Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread

What do you do when the bananas are so over-ripe that they’re practically inedible? In my house, there are basically two choices: freeze them for smoothies or make banana bread. So I put it to a family vote, and the response was unanimous: Banana Bread!

I’ve been making the same banana bread for years. The recipe comes from my dog-eared, much loved copy of Laurel’s Kitchen, the very first vegetarian cookbook I ever bought.

I’ve adapted the recipe over the years, and the book’s margins show it. There are notes giving the nutritional values with oil and with butter (from before I was vegan) and with reduced amounts of oil and light margarine, for vegan banana bread. But there are no notes about completely eliminating the fat; I usually made the recipe for guests, and I tended to allow a little oil or margarine when cooking for others.

But I wanted to make it oil-free this time, so I looked for guidance in another old, but new to me, book that I picked up last week at an antique store: the 1994 edition of Fat-Free Baking by Sandra Woodruff, RD. It’s not a vegan cookbook, but its recipes really are fat-free and many look to be low in sugar, too. So I looked at what I like about the Laurel’s Kitchen recipe and I looked at Ms. Woodruff’s recipe, and I sort of combined the two.

And then I threw in my own twist: dried cherries. This was a last minute decision on my part. I was trying to decide whether or not to include dates when I remembered that I had a package of dried cherries I’d bought to make Pop-Ems. So I threw them in. Feel free to throw them out, but be warned–you’ll be missing a treat if you do. The cherries add a wonderful sweet-tart taste to this vegan banana bread that you might not want to miss.

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5 from 4 votes

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Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread

This is the moistest, richest vegan banana bread. No one will believe it’s oil-free.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 12

Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

• 3 over-ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup dark sugar (brown sugar, if you have it; I used demerara sugar)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (optional, though leaving them out will require a name change)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, mash the bananas  with the lemon juice and add apple sauce and sugar. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined.
• Spray or wipe a loaf pan with oil or use a silicon loaf pan. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Notes

Fat-free quickbreads like this really benefit from being allowed to cool completely, which is why they often taste better the next day. The crust, which is chewier than breads with oil, will gather moisture and softness over time. Ignore the tempting aroma; pleasure delayed will be pleasure multiplied.

Nutrition data below includes walnuts and cherries. Without walnuts: 154 calories, 5 calories from fat, <1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 210.9mg sodium, 209.1mg potassium, 36.6g carbohydrates, 3.7g fiber, 12.6g sugar, 3.3g protein, 2.4 points.

Without cherries: Deduct 23 calories per serving.

Nutrition Facts

Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 186 Calories from Fat 33

% Daily Value*

Fat 3.7g6%

Sodium 211mg9%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 3.7g15%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 4g8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Bread, Dessert

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword oil-free banana bread, vegan banana bread

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