The combination of ripe banana and medjool dates achieves–dare I say–a certain “butter-iness” in this Vegan Banana Date Bread. This is my new welcome home banana bread for my Natalia who has become vegan but I have to say, it may just become THE welcome home banana bread for the rest of the family too! It is SO YUMMY! I think you can tell from the photo how moist and rich it is! It’s perfectly sweet too and the beauty of it is that it has no added sugar-NONE! The sweetness comes solely from the fruit!
I make it for you in my own kitchen–it’s so quick and easy!! Watch here!
Banana-Date-Bread-Recipe-Photo
Banana Date Bread (Vegan)
Author: Catherine Katz
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas (ripe), mashed with a fork
- 5 medjool dates, pitted chopped + 2 Tbsp water
- ½ cup organic expeller pressed canola oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Place the chopped dates in a small container with 2 Tbsp of water in microwave for 30 seconds to soften them.
- Place the warm dates (with the water), mashed bananas, canola oil and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat well.
- Add flour and baking powder and beat again to blend well (the batter will be thick, and that's OK!).
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, using a spatula to gently spread the batter evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let bread cool in pan for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Click here for a fantastic article about everything you wanted to know about bananas, from their history and interesting facts to their health benefits!
Can this be made without oil?
Hi Pamela! I haven’t tried it but I think if you were to replace the oil with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, it could work. Enjoy!
Hi Pamela, I haven’t tried, I suppose you could try to replace it with unsweetened applesauce, if you are following an oil-free dietary pattern. As for me, here is what I have to say about why I use the oils that I use:
https://cuisinicity.com/verdict-canola-oil/
Please include portions size and calories.
Thanks
Hi Bernice,
I give away my recipes out of the goodness of my heart so if you need something I don’t provide you can enter my ingredients into a simple program that will tell you exactly the nutritional value. Here is the reason I chose not to provide the analysis on my website: https://cuisinicity.com/calories-in-calories-out-but-dont-obsess/
Hi Catherine,
I’ve been doing veganuary and have been asked to make a couple of date and banana vegan bread for a church do. I can’t find the flour you suggest anywhere or multipurpose flour. They only sell plain or self raising flour in shops near me. Can I use either of these?
Thank you
Ann
Ann, yes, I think the multipurpose flour will work as well but will be less rich fiber and therefore less nutritious but I think it will be just as yummy! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Catherine, I made the banana bread for my son’s girlfriend who is vegan and gluten sensitive. Happy to say that she was very pleased to know that it was gluten and sugar free and it tasted so good. I use avocado oil and gluten free flour. I will be making this again for my little guy who is also gluten sensitive. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
That’s awesome Iris!!!! 🙂
Great blog you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the
same topics talked about here? I’d really like to be a part of community where I
can get advice from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Appreciate
it!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It tastes INSANELY AMAZING! I’m trying to cut down on refined sugar so this was exactly what I needed 🙂 I only had white flour on hand when I made it, so I’m very keen to see what it tastes like with whole wheat. Safe to say I will be making this again!
YAY!!! Karly, so happy to hear it! Remember that I use whole wheat PASTRY flour which has the fiber of whole wheat flour but is lighter in texture and perfect for pastries! Have you tried my scones (no added sugar either), I have 4 varieties…(here is one: https://cuisinicity.com/apple-date-walnut-scones-vegan/ ) I’ll just say WOOOOWW!!! 🙂
I made this tonight, and it is delicious! Who would have thought this bread could be so tasty without added sugar? I will say, I think I added a little bit extra vanilla and used 7 dates instead of 5 🙂 Next time, I am going to use my electric mixer to blend the bananas (as the recipe states) instead of just mashing by hand; I think this would make a smoother, less chunky bread. But some people may like chunky! I can’t wait to share this with friends!
I am just so happy to hear that Rochelle!!! 🙂
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality sites on the net.
I’m going to highly recommend this web site!
I totally angry with Caroline.
I understand what your saying about this banana cake will become your “Welcome home bread”. It is so moist and tender compare to your “regular” one.
Thank you again for sharing your work
Hi,
Just made this banana bread again. Since I am am inclined to keep the washing up part as minimal as possible I just put the bananas in the mixer first while chopping the dates. Saves about two minutes and one bowl to wash up :). I like to freeze individual slices to put them in my boyfriend’s lunch box. Since he never complained, I assume it freezes well. I also like to add cinnamon and walnuts.
Hi Ines,
I like all your nice touches! I take it since you made this banana bread again that you like it!
Hi Catherine. I made your recipe, but made a few changes and I posted it on my blog. It is so delicious. Thanks so much for the inspiration. You can check out what I did here https://healthyhomecafe.com/2016/09/07/banana-date-bread/
(BTW I met you while you were in Sydney. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Australia :))
Catherine,
This recipe is so good and I love that it contains no added sugar! I’m curious about the process and length of time it takes to perfect a recipe before sharing it with us. Every recipe of yours I’ve made has been a hit at our house. Thank you!!
Thank you Carleen!! What a thoughtful question, thank you!
It really depends! For this particular recipe, I just “nailed” it because I really had a prior sense and experience with all these particular ingredients going in and creating it was immediate! BUT, other times….not so much!!! hahahaha! My vegan burger, for example took the better part of 6 months, because I really wanted it to be vegan, so none of the obvious “binders” were available to me, like eggs or cheese or some kind of dressing or mayo (that would never be an option anyway!), and still I wanted it to be a bite-into typical meaty “hamburger”, rather than a mushy bean patty, so a lot of trial and error went into this one…and so it went, but the end product was so satisfying! I just presented it at a conference of culinary chefs where it was served and it was a hit! https://cuisinicity.com/cuisinicity-video-food-medicine-food-love/ so extremely gratifying for me!!
Of course, Cuisinicity really represents over 20 years of my life and some of my recipes I still tweak, as I get more knowledgeable and creative. So, in answer to your great question, the summary is: it depends!!! 🙂
It makes me so happy that you love my recipes, it makes it ALL worthwhile!!!
Catherine
Hello Katherine:
I enjoy your site and saw this great banana bread recipe. I have cut out all grains and on a low carbohydrate diet. Can this recipe be made with almond flour?
Thank you for your kind words Susan!
I love using almond flour in a lot of my baking but, unfortunately, I don’t think that this particular recipe will do well with it. Perhaps oat flour might work? But then again, it is a grain albeit- gluten free so not sure that would help you here. I am not sure as I haven’t tried it. If you do try it, I would love to hear back how it went! Menawhile, you’ll find that I have a lot of other recipes that call for almond flour only and you might enjoy those instead. 🙂
Hi Katherine:
I will try the oat flour. What a great idea. Any other suggestions to keep my carb count low when making “treat” recipes I call it. Cookies, cakes, etc. I love to bake and I haven’t since I have reduced my carb intake. I am sure it would be welcomed to your community of healthy nutritious consumers. Or maybe a blog on this topic would be helpful for us too!
Absolutely love your site and the background you provide when it comes to nutrition and the science of a healthy diet including healthy eating for our kids.
Thank you Susan! Let me know how it goes for you with the oat flour.
I do not like to talk about “carbs” per se, as a lot of my ingredients are nutritious “carbs”! As you know lentils, whole grains and fresh fruit are carbs but so are lollipops, so the term is not helpful and I prefer to concentrate on whole foods! I talk a little about it here:
https://cuisinicity.com/calories-in-calories-out-but-dont-obsess/
I hope this is helpful!!…don’t forget to let me know about your result with the oat flour!!! 🙂
Hi Catherine,
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour? Also, I have date syrup. I am thinking to use 1 tbsp of it in place of 5 dates and water. I appreciate your suggestions on this!
AK
Hi AK, you could but I can’t be sure of the texture that you’ll get as I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe. I think it won;t be as airy. Also, I don’t recommend using date syrup both because, on the nutrition side, you are not getting the nutrients of whole dates and on the culinary side, I don’t know that the result will be the same, since the chopped dates are really a wonderful part of the batter. So, I would say, stick to the original recipe if you can!! 🙂
super! moelleux et délicieux quand on aime les bananes ! ah!ah! je vais le faire dans le Sud!! j’en connais une qui va se régaler ! merci! martine de France
Hi Catherine
Love this recipe! Super easy and yummy! I used olive oil and added walnuts (I just love them in banana bread!)
Thank you!
Ps: I tried to rate this recipe a 5 but the last heart just wouldn’t light up on the site- so here you g ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you Tracy!!! Olive oil and walnuts are super both in their nutrition and their deliciousness so I LOVE IT!!!! 🙂
I am very pleased with the Banana Date Bread. But mine came out way more dense than your picture. I could not find pastry flout so I used all-purpose plus two teaspoons of corn starch as recommended on a cooking webpage. Do you know of additional things I could do to make it somewhat less dense? I am not a good experimenter without helpful suggestions. THANKS
Wonderful B!! most supermarkets have it in their health food section, so maybe you overlooked it: here are a couple brands you should easily find:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871074135952/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871074135939/
or you can also use white whole wheat flour which also has the fiber but is as light as pastry or white flour–same amount: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871074303075/),
But if you still can’t find whole wheat pastry flour, then just use the exact same amount of all-purpose flour and do NOT add any corn starch!! There is no need for it and that’s probably why you ended up with a different texture than mine. I hope this is helpful! I just LOVE this bread! 🙂
Five hearts of course
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!! Even though I could not add the vanilla, because the glass jar had miraculously emptied itself (my husband likes to add it to yogurt and milk). I added a cup of walnuts which taste yummy in this creamy bread. This was the test run for my turn providing snacks at day care. I want something also the kids will like who are more accustomed to glow in the dark food – as your husband would put it – but which is still healthy and nutritious. I found it!
That’s wonderful, Sibylle!! Did the other kids at day care also love it? That’s such a great snack for them! I love it!!! Thank you so much!!
Send my husband out to buy canola oil. Hope to find baking time tonight 😉
Looks incredibly delicious!!!! Yummo!
YAY Corinda!! You are definitely going to devour this yumminess of yumminess!!!
Do you recommend a brand of canola? It seems a lot of canola has been shot down…also do you think it would work with gluten free flour?
Hi Lynette! I recommend an organic expeller pressed canola oil with omega 3’s. There are many brands you can choose from, but here is one from Spectrum that I use: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871082210861/
I also just posted a 2 minute video about canola oil that I think you will find helpful: https://cuisinicity.com/verdict-canola-oil/
This is just what I needed! I looovvvvve banana bread and your recipe without eggs, dairy or sugar just made my life even better! Thank you Catherine!
Absolutely my pleasure Denine! 🙂
I made it and I really like it Catherine! I rarely buy canola oil so used avocado oil and am happy with the results. I will make it again; thanks for the recipe.
Wow, that’s wonderful Janet! Avocado oil is so nutritious as well! I am so happy to hear that you got nice results with it. I like to use canola oil (cold-and expeller-pressed is best) in my baking because it’s a good source of monounsaturated fats, and it is one of the richest cooking-oil source of alpha-linolenic acid.
I am delighted that you loved it! 🙂
Hi Catherine,
I left this comment under your You Tube Banana Cake demo, but wasn’t sure if that goes to you? Therefore, I am copying and pasting it here also:
Hello Catherine!!! I will be truly amazed if this cake will be sweet enough for my sweet tooth! I will definitely buy bananas today to ripen, make your recipe and report back to you!! Also, I’ve recently been using a “light flavored” olive oil in place of other oils. Do you think it would work with this recipe? I trust your judgement and advice and LOVE your informative, short, animated and fun videos!!! I cannot wait for the next one!! :))
Caroline from Chatham, NJ
p.s. It looks so moist and delicious!! I’ll keep you posted on my results!!
Thank you so much!!! I hope so Caroline!! I am amazed myself that the natural sweetness of the fruit is all it takes!! I can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂 Yes I think a light olive oil will work just fine!
Hello Catherine,
Although I was very skeptical about how your (no sugar added) banana bread recipe would taste, I decided to make it tonight! After my first bite, I was ecstatic!! I was not only happy that I did not get the results I anticipated, but it was over the top delicious!! Your vegan banana bread was incredibly moist, had a surprisingly sweet taste (that really shocked me!), and was overall, just perfect!!
What I really loved about it was the idea that I’m not getting empty calories like with table sugar, the sugar naturally in the dates and banana’s provide so much more than just sweetness!!! I looked it up and found: Dates are high in several important minerals including potassium, manganese, magnesium and copper. They also provide significant amounts of calcium, iron, vitamin K and B vitamins, including vitamin B-6 and folate. Not to mention the nutrients in the banana’s and all the benefits from the Canola oil or the “Very light tasting Olive Oil” that I used!! This bread can be categorized as a “super food”!! I’m very excited about finding food that is TRULY delicious and TRULY tastes GREAT!! I grew up watching my mother work out with Jack LaLanne on TV. I would hear him say that he lives by 2 rules when it comes to food: The first is: “if it’s man-made, don’t eat it” and the second: “If it tastes good, spit it out!”. If he knew about your food Catherine, he would never have to “spit” out ANYTHING!!! Sorry for the long comment but everything about this bread is GOOD!!! Thanks for creating this recipe!! You’re the best- Love, and avid fan and follower,
Caroline
Hi Catherine, (correction)
I just noticed I made a slight error in my previous comment to you. I said this: “I’m very excited about finding food that is TRULY delicious and TRULY tastes GREAT!!”
What I meant to say was: I’m very excited about finding food that is Truly delicious and is TRULY GREAT for you!!! I grew up watching my mother working out to Jack La Lanne . . . .
I understood but love that you took the time to even specify!! You are THE BEST!!! 🙂
WOW WOW WOW Caroline, your comment filled me with joy!!!! EVERY WORD of it: I LOVE everything about it! Thank you thank you!!!! 🙂