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Growing Dawn ยป Recipes ยป Sourdough Discard Banana Bread (No Sugar!)

Recipes · June 7, 2022

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread (No Sugar!)

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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!

inside of sourdough banana bread loaf with butter and ripe bananas in background

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

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.
jovial organic einkorn all purpose flour next to three ripe bananas

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!

ripe unpeeled bananas next to peeled bananas in bowl of stand mixer

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 350ยบ for one hour.

sliced sourdough discard banana bread with ripe bananas in background

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 350ยบ for 20-30 minutes.

Pin it for later

sourdough discard banana bread pinterest image

Find more quick sourdough recipes:

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

sliced sourdough banana bread with ripe bananas in background
Print Recipe
4 from 2 votes

No Sugar Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

This banana bread is both tasty and healthy, uses up sourdough discard, and can be made with nutrient-rich einkorn flour.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 10 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Sourdough, Southern
Keyword: easy bread, quick, sourdough
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 289kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas medium
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter can be active or discard
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
  • 3 1/2 cups einkorn flour or 3 cups all purpose
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 and melt coconut oil, if necessary.
  • Mash bananas in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a fork or potato masher.
  • Add eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, and sourdough starter. Mix well.
  • Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in separate bowl or lightly mix on top of the batter before stirring everything together using a wooden spoon. Don't overmix the wet and dry ingredients together.
  • Pour batter into a large, well-greased or parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.
  • Allow to cool before slicing. It's delicious served with honey butter, or on its own. Enjoy!

Please share!

58 shares
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie says

    June 9, 2022 at 4:50 pm

    We are huge fans of banana bread in this family and I need all the sourdough discard recipes I can get since I’m starting my first sourdough starter soon! Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Tessa says

    June 9, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    I’ll have to try this! First recipe that makes me deviate from my tried and true go-to banana bread recipe in years!!

    Reply
  3. Meggie FArmer says

    June 9, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    Yum!! Iโ€™ve been looking for new ways to use up my discard! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Kathy Pollard says

    June 9, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    We love banana bread, and I’m especially happy to see that your recipe has no added sugar! I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  5. Tiffany says

    June 14, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for stopping in, friends! Rate and let me know how you like the recipe if you try it!

    Reply
  6. Amanda Dunnebecke says

    January 17, 2023 at 6:04 pm

    3 stars
    Too salty for us UNFORTUNATELY! I plan to use less salt and add a bit of natural sweetner, like pure maple syrup, next time!

    Reply
    • Tiffany says

      January 25, 2023 at 3:24 pm

      I’m sorry to hear that! I’m going to test this recipe again ASAP just to make sure I didn’t make an error on the amount of salt. It definitely is not your typical sweetened banana bread, that’s what makes it different!

      Reply
  7. Terri says

    February 10, 2023 at 11:56 am

    Can you mix this together and allow the sourdough to ferment/rise for several hours. If so would you leave out the baking soda?

    Reply
    • Tiffany says

      February 10, 2023 at 3:23 pm

      You could try it! I don’t like leaving dough with eggs in it out too long (like more than 6-ish hours). So, if I were going to try to fully ferment this recipe, I would mix everything except the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda into a shaggy dough and let it sit 12-24 hours. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients (I would still probably add baking powder if using discard starter) using a stand mixer. But I’m guessing the texture would be pretty different.

      You could also try mixing everything and let the batter do a longer cold ferment in the fridge. I haven’t done either of these things yet though, so no guarantees on how it will turn out!

      Reply
      • Terri says

        February 10, 2023 at 7:51 pm

        Thanks. I’ll give it a try.

        Reply

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58 shares
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