Almond Croissant Banana Bread

Sliced banana bread loaf topped with flaked almonds

This banana bread has a lovely ‘almond croissant’ feel to it, as it is all soft and nutty with a delicious toasty top. Try eating it warm to nourish your soul on chilly days.

This is the kind of banana bread that I like to make when there are a few overripe bananas in the kitchen that need eating up as I know that everyone will wolf it all down if baked in a yummy cake.

The almonds give the loaf some extra protein and fibre and it is not overly sweet, so it works equally well sliced thick for breakfast as it does later on in the day for pudding. The coconut sugar brings a light caramel flavour and a steadier release of energy than regular sugar. The bananas do most of the work when it comes to sweetness, especially if they’re properly ripe.  

It’s an easy recipe to adapt if you need it to be dairy-free or gluten-free. Please see the notes below for simple allergen swaps.

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Almond Croissant Banana Bread

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Baking, Breakfasts, Puddings
Servings 10
Suitable for Special Diet (or adaptable) Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Low-sugar, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional) or 160°C (fan). Line a 2lb loaf baking tin.
  • Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
  • In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Crack in the eggs, add the almond extract and mix well. Pour in the cooled butter and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, spelt flour, baking powder and ground almonds.
  • Tip the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and gently fold together until just combined.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, then test with a skewer. If it doesn’t come out clean, loosely cover the loaf with foil and return to the oven, checking every 5 minutes until cooked through.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Very ripe bananas are key here, as the darker the skins are, the sweeter and more flavourful the loaf is.
If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, a loose foil tent will protect it while the centre finishes cooking.
Dairy-free: Use coconut oil or olive oil in place of butter.
Gluten-free: Swap the spelt flour for a gluten-free plain flour blend and check your baking powder is gluten-free.
This loaf freezes well once sliced for up to 3 months.
 

Per serving. Nutrition content in food is never consistent, so take these estimates with a pinch of salt! Also, our recipes tend to use low-GI carbs and sugars, so these values are not directly comparable with shop-bought UPFs.

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