Sourdough Banana Bread
This sourdough banana bread comes together quickly and tastes so good! A great way to use up those bananas that are overripe and your extra sourdough discard that you don’t want to throw away!
Banana bread is something that is wonderful to have on hand to add to a breakfast spread, brunch, or as a quick snacks for littles. It is a classic quick bread and is super soft, fluffy, and moist.
Bananas are naturally very sweet, especially so if left to ripen well till covered in brown spots. The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg add the perfect amount of warmth and spice. This bread is perfectly sweet with the option to substitute the sugar for coconut sugar, rapadura, or sucanat if you prefer.
This recipe is also a great way to use up your extra sourdough discard! It adds a wonderful flavor that isn’t sour at all. Anything is better with the addition of sourdough in my opinion! I love to know that I am feeding my family well in a way that tastes good too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy – this is a quick and easy same-day sourdough recipe! Ready to serve in less than a couple hours!
Low sugar – because the bananas add considerably to the sweet in this bread you need less of another sweetener.
Variety of mix-in options – You can make this recipe as is written or add mix-ins such as chocolate chips (one of our favorites!), nuts, or dried fruit so you can make it on repeat and it never gets boring.
Ingredients
Flour – organic all purpose flour.
Sourdough starter – active starter or discard
Bananas – well ripened and soft. Brown spots on the peel is even better!
Brown sugar – light or dark
Coconut oil – you may substitute butter
Eggs – farm fresh is best!
Baking soda – contributes to the rise
Salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg – adds flavor and spice
Pure vanilla extract
Step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) can be found below, followed by a recipe card with exact measurements.
Tools you May Need
Loaf pan
Electric beaters or stand mixer
How to Make Sourdough Banana Bread
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with coconut oil or cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Measure out the coconut oil (1/2 cup) and brown sugar (3/4 cup) into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until it is completely combined and smooth.
Step 3: Mash the bananas (3) on a plate with a fork and add to the sugar mixture. Add the eggs (2), sourdough starter (1/2 cup), and vanilla extract (1/2 tsp). Mix until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Step 4: In a medium bowl, measure out the all-purpose flour (2 cups), baking soda (1 tsp), salt (1/2 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), and nutmeg (1/4 tsp). Stir with a spoon or whisk to combine.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients.
Step 6: Stir all the ingredients together with a large spoon or spatula just until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or your bread will be spongy and dense.
Step 7: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the sourdough banana bread to cool completely before slicing. Once cooled slice and serve!
Delicious Variations
Change this bread up a bit by adding in one of the following ingredients. Add up to 1 cup of any of these. You may mix and match for different flavor combinations but only add up to 1 cup total of additional ingredients.
- chocolate chips
- chocolate chunks
- dried fruit
- chopped nuts
- fresh fruit
How to Serve
Sourdough banana bread is wonderful served as an afternoon snack with milk or tea. It makes a perfect addition to a breakfast or brunch spread, and also makes for a thoughtful gift.
How to Store Sourdough Banana Bread
Sourdough banana bread stores best at room temperature in an air tight container or a sealed ziplock bag for up to 7 days.
For a longer shelf life store in a airtight ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! For this recipe you can use either active starter or sourdough discard.
Sourdough banana bread freezes beautifully! Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Let it sit out at room temperature to thaw completley before serving.
Yes, this recipe doubles well.
More Delicious Recipes from Our Kitchen
If you’ve made this sourdough banana bread I would love if you left a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below 🙂 Thank you for visiting!
Sourdough Banana Bread
This sourdough banana bread comes together quickly and tastes so good! A great way to use up those banana that are overripe and your extra discard that you don't want to throw away!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup softened coconut oil or butter
- 3 large bananas (approx. 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
1. In a large bowl combine sugar (3/4 cup) and coconut oil (1/2 cup) with a mixer or handheld beaters until smooth and creamy.
2. Mash the bananas (3 large ones) with a fork then add to the sugar mixture. Add sourdough starter (1/2 cup) and eggs (2). Mix until fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour (2 cups), baking soda (1 tsp), salt (1/2 tsp), nutmeg (1/2 tsp), and cinnamon (1 tsp).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently just until combined. Don't stir too much or else your bread will be tough.
5. Grease or line a 9x5 inch bread pan with parchment paper, pressing it around the edges and into the corners. Pour the batter into the pan and spread out evenly.
6. Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes until nicely browned and if you press into the middle gently it springs back at you. Let bread cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- In this recipe you can use fed and active starter or sourdough discard that has deflated and maybe even looks a little sad. Either one will work great!
- You can make this quickly or you can let it long ferment for as long as you would like, to get the most nutrients out of your grains.
- If you don't have brown sugar, make your own! Add 1 tsp. of molasses to the sugar and combine with a fork until well blended.
- Want some variety? Add chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit to add texture and sweet or nutty flavor! Add up to 1 cup of add-ins.
- Make into muffins instead of bread! Perfect for no-think grab and go snacks.
- Mash bananas until smooth or leave some chunks for a more textured bread with delicious sweet banana pieces.
- Make sure not to over-mix! It will result in a tough bread.
We love banana bread, but I’ve never made it with discard. I’m excited to try this recipe and have another way to use up discard! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Ooo I love how this is a much healthier version of banana bread! I’d love to try it with the molasses as I’ve never done that before. Thank you for this recipe!
This looks good! I use my sourdough every day. It’s nice to find new recipes that I can add to my agenda!
Peace, Kirsten