This Vegan Tahini Banana Bread is the best banana bread recipe! In addition to being absolutely delicious, it's also refined-sugar-free, eggless, dairy-free, and the absolute perfect breakfast treat.
*Recipe originally shared June 2019 and updated April 2022*
The secret to vegan banana bread
There is one key ingredient that will make any eggless & vegan banana bread turn from good to great and that is really ripe bananas!
How Ripe Should Bananas be for Banana Bread?
Bananas that are fully brown on the outside (not black, not spotty) are IDEAL for this recipe.
I have found that black bananas can be too ripe and lead to a very dense banana bread. On the other hand, spotty bananas usually aren't sweet enough to bake with. That's why dark brown bananas are perfect for these tahini banana bread!
Ingredients:
What does tahini taste like?
Tahini is a smooth paste made out of ground hulled sesame. It can be purchased raw or toasted (and either works for this recipe!) and is typically featured in middle eastern cuisine such as hummus. Essentially, it's similar to almond butter or peanut butter but it is made with sesame seeds.
Unlike nut butter, it's actually not very sweet and some brands are even a bit bitter. For that reason, it adds a savory element when mixed with sweet bananas. I highly recommend using Soom Foods Tahini for this recipe!
How to make Tahini Banana Bread
Mash the bananas
Take the really ripe bananas and add them to a bowl. Then, mash the bananas until they are mostly smooth, but still have some chunks of banana throughout.
Make the banana bread batter
Next, add the wet ingredients to the bowl of mashed bananas including the tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar, ground flaxseed, almond milk, and vanilla (steps 1 & 2).
Then, mix in the dry ingredients including the spelt flour, baking powder, and salt until you have a thick batter (steps 3 & 4).
Fold in chocolate chips
This step is totally optional, but makes this chocolate tahini banana bread truly decadent! To keep this recipe refined sugar-free I use either Pascha's no sugar added chocolate chips or Lilys stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.
Add to loaf pan & bake
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan. Then, pour in the tahini banana bread batter. Use a spatula to smooth it out on top and then sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
After that, add the loaf pan to the oven and bake until cooked through!
After baking I like to remove the banana bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.
If you slice the bread while it is still hot, it will likely crumble since it is so moist and be very hard to get a clean slice.
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make tahini banana bread gluten-free?
While I have not personally tried it, a gluten-free all-purpose flour should work 1:1 in place of spelt flour. Please keep in mind that using a flour alternative such as coconut flour or almond flour will NOT work in this tahini loaf recipe.
Is there a substitute for maple syrup or coconut sugar?
Maple syrup can be subsisted 1:1 with agave or honey (not vegan) for a similar flavor.
Coconut sugar can be substituted with light brown sugar or cane sugar for a similar result. Both of these sugars are more "moist" than coconut sugar, so the end texture will vary.
How do I store vegan banana bread?
This chocolate chip tahini banana bread can be sliced and wrapped in tin foil or stored in a closed container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
It can also be sliced and stored between layers of parchment paper in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. I don't recommend refrigerating this bread as it tends to dry it out.
To make this Vegan Tahini Banana Bread even better I highly recommend grabbing extra tahini and drizzling a little on top. Then, cut a slice and serve with a glass of oat milk or a warm cup of coffee. If a slice of vegan banana bread isn't the perfect way to start your morning, I'm not sure what is! Enjoy 🙂
-TSG
More sweet Vegan Brunch Ideas you will love:
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Vegan Tahini Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas *ideally dark brown or at least spotty
- ⅓ cup tahini *make sure fresh and not dried out
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 Tablespoons almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½-3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips *optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Remove the peel from your bananas, add the banana flesh to a large mixing bowl, and mash until soft with some chunks.
- Next, add your liquid ingredients to the bowl containing the bananas including the tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar, flax seed, almond milk, and vanilla bean paste/extract. Mix together until well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, sift together your spelt flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the other bowl containing the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. If adding chocolate chips pour in about ½ cup and use a spatula to stir these into the batter as a final step.
- Grease a small loaf pan and then pour the batter into the pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the batter. If using chocolate chips sprinkle an additional ¼ cup on top.
- Add the tahini banana bread to the oven and cook for 50-60 minutes until cooked throughout and browned on top. Remove from the oven and let cool. When ready to eat slice into 8 pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- Banana bread can be wrapped in tin foil or stored in a closed container (once cooled) and stored on the counter for 1-2 days.
- If you would like to freeze banana bread, make sure to slice it first. Then, add the slices to a closed container between layers of parchment paper so they do not stick together. Sliced banana bread will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month and can be defrosted at room temperature or reheated in the microwave.
Ruby says
Hi, just wondering if cashew butter can be used instead of tahini? Thanks!
Megan says
I think it would have to be pretty thin cashew butter so it's similar in texture to tahini, but then I think it should work :).
Michi says
Hello,
Recently started exploring the vegan journey. Would love to make this bread. Can I substitute flax seed to something else like apple sauce? If so, any other additional things I need to add?
Thank you!
Megan says
I don't recommend subbing applesauce here as the flaxseed is really necessary to get the right binding. You can substitute with chia seeds but that's the only good substitute I would recommend!
Michie says
Thank you!
Monica Nair says
Hi planning to make this for the first time. If I were to replace the chocolate chips with walnuts for instance would it be the same quantity? If not could you please let me know how much ?
Also I plan to mk the almond milk at home would you know what measurement almonds I need to use to get 2tbsp almond milk ?
Thanks
Megan says
I think subbing 1:1 for walnuts would be fine- I've never tried it but it shouldn't affect the batter! For the almond milk, I would recommend following a recipe to make it homemade. I don't think you'll be able to make just 2 Tbsp of milk, however you could sub water or any plant-based milk for almond milk.
Kashi says
One of the best banana bread we ever had!
Made it today and was pleased with how it turned out and the taste is excellent. I added, pecans, walnuts, raisins and grated coconuts. Omitted 3 Tbs coconut sugar from the recipe it asked for. It was sweet enough with bananas and maple syrup. Thank you for this super delicious recipe! Planning on making it again tomorrow to share with friends.
Megan Horowitch says
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it and love you made it your own with the nuts and fruit :).
Natalie Custer says
I've made this recipe 3x now and it's a slam dunk. This is coming from someone who has made a lot of banana bread in the last couple of years. Living on islands makes them turn fast! This recipe is perfect amount of moisture and sweetness... My toddler son gobbled it up! Pretty glad I made two loaves at once. I used Stevia instead of coconut sugar and Oat milk for mine. So Delicious it's now going to be one of my go-to banana breads.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
SO glad you liked it and really happy to hear it works with Stevia too! Thanks for the feedback :).
Elizabeth says
I made this yesterday (with a few adjustments as I didn't have some ingredients) and it's officially my FAVOURITE banana bread ever! Banana bread for breakfast? Yes please! Thank you for taking the time to create and write out the recipe for us! Much love!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
YAY! So glad you liked it.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
SO glad you loved it! It's really so easy to adapt this recipe 🙂
Jen says
The. Best. Banana bread!
I have always looked for lower sugar recipes for this bread as well as zucchini bread and muffins because I want to eat a lot of it!
I made a lot of substitutions for what I had on hand and it was still perfect! Works well with regular flour and even chia if you don’t have flax.
Happily surprised by how moist this bread is and sweet without being overly sweet. My new go-to.
Diane says
I made this yesterday and it was delish. I doubled the recipe because I had 6 very ripe bananas and I used oat flour only because I didn’t have spelt. Can’t wait to make it again with spelt.
Megan, I love all your recipes.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thanks so much for the feedback Diane! I'm so happy to hear it worked with oat flour too- I'll have to try that next time!
Natalie says
WOW this banana bread looks and sounds so unique and delicious! Perfect for weekend brunch!
mhorowitch8 says
Thank you! Hope you try it and love it!
jacquie says
Looks like a great recipe but can i replace the bananas with something else such as applesauce? i tend to not use them due to the environmental impact and social justice issues associated with producing them. Thanks so much.
mhorowitch8 says
I'm honestly not sure- I only made the recipes with bananas in mind, but if you try with applesauce and it works let me know!