Dear Power Hungry,
I only have about 100 banana bread recipes. I need something new and exciting to add to the rotation. Any thoughts?
Sincerely,
B.A. Nana
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Dear Ms. Nana,
Thanks so much for writing; it sounds like you are in quite a jam! But I do, indeed, have an exciting new option for your 101st banana bread recipe: Chickpea Flour Banana Bread.
Banana bread made from beans? I know, it sounds alarming. But chickpea flour is pretty amazing. It looks very similar to all-purpose wheat flour (it’s just finely ground dried chickpeas, that’s it) and can be used to make fantastic quick breads like this , as well as cookies, savory breads, side dishes, and all sorts of deliciousness. It’s high in protein and dietary fiber, but you (and your family or guests) will only know that they are eating something delicious. It’s so fun to fool people into eating well, right?
Now back to the bread. It turns out that chickpea flour and bananas go together like peanut butter and jelly. The chickpea flour has a faintly nutty flavor when baked, which makes the most of the natural, tropical sweetness of the ripe bananas. Brown sugar in the batter adds an extra dose of goodness.
A quick recipe note: I prefer to use baking powder instead of baking soda for leavening in my banana breads. The latter produces a squidgy banana bread while the former renders the firmer, cakelike loaf I prefer.
Happy Baking!
Camilla @ Power Hungry
Chickpea Flour Banana Bread {Gluten-Free, Grain-Free}
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Cook Time: 47 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices) 1x
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180 grams) chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (I used a low-sodium variety)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1–1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted virgin coconut oil (or fat/oil of choice)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposing sides. Grease or spray the paper and exposed sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, coconut sugar, oil and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 43 to 47 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then hold onto the foil overhang to transfer it directly to the rack to cool completely. Peel off the paper and serve.
Notes
Tip: You can replace the melted virgin coconut oil with the neutral oil of your choice, or melted butter or ghee.
Sweetener: You can use an equal amount of honey, maple syrup or packed brown sugar in place of the coconut sugar.
Variations:
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Add 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips along with the banana mixture.
Tropical Banana Bread: Add 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped. Replace the cinnamon with 1 teaspoon ground ginger and replace the vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest.
Banana Muffins: Divide the batter among 18 greased muffin cups (in 2 standard muffin tins). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Storage Tip
Store the cooled bread, wrapped in foil or plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil, completely enclosing the loaf, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours before serving.
- Category: bread, quick bread
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 69 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.3 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
If you want a more squidgy loaf, would you just use the same amount of baking soda? Thanks!
Hi Taylor,
You can sub 1 teaspoon of baking soda for the baking powder 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I bought a bag of chickpea flour from the clearance section and thought “What the heck am I going to do with this?”. Well this was the perfect recipe to use it for! I chose to use less baking powder, as advised by other commenters. I used about 2 tsps and that was more than enough to let the bread rise properly. I also used stevia powder rather than coconut sugar and it was just sweet enough since my bananas were extremely ripe. To top it all off I added dark chocolate chips and sprinkled some walnuts on top. What a great recipe! I’ll be freezing half just so I can keep myself from eating the whole thing in one day.
Oh wonderful, Alyssa!!! I am a bargain hunter, too, so I am happy to hear you found a recipe for your new find! Your variations sound delicious. I am with you, banana bread is so easy to eat…and eat… Thank goodness for the freezer 🙂
I made this today and substituted some of the oil with vanilla yogurt.. it’s super moist and delicious! very happy about this! thank you for this great recipe!!!
You are welcome, Regina! Thanks for sharing your substitute option!
I forgot to add the vanilla since it wasn’t in the directions! But it still came out delicious and everyone loves it! 🙂 Amazing.
yippee whahoo! Thanks so much for sharing, Debra!
Wow thank you so much … Made the recipe as it is but added a cup of walnuts .,,, OMG it was heavenly and the feeling that you are eating something delicious and healthy is awesome