Sourdough Discard Banana Bread (No Sugar!)

A few weeks ago, our friends brought us an entire box of perfectly good, clean bananas that they found in the dumpster of a local grocery store. We froze a gallon size bag full of them for smoothies, we let the kids eat unlimited bananas for a few days… and we still had a TON. Okay, maybe not a literal ton, but enough to make several loaves of this amazing, healthy sourdough discard banana bread.

No Sugar Sourdough Banana Bread

Let me tell you the first reason that this recipe is special. The first is, there is no sugar in this recipe (with the exception of the naturally sweetened bananas, of course). If you’ve seen some of my other posts, you know I am a fan of using natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. But I was determined to create a perfectly scrumptious recipe without any added sweeteners, and I think I hit the mark!

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Sourdough Einkorn Banana Bread

The second thing that makes this banana bread special is that it uses protein-packed einkorn flour. Now, in this recipe, you don’t HAVE to use einkorn–you can absolutely substitute all-purpose flour if you so desire. But I like using einkorn flour any time I know that grains in a recipe aren’t going through the fermentation process. This is one of those recipes.

Einkorn wheat is less processed and more easily digestible. Sourdough starter is fermented and good for the gut. It’s a win-win in this scenario.

My favorite brand of einkorn is Jovial. Here are my two favorite sources for affordable einkorn flour:

• Azure Standard: An amazing resource for healthy bulk ingredients–sign up here if you’re new!
• Thrive Market: This is a membership, but the prices and selection are incredible. You get 30% off your first order and they are almost always offering free gifts.

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

If you can believe it, there’s a third reason this banana bread is seriously the best. If you are a sourdough baker like me, you know that we’re always looking for ways to use up that discard. Sourdough discard should never actually be discarded, in my opinion. As I always say, it’s food, so don’t waste it. Making this banana bread is just one way to use it up. And if you need more ways, be sure to grab my free ebook of sourdough discard recipes like this one.

When I make this banana bread, I like to use my stand mixer. I don’t have a fancy Kitchenaid yet (trust me, I want one, though)–instead I have a less expensive one like this. In my opinion a cheaper stand mixer is definitely still worth it. One nice thing about it is that the paddle attachment makes mashing the bananas super simple!

Now that we’ve covered all the ways this banana bread is special, let’s get to the recipe!

How To Make Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

With all that being said, if you don’t have a stand mixer, please do not worry. You can easily get by without it. Start by melting or softening 1/3 cup of coconut oil. If your house is warm enough, you may be able to skip this step. If not, you can do it in a small saucepan on the stove. Just make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot before adding it into your batter.

Mash 4 medium bananas in a large bowl. You can do this with a fork or potato masher. Next, crack 3 eggs into the same bowl, along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, softened/melted coconut oil, and 1/2 cup of sourdough starter discard. Whisk well.

For this next part, I’m going to let you in on a little trick. It has to do with the fact that I HATE dirtying unnecessary dishes. Most baking recipes tell you to mix your wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. I definitely see the point. However, I’ve developed a method that lets me skip dirtying that extra bowl nearly every time.

Once you’ve blended the wet ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, go ahead and dump all your dry ingredients on top. For this recipe, the dry ingredients consist of 3 1/2 cups of einkorn (or 3 cups all-purpose if you’re substituting) flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. You can take a fork or spoon and lightly mix just the dry ingredients together as they sit on top of the liquid. Combine them well on their own, then mix it all in with the wet stuff.

Pour your batter into a large loaf pan that is well-greased or lined with parchment, then bake at 350º for one hour.

Tips and Substitutions For Healthy Sourdough Banana Bread

I’m all about using good substitutions in recipes. It really helps to learn how to do so. That way, if you get a hankering for banana bread but realize you’re out of an ingredient, you can still make the recipe.

Substitutions for einkorn flour: If you don’t have einkorn flour and want to use all-purpose for this recipe, I recommend reducing the flour to 3 cups instead of 3 1/2. That’s because einkorn typically doesn’t absorb as much liquid as all-purpose flour.

Substitutions for coconut oil: You can substitute the coconut oil with melted butter, avocado oil, or even olive oil.

Making a sweeter version: I love this recipe because I can make it knowing there is no added sugar. But if you decide you would like your sourdough discard banana bread to have more sweetness, add 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar or coconut sugar to the wet ingredients.

Can you freeze sourdough banana bread?

Yes! After you bake the loaf, you can wrap it tightly in plastic and freeze. The day before you want to serve it, place it in the refrigerator to thaw. Then pull it out the next day, unwrap it, then rewrap it in aluminum foil. Reheat at 350º for 20-30 minutes.

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Find more sourdough recipes:

Mini Sourdough Breakfast Pizza (Fully Fermented)
Easy Sourdough Brownies
Sourdough Gingerbread Pancakes