Fat free banana bread that does not taste fat-free.
It is so soft and buttery.
I’m trying really hard not to say “moist” because I know everyone hates that word!
This bread actually wasn’t supposed to be fat-free. In fact, I was quite upset upon discovering—midway through preparing the recipe—only about a teaspoon’s worth of coconut oil lingered in my sad little jar. (Note to self: gather all ingredients before starting to cook a recipe. Will I ever learn?)
Since I’d already begun, I wasn’t going to put the recipe on hold; my heart stomach was set on banana bread! Option one was to use olive oil. However, I worried the oil’s strong flavor might affect the taste of my not-yet-tested banana bread recipe.
Option two was to make a Single-Serving Banana Bread.
But I really wanted a whole loaf. And I also wanted a new recipe so I could post about it, which is always more exciting than when I post about a recipe I’ve already published. Many lovely bloggers and readers assured me on twitter that fat-free would be fine. So I made a few changes and hoped for the best… I never imagined the results would be so good!
For maximum enjoyment: Eat this for breakfast, while still in your pjs!
Fat Free Banana Bread
(Makes 10-12 slices)
- 2 c spelt, white, or arrowhead mills gf flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 c milk of choice OR oil
- 1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, agave, or honey (Or, here’s a Sugar-Free Version.)
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch uncut stevia OR 1 tbsp additional agave/maple syrup
- 1 and 2/3 c tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing)
- 1/3 cup berries of choice, or more banana (I actually used 1 full cup of sliced strawberries. The resulting bread was extremely gooey, but I loved it that way!)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients, and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry. (Mix by hand, and don’t overmix.) Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for 35-50 minutes, depending on how gooey you want it. (Tip: If the top is cooked but the inside is still gooey, put tin foil over the top and continue to cook.) After removing from the oven, let cool for ten minutes before slicing. After the first day, this bread is best stored in the fridge. Or cut into slices and freeze for later.
Nutrition Information at a Glance:
- 130 calories
- 0 grams of fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- Fiber depends on the flour you use
Add around 20 extra calories for the Polka-Dot Banana Bread.
Question of the Day:
Do you ever lower the fat in a recipe or substitute applesauce for the oil?
I know many people are conscious of fat, so I try to offer lower-fat options whenever possible in my recipes. Yet, my own diet is actually pretty high in fat. I think “fat” has gotten a bad name. It sounds so negative, and society likens it to the devil. But, especially if you’re young and healthy, cutting out healthy fats (such as oils and nuts) can wreak havoc on your organs, skin, and hair.
As for this particular banana bread? It really does taste wonderful on its own. However, my slice didn’t stay fat-free for long. I painted that baby in a nice, thick coat of peanut butter. It was delicious!
Bananas in Pajamas! (Remember that show?!?! The song stays in your head FOREVER)
I *always* lower the fat in recipes. I used to use applesauce but the kiddo I nanny for can’t eat apples…along with bananas (and rice!) for that matter..boo!) So, banana bread is out (although I made a far out chocolate (chip!) zucchini bread that she thoroughly enjoyed—as did I!) as is applesauce to replace oil. I sometimes use banana—but with banana bread that is out. ha ha. I saw an interesting tidbit about using chia seeds I believe (perhaps that was an egg substitute in baked goods but I am pretty sure it was oil. I will search through my crazily large cooking tips file and post when I find it).
Anyways, I typically go oil-free to lower the cals. However, I also grew up in the fat-phobic 80s and when I first started going to a nutritionist (at the age of 7..oh man!) I was told to count fat grams. I guess that mindset still hasn’t left me (although I usually advise others to eat fat…go figure!)—particularly since oil adds soooo many calories.
I was about to start adding more oils into my diet but now I am actually rethinking this. I did the Engine 2 program at Whole Foods and have been researching low-fat, raw, vegan principles and I have to say that I am not sold on oils separated from the food they come from (i.e. olive oil, coconut oil, etc.) being a good thing. Hmm…so much conflicting health info out there. Makes a girl’s head spin! I guess I always go back to: Whatever works for you…or whatever you’re comfortable with. Every *body* is different and some people might do well with oils and some might not (prime example: when I did add in extra fats (avocados, nuts, etc.) fairly recently my skin got CRAZY DRY! I am *still* battling tons of dry patches of skin (literally peeling off..ewww!) And I NEVER had problems with my skin (AT ALL!) on a super-low fat diet.
Can’t wait to make that banana bread! I have quite a few bananas sitting in my fridge/freezer (69 cents for organic bananas! RAD!)
@radioactivegan: I totally didn’t see your post—Bananas in Pajamas was the *first* thing I thought of when I saw this post!
I never actually saw the show, but those darn commercials always got the jingle stuck in my head!
I do use applesauce instead of oil occasionally. Especially in things like quick breads and muffins. This banana bread sounds great!
I’ve found that either applesauce OR non-fat yogurt works really well as a butter/oil/shortening replacement. And everything tastes great!!
Sometimes I’ll sub applesauce or yogurt in a recipe not necessarily to lower fat per se, but more to reduce the Calories so I can eat a bigger slice:)
I completely agree with you about fat – not scared at all! More cautious of sugar and chemicals!
Dont know if ouve mentioned it yet but…HOW WAS YOUR DATE??? 😉
you’ve*
I love banana bread and your version looks so tasty!
I’m a little late the banana bread party, but I wanted to add a comment about fat, oil, etc.
Whenever I think I can, and sometimes when I think I can’t, I sub out the oil. I’ve used all kinds of things as a sub – applesauce, of course, banana (when I don’t mind the flavor), prune puree (works great for dense goodies), and my new favorite – pumpkin! I’ve been putting pumpkin puree in just about everything, and the result has been the richest, moistest (ew! ha ha ha) muffins/cupcakes/quickbreads/biscuits ever!