How is it almost the end of April?! The weather’s been strange, but I’m just rolling with it. 30 degrees one day, 70 degrees the next. Chicago, you weird but I appreciate if spring would finally just arrive.
Today I’m bringing back an older recipe that’s simple, delicious, nutritious and easy to make. I want you to be as excited as I am because this tahini banana bread is about to blow ya mind like Eve and Gwen Stefani did in 2001. (If you have no idea what I’m referring to, please watch this insane video.)
This tahini bread pretty much kicked off my tahini obsession when it was originally published a few years ago. Since then I’ve made tahini chocolate muffins, tahini chocolate chip cake, tahini curry cauliflower sweet potato salad, curry vegan broccoli chickpea salad, and these damn good paleo tahini chocolate chunk cookies. It’s REAL GOOD.
So, what is tahini?
Tahini is simply ground sesame seeds and it’s very similar to how peanut butter or almond butter is made. Good tahini is creamy, mild, nutty, toasty and spoonable. It should not be overly bitter, thick or pasty. My favorite brand of tahini is by Soom (plus it’s female owned!).
Banana breads are one of my favorite things to make because I always seem to have extra ripe bananas and love enjoying a slice or two during the day while I work.
This time I did a little something different by adding tahini instead of oil, flaxseed meal, black sesame seeds (feel free to use regular), cinnamon and honey. The flaxseed meal adds an extra boost of fiber & protein to the bread, so you can feel good about enjoying this for breakfast or as a snack!
Tips for making tahini banana bread
Make sure your bananas are nice and ripe. They should be ripe with plenty of brown or black spots, which means the bananas will be sweeter for baking.
Feel free to use pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or brown sugar instead of honey.
Try it toasted, then spread with butter or tahini and a drizzle of extra honey + sea salt. So good!
To make this banana bread vegan: instead of 1 egg, use 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water). You can also use maple syrup or date syrup instead of honey.
To make gluten free: I would suggest using chickpea flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. I think it would work very well. You can also use Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour.
How to store banana bread
If it’s not too humid in your home, then I suggest storing this tahini banana bread on the counter or at room temperature. Make sure it’s nicely wrapped with foil. The bread should get sweeter as the days go on! If it’s humid in your house, store the bread in the fridge.
How to freeze banana bread: you can choose to freeze the loaf as is or you can slice it and freeze the individual slices. Just make sure that it’s tightly wrapped in plastic and then foil. To reheat, simply place a slice in the microwave or set it out until completely thawed.
By the way, did I tell you that Tony and I are heading to Barcelona and Turkey for 3 weeks in May?! We cannot wait! If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments!
More banana recipes you might like:
Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Banana Bread
Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Chunky Monkey Zucchini Banana Muffins
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below or upload a photo to Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen so I can see your creations! I greatly appreciate your readership. xo!
Healthy Honey Flax Tahini Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed banana)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any kind of milk)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- For topping:
- banana slices
- black sesame seeds
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper & spray with nonstick cooking spray. (This is important for easy removal of the bread!)
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In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients: mashed banana, honey, tahini, egg, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth.
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In a separate large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, flaxseed meal, sesame seeds, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth top with a spatula. Place banana slices on top of the batter and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top for a beautiful effect.
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Bake for 55-65 minutes or until tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and allow pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove bread and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Bread is very good toasted and spread with extra tahini or any nut butter of choice.
Recipe Notes
To make vegan: Instead of 1 egg, use 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water).
To make gluten free: I would suggest using chickpea flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. I think it would work very well and be deliciously sweeter.
Nutrition info does not include the banana slices on top.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz | Photography by: Sarah Fennel
73 comments
Oh my gosh this is a dreamboat. I can’t wait to bake it up this weekend xo
This looks SO delicious – can’t wait to make it!! Where did you buy what you cooked the banana bread in? That’s so cool – I need it!
This looks AWESOME. And seriously, how did December get here already?! So pumped for cookie week too! 🙂
Tahini, sesame seeds, flax seed… can banana bread get any healthier than this? Lovely recipe
Love the extra sesame on top. Powered up banana bread at it’s finest!
COOKIE WEEK!!!!!!!! I. Can’t. Wait. Are there going to be any gluten-free recipes? Oh, the bannana bread just looks amazing!!!!!!!! I really need to make it soon. Do you think it would with with AP gluten free flour?
COOKIE WEEK!!!!!!!! I. Can’t. Wait. Are there going to be any gluten-free recipes? Oh, the bannana bread just looks amazing!!!!!!!! I really need to make it soon. Do you think it would with with AP gluten free flour?
Yes there will be plenty of gluten free recipes! 🙂
love that there’s tahini and sesame seeds for double the sesame! i’m always game to try new banana bread recipes and this one is no exception ?
tahini & bananas! never would have thought of it myself, but sounds seriously amazing. also, i can totally relate to your holiday shopping strategy. ups & fedex have been at my door every single day & i totally put off going to the store to grab those misc. gifts. banana bread is the perfect solution! 🙂
I made this last night and thought that 1/4 cup honey was very little, but it tasted so delicious.
I had a slice for breakfast and I’m having another for lunch.
The combo of tahini, flax and honey in already amazing banana bread sounds incredible! This banana bread is definelty a forgive all type of food!
I always wished banana bread was as healthy as it sounds, and now it is! Will definitely be needing this in my life ASAP!
Hi, is there a substitute for flaxseed meal?
This looks amazing! I just made your skinny chocolate chip banana muffins yesterday for the first time and am in love. Will definitely be trying this one very soon! Did you use raw or roasted black sesame seeds?
Thank you for another amazing recipe! I just made this for my kids this morning so they would have a nutritious snack while studying for their finals and this was on par! I love how it has a little crunch from the seeds and it is not too sweet or loaded with oil.
Can’t wait to make this AND the gingerbread muffins for christmas! Did you put all three bananas in the mix or did you reserve some from the top? Not sure if I should use an additional 4th banana for the topping.
Hi there!
Loved this recipe! My boyfriend devoured it on Christmas. I want to make these into mini loafs. How long and at what temperature do you suggest I do that at for same effect?
The same temp works but they’ll probably be done much quicker – I’d check at 20-25 minutes.
This looks delicious! It is sure to be a dinner time favorite!
My new favorite recipe! LOVE LOVE this! I used mini loaves instead of a large loaf pan and just cooked it for less time. Thanks so much for this tasty recipe!
Can I sub maple syrup for honey? If so how much? Thanks!
Can you omit the flaxseed and/or sesame seeds?
You can omit the sesame seeds, but omitting the flaxseed meal will change the texture here. You could try subbing for almond flour!
I have a ton of Coconut flour at home, and am definitely not opposed to using the regular flour, but if I used coconut flour, do you think the texture would be super weird, and if I did, what would you think a proper conversion would be?
I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour in this particular banana bread – try this one!
Just finished a slice of this bread. It is really good–lightly sweet, dense but not stodgy, and fragrant with bananas and sesame). I suspect it will be even better tomorrow. Finally a use for those black sesame seeds (which add a lovely crunch)! I did not have whole wheat pastry flour so I subbed an equal weight (145 gms) of AP flour. It worked like a champ. Was a bit nervous since I’m at high altitude but not a worry! Thank you for the recipe!
Could i sub with oat flour instead of almond flour?
I actually use whole wheat pastry flour in this one! If you’re looking for a gluten-free options I’d suggest chickpea flour.
Perfect timing with this recipe refresh. I was just trying to figure out what to do with the ripe bananas on my counter. I found the solution!
Love it!! Enjoy 🙂
I love bread and bananas, and this recipe is a great combination. Thanks for the recipe!
You came to the right place! Enjoy 🙂
Made this recipe into muffins and it is delicious. I tried subbing the egg for a flax egg and the texture was a tiny bit dense, but it was still super yummy! Thank you!
Great! Noted on the flax eggs, too – thank you for the tip!
One of my all-time favs!
3rd time making in 2 weeks! Best banana bread EVER. I use maple syrup in place of honey & sometimes add a dash of all spice or cardamom to spice it up. Absolutely delicious I can’t stop buying bananas just to make this! XO
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Lyndsey.
How much all spice and or cardamon did you use ? Sound divine
I added chocolate chips instead of black sesame. Delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Perfect! So happy you liked it.
This is one seriously underrated banana bread! I only had white sesame seeds instead of black and maple syrup instead of honey but I’m sure it tastes the same either way. I’ve only had one slice but I already plan on baking this again.
Absolutely! So happy you loved this one, Molly!
This banana bread recipe is THE. BEST. EVER. So simple to make, and tastes so so so good, I sometimes throw in chocolate chips in the batter for an extra indulgent bite, and I just love the black sesame so much that I pour extra into the batter and on top as well.
I love this thing so much when I do make it, I always double up on the ingredients and make two.
Thanks for this amazing recipe (and so many others you shared with us!).
Amazing! So glad you loved this one and others!
Made this with a flax egg and maple syrup–also added a pinch of cardamom. Texture is great but the flavor is a bit underwhelming. I might add chocolate chips or sub some almond butter in next time.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t find it super flavorful! It isn’t supposed to be overly sweet, but chocolate chips would be delicious as well as a spread of almond butter on top.
Hi! I love this recipe, but only have almond, cassava or coconut flower – can any of those work instead of chickpea flour as a gluten free substitute?
Hi! Do you have oats? You could try using oat flour instead!
This bread!! Wowowowowow! It is moist, flavorful, and the perfect amount of sweetness! I was nervous about the sesame seeds but they add great texture to the bread and flavor!
So glad you loved it!!
Made this today for the second time, but this time formed it into 18 medium muffins. So delicious! Especially warm out of the oven with a little tahini and honey. Thank you for this beautiful recipe!
Love that! 🙂
Really enjoyed this recipe! I made them into muffins without any trouble, just a shorter baking time. These are a great base for add-ins, I put some walnuts, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips in mine. Would recommend for those people who prefer a little texture.
Perfect! Such a great snack 🙂
This was so hearty, delicious, and wholesome! I loved the added flax for some more fibre and nutrients. I didn’t have enough bananas on hand to put the banana slices on top, and unfortunately I didn’t have sesame seeds at the time either. Nonetheless, it was amazing, and had just the perfect little savoury flavour from the tahini. Would definitely recommend this and will be making again!
Still delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
One of our fav banana breads!
So happy to hear that!
This came out soooooo delicious. Perfect rise, and banana flavor. I hate when banana bread recipes only call for like 1 banana so this one was perfect. I had to do gluten free (used 1:1 Bobs) and used white sesame seeds bc that’s what I had. I added chocolate chips and made a tahini, maple syrup and sesame seed slurry for the top. Highly suggest that as it makes the top crunchy and delicious.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Perfect breakfast or snack 🙂
Delicious! I made this recipe as written, using 2% milk, but without the black sesame seeds and banana decoration on top. It was super moist and had a nice level of tahini flavour.
This was a great way to use up some tahini that I had whipped up in my Vitamix.
Next time, i might try using peanut butter instead of tahini.
This recipe is a keeper!
So glad to hear you loved it, Grace! And so cool that you make your own tahini 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. , I used soom tahini. I think it is the best quality. Made exactly as written but for the topping I drizzled chocolate date tahini(from seed and mill) down the center and sprinkled chocolate chips around the top. Big hit!
Soom is MY FAVORITE!! I’m so happy you loved this one, Sheila!
Do you think I can use chia seeds instead of black sesame seeds? Also what about white whole wheat flour or just regular whole wheat flour …I don’t have whole wheat pastry flour
I think chia seeds + white whole wheat flour should work fine in here!
Just made this and was a little skeptical as I have never baked with tahini but this was very good! The flax gave it a nice texture and it was not overly sweet but sweet enough. I did not have black sesame so I threw in a few white sesame but probably could have just omitted it all together. The topped banana slices are definitely a good add! I will make again!
Oh YAY I’m so glad to hear it came out great!! Thanks for the review 🙂
Came out great! Subbed in GF all purpose flour and maple syrup. Omitted black sesame seeds since I didn’t have them. Came out perfect at 60 min. Husband and 5 year old gobbled it up!
So glad this recipe turned out great and was a big hit 🙂
I have old newspapers that taste better than this. Dogs ate it, parrots seemed to. It was flat, tasteless, etc.
I am sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you, did you change anything about the recipe? I haven’t had this problem and am not sure what could have gone wrong.