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!
Katie, you are awesome!! We found out in January that my 8 yr old niece is lactose intolerant and I have a sneaking suspicion that my tummy doesn’t like dairy (and possibly other foods). I often joke that my niece inherited my genes, not her mother’s, because of her LOVE for chocolate, baked goods, and ice cream. Unfortunately, those are all things that aren’t friendly to those of us who can’t have dairy. A friend of mine and her son have many food allergies and they linked to some of your tasty treats on Facebook. This banana bread was the first thing I saw that I knew I *had* to make… I actually made some of the other treats first, but I am so glad that you’ve committed to this blog. It is nice to find dairy-free chocolately treat recipes all in one place! Thank you!!!
Aw thank you for trying it, Monica! 🙂
so… i don’t have any baking powder. I do have the soda tho. any subs i could make?
Sorry, they’re not the same and I don’t think it’d work 🙁
I agree that, ““fat” has gotten a bad name.”, just like carbohydrates today. All “fat”, same with carbohydrates, are not created equal. I eat “as if”, I had heart disease or diabetes, which includes quality, non-processed/”real” foods, that maintain one’s blood sugar. I admire the cooks and bakers that can create wonderful foods without globs of sugar and butter — they are the true masters of their craft. I suppose, in some ways, low-fat, low-carb are just ways to get us to consume. But, if I don’t lose weight with a low-fat diet, there’s always Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutri-Systems. 🙂
PS: I made your Chocoholic Cake with a little less sugar, and it was awesome!!! I used the oil, but
sometimes I replace all or some of the oil with anything from mashed bananas, applesauce, ground flaxseed. Sometimes it’s because of health, sometimes because I’m cleaning the cupboards. 🙂 It is fun to experiment with the ratios of dry-to-wet and sweet-to-fat, plus flavor (i.e., fruit, seasonings).
I love banana breads and this recipe looks interesting. I will give this a go but with a wheat and gluten free twist. Yum
Just made this!! YUMMM!! and so guilt free! 🙂
Katie, for those of us on a no grain diet, what would you recommend substituting for the flour? Do you think Almond flour or coconut flour would work? Would it make the bread too dense/compact and not moist enough. What do you think?
I have been wondering if I could use coconut flour too!
I’ve been making this lately with oat flour in place of spelt and it works great. Also, I seem to be forgetting the lemon juice EVERY TIME for some reason, but it still works great. This is a fool proof banana bread and SO delicious :).
YESSSSS banana bread is my absolute favorite! & Starbucks banana chocolate chip bread is just too expensive (5$ a slice), when i could make a whole loaf at home. I am so curious as to what the white stuff on top is, coconut butter?
I dont remember, since the post is a year old… but it was probably either Earth balance or smart balance light.
So I made this last week as a half recipe, and some things needed to be changed around that couldn’t be halved nicely. Turned out delicious! I’m about to make it again (in my pajamas, too!) but I plan to use coffee instead of lemon juice. I’m hoping it turns out just as lovely as the first time around! Oh and I also used honey instead of agave, but that was a convenient substitution. I’m excited to make this again!
I’m looking for new gluten free breakfast recipes. BAM! Here it is. Thanks Katie
I’m going to try this today but as pumpkin bread instead of banana! Just sub canned pumpkin for the mashed banana and add some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves… I’ll post back how it turns out!
Hey Katie!
Today I made a protein banana bread that came out great. I figured you would be great at working on this recipe if you wanted to! If you want to create the recipe, it included flour, vanillas protein powder, baking powder&soda, vanilla, yogurt, applesauce, sweetener, and chocolate chips. It was too undercooked for me but I think the pan wasn’t the right size. Let me know if your interested in the recipe!
Do you think you could use pumpkin instead of the extra fruit?
Sounds like a good idea to me! If you try it, do report back :).
Is that the calorie count for one slice or the whole loaf?
Too gooey. Cooked longer than 35 mins and still goo. Like eating dough. Not a fan of dough. Prefer moist. Still baking it right now.
I would just like to say that I made this today, and .. OH MY GOODNESS. This was seriously the best banana bread that I’ve had in my life. I did make a few tweaks to it however:
– instead of the agave and stevia — 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
– I omitted the salt
– I used fat free, skimmed milk
– I made it gluten free. I used 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill GF All-Purpose flour; it turned out beautifully
Also, instead of butter, I topped mine with a little bit of organic almond butter.
This is seriously the best thing in the world! Thank you so much for creating such unique, guilt free recipes that I can have (because they are GF, sugar free or fat free!) Thank you soo much.