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Date Banana Nut Bread

Date Banana Nut Bread

Hello there! Today’s recipe is a wonderfully delicious and easy-to-make quick bread that only has nine ingredients.

It also has no eggs, no butter, is refined sugar-free and is coincidentally vegan too. I didn’t mean to make that happen, but it did.

The resulting bread has a satisfying crispy crust that’s almost toasty in flavour and a dense, yet tender inside dotted with creamy dates pieces and crunchy walnuts in a sweet (but not too sweet) banana bread.

The Medjool dates give this bread a scrumptious rich caramelized flavour that you need to try!

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Date Banana Nut Bread!

How to make this make this banana bread?

Medjool date paste in a food processor.

Place the Medjool dates into a food processor and blend until it forms a soft paste. Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions listed in the recipe card down below.

Medjool date paste, mashed bananas, and hot water mixed together using a wire whisk in a metal bowl.

Stir together the date paste, mashed bananas, and hot water together until well combined. In an another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well-distributed (not shown).

Date Banana Nut Bread dough topped with walnuts in a parchment paper-lined loaf pan.

Add the banana-date mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Tip: Whisk until just-combined (no more dry ingredients can be seen). Over-mixing may result in a tougher bread.

Fold in the walnuts and then place it in a parchment-paper lined loaf pan.

Freshly baked Date Banana Nut Bread in a parchment paper-lined loaf pan.

Top with extra walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-75 minutes until a wooden skewer (or cake tester) comes out clean.

Note: The bread cracks slightly on top. I covered some of it with walnuts (because I was poking that area with a skewer to test for doneness), but it looks great either way.

Two slices of Date Banana Nut Bread on a white platter with the rest of the loaf on a wooden platter behind it.

Looking for more desserts made in a loaf pan? Check out these two!

Sliced Date Banana Nut Bread surrounded by Medjool dates on a round wooden platter.

This Date Banana Nut Bread:

  • Is delicious!
  • Is easy to make: There are only nine ingredients!
  • Vegan and refined sugar-free: Perfect for those with these dietary requirements.
  • Is yeast free so you don’t need to proof the dough: No proofing means saving time because you don’t need to let the bread rise first.
  • Uses ingredients that are usually easy to find at your local grocery store or are pantry staples.
  • Is simple to put together: It takes around 10 minutes to put this loaf bread together. The majority of time it takes to make this banana bread is spent baking in the oven.
  • Is shareable and portable: Share it with family, friends, or take it to work to share or eat as a snack.
  • Is great to have for breakfast or dessert too: Serve it with a hot cup of coffee or tea or with a glass of milk.
A loaf of banana bread with Medjool dates and walnuts surrounded by fresh bananas and dates on a wooden platter.

Did you try this recipe? If you did, please leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram. I’d love a picture!

Date Banana Nut Bread

Date Banana Nut Bread

Yield: 12 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

A delicious vegan banana bread recipe featuring a crispy crust and soft inside. This bread requires no proofing and is refined-sugar free using dates for sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 1 packed cup (10 oz / 15-18) Medjool dates, pitted
  • 4 ripe bananas (1 lb.), mashed
  • ½ cup boiling hot water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, plus more for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. Place the dates in a food processor fitted with an S-shaped blade. Blend until the dates break up and form a soft paste.
  3. Place the date paste along with the mashed bananas and hot water into a medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, stir well to combine. Set aside.
  4. In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until well-combined.
  5. Add the date-banana mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk until combined (you can no longer see the dry ingredients). Then using a spatula, fold in the chopped walnuts until distributed throughout the dough.
  6. Spread the dough evenly into the loaf pan and sprinkle with more walnuts on top. Bake for 60-75 minutes until a wooden skewer (or cake tester) comes out clean in the center.
  7. Let the bread cool slightly in the loaf pan before eating. Best enjoyed warm.

Notes

  • Store cooled bread tightly wrapped with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  • Nutritional information represents one slice of bread for a total of twelve slices.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 4g

Sharing is caring!

Lynn

Friday 25th of February 2022

This is an excellent recipe. Huge thanks for sharing! I add the bananas, dates, water into processor at once to save time and ensure that the dates soften if I can’t get medjool dates. Everyone I have presented a slice to has loved it! It tastes like an indulgent cake BUT also like REAL FOOD! I intend adding some chopped 85% dark chocolate to a future bake. Once again, I am so grateful you shared this recipe! Thank you!

Marie | Yay! for Food

Sunday 6th of March 2022

Thank you for the wonderful review, Lynn! I'm happy that this bread was a hit!

Lynn

Monday 31st of January 2022

I was initially sceptical of this recipe but, because of its high nutritive value and lack of refined sugar and fat, I gave it a try. The result is absolutely delicious! Very impressed indeed! I used organic wholemeal spelt flour and hot soya milk instead of water and just put the dates, bananas and hot milk into the food processor at once ( my dates were not very sold so the milk helped to soften them and aided mixing).

I will certainly make this again and have shared the recipe.

Huge thanks!

Henna

Wednesday 27th of October 2021

Hi... if I wanted to use ready date paste in this recipe, how much would I need?

Taffney

Sunday 24th of January 2021

Quick question: Can almond flour ne used instead of all purpose flour?

Marie | Yay! for Food

Sunday 24th of January 2021

Hi Taffney, unfortunately I've never made a flour substitution in this recipe so I can't try you for certain how it would turn out.

Aracely

Tuesday 18th of August 2020

I just made this and it tastes as good as it looks. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe I wish I could attach a picture

Marie | Yay! for Food

Wednesday 19th of August 2020

Thank you so much, Aracely! If you have an instagram, I'll be happy to share your picture on my stories.

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