Spelt Banana Bread, or the last banana bread recipe you’ll ever need!
I can already hear you guys go: -“Banana bread, heh?” (mind you, most of you aren’t Canadians, so there probably wouldn’t be a “heh?” at the end of that sentence…)
-“Seriously? There have to be at least a gazillion banana bread recipes out there. Come on, Sonia, you can be more creative than that, can’t you?”
You’re right, I know…
BUT! Hear me out…
This is no ordinary banana bread. This is seriously THE BEST banana bread I have eaten in my entire life! It’s just soooo moist, so tender, sweet and chewy, it’s just like a super decadent cake, only it’s good for you!
From now on, this is my go to banana bread recipe! Until I try and come up with a gluten free version. But even then, this is the recipe that I will use as a base. It’s just plain amazing, I tell you.
And I have my good friend Heidi, over at Food Doodles, to thank for it. As soon as I saw it on her site, I didn’t waste any time and tried it right away. After all, I conveniently had a bunch of ripe bananas on the counter, just waiting to be used up, and I was planning on making a fresh batch of peanut butter that week-end.
Can you think of a better combo than peanut butter and banana bread?
I thought not!
I have to admit that I was a tad sceptical when I saw the incredible amount of cinnamon that the recipe called for, and lord only knows I LOVE me some cinnamon, but really, it works great! I also decided to add a little bit of almond extract and a handful of raisins, which just elevated the flavors even more!
Of course, I had to try it toasted, with a nice, thick layer of peanut butter, and it was quite simply the bomb!
Plain and simple?
I am in love.
Spelt Banana Bread, or the last banana bread recipe you’ll ever need!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
Wet Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas, loosely mashed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- ¼ tsp pure almond extract
To be sprinkled on bread
- 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2-3 tbsp finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F; Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with oil or non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in walnuts and raisins and set aside.
- In a larger bowl, loosely mash the bananas. Add eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, vanilla and almond extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined, no more.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with coconut and chopped walnuts. Place in the oven and bake 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning it out and cooling on a cooling rack completely.
Notes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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81 Comments on “Spelt Banana Bread, or the last banana bread recipe you’ll ever need!”
This looks amazing! I love a good banana bread recipe. This one’s going in my bookmarks!
Oh, you won’t regret it, Dana! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 🙂
You think two teaspoons is a lot of cinnamon?! Nooo. It’s just right. I use 2 teaspoons in my banana bread but only use 1 1/2 cups of whole spelt. I love cinnamon. 🙂
Anyway, yours looks great. So does Heidi’s! And your peanut butter looks really gooey. It looks like the perfect consistency. I was imagining something much firmer! Something crumbly.
OK, I should’ve specified! I think 2 tsp of cinnamon is a lot for use in a BANANA bread. I don’t usually put cinnammon in a banana bread, but I will gladly use twice that amount in an apple, or carrot, or zucchini, or spice cake, you know. I am a HUGE fan of cinnamon. But for some reason, it just seemed really strange to me to be using it in banana bread. I’m really glad I did, though, ‘cuz it really works!
I let my peanut butter run longer this time, I wanted it to be nice and ooey and creamy, especially for the pictures… I think I took about 150 pictures of peanuts and peanut butter. No, no, I am not obsessed! 😉 It’s never been dry and crumbly, though. Only a tad firmer, that’s it.
I hope I didn’t say something wrong! I really think it’s a great recipe and great use of cinnamon. I didn’t even realize that cinnamon isn’t traditionally in banana bread because I’m the only one in my family who has ever made banana bread and I load almost everything with cinnamon.
I don’t think 150 photos of peanuts and peanut butter is bad at all. I normally take double that when I want to post something. Seriously. I spend hours on one thing and then I’m lucky to end up with one decent picture. So really, I think you’re doing a magnificent job. 🙂
My peanut butter with the liquid vanilla is dry and crumbly. BOOOOO! It gets all over the counter and makes a mess. The stuff above is perfection.
Not at all, Erin! Where would you get such a silly idea! 😉 You never say anything wrong! 😀 And are you serious? You really take THAT many pictures? Yikes! And I thought I was extreme! I ended up taking a million pictures of my peanut butter because I took speed pics of it as it was pouring into the jars… and then I was like in a trance and just couldn’t stop photographing it. Did I ever mention just how much I like nut butter? It’s almost like a sickness… wait ’til you see that post! 😉
Seriously, I’ll have to try adding liquid vanilla once, just to see what it does. Dry and crumbly, you say? I guess it could be like a reaction between the oil and… wait a minute… my vanilla doesn’t have any water in it, it’s only vodka and vanilla beans. I bet your vanilla has water in it, and the water, mixed in with the oil of the nuts, creates this chemical reaction that causes it to seize up on you. Guess you’ll have to make your own vanilla! I’ll be posting some of that too, as soon as I can get some GREAT natural light happening here. Vanilla is too much of a beautiful thing to be captured under artificial “rays”. Mind you, so is nut butter! 😉
Speed pictures! Oh boy. I wish I was able to do stuff like that! For me, that would just be a wasted day. 1,000 pictures and nothing to show for it. One day I’ll learn, though. 🙂
I also have homemade vanilla going! And I think you’re right. My fake vanilla is probably to blame. I never thought about that. You’re very clever. 🙂 I’ll have to see what happens when I add real vanilla!
I know exactly what you mean! I always feel like I should be posting something more exciting but some recipes are just too good even if it is like something that everyone has a recipe for like banana bread. I love your idea to add almond extract. And the coconut on top looks so nice. I’ve been reverting back to sprinkling quick breads with sugar to make them look nice but nuts and/or coconut is a much better option. Have to try that! So glad you enjoyed the bread 😀
Right on! Actually, I wasn’t even quite certain that I was going to post the recipe, but after I tasted it, there was no way I could keep this one to myself. Besides, we all need recipes to make great classics such as this one.
As for sprinkling coconut and nuts on top, it not only looks good, but it also adds texture and flavor, and it’s also good for you! WIN, all the way! 😀
Thank you for sharing that recipe, Heidi. This one truly will be a part of my regular repertoire! A definite keeper! It’s even worthy of passing down… I think I should print it for my kids right away! 😉
I like the idea of peanut butter and banana bread, that’s for sure.
Have you ever tried it, Tender? If not, you really should. I truly rocks, I swear! 😀
looking forward to trying this, but don’t have any experience with spelt flour. what are your thoughts on substituting whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour?
Hey Melissa! Using whole wheat flour shouldn’t be a problem at all! I would definitely use the pastry version though! Let me know how it went! 🙂
I just made two amazingly delicious loaves of this this morning. I’ve never made banana bread before so it was super exciting. To anyone considering making this recipe – you will not be disappointed! I love it, and I love that it has no added sweetener. You can actually taste all the amazing flavors instead of it just tasting like sweet cake. And the texture is amazing. I had a slice with pb too 🙂
Anyone have any suggestions for making this kind of cake lower in calories?
WOW, thank you so much for your AMAZING feedback Violet! I truly appreciate that! So glad you liked the banana bread as much as I did! And isn’t it just plain unbelievable with peanut butter? OH! I die every single time!
As for making it lower in calories, I think that most of the usual high calorie ingredient have been given the boot… you can’t take out much more than that. You could maybe lose the walnuts and raisins, and maybe use all egg whites instead of whole eggs, but you wouldn’t be slashing out all that many calories. I’d say this already is a low cal version of a banana bread.
No added sweeteners, and no fats? I had to read this 3 times to be certain. I will probably go back and read again. I love baking with spelt flour, and my husband loves banana bread, so this is definitely on our list!
You got it! And you know what, Cara? I find that bread to be a little bit on the sweet side. I wish I could tone down that sweetness level some, but I’m not sure how, seeing as how there is no sugar to cut down… maybe lose the raisins, but they add so much flavor. Oh well, guess I’ll have to live with the sweeter bread! Can’t wait for you to try it and to find out what you think! 🙂
I have tried this before, and it works really well: If you want to tone down the sweetness, substitute some of the applesauce with plain greek yogurt.
I cannot wait to try the recipe! You know if you used applesauce made from granny smith apples, it may cut back on the sweetness? Just a thought. I am a cook and never really bake, but I do know flavors and I am a bit of chemist with my sauces, so perhaps it works in baking too? Love this blog! Reading for the first time.
Awesome idea and it makes great sense, Clare! I will definitely have to try that! Glad you found this place and that you love it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! I truly appreciate that! 🙂
Sonia, this bread is a masterpiece. It is 100% healthy, easy to prepare and extraordinarily delicious! I am absolutely full, but I still want more. THANK YOU.
YAY! So happy to hear. Love it when people are just as excited as I am about a recipe! Real glad it worked for you and thanks a bunch for letting me know! 🙂
Here’s the link to my blog: http://coutellerie.blogspot.com/2012/03/banana-bread-na-pozegnanie-zimy.html . It’s not in English yet you can see the pictures if you’re interested! I am so proud of them, it was my first banana bread ever. Thanks again!
Ooooh! Gorgeous! Looks like it was a complete success! Thanks for sharing your post, too! I really wish I could read it, but the pictures alone do have a lot to say! Very, very nice! You have every reason to be proud! Super well done! 🙂
It’s in the oven right now. I really hope it’s good. I needed a good recipe to use the spelt flour that I bought. Thanks
My guess is you’re gonna want to buy more spelt flour! 😉
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I absolutely love it. I love that it isn’t loaded with sugar, and I love that it is made with spelt. It’s fabulous all around.
Since we’re a vegan family, I simple substituted the two eggs for the equivalent in egg replacer, and used almond milk with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in for buttermilk.
It turned out so beautifully and perfect. This recipe can so easily be mixed up with some fun things, like chocolate chips if one feels decadent or even blueberries…yum yum yum.
Thanks so much for posting this!
Awesome! Glad to hear this worked for you. It seriously is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. Love your substitutions! I might try them myself, and maybe even make a grain free version while I’m at it, why not? LOOOOVE the idea of adding blueberries to this also. Oh the decadence! Brilliant!
Thank YOU much, Memie for taking the time to post your great feedback. I truly appreciate that! =D
I made this recipe last night after falling in love with your high protein oatmeal cookies…. and it was another great turnout!!! You were right, this bread is moist and so tasty!!!! I think next time I make it I may switch up the raisins for dates, I think they would pair nicely with this bread.(I also made another batch of the protein oatmeal cookie last night and made them with dates instead of raisins, FABULOUS!!!! ) Do you come up with these recipes yourself or simply adapt from others? either way, thank you, I am incredibly happy I stumbled upon your blog, I look forward to trying more every week. 2 for 2 on recipe success so far 😀
Awww, thank you so much Christina, I’m real happy to hear that my recipes turned out well for you! I totally agree with the date thing. I’m a big fan of them myself! They must be absolutely brilliant in the oatmeal cookies!
To answer your question, all recipes that don’t mention a source come straight out of my mind. Whenever I don’t come up with them myself, I always credit the source and link to the original recipe, as was the case with this glorious Spelt Banana Bread, which was slightly adapted from one of Heidi’s recipes (over at Food Doodles). As for the oatmeal cookies, they were totally from me! 😉
I really hope you get to try more of my recipes. Make sure you let me know how they turn out if you do! Fingers crossed that my score remains that high! 😀
Last but not least, thank you very much for taking the time to leaving me such awesome feedback! I sincerely apprecitate that! =D
Sonia, would whole wheat pastry flour or AP flour work the same as spelt in this recipe? I don’t have any spelt flour but I would love to try this!
I certainly wouldn’t recommend using all purpose, just because, I would never recommend using it period, from a nutritional standpoint. 😉 Whole wheat pastry flour would definitely work though! 🙂
Haha! Point taken! I have lately been using about 1/2 AP flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour in my baked good recipes…mostly because I’m afraid no one will like the flavor/texture of all whole wheat. I will go all whole wheat for this recipe though!
Good to hear! 🙂 Let me know how it went!
This recipe turned out fantastic!!!
YAY! So happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
What can I use to substitute the buttermilk?
What kind of substitute are you looking for, Mary? Does it have to be non-dairy or is it just that you don’t have access to buttermilk?
Can I replace the buttermilk with greek yogurt? I’m allergic to buttermilk. Any other suggestions?
I would do half Greek yogurt and half milk, Shari. Or just use any kind of milk you like and add one or two tablespoons of lemon juice to it. That’ll do the trick!
Just made this and it is delicious! Boyfriend declared it one of the best things I’d ever made! I used pecans instead of walnuts. Didn’t have buttermilk so I used milk mixed with a squeeze of lemon. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank YOU for letting me know the recipe turned out great and that you really liked it. That’s always music to my ears! 🙂
Just made this – so delicious! Mine looks a lot different in consistency, though, probably because I had to find a substitute for buttermilk (doesn’t exist in my country apparently, and I’m lactose intolerant). I used non-lactose sour cream and some oat milk, and it tastes sooo good! Probably will use non-lactose yogurt next time (greek or soy probably). Thanks for the recipe!
Alright! 😀 So happy to hear that this recipe worked for you too! It would seem like this one is extremely adaptable too and will accept just about any changes and substitutions! And no buttermilk where you live? Oh my, I would be a very unhappy camper. I use buttermilk all the time. But then again, if you’re lactose intolerant, I guess you don’t mind all that much! 😉
And thank YOU, Maria for sharing your experience with that cake. I always appreciate getting feedback like that! 🙂
I’ve tried making this a few more times now, and it’s only getting better! The consistency is more right (I’m using soy yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon) and I even tried changing some of the flour to almond flour, which was really good! Once I even added some chocolate, making it more of a cake 🙂 Again; thank you so much for posting this recipe, it’s a big hit in my family already! 🙂
So, so good to hear! Thank you so much for sharing, Maria! You’re awesome!!! I always appreciate getting great feedback like that, and substitution ideas! Will definitely try it myself with almond flour! 🙂
I just made this into muffins and it was delicious! I used pumpkin instead of applesauce and almonds instead of walnuts. I didn’t add any raisins. Thanks for a great healthy recipe! 🙂
Real glad you liked it Carlie! Great idea about the pumpkin! I will definitely have to try that! Thank YOU for taking the time to give me such great feedback! I always appreciate that! 🙂
Hi! I’m just starting a new adventure of changing the types and kinds of food I eat, so I’m searching for great recipes. I’m a baker at heart and was so sad to realize I’m going to have to start pretty much from scratch with my recipe database – but also excited to learn new things, and to find new recipes like this one!
My question is: Can I lose the raisins and walnuts without losing or changing wet ingredient amounts? My husband doesn’t like either, but he loves banana bread so I’m trying to find a compromise! Lol.
Thank you for any input!! God bless you!
We are so on the same page Tiffany! I’m actually a certified baker and baking cakes has always been a passion of mine! I’m now relearning the art of baking while leaving sugar out of the equation… I must admit that I’m having a lot of fun doing it.
To answer your question, I’m positive that you can totally lose the walnuts and raisins without changing anything else in the recipe. It will turn out and taste just as great.
Let me know your thoughts after you’ve made it! Hope you like it as much as I did! 🙂
Long overdue comment to say this was so easy and delicious, but even better than that healthy and uses spelt, my hot favourite at the moment! I couldn’t find any unsweetened apple sauce and was wary of using it because of that but didn’t want to leave it all out so I put put just under a quarter cup made up of apple sauce with a bit of honey and it was perfect. Not too sweet at all. Moist and perfect. I was so delighted to find the recipe and this site and it inspired me to try other recipes which I am going to write comments on right now! Cheers Sonia.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such great feedback Julie, this is truly appreciated! Real glad you enjoyed the bread! 🙂
What a great recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand except spelt flour, so had to sub whole wheat. I made apple sauce by throwing a couple of apples into the trusty vita-mix. It was super-delish! I will definitely be looking out for spelt flour in the future. Thanks for this – the only banana bread recipe I’ll ever need!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such great feedback, Lillian! I’m so happy to hear that the bread worked as good for you as it did for me! Whole wheat flour is fine, too, I guess. I prefer to work with spelt because I find it usually results in a lighter cake, but whole wheat “pastry” flour will yield very similar results. Again, thank you for your awesome feedback, I truly appreciate that! You rock! 🙂
Do you have any tips for making this wonderful bread in a bread machine? Ay change in ingredients and recommended setting, quick bread or sweet bread setting?
I don’t know, Jennifer, I’ve never used a bread machine in my life… but this is more like a cake bread, so I really don’t think you would need a machine!
Hi Sonia,
I’ve recently started following your blog from London, UK and have made 6-8 of your great recepies so far. I decided this banana bread would be my weekend breakfast treat so I made it on Friday night in preparation – it ws really easy to make and absolutely beautiful, so moist and the applesauce gave it just the right amount of sweetness. I had it again on Sunday and have frozen the rest so I can look forward to it again next weekend – can’t wait!!
Wow, thank you so much for your amazing feedback, Louise! You’re awesome! Glad you liked the bread, is it not the best? And seriously, I wouldn’t even consider this a treat. It’s actually a very nutritious breakfast.
I’ve never tried freezing mine. I’d really appreciate if you could let me know how it behaves once you take it out of the freezer. I’m guessing it’ll be just as good, especially after a couple of minutes in the toaster! 😀
After defrosting, the bread was just as moist as the first time (I’d sliced it before freezing so i can’t say how well it would slice the 2nd time around). I had some cold and some toasted and both were delicious – I have bananas ripening already to make some more next weekend 🙂
YAY! Thanks so much for letting me know, Louise. I truly appreciate that. Now I know that I can put my bread in the freezer and don’t need to feel obligated to eat it all in one go! 😉
Hi there, I don’t have unsweetened applesauce, I have sourcream, can I substitute for that?
Really not sure, Kristy. They are two extremely different things. I don’t think that the sour cream would provide enough moisture or sugar… Not sure I would try it, but if you decide to go ahead and do it, let me know how it turned out! 🙂
It worked fine, still very moist. I even added a bit of pastry flour so it wouldn’t be super dense 1/4c brown sugar and 2tbsp butter for a little extra flavour.
Alright!!! 😀 Good to hear! Thanks much for letting me know, Kristy!
I loved the banana bread – but thought it needed something to sweeten it up – next time I may add some Stevia. Nice texture and loved the coconut on top! 🙂
I don’t usually leave comments…but I thought this would all give you a chuckle. I don’t think I have done any baking since I was a young girl (and supervised closely by my Mum). So I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself this afternoon when I popped this lil beauty in the oven. Sat down with a cuppa, and then thought I’d tidy the kitchen up. Only to go in and see two eggs staring at me…..
The eggs!!!! The eggs I should have put in the bread!!!!
And yes….I did take it out of the oven after 20 minutes of baking to add the eggs. It was a mess. I was a mess.
I’ll let you know if I saved it!
OMG, Anna, thank you so much for sharing that “Ooops moment” with me. You sure put a huge smile on my face. I can only imagine the look on your face when you spotted those eggs. 😀
I truly hope that you managed to save the cake, and if not, that you will not let that discourage you from giving the recipe another try. I’m telling you, it’s worth it! )
I pinned this ages ago and finally made it last night! I didn’t have walnuts so I substituted hazelnuts. Oh, man, is this a great recipe. Subtly, subtly sweet. I’ve been trying so hard to cut back on sugar, and now that my palette is adjusted, this was so fantastic. My oven’s a bit wonky, though, so the outside burned a but while the inside was still a little gooey, so I might try lowering the temperature next time, but personally I liked the crispy outside. This would be fantastic for breakfast (topped with peanut butter!) since it won’t throw you into a sugar high, but I enjoyed it for dessert, too.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh, and thank you so much for the amazing feedback, Jennifer! I truly appreciate your taking the time to write that. Glad you liked the recipe! And you’ll see, the less sugar you eat, the sweeter things will taste for you. Your palate will adjust even more and simple things like pecans will in fact taste sweet to you! You might even come to find that this bread is a tad on the sweet side! 😉
Absolutely delicious!!! I didn’t use any raisins or nuts, as I didn’t have any in my cupboard, and I also substituted vinegar and skim milk for the buttermilk…
I can’t even believe this doesn’t have any sugar in it! It really is sweet and full of flavour!! I can’t wait to have it again in the morning!! 😀 And to try out another one of your recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much for the great feedback, S. So happy to hear this banana bread worked for you! Isn’t it the best when you have something that you look forward to waking up to in the morning? Have you tried toasting it yet?
I made this recipe a few months back with a few substitutions (dates instead of raisins, rice malt syrup & honey in place of applesauce) & it was fantastic.
I’ve just searched the interwebs to track it down again. So glad I found it!
Thank you so much for your great feedback, TJ. Glad you liked the recipe so much that you felt the need to trace it back to make it again. 🙂
Wowzers this is magically delicious, moist, and OIL FREE! Thanks so much for sharing! I added 1/4 c raw honey and 1 tsp nutmeg, and shredded a small apple in lieu of the applesauce.
Excellent recipe! So tasty, super moist and i love that there isn’t tons of oil and the only sugar is from the fruit. As a warning, made one modification that i would not recommend: i had 5 and a half bananas on hand (thanks to a 14-month-old who suddenly decided he is on a banana strike) so i used ALL of them instead of the 4 in the recipe. It tasted great, but the almost custard-y texture felt like it was undercooked even after passing the knife test. I’m going to try again tonight with exactly 4 bananas, i’m sure it will be perfect. This is a keeper!
Oof, yeah, a whole extra banana and a half is a lot to add to the recipe. Glad you liked the recipe anyway, and I can’t wait to hear what you think when you try it with the right amount. 😀
By the way, did you know that you can freeze bananas? Just peel them, cut them in half and freeze them in a resealable plastic bag. Then you can use them frozen in smoothies (gives a nice, thick consistency) or thaw them to use in cakes and other baked goods.
This was such a hit at my house that it was requested the next day. I didn’t have any bananas that were ripe enough, so I replaced them with a small can of pumpkin and added some clove and nutmeg. It’s amazing and was a good use of the buttermilk that I wouldn’t have used otherwise. Thanks for the great bread!
Good to hear, Ian! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I truly appreciate that! 🙂 Loving the use of pumpkin instead of bananas. I might have to give it a try myself!
I tried this yesterday May 25, 2017 and the flavour was delicate and very very good; even better today.
To make it vegan:
Replace buttermilk with a nut milk and 1 tsp of vinegar
Relapace eggs with 6 tablespoons of peanut butter. Delicious!
Great Recipe; I have made this several times and love the taste; I use powdered buttermilk, hemp seeds and add a bit of molasses for sweetness. I use coconut oil on the pan and parchment paper cut to fit bottom. This allows the bread to slide out of pan easily. I have used several different recipes but this one is my favorite. Its my go to snack; Thank you for sharing.