A one-bowl banana bread is a classic breakfast staple. This one has a couple of delicious spins that I think you'll love. To start, instead of butter we are using a mild-blend olive oil from our friends at California Olive Ranch. It's buttery and mild in taste so you can't even tell we're not using butter here!
The second change up is the use of date syrup. If you want to make it at home my recipe is a great one to use, but you can definitely use store-bought date syrup here. Date syrup is a great natural sweetener so we can use this as a substitute for maple syrup or brown sugar.
Benefits of Date Syrup
Date syrup has deep roots and history in Middle Eastern cuisine where dates are widely used in both sweet and savory dishes. Here in California, there are parts of the state where dates also grow and thrive. We're lucky enough to get a few bags of these in our CSA box throughout the year. Every time we do, I make this syrup.
A small benefit to using date syrup here versus granulated sugar is that in date syrup there are trace vitamins and minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate (source). Even though this is still considered an added sugar, it's a great sweetener alternative for those seeking one. The caramel notes in this syrup also make this one-bowl banana bread a delicious one.
Ingredients for this One-Bowl Banana Bread
I love a good one-bowl banana bread where I can add everything into the same bowl and pour it out into my prepared loaf pan (here's the loaf pan I use all the time). We use less tools which means there is less to cleanup. A win! There are four key ingredients we need to make this delicious breakfast bread:
- Very ripe, almost overripe bananas: this is a great recipe to have on hand for the days when you spot bananas that are getting too close to their expiration date.
- Olive oil: this is the fat we're using here. You can use melted butter if you like, but this olive oil is a great option.
- Yogurt: use greek or plain. The yogurt helps to keep the batter fluffy and moist given its acidity. This helps to relax the gluten creating a more tender bread. Here we're using a vanilla flavored yogurt from Maple Hill Creamery that we absolutely love.
- Date syrup: As mentioned above, this is a great sweetener alternative. If you don't have date syrup on hand, you can substitute with maple syrup or honey.
Let me know if you make this recipe by tagging me on Instagram. I can’t wait to see what you make!
In the meantime, cheers to the next nourishing meal. ❤️
And for other beautiful breakfast breads and pastries, check out:
One-Bowl Banana Date Bread
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan measures about 8.5 x 4.5", 1 pound capacity
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup date syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup vanilla flavored yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a nonstick cooking spray or rubbed in butter and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the olive oil, maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir gently to combine until just mixed.
- Next, add in the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until the batter forms. Avoid over mixing as it will create a more dense loaf.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes, with a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
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