You were saving those overripe bananas to make some banana bread for Saturday morning breakfast. But you come home Friday night to find someone threw away half of the black bananas you’d been hoarding. Can you make banana bread without all the bananas you need?
If you find yourself short of bananas, don’t worry. You can substitute banana in banana bread with applesauce, strawberries, zucchini, pumpkin puree, or prunes.
With other ingredients in your banana bread, you will get a different flavor. However, all of these substitutes for bananas will give you a similar texture and sweetness.
What to Substitute for Banana in Banana Bread
Just like you can substitute with bananas, you can substitute for bananas. When you’re planning to make banana bread, you want to use the most overripe bananas you can find. To substitute for bananas in banana bread, you want to use ingredients with similar textures that have the same sweetness.
1. Applesauce
Applesauce is a great substitute for banana bread. It’s naturally sweet and something most people have on hand.
For each banana, substitute half a cup of unsweetened applesauce. This will help keep your bread moist and delicious.
Applesauce is a common substitute for banana in banana bread. It not only can take the place of bananas but some of the butter and sugar as well.
2. Strawberries
What sounds better than strawberry banana bread? If you need to replace some of your bananas, you can use fresh chopped strawberries. Aim for one and a half cups of strawberries per banana.
Once your strawberries are chopped, toss them lightly in about a tablespoon of flour. This will keep all your strawberries from sinking to the bottom of your loaf pan.
3. Zucchini
I know what you’re thinking, banana bread is sweet and zucchini is, well, not. But trust me, adding zucchini makes your banana bread delicious and succulent.
Again, you’ll want to aim for about one and a half cups of shredded unpeeled zucchini per banana. This will give your banana bread an excellent texture. Since zucchini has such a neutral flavor, it will take on the flavor of the bananas.
If you really don’t trust me, you can always add some chocolate chips to your recipe. This will make sure you end up with the flavor you’re craving.
4. Pumpkin Puree
Here you’re going to add about one and a third cup canned pumpkin puree to two bananas. So as long as you have two bananas, you can add this bread to your recipe box.
You might want to play up some of the spices in traditional pumpkin bread. So if you’re inclined, add some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and really lean into the flavor.
5. Prunes
Prunes are a good substitution for bananas in banana bread. Prunes have more fiber, vitamin A, iron, and calcium than bananas.
Mashing up some prunes will give your banana bread the texture you’re looking for. However, prunes are sweeter than bananas. So unless you like your bread really sweet, you should reduce the sugar in your recipe.
Many Substitutes for Bananas in Banana Bread
There are many substitutes for bananas in banana bread. The most important thing to remember is the texture and sweetness of your chosen substitution.
Each of these substitutions will leave your banana bread sweet and moist, even when you are short on bananas.
