Date Banana Bread
Serves 16
15 mins prep
60 mins cook
75 mins total
This Date-Sweetened Banana Bread is made with ripe bananas and soft Medjool dates—no refined sugar required. It’s moist, tender, warmly spiced, and filled with toasted walnuts for added texture. A food processor makes it quick and easy, with a traditional mixing method included in the notes. Perfect for brunch or a naturally sweet treat.
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
For the Pan
Prepare the Pan & Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a two-inch overhang for easy removal.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a food processor, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine—walnuts should remain in pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.
Make the Date-Banana Base: In the same food processor, blend 1¼ cups dates with milk until smooth and paste-like. Add melted butter (or oil), eggs, vanilla, and chopped bananas. Pulse a few times until mostly smooth.
Combine: Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Add the remaining ¼ cup chopped dates and stir just until moistened, and do not over-mix. Tip: The batter should be thick, slow-dropping and mound slightly when spooned. If it looks thin, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of flour.
Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan. Top with walnut halves if using. Bake for [timer minutes=60]60–70 minutes[/timer], or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Tip: Tent with foil if the top gets too dark; I put foil on after 40 minutes to prevent the walnuts from burning.