Gingerbread Banana Bread – Soft and moist gingerbread combines with sweet homemade banana bread for the ultimate holiday baked good.
Maple Syrup And Agave – Are They Better For You Than Sugar?
Pretty much on a weekly basis, readers ask me what I think of agave, maple syrup, and other alternatives to white sugar.
Are they healthier?
Are they good for you?
Should you replace white sugar with maple syrup?
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While these sweeteners might be a little less unhealthy than table sugar, that doesn’t mean they are good for you.
Sugar is still sugar, and it’s a good idea to cut back no matter what type of sugar you are using, whether it’s maple syrup, agave, honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or white table sugar.
I keep this in mind when developing recipes, and most or all of the recipes on my site that call for any type of sugar will have significantly less sugar than traditional versions of the same recipes.
There is, however, one exception: blackstrap molasses.
Blackstrap molasses is by far my favorite sweetener, not just for its gingerbread flavor but also because it offers an incredible number of health benefits packed into one tiny tablespoon, including copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and 20% of the RDA for both calcium and iron.
If you’re new to molasses, be sure to try my recipe for Vegan Pecan Pie.
Especially around Christmastime, I try to add molasses to as many recipes as I can.
And since I’ve already done regular gingerbread, with my 3 Secret Ingredient Gingerbread Recipe, making banana bread seemed like the logical next step.
If you like gingerbread and bananas, you will love this vegan gingerbread banana bread!
Adapted from my Healthy Banana Bread
Gingerbread Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups mashed banana
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk of choice OR oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, agave, or honey
- 1/4 cup molasses – blackstrap or regular
- 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp each: baking powder and salt
- 2 cups spelt, white, or bob’s gf flour (260g)
- optional pinch stevia or 3 tbsp sugar for more of a dessert bread
- optional 1/2 cup raisins or crushed walnuts
Instructions
- Grease a 9x5 loaf pan very well, going up the sides. (Or line the pan with parchment.) Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl, then set aside. In a large bowl, stir remaining ingredients together very well. Pour wet over dry, stir just until evenly mixed, and smooth into the loaf pan. Bake on the center rack for 33 minutes – then do not open the oven even to peek, but turn off the heat. Let sit in the closed oven for 10 additional minutes. Remove and let cool completely before going around the sides with a knife and inverting onto a plate or cutting from the pan. Store leftover slices in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to a month.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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Jessica says
Hi Katie, I’d love to make this (sounds delicious!!) but I’m a little concerned about the baking time. My oven tends to run cold, I think, because I almost always bake things about 5 minutes longer than the recommended time. Is there a reason why you shouldn’t open the oven to test the bread at the 33-minute mark? Or in my case, would you recommend just baking the bread for 38 minutes and then turning the oven off? Thanks!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I think it would be much better to risk undercooking than overcooking, so I’d probably recommend doing 35 or 36 minutes and then turning the oven off for ten. Then if it’s still undercooked, you can always turn the oven back on and bake longer.
Medeja says
Oh I would like it for breakfast so much.. gingerbread is one of my favorite things!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve only tried the ones I list in the recipes, so unfortunately I can’t vouch for any others. But sometimes commenters will leave feedback in the comment section about variations they’ve tried.
Personally, I have had good success in many recipes with both Bob’s gf all purpose mix or Arrowhead Mills gf all purpose mix. I usually don’t even need to add xanthan gum.
Dani Mendocha | Styled Variety says
The combo of gingerbread and banana bread sounds amazing 🙂 Need to try this!
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
Love this!! Winter is my favorite time of year because of all the gingerbread <3 Gingerbread banana bread?? Hell yeah!
Farah says
just pulled this out of the oven! My home smelled so good with this in the oven. I followed your directions exactly, even turning off the oven & letting it sit- that was hard for me to do because I’ve never done that before- I was scared of the results, but it was PERFECT!
I used a bundt pan, added 1/4C raisins, used whole wheat pastry flour & Greek yogurt instead of milk because I ran out.
I’ll definitely be making this again!
Oh! I loved that I got to use at least 4 black bananas. I actually weighted it out a tad bit more, just to finish a banana 🙂
Christy says
My nine yr old and I made this tonight and it was a big success! My two little boys, daughter, and I really enjoyed it, thank you. I love that it is gluten free as well!
Lucie says
Thanks so much for shedding some light on the sweetener debate! It’s really frustrating sometimes, trying to find the best possible solution. I agree that even if maple syrup and agave have x times more of some minerals, it’s still a teeny tiny amount compared to molasses or fruit. I love how healthy and low sugar all of your recipes are! You’ve been my greatest dessert inspiration 🙂 I personally prefer erythritol and stevia at the moment and I’ve been neglecting molasses, which I love so much. Thanks for reminding me how amazing it is!
Marsha says
I’ve always stayed clear of molasses, because I really didn’t know how to use it right. But you’ve convinced me! I’m going to have to grab some and try this recipe!
Nina says
Just enjoyed this for breakfast. Delicious. I love the addition of the black strap molasses. So good.
Danielle says
Can you use apple cider vinegar or is it white vinegar?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Either is good here!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I can’t recommend anything I haven’t tried, but you are always free to experiment! In general, baked goods with whole wheat flour tend to be more dense, but some people don’t mind that. As a personal preference, it’s not my favorite flour to bake with. I prefer spelt (also whole-grain).
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Unfortunately I do not… you can use oat flour if you want it to be “flourless” but I haven’t tried it with a paleo flour such as almond or coconut and am thinking it would probably need something to bind. But maybe the banana would be enough of a binder. If you do try one of these flours, definitely let me know how it goes!
Sarah says
I used oat flour and it tastes delicious!
Jen says
Anyone in altitude states? And have baked this? I am horrible at converting.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I unfortunately have little baking experience in high altitudes, but if I see anyone reporting back I will definitely reply with more information here!
Alys says
Hi Katie! This looks awesome, and will be great for a carbo load treat for me and my friends this Friday. We’re running our first 50k! Haha I’m wondering if I can sub “pumpkin pie spice” instead of all the individual spices? How much would you recommend? I’m not too picky, but I’m far too cheap and lazy to go buy and grind cloves and nutmeg. I do have ground ginger and cinnamon, so I’m sort of on track. 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve not tried so I really can’t say for sure; but when I add spices to recipes, I will add a little and then taste the batter. This one will be hard to mess up, so maybe start with replacing the cloves and nutmeg with 1/2 tsp of the pumpkin spice. Then go from there.
Anika Hunt says
I can’t wait to try this for myself – it looks so delicious!
Anika | anikamay.co.uk
Chocolate Covered Katie says
If you experiment, definitely be sure to report back! And yes, if I were doing the experiment I would definitely use a smaller pan and shorter baking time. Good luck!
Priyanshi says
Your pictures are so pretty and appetizing that I feel hungry now. I have prepared gingerbread many times with pleasant results. I am surely trying out your recipe this coming weekend.
Anonymous says
Just wondering, why do you include a star rating in your comment when you haven’t made it yet?
Paula McLachlan says
Good point – I always wonder that too!
Christina says
This is So delicious! Only changes I made were to use 1.5 cups whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup oats, and I made 12 muffins instead of a loaf (350° for 17 minutes). I’m in love with this recipe!!
Karen says
Did you leave the muffins in the oven , with the heat off (as in the directions for the loaf)? If so, how long?
Jan says
Seconding this! After all the things I’ve read about agave and experienced first hand, I’m still shocked to see it included in ‘healthy’ recipes. Each to their own, but please Katie, do more research on agave yourself and see if you still feel like recommending it as a healthy alternative.
sharon says
agave is NOT a healthy choice!
Suze - Luxury Columnist says
I didn’t realize that blackstrap molasses were so good for you, thanks for the recommendation as I’ll stock up!
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
Jessica says
She actually never said anything about maple syrup being as bad as agave. What she said was that both should not be seen as healthy sweeteners and should be limited. There is research that both supports and refutes your claim that agave is the worst sweetener, so I think Katie’s message that ALL sugars should be limited is the right message to send.
Safina says
Is there anything I can substitute for the molasses? Do you think maple syrup or honey would work?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
They will work fine, and you don’t need the extra sugar if you sub for the molasses. Taste will still be great, but the gingerbread flavor will be gone.
Anonymous says
Maybe try sorghum.
Kristen says
I just made this with oat flour and it turned out amazingly well. I did end up baking it for 40 minutes as 33 was not enough, and also let it sit in the oven for the 10 minutes once turned off. I personally find the loaf a little sweet for my taste and I didn’t add the extra 3 tbsp of sugar or pinch of stevia. I think next time I’ll also cut the maple syrup in half or omit it completely. All in all though, FANTASTIC recipe. Oh and I upped the spices quite a bit too. YUM!
anne/ 52weeksofdeliciousness says
Thanks for the recipe! it was delicious 🙂 I had to modify the original recipe a bit due to the items in my pantry, but the bread turned out very well. Yum!
Melissa says
This recipe looks great! About how many bananas did you use to get the 1 3/4 cup mashed banana? I know it will vary based on the size of the bananas, but it’d be helpful to at least get an idea. That’d also be helpful information for all of your other recipes that call for a certain measurement of mashed banana 🙂
Anonymous says
You probably need three or four medium to large bananas.
Sarah says
Okay, so I have made this bread three times in the last two weeks (it was devoured by my fiance and friend’s kids). The first time I made it it turned out perfectly but these last two times it has taken more than twice the baking time you have listed 🙁 I can’t figure out what is going wrong. I’ve used the same pan, ingredients and baking time/temp every time. I’m baking it right now and we’re at 33 minutes +10 while the oven was off+an extra 50 minutes with tin foil on top (and the oven heating back up) to help cook the middle and it is still raw. Help!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
If it was perfect the first time, it might be a climate thing… I don’t know where you’re located, but I know we are having crazy weather suddenly. And climate can have crazy effects on baking.
Jacqueline says
First time perfect then last 2 times raw in middle. Used same loaf pan, go figure. Otherwise, delicious
Cassie says
Haven’t tried the recipe but I know it’ll be amazing! LOVE your takes on banana bread, Katie!
Diana says
I made this with whole wheat flour, skim milk, sorghum (instead of molasses), and two tablespoons of Splenda (store brand). It was incredibly delicious and rose nicely. Thanks for a great recipe!
Eliza says
What type of vinegar? Can’t wait to bake and serve this on Christmas morning! Thank you!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
White or apple cider vinegar.
Vicki says
Mine was under cooked. Needs more time. I didn’t open the oven!
Say says
This sounds amazing! Any idea if it could work as muffins?
Mariette Costin says
Seems to be a great recipe. I ha ve lots of your recipes in files!
Mine is not a comment. I used to be able to put your recipes on Microsoft word and keep them in files. Since a few months, I cannot enlighten the recipes. The problem is that I don’t want to print them all. Please help!
Teresa says
This is a great recipe! I baked it (and took the GF option), took photos, and posted about it on my blog. You can see a full review at thekalestorm.wordpress.com. ?
Susan S. says
I’ve made this recipe a few times and, slathered with a little butter, it’s quickly become a favorite. The moist banana texture and ginger taste is an ingenious combination! I made it using honey, white flour, regular molasses, and added the optional sugar. Tomorrow I’m making with blackstrap molasses and am curious to see what the difference in flavor will be.
Merrily says
I just made this bread, and it is very good. I only had 3 overripe bananas, which equaled one cup mashed, but it still came out moist. I didn’t have enough gluten free flour, so I used unbleached all-purpose flour (I think whole wheat flour could be good also), and I used a full 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses with no other added sweetener. For the vinegar, I used apple cider. I like that the bread was not too sweet, which made me feel good about giving it to my kiddos for a Saturday morning breakfast treat. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for a terrific recipe.
Rebecca mayston says
I love this recipe… ive been using date syrup and maple syrup… with chunks of date inside yuuuuum. Love living in Oman and having access to delicious dates in huge volumes…
Adeline says
This bread is amazing!!! I love making it into muffins and adding chocolate chips to the batter. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My entire family thoroughly enjoys it whenever I make it. Quick question: where can I get your cookbook?
Julie Dove says
Amazon has the best price for her book! https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Covered-Katie-Delicious-Recipes-Secretly/dp/1455599700/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Adeline says
Thank you so much Julie Dove!
Caroline says
I made this, and it was fabulous! I used a combination of Einkorn flour and gluten free flour plus an additional egg because I’m not vegan and like the extra protein. 1 1/3 cup gluten free flour mix plus 2/3 cup einkorn. I used coconut oil instead of milk and chopped walnuts.
Becca says
I just made this with whole wheat flour and IT. IS. DELICIOUS. This is HANDSDOWN one of the best things I’ve baked recently! It’s incredibly good – thanks for the great recipe!
Rahul says
Just tried to make the Gingerbread flavour after reading this article. However made the taste prettier enough to eatable. Well next time I will be perfect same as of You…. Meet Katie.
Rohit says
Good content and pics for sweet lovers and very good for the people who ate suffering from diabetes. Because all the recipe are sugar free. Which can fulfilled every diabetic people cravings.
Thank you.
Tracey West says
I made this last week. I’m a professional baker and against my better judgment I followed the baking time as written. It seemed to short for a quick bread. Sure enough, I took it out of the oven and it immediately sank in the center. I was kind of upset cause I used spelt flour which I have to get mailed to me. The part that was baked tasted delicious. I gave the recipe another try adding 10 minutes to the baking time and it turned out perfect! I would definitely make this again.
Jessica says
Made it this weekend. It was delicious! A bit undercooked in the middle (which I didn’t realize until we got to the middle part), but it was still good. Next time, I’ll add 3 minutes to the cooking time. Great flavor though. Perfect for breakfast.
anuradha singh says
is there anything else which i could use as an alternate to molasses ??
thank you
Cynthia M says
I made this and it is delicious. I did not add the extra sugar but sprinkled some raw sugar on top before baking. I am not vegan so I threw an egg in thete too. I tnink the flavors improved overnight in the fridge. Again delicious. Thanks
Srbakinghappy says
I used 4 medium very very ripe bananas. I think it was about 1 3/4 cups ? Also used pillsbury gf flour, which probably appreciated the very ripe and plentiful bananas. Used 100% pumpkin pie spice for the spices since it was the only source of ground ginger I had. And I used sorghum syrup from local Amish market–1/2 cup in place of both the liquid sweeteners called for in the beginning. It is similar in taste and nutrition to what is called for. I did everything else to the recipe. Oh. I added semi sweet chocolate chips. So I may not deserve to comment, but I think this is pretty close to what the result would be if I had all the right stuff, and wow it is amazing!!! I hope that my subs will give someone confidence to try this using what you have on hand.
Karen says
Terrific! Initially I thought it was rather dry until I realized that I forgot the milk. Oops! Next time I think I will reduce the ground cloves. Otherwis this is a wonderful recipe. Thanks Katie
Shawna says
The chocolate marble swirl banana bread on this website has been my go-to banana bread recipe since I found it. This recipe was even better. The flavor was incredible and not too sweet, and the bread was moist and tender like quick bread should be. For my oven 33 minutes cook time was a little shy and left the top center a bit gooey. Next time I’ll try 45 minutes and see if that cooks it all the way through. Excellent recipe!
Preeti says
Wow, the recipe is too delicious, I will try it definitely at my home.
Jaypore says
good one
Karen says
What would be the bake time if I made half of the recipe in a loaf pan or cupcakes?
Robert says
Your pictures are so pretty and appetizing that I feel hungry now. I have prepared gingerbread many times with pleasant results. I am surely trying out your recipe this coming weekend.
Mel says
Does nutrition facts include raisins and sugar?
I omitted raisins but added 2 tbsp of raw cane sugar.
Great recipe thanks!
anil says
Impressive！Thanks for the post
Rebecca Lankford says
I made this today and really like it. Thank you so much for recipe that uses bananas that is *not* strictly a banana bread. I love it!
Rohit says
Good luck! Great info
CToth says
Mmmmm this is soo good. I was craving something gingerbread-ish for Fall and this recipe was perfect. Moist and perfectly dessert like… I am so grateful for your recipe. I used Spelt flour, used 1/6 cup milk and 1/6 cup oil, lots of toasted pecans and added the 3 TBSP sugar because I wanted it to be a little sweet. It was yummy! . 5 stars all the way!
Thank you!!
Barb says
The edges were very tasty, but was very under done. I ended up tossing most away.
Jason Sanford says
Why would you toss it? Just leave it in a little longer and it would have been fine. Because of so many different factors, including climate, elevation, calibrated oven, etc, baking times can be off by a lot for different bakers. But just baking longer would have fixed the issue no problem!
Kelly says
Could eggs be added for extra protein for the healy breakfast option? what quantity would you suggest or ingredient replacements?
Jason Sanford says
Sounds like a fun experiment! Be sure to report back if you try!
stacey says
Katie – we love so many of your recipes. This is a great one! Very happy family this morning. Will make again this season. Thank you!!
Helen says
Hi Katie,
My friend is allergic to vinegar. Would it be ok to omit it?
Thanks
Helen
Tammy Porter says
Hi Katie, thank you so much for sharing your recipes. When I made this recipe I had to cook much longer than you recommended. When I finally took it out, it still seemed undercooked and very dense. Is this because there are no eggs? What did I do wrong? I used spelt flour and milk instead of oil.
Jason Sanford says
Hi! Because of so many different factors, including climate, elevation, calibrated oven (is yours calibrated?), etc, baking times can be off by a lot for different bakers. But just baking longer would have fixed the issue no problem!
Cindy says
Can I use date paste instead of the sugar?
Jason Sanford says
In this one, yes. In most cases, no because you’d be replacing a solid with a liquid (or not-so-solid), but in this recipe it would work because the extra sugar/stevia is only there for added sweetness, not for bulk.
Alex says
Katie, I’ve been reading your blog for many years, and I have to say that this is my favorite recipe that you have created. It’s so delicious and I’ve made the banana bread a few times a year since you published this recipe. Pro tip: it tastes really yummy “frozen”, as in I eat it straight from the freezer without letting it thaw. Thanks for this recipe :).
Donna says
Mine came out a bit gummy in texture but it tastes DELICIOUS! I think it could have used a few more minutes of baking time….thanks!
KareninStLouis says
Made this today. Beyond delicious. I used pumpkin pie spice in place of the non-cinnamon spices, so it was yummy but not noticeably gingery. (Hubby said he doesn’t like gingerbread. News to me!) I lowered the baking temp by 25° since I used a dark pan. Alas, I forgot to increase the baking time, so the middle fell during cooling, but the flavor is still awesome. Not taking a pic this time!
mercy says
Is a toothpick to come out clean? The inside doesn’t seem cooked enough. Anyone have suggestions? The outside is definitely cooked.
yiska says
Making this for the second time – it is amazing. Just keep in mind that if you use raw, thicker honey, the bread would be a bit sticky (still loved it).
Nicole says
I tried to make this and it didn’t turn out well at all.
The inside never cooked through and I even (after following your instructions) baked it for another 10 minutes -totally cooked on top but once cooled was still
Mushy in the middle.
I love gingerbread and so bummed this wasn’t a success for me ?
Christine says
I just made this. Because I only used half the sweetener (liquid) I thought I’d make up for the liquid by throwing in an egg. Mistake! It needed to cook another 15 minutes, and is still a touch too moist. Live and learn.
homeladder says
Thanks for your awesome posting! I really enjoyed reading it, keep the great work going have a nice evening!
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anand says
I have prepared gingerbread many times with pleasant results. I am surely trying out your recipe this coming weekend.
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Diana says
Made this bread yesterday. All I can say is YUM!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Shilpa says
Actually, I was searching for how to make the Gingerbread Banana Bread. And suddenly got this information. Surprisingly, I made a tasty gingerbread. Thank you so much for giving a nice piece of content. It helps me a lot.
Helen says
Hi Katie, I live at altitude 7,000ft would you know how I should adjust baking times and temperature to adjust for this please?
Thanks!
Helen
Camren says
Thanks for sharing recipes with us. After reading this articles I could not stop myself to prepare it.I tried to make at home .. uhm it was really good. Also its homemade healthy food which I preferred to give my kids.
Thanks again and keep sharing this kind of yummy recipes.
Lisa Brown says
I’ve made this bread five times in the last month. I love the flavor of the ginger and molasses. You wouldn’t guess that it was vegan or healthier than the average sweet bread. Even with the 10 minutes resting in the hot oven it usually need an extra five minutes of baking time to cook through.
Morgan says
I know this is an older recipe, but hopefully you’re still checking comments… have you tried this in muffin form? I know I will cut back on the cooking time, but wondering if you have experimented with this and how long you cooked them for. Thanks!!
Aimee B. says
I know this is an old post and you’ve probably already either received your answer or tried it yourself, but I figured I’d respond anyway, just in case. I just made muffins yesterday. They were perfect! It made 12 for me. I baked them for about 18 minutes in my toaster oven. Yours may take more/less time depending on your oven. Oh, and I used the oil version. 🙂
havee says
Can i add egg into this? if it is, how will be the taste?
Javonni says
I finally made this today. It is so delicious. I used things that I had on hand and it couldn’t have been any better. 1 cup oat flour, 1 cup rice flour mix, sugar free maple syrup, banana baby food, coconut sugar and an 8 by 4 loaf pan. thank you so much!
Roger Nehring says
We just finished several slices and I had to put it away in order to have any later!
Tammy says
Thank you! This bread was delicious, I shared with several fellow teachers as well as my daughter and everyone loved it.
Lyn says
Made this today! It is yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
N Adams says
I’m sorry to say this was a complete waste of ingredients; it was inedible. Cooking something this dense for only 33 minutes is totally not enough!! Bread was heavy and soggy and just had to be thrown out. Most likely will not try it again.
Jason Sanford says
Probably just a difference between ovens (most aren’t calibrated unless you calibrate them) and/or climate. Why throw it out though instead of just putting it back in and baking longer? The recipe is delicious when fully cooked!
Jason
Emma says
I just made this. Smells lush. It started to burn slightly on top with 8 minutes left so I assumed it was done & turned off the oven for the 10 mins. It was raised & cracked so it looked done. I took it out & the centre felt squidgey still, so I’ve covered it in foil to prevent more burning & put it back on for 10 mins ??? Could be the honey I guess? Honey baked goods burn more easily than sugar.
Emma says
It came out well after the 10 mins back in the oven ? Mine is much more raised than your pics with a split in the top. Wonder why? Gf flour?
Beth says
Just made this today. It was good but a little chewy–could this be b/c I used milk rather than oil? The other choices I made included agave and white flour, following the recipe as written.
Jason Sanford says
Hi, yes, baked goods without oil will have a denser/gummier texture! 🙂
Nadia says
I made this recipe yesterday and I’m really disappointed to say the least. I was a bit skeptical about baking it for only 33 minutes and leaving it in the oven but since it was my first time making this recipe, I decided to follow the instructions. I should’ve gone with my instinct and baked the loaf for 40 to 45 minutes because, after it cooled down, I sliced it in the middle and it was half RAW. I figured maybe by morning, the texture would firm up or something but nope, when I checked in the morning, nothing had changed. All I was able to salvage was the edges. I had to toss the rest of the loaf because it wasn’t edible at all. I’m very disappointed…
Jason Sanford says
Hi can you tell me if your oven is calibrated? I don’t see any other comments/reviews mentioning having an issue, and I’ve never had an issue baking it either, but perhaps yours just needs more time due to differing oven calibration or climate!
Jason
Ankur says
i love this post, waiting to try during my holidays..
Tish says
This is the best vegan banana recipe I’ve ever used it’s perfect every time and amazing with all the spices!
Randi says
What if I don’t have vinegar? Can I use something else or leave out?
Jason Sanford says
Hmm, maybe lemon juice?
Lauren says
Is it possible to substitute all of the maple syrup for molasses? Maple syrup, as you know, can be pricey, and I wondered about substituting maple syrup for molasses not only in this recipe but also in others, like your healthy banana bread. I’m unfamiliar with baking with either, and do I can’t appreciate how the molasses would alter the taste or texture. Can you give me your thoughts, please?
Jason Sanford says
Molasses is not as sweet, so probably wouldn’t work unless you also added some sugar!
Lauren says
Thank you very much! I realized I meant to type “and so I can’t appreciate…” but you answered my question perfectly.
Lauren says
I made this mostly as written (except in place of the Maple Syrup, I used a Lakanto-brand maple flavored sweetener, which I had on hand even though I don’t follow a particular diet and am non-vegan/-vegetarian). I made it with ultra-filtered skim milk in place of the oil. I also added 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, as suggested, and I added mini chocolate chips to the batter, as well (about 1/3 cup). Perhaps chocolate and gingerbread sound weird together, but I have enjoyed the results. I didn’t have either cloves or nutmeg on hand, so I left those out.
Thank you for this recipe.
I think the flavors merry well together after being refrigerated for a couple of days. I would recommend tasting but not judging the flavor, taste, or consistency of the bread until day 2. In my humble opinion, the bread improves over time (covered and in the fridge).
Nice job, Katie!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it! Obviously we love your idea to add chocolate 🙂
Lauren says
Thank you so much for your creative recipes and wonderful posts. I always read them in their entirety. I like everything about them!
Cheryle D says
I used whole wheat flour and substituted the honey/agave step with unsweetened applesauce. I didn’t add raisins, nuts or Stevia/sugar and it was delicious with some good butter on it. Should be good toasted too!
Libby says
Holy mcWow! I made the less-sweet version (and I was low on milk so I used yogurt and applesauce instead) and it is just divine! I love that it’s not too sweet. It smells divine. It’s EXCELLENT. SO GOOD. Yum!
Amanda says
It turned out gooey! I made this exactly according to the recipe. I used flax milk (instead of oil) and spelt flour. I followed the 33 minute bake time plus 10 additional minutes after turning the oven off. It came out looking perfect. I made it late at night. Let it cool an hour before sticking it in the fridge. In the morning when I pulled it out to eat I realized it was still gooey and raw in the middle! The sides had cooked well so I was able to cut it in such a way that I got about 3/4 of the loaf into slices and then a gloopy pile of goo from the middle (which I still ate, it was delicious and nothing *had* to be cooked to be safe to eat). I was supposed to be bringing this to a potluck… thankfully I had other things to bring along with it. What did I do wrong? Maybe it just needed to cook longer?
Shay says
Wow! Way too gingery. Maybe my ginger is spicier than most but I could’ve used half of the recipe (1tsp) and it may have still been too spicy.
Other than the strong ginger flavor it turned out ok, thanks to the raisins.
I didn’t add any maple syrup but 3tbs of coconut sugar with the dry ingredients.
Unfortunately this won’t be a go-to recipe for me. I would’ve preferred a regular banana bread recipe. I was open to trying this one as something new and different than the usual, but I guess I’m a plain Jane!
Caroline M. says
Can I use almond flour in place of other options?
CCK Media Team says
We haven’t tried it so honestly can’t say. Feel free to experiment, or perhaps you might want to experiment with adding molasses and ginger to this recipe instead: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/almond-flour-banana-bread/
Eric says
Great recipe..liked the texture and just the right amount of sweetness.
Lindsey says
This is FANTASTIC!!!!
Wow, so yummy and a great alternative to regular banana bread if you want some variety.
I used the following ingredient choices because it’s what I had. I love how this recipe gives options to fit different dietary needs or ingredient availability:
Unsweetened almondmilk
Maple syrup
Unbleached all-purpose flour
No additional sweetener
I also added pecans and pieces of dried ginger and it really adds an extra burst of flavor and texture!
Thank you!!!!
CCK Media Team says
Thank YOU for making it 🙂
Lynn says
I followed the recipe, but made muffins instead, the batter was quite thick. Not nearly as dark as the photo.. more of a caramel colour. Still turned out decent and I would definitely try again, but I want a stronger gingerbread flavour, so more molasses or spices, do you think?😊
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for trying it! And yes, you can absolutely add more spices – more ginger will give a stronger flavor. You can also increase the molasses to 1/3 cup with no other changes needed.
Michele says
I had to bake this for 60 minutes to get it cook all the way through in the middle. Not sure why I had such a wildly different experience. When it’s cooked through, it’s a great recipe, though!
Judy Miron says
Just took my loaf out of the oven and followed recipe instructions but the centre wasn’t cooked so covered with foil and put back for 6 more minutes. It smells wonderful and anxious to try it. I added crushed pecans. The mistake was probably mine because I used frozen bananas that had too much moisture. Now freezing bananas without peeling…will probably work better. Thanks for the wonderful recipes. Judy M
PS..just took from oven and is baked perfectly!
Judy Miron says
Changing my rating to 5 star! We just had a taste of this loaf and it is fantastic. I bake almost every day and my recipe collection is to the extreme…this one is going to the top of the list.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it!
Linda says
Made this recipe today (3 dozen mini muffins)
Added chopped pecans. Delicious!!
CCK Media Team says
Your mini muffin version sounds delicious!
Catherine Maxey says
Awesome. I used maple syrup. Was a bit short on banana and made up the difference with 1/3 cup applesauce. Baked as muffins. Got 14. Baked 16 minutes and turn off oven for additional 10 minutes. Added 2oz chopped walnuts. Used milk not oil. Filled muffin about 3/4 full. Batter is thick. Great texture. Did not add additional sugar.
Amanda says
This turned out so delicious! I was a little worried about the unique baking instructions because my oven can be weird sometimes, but it baked perfectly! It is moist, spicy, and a perfect use for my remaining molasses and overripe bananas. I love that it has no refined sugar, too.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much!
Aimee B. says
Love this recipe! I ended up making 12 muffins instead. I omitted the cloves (didn’t have any), used the oil option, and the added 3 T (brown) sugar. I baked them in my toaster oven for about 18 minutes. They came out perfect; nice and fluffy. Even my hubby, who doesn’t like gingerbread, raved about them. Also, made our house smell like fall. It’s a definite keeper! 🙂
Nannie says
I made this as written and used milk instead of oil. Used spelt flour and did add walnuts and no additional sugars, however may cut maple syrup in half next time and the cloves. Would like to try to add chopped dates with the walnuts if I cut back the maple syrup. I was pleasantly surprised it turned out perfectly with the oven off for 10 minutes. Came out of the pan easy peasy. I used 2 medium size ceramic loaf pans. Will cut into slices and freeze for a nice treat. A nice powdered sugar icing would be nice if serving to guests or just a dusting of powdered sugar.
Katie thank you, never thought this would work like charm.
Beth C says
This was very good. It tastes like gingerbread (which I love) much more so than banana bread.
Christy says
Made this today! I used milk instead of oil, spelt flour and maple syrup. I used 4 medium size bananas.I did not add the extra sugar and I added a lot of raisins. I soaked the raisins in boiling water to plump them up. I made them as muffins. Baked at 350° 20 minutes with 5 minutes in the oven with the oven off. They tasted good. Not very spicy. I might up the spices next time. I have been making all sorts of Katy’s recipes lately. Thanks Katy for all of these great free recipes!
Christy says
I would recommend adding the optional sugar as mine wasn’t sweet enough for my taste. I also would recommend the applesauce muffins as an alternative. I think they are more moist and taste better.