This cinnamon swirl banana bread is so decadently good and EXTRA cinnamony! It's made with the best ingredients, including almond butter and oat flour. Plus, it's just as moist as regular banana bread, even though it's made without butter or olive oil.
This has definitely become my absolute favorite banana bread recipe (and trust me, my chocolate chip banana bread has been #1 for a very long time). You can picture it as a cross between a coffee cake and a really moist banana bread.
The first thing you taste is actually the cinnamon (OMG!) and then a delicate banana flavor. But my favorite part is that this loaf of banana bread actually stays moist for days if stored correctly.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a healthy banana bread recipe made with basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
- The cinnamon swirl looks super fancy and makes all the difference in flavor.
- It's gluten-free if you use gluten-free certified oat flour.
- It's naturally vegan and dairy-free. No butter, sour cream, or greek yogurt needed.
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Overripe bananas are key for super sweet banana bread without tons of added sugar.
- Oat flour is the base flour and replaces all-purpose flour. You can buy it at the store or make your own by grinding rolled oats. Make sure to use gluten-free oats if needed.
- Almond flour makes the bread super soft and moist. To save money, you can make your own by grinding blanched almonds into a fine powder. I use my Kitchenaid K400 to do so.
- Flaxseed meal is nothing else than ground flax seeds. It's really convenient as you can add it to the dry ingredients straight away and don't need to make flax eggs.
- Baking powder is the leavening agent. Again, make sure to use a gluten-free kind if needed.
- Almond butter allows us to make this no butter banana bread. It's an amazing substitution for butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil. You can replace it with peanut butter if needed.
- Plant-based milk makes the batter come together. I use unsweetened soy or almond milk.
- You will need granulated sugar, such as white sugar or coconut sugar for the loaf and brown sugar (also known as "cassonade" in Canada and Europe) for the cinnamon swirl.
- Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract are key for flavor.
Elo's tips
- Use ripe, spotty bananas. Underripe bananas are difficult to mash and won't mix well with the other ingredients.
- Give the almond butter a good stir to make sure that the oil is perfectly incorporated before adding it to the batter.
- Use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups for best results. Small variations in the weight of oat and almond flour can have a huge impact on the texture of the banana bread.
- Don't overmix the batter, some lumps are okay! Hence why I recommend using a spatula rather than a hand mixer.
- Use a 10" x 5" (25 x 12 cm) loaf pan, often sold as a bread pan, for more narrow and higher banana bread slices.
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, almond flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl.
STEP 2: Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. I like using a potato masher to do so, but a fork or an immersion blender work, too. Add the wet ingredients to the mashed bananas. This includes almond butter plant-based milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
STEP 3: Add the gluten-free flour blend to the banana mixture. Mix with a rubber spatula until everything is incorporated. Note that the batter will be slightly thicker than a regular cake batter.
STEP 4: Spoon half of the banana bread batter into a loaf pan that you previously lined with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top (see video below).
STEP 5: Spoon the rest of the batter into the loaf pan. Draw a beautiful cinnamon swirl by making up and down movements with a knife.
STEP 6: Bake for 45 minutes or until the top of the bread looks golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Elo's tip: Wait until the banana bread has cooled down COMPLETELY. Let it rest for 10 minutes once you take it out of the oven. Then, transfer it onto a wire rack and wait for at least 4 hours before slicing it.
Variations
- Walnuts – Add ¼ cup of crushed walnuts to the batter to make banana nut bread.
- Peanut butter – Substitute the almond butter with peanut butter. It has a more intense flavor but pairs really well with cinnamon.
- Pumpkin spice – Replace the ground cinnamon in the batter with pumpkin spice for warm fall vibes.
Frequently asked questions
Banana bread can be gooey if it's undercooked. Hence why I recommend doing the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, bake it for another 5 minutes. Another reason why your banana bread might be gooey is if you didn't let it cool down completely before slicing it. As mentioned in the recipe, the texture drastically improves as the loaf cools down.
You can store the banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days and in the refrigerator for 2 additional days. I recommend cutting only as many slices as you need and keeping the rest of the loaf whole.
The best way to freeze banana bread is to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can store several slices in a zip bag. To defrost them, you can pop them in the toaster or leave them on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes.
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The recipe
Banana Bread Without Butter
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 3-4 (300-350 g without skin) ripe bananas
- ¼ cup (40 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) almond butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) plant-based milk I use unsweetened soy milk
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup (130 g) gluten-free oat flour or grind oats in a blender
- 1 cup (105 g) almond flour or grind almonds into a fine powder
- 2 tablespoons (30) ground flax seeds or 1 egg if not vegan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) brown sugar also known as "cassonade"
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a larger mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add in the sugar, almond butter, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix with a spatula (don’t overmix the batter).
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar with cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl.
- Pour half the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Cover with the rest of the batter. Go in with a knife and create a beautiful swirl by making up and down movements.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 350°F (180°C), fan.
- Let it cool down completely before slicing (this is very important as the texture improves while cooling).
Video
Notes
- Use overripe, spotty bananas. Underripe bananas are difficult to mash and won't mix well with the other ingredients.
- Give the almond butter a good stir to make sure that the oil is perfectly incorporated before adding it to the mashed bananas.
- You can substitute almond butter with peanut butter. However, it will drastically impact the taste.
- Use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups for best results. Small variations in the weight of oat and almond flour can have a huge impact on the texture of the banana bread.
- Don't overmix the batter, some lumps are okay! Hence why I recommend using a spatula rather than a hand mixer.
Nutrition
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