Everyone has a banana bread recipe. Some are healthy, some fancy, some traditional. But who has the best banana bread? Our banana bread with pecans and with no refined sugar might become your new favorite.
Today’s recipe is a twist on the classic banana bread recipe. Ours is a healthy and moist banana bread made with simple natural ingredients like crunchy pecans and maple syrup. There is no refined sugar added.
This banana bread is great for breakfast or an afternoon snack. It’s a wonderful comfort food. And this Southern version of the recipe might just become your new favorite.
Banana Nut Bread Ingredient Options
Flour
We’re using all-purpose flour, but a healthy alternative is whole wheat flour or unbleached wheat flour. You can also use half and half multigrain flour and half wheat flour.
Sugar
There’s no refined sugar or brown sugar in this recipe. Only the natural sugars from maple syrup and bananas. You can switch out the maple syrup for honey if you prefer. And if you’re a chocolate chip lover, milk chocolate chips do make a nice addition. Who doesn’t love a chocolate chip banana bread??
Nuts
We’re using pecans, but if you’re a traditionalist and love banana walnut bread, you can certainly substitute the type of nuts. And of course the nuts can be omitted entirely.
Bananas
Hey there are no alternatives for this one!! The one point to note here is they should be well ripened to get the natural sweetness and taste. The overripe banana with dark dots and ugly pits on the skin is perfect. And nobody’s gonna eat that one anyway!
Can this recipe be adapted for specific diets?
Gluten free
Replace the wheat flour with your gluten-free baking flour. Make sure your gluten-free flour is good for baking with xanthan gum (or other ingredient to help to rise). Also, if using gluten-free baking powder, add half a teaspoon extra. (I’ve never tried banana bread with gluten-free flour, but it’s supposedly denser.)
Dairy-free
For fats I use flavorless canola oil, melted butter, and plain Greek yogurt. Replace the butter and yogurt with additional canola oil. (Replace the quantities 1 for 1.) You could also substitute the yogurt with applesauce in this banana nut bread.
Vegan
Follow the dairy-free replacement. And for each egg, replace with 1 tablespoon of soaked flax seed paste. To make it yourself, soak flax seeds in hot water for 30 minutes and blend them into a paste.
No Sugar Added Maple Pecan Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 well-ripened bananas
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup flour (all-purpose or wheat)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings (optional):
- halved or chopped pecans
Preparation
- Place each ripe banana in a bowl and mash them well. I don’t mind small chunks of mashed banana in my banana bread. You can mash the bananas completely if you want. Set aside.
- Prep an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. You can simply grease the pan with oil or line it with parchment paper.
Recipe for Banana Bread with Pecans
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Put a quarter cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it for 20 seconds or so.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, 1/3 cup of oil, and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. Add the two eggs, one at a time, and mix well with a whisk. Add the 1/4 cup of maple syrup and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Combine well.
- In another bowl, sift together the 1.5 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix with a spatula.
- Add the mashed bananas and combine gently. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the additional 1 tbsp of chopped pecans onto the top. Place into the pre-heated oven.
- Bake for 40 to 50 mins, or until light golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips for your banana nut bread
The crust opens up after around 30 minutes, and this is perfectly fine. Sometimes you see banana chunks on the open crust. That doesn’t mean the bread is undercooked in any way. Remove the bread from the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Let the bread cool down completely before slicing. If you wish to have it warm, enjoy it after cooling ten minutes.
Spread with butter or cream cheese for an indulgent treat.
And for pecan lovers? Try our toasted pecans recipe!
We hope you’ll enjoy our maple pecan banana bread recipe!
Maple Pecan Banana Bread
Equipment
- 8.5' x 4.5" loaf pan
- mixing bowls
- Spatula
- whisk
Ingredients
- 2 bananas well-ripened
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- ¼ cup yogurt plain
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 ½ cup flour all-purpose or wheat
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped in small pieces
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings (optional):
- pecans halved or chopped
Instructions
Preparation
- Place each ripe banana in a bowl and mash them well.
- Prep an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. You can simply grease the pan with oil or line it with parchment paper.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Put a quarter cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it for 20 seconds or so.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, 1/3 cup of oil, and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. Add the two eggs, one at a time, and mix well with a whisk. Add the 1/4 cup of maple syrup and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Combine well.
- In another bowl, sift together the 1.5 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix with a spatula.
- Add the mashed bananas and combine gently. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle additional halved or chopped pecans onto the top, if desired. Place into the pre-heated oven.
- Bake for 40 to 50 mins, or until light golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
1) This bread can not have perfect slices as I baked with real banana chunks. Mash bananas to a puree if you like perfect slicing bread texture.
2) Replace honey with your preferred sweetener. But be cautious about the quantity you add as ripe bananas are naturally sweet themselves. Maple syrup, Apple sauce, brown sugar are some good choices.
One taste of this recipe and you immediately know that it is sugar free. If you are looking for a sugar kick this is not for you. That said, the texture was amazing and satisfying. Not having any yogurt I used sour cream instead and don’t feel it altered the flavor a bit since it was such a small percentage of the ingredients. All things considered, I don’t believe that the results justified the effort to make it.