Tahini Banana Bread
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This tahini banana bread is rich, sweet, and nutty. It's made with mashed ripe bananas and creamy tahini, then topped with black and white sesame seeds. This delicious spin on banana bread is easy to make, and it's ready in just over an hour!
Also, be sure to try our classic banana bread recipe!
It's no secret that we love banana bread. While a classic chocolate chip walnut banana bread is of course delicious, we like to mix it up to keep things interesting and fun. In this scrumptious version, we use one of our favorite ingredients, tahini, and the result is a moist, rich, and perfectly nutty loaf.
It's not complicated to make, either. It's a straightforward banana bread recipe but we stir in some tahini to the wet ingredients and top it with black and white sesame seeds.
Our favorite way to enjoy it is warm, with a big smear of homemade butter. It makes a comforting snack or quick breakfast on the go. It also tastes great topped with Nutella, nut butter, or a drizzle of honey. And we've even been known to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a special treat!
What is tahini?
Tahini (or tahina) is a middle eastern condiment made from toasted and ground hulled sesame seeds. It's a sesame butter or paste that has a creamy consistency and is used traditionally in all sorts of sweet and savory foods from hummus, to baba ghanoush, and halva. It's full of healthy fats and high in iron, and tastes delicious on its own, too!
If you love tahini, also try our roasted sweet potatoes with miso tahini butter and creamy kale salad with maple tahini dressing.
Ingredients in tahini banana bread
Here's everything you'll need to make tahini banana bread:
- Bananas – save your ripe spotty bananas for this recipe!
- Eggs
- Brown sugar
- Butter – some recipes use oil, but we love how real butter adds a wonderful rich taste to banana bread.
- Tahini – creamy tahini is the star ingredient in this recipe. It adds lots of nutty flavor and keeps things extra moist.
- Flour – we use regular all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- White and black sesame seeds – for topping, we like a mix of black and white for a visual pop!
How to make tahini banana bread
It's easy to make this tahini banana bread by following a few simple steps:
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork, then whisk in the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, and tahini.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sesame seeds.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently just until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Pour the batter into a buttered loaf pan and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Pop it in the oven and bake it for up to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You may need to place some foil on top after 45 minutes to prevent the sesame seeds from burning. Let it cool for 10 minutes, remove it from the pan, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing it.
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
FAQS
How long does it keep on the counter?
Stored in an air-tight container at room temperature, this tahini banana bread will stay fresh for about 3 days.
Where can I buy tahini?
Tahini is now a popular condiment that can be found at most well-stocked grocery stores either amongst other nut butters or in the Mediterranean section.
What can I use instead of tahini?
Tahini is really the star ingredient in this recipe and adds a unique flavor. Since it's a seed butter, it's easily swapped for any other nut or seed butter, it will just result in a different taste.
Do you have other banana bread recipes?
Yes! You can see all of our banana bread recipes here.
Favorite banana bread recipes
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe
- Poppy Seed Lemon Banana Bread
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread
Tahini Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas ((1 ¼ cups))
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup tahini (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons EACH: white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds (plus extra for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a loaf pan (See notes.) Mash the bananas in a large bowl then whisk in the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, and tahini.3 medium bananas, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup butter, ½ cup tahini
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and sesame seeds.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons EACH: white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently just until combined – do not overmix!
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Bake the banana bread for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check it after 45 minutes and if the top is browning too quickly, tent it with foil. Let the banana bread cool for 10 minutes then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
If you love banana bread as much as we do, make sure to check out all of our banana bread recipes!
