Vegan Spelt Banana Bread
The ultimate comfort food, Vegan Spelt Banana Bread is moist, delicious, and packed with flavors from ripe bananas, pecans, and chocolate. This easy recipe provides a delightful treat that everyone will love!
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups light spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup dairy-free chocolate chunks
- ¾ cup pecan halves, chopped
- 4-5 very ripe bananas (1 ½ cups mashed banana total)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup melted coconut oil (or avocado oil, sunflower oil, melted vegan butter, plus extra)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan by lightly greasing it and lining it with parchment paper. Greasing the parchment will help the bread release easily once baked.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the spelt flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, dairy-free chocolate chunks, and chopped pecans. Mix these ingredients thoroughly with a spatula to ensure even distribution.
- In a blender, combine the ripe bananas, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend on high speed until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, resembling a thick smoothie.
- Pour the banana mixture from the blender into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use your spatula to scrape the sides of the blender to get all the delicious mixture out. Gently fold the ingredients together until just combined; avoid over-mixing, as this can make the bread dense.
- Carefully transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use your spatula to smooth the top, ensuring it's even. If desired, sprinkle some extra pecans and chocolate chunks on top for an added touch.
- Gently bang the filled loaf pan on the counter a couple of times. This helps to eliminate any air bubbles and evenly distribute the batter in the pan.
- Bake your Vegan Spelt Banana Bread in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. You'll know it's ready when a cake tester or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
- Slice your loaf when it's cool, and enjoy! It’s perfect on its own, or you can spread a little nut butter on top for an extra treat.
Notes
- Flour Alternatives: You could easily substitute the following flours 1-to-1 for the spelt: whole wheat pastry flour, whole kamut flour, einkorn flour, whole wheat flour or whole grain spelt flour (being mindful of the fact that whole grain flours will make the loaf more dense), all-purpose flour, and gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Add-ins: Any add-ins you like are great! Use up to 1 ½ cups of chopped nuts, seeds, chocolate chunks/chips, or chopped dried fruit. You could also add other warm spices like nutmeg or cardamom.
- Mashing Bananas: You can mash the bananas by hand if you wish! I just like to get them thoroughly pureed in the blender.