Most banana bread recipes call for caster sugar, which isn’t very helpful if you’re baking for diabetics. We’ve been experimenting and have managed to create a light, fluffy, and frankly, gorgeous-tasting sugar-free banana bread.
As we’re fans of substituting refined sugar with natural alternatives, we’ve used coconut sugar in the place of caster sugar, which the traditional recipes call for. As we’ve used Stork’s plant-based baking spread, this banana bread isn’t just sugar-free – it’s also dairy-free.
To make this banana bread vegan, all you need to do is swap the egg for a vegan alternative, such as aquafaba or Crack’d (an egg replacement).
Shopping list (with prices)
- Tropical Sun Coconut Sugar – £3.69
- Self-raising flour (1.5kg) – £0.70
- Stork Original Baking Block – £1.50
- Bananas – £0.16 each
- Eggs (15 pack) – £2.15
- Baking powder – £0.57
Total: £8.61
Serves: Depends on how big you slice it!
As we always say, check your cupboards before you go shopping. You can save yourself money by only buying the things you need. Don’t double up on ingredients you’ll only use a small amount of before putting them in the cupboard to be forgotten.
When we made this recipe, we had all of the ingredients already. It cost us zero pounds and zero pence, but don’t worry if that isn’t the case this time; the more ingredients you collect as you bake, the less you’ll have to buy.
For ingredients you know you’ll use a lot of, buy the one with the lowest unit price. If you use a lot of eggs, choose the 15 pack at Tesco over the carton of six. You can always use the extra eggs for breakfast or to make more cakes… we suggest our coconut sugar chocolate brownies or our sugar free marble cake. A lot of the ingredients overlap so when you come to bake those, the upfront cost will be much lower.
A good time to make sugar free banana bread is when you’ve got a couple of overripe bananas sitting around that are too far gone to eat on their own. Waste not, want not.
Ingredients
- 140g coconut sugar
- 140g self-raising flour
- 2 medium bananas (mashed)
- 140g butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
Method
You’ll need:
- Scales
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk/stand mixer
- Teaspoon
- Big spoon
- Loaf tin (or a round cake tin)
- Parchment paper
- Knife/skewer
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Step 2
Whisk together the bananas, eggs, and coconut sugar until combined and lump free.
Step 3
Cube the butter and add to the mixture. Whisk until completely incorporated.
Step 4
Sift in half the flour and slowly stir in. Then add the rest and do the same. Make sure your mix is smooth and free from lumps – it shouldn’t take too long. Be careful not to over mix, otherwise you’ll activate too much gluten and end up with a dense bake.
Step 5
Line the loaf tin with the parchment paper.
Step 6
Spoon the banana bread mix into the loaf tin and spread evenly.
Step 7
Place the tin into the oven for 40 minutes.
Remember: The coconut sugar will make the banana bread look darker than if you were making it with caster sugar.
Step 8
Skewer with a stick or a knife, if it comes out clean, remove from the oven. If not, leave it in for another five minutes.
Step 9
Leave the banana bread to cool then remove from the tin.
Step 10
Place your banana bread on a nice plate and cut yourself a thick slice. Have on its own or with some cream or ice cream.
Enjoy!
