loaf with the Monk fruit sweetener and it works well.

2. Can I make this loaf gluten free?

Yes. There have been many remakes using a variety of gluten free options, I would mostly recommend a gluten free baking mix like this one but note I have not tried any of these versions. Instead I created this peanut butter, banana oat loaf for you, and you can substitute the peanut butter for tahini if you prefer.

3, Can I make this into tahini banana bread muffins? 

Yes1 This recipe is perfect for a 12 muffin hole tray. Follow the recipe as is, and bake at 180C/350F for 25-30 minutes. I recommend using a metal tin and lining with patty pans for best results. 

Here are some other delicious vegan snacks recipes you might like:

• Grain free banana muffins
• Apple pie scrolls with cream cheese frosting 
• Healthy no bake mocha cheesecakes
• Grain free choc chip saltana cookies 

We cannot wait to hear from you if you try this recipe- we just love this tahini banana bread so much and we hope you do too, and as always we love feedback, reviews or comments below.

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