This spelt flour banana bread is 100% naturally sweetened with maple syrup and made with wholesome ingredients! Slice it up for an energizing snack, a sweet breakfast with coffee, or a light dessert. Utterly delicious served with butter (always). This post was updated in January 2022 with a video and improved post content.
This one's for all the banana bread lovers of the world. And for everyone who has overripe bananas that need to be used (I currently fall into both categories!). So, my banana bread loving friends, today I bring you a spelt flour banana bread that's as wholesome and delicious as they get!
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Ingredients
Today we're featuring one special ingredient: spelt flour! While it isn't gluten free, spelt flour is known to be easier on digestion, plus it's a nutritious whole grain and makes up the entire flour component of this bread.
If you didn't already have plans for while your banana bread is in the oven (besides hovering and smelling all the smells, which is understandably time-consuming), you can read more about spelt flour health benefits!
Other than that, below are all the ingredients you need for spelt flour banana bread success.
- Spelt flour - I love the kind from Arrowhead Mills!
- Cinnamon - For the BEST flavor.
- Baking soda - The leavening agent for this bread; make sure your baking soda is not expired, or the bread won't rise as expected!
- Salt - To balance out sweetness and make flavor pop.
- Butter - I love using butter to form a creamy banana bread batter that bakes up with an ultra-tender crumb. For this recipe, butter should be brought to room temperature before mixing.
- Pure maple syrup - A natural sweetener that provides amazing flavor! The maple syrup should also be brought to room temperature so that it can be easily creamed together with the butter.
- Eggs - Eggs create incredible moisture and texture in this bread, plus they act as another leavening agent.
- Vanilla extract - For incredible flavor!
- Very ripe bananas - Ripe bananas make the best banana bread because they are naturally sweeter and moist.
- Add-ins - Not required, but fun, delicious, and decadent! I love adding chocolate chips and walnuts to my banana bread. Fresh or dried berries would also be delicious.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and maple syrup together at high speed until smooth, about two minutes. Beat in the eggs until incorporated. Then, add vanilla and mashed ripe bananas and mix on medium speed to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until just incorporated. If adding chocolate chips or other add-ins, gently fold them into the batter.
- Transfer the banana bread batter to the prepared loaf pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before slicing and serving.
Hint: Check your baking soda expiration date! I made this bread twice in the past year with expired baking soda, and the result was WEIRD to say the least. Baking powder and soda just hang out in our pantries years, which seems great, but they do expire. For successful baked goods, it's essential that baking soda and powder have the appropriate reaction with other ingredients to make the rise. Fresh baking soda could be the difference between weird, flat, spongy banana bread and a fluffy, moist, tall loaf.
Substitutions
The following are some tried-and-true substitutions that will help you make this recipe work for your diet or your pantry.
- Flour - I have made this many times over with other flours, including whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour. I love them equally as much as I love the spelt flour version!
- Maple syrup - Honey or agave syrup will also work in this recipe.
- Butter - Butter can be substituted 1:1 with extra virgin coconut oil. You'll need to melt the coconut oil and allow it to cool slightly before mixing with the maple syrup.
Variations
Try the variations below to jazz up your banana bread!
- Chocolate chip - So simple, but classic and delicious! Add ½ cup to the batter and sprinkle a few more on top before baking. I love white chocolate chips in quick breads as well.
- Berry - Add ½ cup fresh or dried strawberries or blueberries.
- Almond Joy - Add ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes and ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter, plus sprinkle more of each on top before baking.
Storage
Storage: After allowing it to cool completely, store this banana bread in an airtight container in a cool, dry place (such as on your kitchen counter) for up to a three days, then transfer it to the fridge for up to a week. I suggest moving it to the fridge because it is such a moist bread and can mold if it gets warm left in an airtight container. To warm it up slightly, pop your slice in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and enjoy!
Freezer: To freeze, place the banana bread in an airtight container (such as a glass storage container with a lid that snaps on/seals well). Store it in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, let the bread sit out on the kitchen counter for a couple hours.
Spelt Flour Banana Bread FAQs
Spelt flour is not gluten free.
Yes! Banana bread freezes beautifully. See freezing instructions above to freeze a loaf for later.
If you like this banana bread recipe, you'll love this healthy pumpkin chocolate chip bread!
Top Tip
My top tip for this banana bread is to make sure your butter, eggs, and maple syrup all have time to come to room temperature before mixing! That way, when you cream the butter and maple syrup, it will create a nice, uniform mixture. Otherwise, teeny tiny bits of butter will become suspended in the cold maple syrup. It will still taste delicious, but the texture of the bread will be slightly different, and it won't fluff up as much.
Print📖 Recipe
Spelt Flour Banana Bread
Spelt flour banana bread is healthy, wholesome, delicious, and 100% naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and maple syrup. Moist with a tender crumb, it's perfect for breakfast, an energizing afternoon snack, or a light dessert.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 slices 1x
- Category: Desserts; baked goods
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups spelt flour (such as the kind from Arrowhead Mills)*
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup maple syrup, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: ½ cup walnuts, ½ cup dark chocolate chips, or ½ cup dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x5 loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Combine wet ingredients. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and maple syrup, about two minutes. Add eggs and beat on high until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Then, add bananas and vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine spelt flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.
- Combine dry ingredients with wet. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low until just combined (careful not to over-mix). If desired, use a spatula to fold in nuts, chocolate chips, or fruit.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. To test the bread for doneness, insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean with a couple moist crumbs on it, it's ready! Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thick slice
- Calories: 205
- Sugar: 12.8 g
- Sodium: 216.7 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.1 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 51.2 mg
Veronika Sebesta says
Superb. I used monkfruit instead of maple syrup and as the bannanas I had were huge I also added some almond meal to the dry mix... about 1/3 - 1/2 cup. Delicious & nice and fluffy too.
Tera says
Yummy! Love your adaptations & so glad you liked it 🙂
Kathy says
My new favorite banana bread
Tera says
Yayyy! Thank you!! 🙂
Kimberly says
This banana bread is delicious! Moist, light crumb and not too sweet. The only change I made to the recipe is using plant butter instead of dairy butter. Great recipe!!
Tera says
Hi Kimberly! Hooray! I'm so excited that you liked it. Also, great to know that plant butter worked for you. I will definitely have to try that.
Andy says
These instructions were spelt out perfectly! 🙂
Tera says
Thanks, Andy!
Jan says
What is one stick of butter equivalent to in weight
Tera says
Hi Jan, one stick of butter is 110 grams. Thanks!
Pam says
I have tried this recipe twice. It’s amazing!! Easy to make, healthy and delicious. Spelt flour is the best.
Tera says
Thank you, Pam! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 And I completely agree -- spelt flour is wonderful!
Christina Anderson says
Hi!
Did you use unsalted or salted butter in the recipe?
Thanks! I'll be trying this, over the weekend.
Tera says
Hi Christina! I used unsalted. If you only have salted on hand, you could probably cut the salt in the recipe in half and call it good. I hope you enjoy the bread!