Cozy vibes: activated. Toasty pecan crunch? It’s there. It’s all there when we’re talking about this vegan date pecan banana bread.
I was having somewhat of an identity crisis when I was deciding what kind of banana bread to make, but I think I tapped into something special. Every time I make banana bread, my dad complains about the fact that I didn’t add dates to it. I added dates to my banana bread like twice, but good to know those two times are still on his mind. So I decided to treat him (and myself, obviously) by adding tons of dates to the banana bread. This vegan date pecan banana bread is mostly date sweetened!
The Rundown
Flour: I used mostly spelt flour and a teeny bit of almond flour, because I like the fluff factor that almond flour adds to bake goods. And spelt flour is always my go to banana bread flour. It’s a whole grain flour, but sweeter and nuttier than whole wheat flour, so your loaf tastes good and is fluffy. You can totally sub all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour in if you don’t have spelt flour or almond flour. You can sub oat flour for almond flour as well.
Sweetener: Mostly sweetened by dates, a little maple syrup, and bananas. Duh.
Mystery oomph factor: instant coffee. I’m honestly not sure how much of a difference this made, but I’d like to think it did. Espresso banana bread just has a ring to it.
Date Pecan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups spelt flour sub whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour or more spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup chopped dates
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 2 tsp ground coffee beans or instant coffee optional
- 3 bananas (1.25 cups mashed)
- ¼ cup olive oil sub coconut oil
- ½ cup oat milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp flaxseed meal and 2.5 tbsp water. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Sift spelt flour and add it to a bowl with almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt, and instant coffee.
- Mash bananas with a fork. Add to a bowl with olive oil, oat milk, maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla extract.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients. Fold in dates and pecans.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf. Let it cool in the pan.
- My favorite way to enjoy it: topped with coconut yogurt and frozen blueberries!
Cozy up with a warm slice with some peanut butter, coconut yogurt, and frozen blueberries. Let me know if you try it!
For more banana bread because it is National Banana Bread Day after all…
