Gingerbread Banana Bread

This Gingerbread Banana Bread is a soft, moist, and super flavorsome sweet loaf, perfect for a Christmas breakfast. Its crumb has all the flavors of gingerbread cookies with the softness of banana bread.

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I have an unrelenting love for banana breads of all kinds, from my Pistachio Banana Bread to my Pumpkin Banana Bread, I live for transforming the classic recipe into delicious variations for all occasions and all seasons.

So, naturally, when the fall season is in full swing and Christmas is just around the corner, I knew I had to combine my favorite Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies flavors with the simple and healthy banana bread. And believe me, it’s quite a thing!

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe is inspired by my classic banana bread, but to give it gingerbread flavors, I use soft brown sugar, molasses, and all the classic gingerbread spices.

• Mashed Bananas – Ripe bananas (with black spots) bring all the sweetness and moisture you need for the bread. If you have extra, freeze the mash for future bakes. If you use unripe bananas, the bread won’t taste as well and might not be sweet enough.
• Soft Brown Sugar – Soft brown sugar enhances the rich flavor and color of the bread. It also brings some moisture. You can use coconut sugar as an unrefined alternative.
• Light Olive Oil – Olive oil adds moisture without overpowering the flavors. Other options include light avocado oil or almond oil.
• Unsulphured Molasses – This is essential for the gingerbread taste. If unavailable, substitute them with maple syrup, but note the bread will be lighter in color and won’t taste as gingerbready.
• All-Purpose Flour – Swap with whole wheat or white spelt flour for a heartier texture.
• Gingerbread Spices: Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Nutmeg – These spices bring warmth and depth to the loaf, all you expect from gingerbread. If needed, substitute allspice with ground cloves or more cinnamon for a similar flavor.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Ensure your baking soda and powder are fresh to achieve a perfect rise.

How to Make Gingerbread Banana Bread

This recipe is super simple to whip up. Here are pictures of the key steps.

Mash the ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Add the soft brown sugar, molasses, and spices.

Stir the batter with a whisk until it’s just combined.

Add the all-purpose flour to the gingerbread banana bread batter.

Combine it until it forms a sticky batter.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake the bread at 350°F (180°C) for 55 to 65 minutes.

Choose your favorite frosting recipe below and decorate the gingerbread banana bread.

Decoration

I love decorating this cake to make it even more Christmassy. There’s so many options you can use to make it super fancy.

• Vegan Vanilla Frosting – This vanilla frosting is a classic frosting made with just 4 ingredients, and it pairs perfectly with the gingerbread flavors.
• Vegan Chocolate Frosting – For a chocolate version of my vanilla frosting!
• 3-Ingredient Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting – This frosting is even simpler than my classic vanilla frosting as it’s made with just 3 ingredients.
• Vegan Ganache – This is ganache adds a soft a chocolatey layer on the bread.
• Cashew Frosting – This healthier frosting is made without cashews for a delicious twist.
• Vegan Royal Icing – My royal icing is a great option for a slightly thicker decoration.

Once you have frosted the bread, I recommend baking a few of my gingerbread cookies to either decorate the top or crumble on top.

• Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
• Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Carine’s Baking Tips

While all you need is in the recipe card below, here are a few more tips to make this recipe perfect every single time.

• Use Ripe Bananas – The riper, the better! Bananas with black spots have more natural sweetness and ensure a moist loaf.
• Avoid Overmixing the Batter – Fold the dry ingredients gently to prevent overdeveloping the gluten, which could make the bread dense.
• Prevent Over-Browning – Place a piece of foil over the bread after 30 minutes of baking to avoid excessive browning on top.
• Cool Completely Before Slicing – Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. This ensures it firms up, making it easier to slice.

More Banana Bread Recipes

Pistachio Banana Bread

Almond Banana Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Gingerbread Banana Bread

This Gingerbread Banana Bread is a soft, moist, and super flavorsome sweet loaf, perfect for a Christmas breakfast. Its crumb has all the flavors of gingerbread cookies with the softness of banana bread.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 169.3 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 ½ cup Mashed Banana - note 1
• ▢ ¾ cup Soft Brown Sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup Light Olive Oil - note 2
• ▢ ¼ cup Unsulphured Molasses - note 3
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour - note 4
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Baking Soda

Gingerbread Spices

• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Allspice - note 5
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper and pan with oil spray or coconut oil. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. Mash until almost no lumps show. It must be very runny for an ultra-moist texture. Measure 1 cup + 1/2 cup of mashed bananas – if extra, freeze for later.
• Whisk in light olive oil, molasse, vanilla extract, brown sugar, salt, and gingerbread spices: ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
• Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and stir with a rubber spatula until a smooth consistent banana bread batter forms.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake the bread on the center rack of the oven at 350°F (180°C) until a pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean – about 55 to 65 minutes. You can add a piece of foil on top of the pan after 30 minutes to prevent the banana bread from browning too fast.
• Let the bread cool down on a wire rack for 2 hours before slicing or decorating.

Notes

Note 1: Equivalent to 3 large ripe bananas. Pick some with black spots on the skin for perfect sweetness.

Note 2: You can also use any oil with a light taste, like almond oil, light avocado oil, or light olive oil. Watch out if using coconut oil, when melted and in contact with cold fruit puree, it forms lumps. 

Note 3: Molasses add moisture and the typical flavor you expect from anything gingerbread. If you really can’t find molasses, swap them for maple syrup. The bread will be lighter in color.

Note 4: You can use the same amount of white spelt or whole wheat flour.

Note 5: You can substitute it for ground cloves or more cinnamon.

Gluten-Free: Use 1 cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour with added gum (Bob’s Red Mill’s all-purpose GF blend is good) and add 1/2 cup of oat flour. Make sure your baking powder is gluten-free as well. We cannot guarantee success with other all-purpose gluten-free flour, we didn’t try. Also the texture will be gummier, and chewier, as for all gluten-free swap on my recipes

Decoration Idea: make one batch of my vegan vanilla frosting and spread it on top of the cooled banana bread. Add homemade gingerbread man on top using either my almond flour gingerbread recipe for a gluten-free option or my vegan gingerbread recipe

Storage: Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or up to 5 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It can be frozen and thawed the day before at room temperature.

Equipment

9-inch x 5-inch Loaf Pan

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 169.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.9g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 6.3g | Saturated Fat: 5.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 216.4mg | Potassium: 131.7mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 12.4g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg | Magnesium: 12.3mg | Phosphorus: 38.3mg | Zinc: 0.2mg