Vegan Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread

Are you in the mood for something delicious, nutritious, and just a little bit indulgent? Look no further than this vegan Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread!

Richly studded with dark chocolate chips, made sweet with ripe banana, and nutty and fragrant tahini mixed together into a moist loaf; we're sure that it'll be your go-to breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up.

This vegan chocolate tahini banana bread recipe is decadent, satisfying, and brimming with chocolate chips! Refined sugar-free and whole grain, this vegan version is perfect for a snack or indulgent breakfast. In fact, it's like eating chocolate cake that has bananas in it!

I say banana bread, but it's more like cake! It's delicious and fudgy, and the organic black sesame butter adds a rich and unique note to an already delicious recipe.

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

Making this delicious banana bread with melty chocolate chips is a great way to use up spotty bananas! Ripe large bananas have a natural sweetness which is perfect for making a lot of banana bread.

This vegan chocolate tahini banana bread is delicious as is, or serve it with this easy cherry compote.

Whether served warm from the oven spread generously with sweetened whipped coconut cream or simply enjoyed on its own as an anytime snack, what more could you want?

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 these Vegan Buckwheat Banana Waffles.

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

Ingredients

• Very ripe bananas - brown and spotty, so they are sweet enough for this recipe. They are the key ingredient! I leave bananas on the counter until they ripen enough to make banana bread.
• Spelt flour- this flour is perfect for banana bread.
• Organic cacao powder - I used the Navitas Organics brand (not pictured).
• 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.
• Black tahini - a good quality tahini with a more liquid consistency is better. I like Eden brand's black sesame butter. 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 water to thin it.
• Vegan chocolate chips - a lot of brands are accidentally vegan. Read the label to ensure it is free of dairy. I really like this one, either found at Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, or you can find it online.
• Organic cane sugar - this is vegan.
• Spices - cinnamon and nutmeg for additional flavor.
• Organic soy milk - I like to use Edensoy or Westsoy. Use unflavored, unsweetened plant milk.
• Apple cider vinegar - this is added to the soy milk to create a "buttermilk" (not pictured).
• Applesauce - this works well as an egg replacement in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract for extra flavor.

What is tahini?

It is ground sesame paste, if you haven't baked or cooked with tahini before. The texture is like a smooth paste. If you cannot find black tahini, ground black sesame seeds, you can use regular tahini.

Tahini is made from untoasted and sometimes lightly toasted white sesame seeds and has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor.

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

How to make vegan chocolate tahini banana bread

Start by preheating the oven to 375°F. Grease two 5x9 baking dishes with coconut oil or avocado oil.

Tip: Line the baking dishes with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the banana bread.

Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk and let rest for ten minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

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.

The edges of the cake will start browning and pulling away from the edges of the pan.

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.

Substitutions

• Spelt flour - use whole wheat pastry flour or organic all-purpose flour.
• Arrowroot powder - use organic cornstarch instead.
• Apple cider vinegar - use fresh lemon juice instead.
• Black tahini - use regular tahini instead. If it is too thick, thin it with a small amount of water so it pours easily.
• Soy milk - use cashew milk or oat milk instead. The texture of the banana bread may change slightly. Soy milk reacts with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice the best to create a vegan version of buttermilk. If you use almond milk, it will not curdle as much. You can also mix plant-based yogurt with a small amount of plant-based milk, giving this banana bread a brownie-like texture.
• Organic cane sugar - may be substituted with coconut sugar or brown sugar, or a mix. I don't recommend a liquid sweetener because that will change this recipe's liquid/solid ratio. The amount of organic cane sugar balances the flavor of the tahini.

Variations

• Vegan chocolate chips - use walnuts or pecans instead.
• Organic cane sugar - use organic brown sugar instead or a combination.
• Applesauce - use canned pumpkin instead.

Expert 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, please keep them in the fridge while you're waiting for them to turn dark.

Storage

You can store this cake, wrapped well, at room temperature for three days. It can be refrigerated for up to five days, or frozen (airtight) for one month.

What do I do? I usually refrigerate this moist leftover cake, it does not dry out in the fridge. The two loaves are gone in our household within four or five days!

How to freeze: Cool the vegan chocolate tahini bread completely. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and in aluminum foil before placing it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. If you're not using a Ziploc bag, 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 Vegan Chocolate Recipes

Looking for more recipes like this? Try these recipes:

Pairing

Pair this recipe with one of these beverages:

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! If you make this recipe, please take a moment to ★★★★★ star-rate it and leave a comment below. Also, follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and share your creation with me! Tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.

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