The Traveling Banana Bread (GF + V)

It’s only taken me 17 years, but I have finally tried – and fallen in love with – banana bread.  This is the banana bread that makes me go bananas (pardon my pun) 🙂

I love making banana bread because it’s quick to make and low in added sugar; you get the satisfaction of a cake-like flavor, but without a cake’s overpowering sweetness.  A tip I’ve been practicing upon traveling is bringing my vegan banana bread because a) it’s easy to pack and b) it’s perfect as a breakfast or midday snack. This banana bread recipe has accompanied me on college visits, islands, and cities.

Any non-banana bread lovers out there?  I get it.  I refused to eat anything that had bananas in it until recently.  That’s why I don’t use the spottiest bananas as those tend to have a stronger banana flavor.  

One of banana breads’ best features is its adaptability. Banana bread can be changed to match the season or festivity!  For example, you can make it more vanilla-y for the spring, add a chocolate marble to it, or add 2/3 cup oats for a heartier munch. 

To make the marble banana bread, take 1/3 of the banana bread batter and add 2-3 tbsp of cocoa butter.  Mix, then marble with the rest of the batter.  A couple ideas to pair this banana bread with: almond butter, melted chocolate, toasted coconut flakes, really anything. Also, I used very little sugar in my banana bread because I prefer the banana’s sweetness to take centerstage; but for those who like a little more sugar, you can add an extra 1/4-1/2 a cup to this recipe total.

For flour mixes, any gluten-free blends from Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur always work well.   I recently made my own flour blend, which includes garbanzo bean flour, white rice flour, and potato starch in a 2:2:1 ratio with xantham gum as a binding agent (2 tsp for 5 cups). I also mainly used coconut sugar because it has a low glycemic index, meaning it doesn’t spike your body sugar as much, making it great for breakfast.

Also – optional – but I love adding mesquite flour to the banana bread recipe because it adds a nutty, almost caramel-like flavor.

Enjoy!