While there are a handful of banana bread recipes on OE, I was missing a basic spelt banana bread – this is the one I make most often. The add-ins are flexible so you can add whatever you like most to the loaf.
It has a nice tender crumb and great flavour from the spelt flour. And with only nine base ingredients, it’s an easy everyday recipe.
There are other banana bread recipes on the site made with spelt flour, but they’re a bit more complicated – tahini banana bread, coconut banana bread – but this is the easiest option. I don’t always have ingredients like tahini and coconut on hand so it’s good to have something basic to make when the bananas are ripe!
This is made in one bowl, so there are less dishes to clean. There are several changes you can make to adapt it to what you like most, so see below for some notes on that, and make this really easy snack.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Already vegan and with no egg subs, this is truly a simple recipe. No flax, chia, or aquafaba needed, as bananas are an excellent binding agent already.
- It’s made with olive oil: olive oil banana bread is dreamy, and adds to the flavour of this loaf without being overwhelming.
- Less than 10 ingredients: chocolate chips can be the 10th if you plan on using them, but the base recipe needs only a handful of simple ingredients.
- It’s lower in sugar: using really ripe bananas means not as much sugar needs to be added, and you get a loaf that’s just right without being too sweet.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Spelt Flour: use either light or whole grain spelt flour, or a combination of the two. You can use other types of flour that contain gluten (but this is a spelt-specific recipe, so I can’t really provide guidance on that).
- Coconut Sugar: you can probably sub brown sugar, or even something like date sugar, but I’ve only tried it with coconut. It adds a nice caramel note.
- Bananas: overripe is best – it’s lightly sweetened, so the riper the bananas are, the sweeter the banana bread will be.
- Olive Oil: use another oil that’s liquid at room temperature in place of olive oil if preferred. Melted coconut oil can also be used but it will make for a slightly denser banana bread.
- Oat Milk: or any pourable milk type. Don’t use canned coconut milk, it’s too thick.
Step by Step
1. Mix wet ingredients: mash the bananas, then whisk in the other wet ingredients.
2. Add dry ingredients: mix in the dry ingredients and add-ins to combine.
3. Transfer: scoop the batter into a lined baking tin and smooth it out.
4. Bake: use the centre rack for best results, and bake for about 50 minutes.
If you can’t see the accompanying recipe video, watch it here.
Recipe Notes
Regarding additions – by this I mean the chocolate and seeds, in this case. You could use chopped chocolate rather than chips, nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, any type of seeds (barring chia, which absorbs too much water). You can also leave them out altogether if you prefer a plain banana bread.
The add-ins are provided here by both weight and volume. Generally speaking, seeds/chocolate/dried fruit weigh approximately the same amount, so you’re fine changing it up but using the same weight. If it’s a bit more or less it won’t make such a difference to the recipe.
My tin for the pictured loaf is 11.5 by 26cm (4.5 by 10 in.) so it’s slightly longer and narrower than a standard tin. The baking time doesn’t change when using a slightly wider tin, but it’s good to do a skewer test just in case.
If you need a GF version, here’s a recipe for vegan gluten free banana bread.
How to Store
Storage: this can be stored at (cool) room temperature in a sealed container for 2-3 days, or refrigerated for longer.
Freezing: freeze the whole loaf or individual slices in an airtight container for up to six months.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over mix: spelt is lower in gluten and can become tough when mixed too much. Mix until just combined and no longer.
- Go for ripe bananas: this is key to the recipe, and the bananas shouldn’t be just yellow, but spotty at the very least.
- Cool before slicing: the urge to cut into that warm banana bread is strong, I know, but the slices will be much nicer if it cools fully first. It might crumble a bit if the loaf is still warm.
- Blend the banana: if you hate chunks in your banana bread, you can blend the wet ingredients with an immersion or standing blender. Transfer to a bowl to mix the dry ingredients in, though, as they shouldn’t be blended at high speed.
FAQ
It has less gluten so the methods used for baking with it are a little different. It’s an easy switch to go from plain flour to spelt, though, as it works in much the same way.
It’s a lower-gluten ancient grain, so it’s easier for some people to digest than modern wheat flour. It also has a distinctive nutty flavour that tastes great in baking.
Any whole grain flour should be refrigerated, or at least kept in a cold place, to extend shelf life. Whole grains spoil quickly.
Almost all of the baking recipes on Occasionally Eggs, unless gluten-free, are made with spelt flour. It’s used similarly to wheat flour but with some important differences, so I recommend using spelt-specific recipes.
More Banana Recipes
Vegan Banana Blueberry Muffins
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan Banana Milkshake
Gluten Free Banana Pancakes
If you make this Spelt Banana Bread or any other quick bread recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Spelt Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas 500g / 18 oz. weighed with peel
- 180 ml oat milk
- 50 ml olive oil
- 300 grams spelt flour
- 80 grams coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 150 grams add-ins (chocolate chips, seeds, nuts, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease or line a bread tin.
- Peel the bananas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork.3 large ripe bananas
- Add the milk and olive oil to the bowl and mix to combine.180 ml oat milk, 50 ml olive oil
- Add the spelt flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and add-ins to the mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until just combined, but don't over mix.300 grams spelt flour, 80 grams coconut sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 150 grams add-ins (chocolate chips, seeds, nuts, etc.)
- Spoon into the prepared tin and even out the top of the batter.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool for a few minutes before carefully removing from the tin and cooling fully on a wire rack.
- Spelt banana bread freezes well and will keep, in a sealed container, for several days at room temperature and longer in the refrigerator.
Princess Smith says
I am excited to try this recipe. Can you substitute the sugar for Honey, Agave, or Maple syrup and what adjustments need to be made?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi there – I’d recommend trying this tahini banana bread (you can use any nut/seed butter) instead, which is also made with spelt flour but uses maple syrup instead of coconut sugar. I think it’ll be more reliable than trying to make a sub to liquid sweetener here.