This vegan Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread is decadent, satisfying, and brimming with chocolate chips! Refined sugar-free and whole grain, it's perfect for a snack or indulgent breakfast.

I love the sweetness of the bananas in this recipe and how they complement the sweet richness of cocoa powder. The organic black sesame butter adds a rich note to an already delicious recipe.

Stack of black tahini banana bread slices on black plate on wooden table close up

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Ingredients
What is tahini?
Why whole wheat pastry flour?
Instructions
How to tell when the chocolate tahini banana bread is done
Tips
Storage
More recipes
Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread

Banana bread, in one form or another, has always been a favorite in our household. After all, it is easy to make, and we seem to have bananas in various stages of ripening on our kitchen counter.

The idea of this particular banana bread came to me after I bought a jar of organic black sesame butter one day and started thinking about what else I could do with it.

When I looked in my kitchen, I found myself staring at all these ripe bananas that were asking to be made into something delicious!

For more recipes using ripe or overripe bananas, try my Easy Vegan Banana Oat Pancakes, Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and last but not least, these Vegan Buckwheat Banana Waffles.

Top down view of slices of chocolate tahini banana bread

Ingredients

Very ripe bananas, so that they are sweet enough for this recipe
Arrowroot powder - for additional tenderness and softness to the flour. If you do not have it, you can use organic cornstarch, or you can omit it.
Cashew or soy yogurt, or vegan sour cream, with fresh lemon juice mixed in
Black tahini - a brand with a runny consistency is better. I like Eden brand's black tahini.
Vegan chocolate chips - a lot of brands are accidentally vegan. Read the label to ensure it is free of dairy.

What is tahini?

In case you haven't baked or cooked with tahini before, it is ground sesame paste. If you cannot find black tahini, which is ground black sesame seeds, you can use regular tahini, which is yellow.

The black tahini gives this banana bread a slight nuttiness and depth of flavor. If you use regular tahini, this banana bread will not be as dark. Whichever tahini you use, the runnier it is, the better.

Why whole wheat pastry flour?

I usually keep whole wheat pastry flour in the pantry for use in baked goods and pancakes. It's perfect for this vegan chocolate tahini bread.

This 100% stone-ground whole wheat pastry flour has a lower protein content which is ideal for whole grain baked goods like this banana bread.

The wheat germ contributes to the nutrient density of this bread, so you can feel good about indulging! I say banana bread, but it's more like cake!

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven Grease two 5x9 baking dishes with coconut oil or organic all-vegetable shortening.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the very ripe bananas with a large fork or potato masher. Add the wet ingredients. Combine the ingredients with a spatula.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir and fold the mixture until combined, and stir in a cup of chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into the two baking dishes, and top with the rest of the chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 F for fifty to sixty minutes, checking at fifty minutes if the bread is done. See my tips below.
Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool for at least twenty minutes on a rack before serving.

How to tell when the chocolate tahini banana bread is done

Press the top of the bread gently, and it should spring back. Another way of checking is to put a wooden toothpick into the middle of each loaf.

If raw batter comes out with the toothpick, keep baking and check it every five minutes. I usually turn off the oven at this point. The heat inside the oven will continue baking the banana bread for the next five or ten additional minutes if needed.

Tips

Be sure to use the ripest bananas you can find, the spottier and darker, the better. At this point, the bananas will start to soften inside. These sweet bananas are perfect for this banana bread. It's worth the wait to set some bananas aside until they ripen fully. Once your bananas are ripe, keep them in the fridge while you're waiting for them to turn dark.

Whichever tahini you have on hand is fine, although I recommend runny tahini that is not bitter. Some brands of tahini are stiffer than others. If yours is stiff, mix it with some water to thin a little.

Have the plant-based yogurt, bananas, and applesauce at room temperature or close to it, otherwise it will take longer for the banana bread to bake.

Storage

You can store this bread at room temperature for four days as long as it is wrapped well. Make sure to cool the bread completely before putting it in an airtight container. After four days, freeze any leftover banana bread.

If you wish to freeze it, make sure you cool the bread completely. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and wrap it in aluminum foil or place it a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. If you're not using a Ziploc bag then wrap it again with aluminum foil. Store it in the freezer for up to four months.

Instead of freezing the second loaf, you can freeze individual slices for a ready-to-eat snack or breakfast. Be sure to double wrap or triple the slices since the interior is exposed. This will avoid freezer burn and keep the bread from drying out in the freezer.

More recipes

Looking for more chocolate desserts? Check out my Vegan Chocolate Fig Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting.

If you make this Vegan Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me! Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.

Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread (vegan)