Hippy Banana Bread

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

I made our favorite banana bread during the holiday break and it didn’t last a full 24 hours in our house. We plowed through it in no time and I think it’s kinda light and fluffy so it’s very easy to go through. There’s nothing to slow you down. There’s no lingering. It’s just an EAT BANANA BREAD NOW and then cut another sliver until you realize there’s none left kind of situation.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

So I put my thinking cap on and made what I like to call Hippy Banana Bread. I need a banana bread with bite!  I need something hearty, something a little dense. Something with texture and bite!

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

This banana bread lasted more than 24 hours in our house.  It’s been my breakfast for the past week and I looooooooove it.  What makes it “hippy?”  All the seeds (sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds!), walnuts and dried cherries (that plump up after baking!).

You might find yourself buying extra bananas each week for this recipe. I’m already gathering ingredients for my next loaf…

Let’s gather our ingredients.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Dry ingredients! We use some almond flour in this one. I think the next batch I’m gonna experiment and put more in and less all-purpose flour.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Bananas are mashed.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

We add all the liquids + sugar to the bananas. MIX.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Dry meets wet.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Hello goodness.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

I spray a loaf pan with some cooking spray and line it with parchment.

Just a little parchment so I can pull the bread out easier.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

In goes the batter.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Hey batter batter.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

BAKED!

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Look inside.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

Look at all of those nuts and seeds!

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

It’s my morning/afternoon fuel.

Hippy Banana Bread Shutterbean

And it’s soon to be yours too!

Thanks for reading Shutterbean!  If you’d like to check out more of my everyday life, follow me on Instagram and be sure keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter,  Bloglovin,  Pinterest, or subscribe via email to get new posts delivered to your inbox.

Hippy Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup puree)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup raw pepitas

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Line pan with a sling of parchment paper, with the long sides overhanging. Lightly butter the parchment, then set the pan aside.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and brown sugar, breaking up any lumps. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until fully incorporated. With a wooden spoon, stir in the bananas. Add the flour mixture to the liquids, stirring until just combined. Stir in the walnuts, cherries, sunflower seeds and pepitas until fully incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan, evening out the top if necessary.

Place bread in the oven and bake until cake tester inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven, and leave the bread to cool in its pan for 10 minutes. Using the parchment sling, lift the bread out of the pan, unwrap and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.


  • Mollie

    This looks delicious! Topped with some peanut butter sounds so dreamy

    • Enas

      I made this cake yesterday and shared it with friends. It was the best banana cake I have ever had, moist and delicious. The next morning I received request from 3 friends to make it for them for a big party. I however, substitute the olive oil with organic coconut oil (use less than 1/2 cup of coconut oil as it’s quite dense). I also used the whole cup and half of almond flour instead of half all purpose flour. I used raw coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. The best healthier cake ever. Must try. I give 10/10.

      • Chloe

        I also used coconut sugar and coconut oil to replace brown sugar and olive oil! And I also used coconut flour and oat flour (each 1/2 cup) to replace white flour! Honestly anyway you make this will be great!

      • Meg

        I was reading you comment on the hippy banana bread & you said you did 1 & a half of cups of almond flour instead of half cup of all purpose flour .. But in the recipe it says 1 cup of all purpose flour .. That’s where I’m confused. Did you use half a cup of all purpose flour & 1 half of almond or non of the all purpose flour & just the almond .. I no it’s confusing lol .. If you could help a bit … Thanks Meg

    • Dar

      You have the best website and the most artistic one, I have ever seen. I have been a chef for a number of years and I think you should come to London and open a cafe with me

  • Maureen Sutherland Weiser

    Oh yay!!! I’ve been eagerly anticipating the recipe after seeing it on Instagram stories! It sounds so awesome, Tracy! I can’t wait to try it with a few tweaks to make it gluten-free for my gluten intolerant tummy. I will likely use mostly almond flour with a touch of coconut flour. Thanks so much and I can’t wait to try this!

    Cheers, Maureen

  • Jenna

    This looks so good! I love that it’s loaded with all sorts of crunchy goodies. I can’t wait to make this!

  • Jen

    I am DEFINITELY making this tomorrow! Can you tell me where your glass jars (that nuts/seeds are shown in) are from?

    • mary

      Jen – I’m with you about the glass jars! Tracy – would love to know where you got them!?

      This bread is sooooo on my list for this coming Saturday morning (the first one this year as an empty nester…i can already picture it: coffee, the hubby, and warm banana bread… and staying in my pjs all day!?!)

      LOVE visiting Shutterbean everyday!

  • Rachael

    Oh I love banana bread and am always on the lookout for a new recipe, will have to give this one a wee try!

    Rachael xx.
    theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk

  • Amy

    Dried cherries!? Thislookssogood. Someone mentioned subbing coconut flour, but I’ve had better luck (consistency-wise) with plantain flour!

  • Megan

    Can I still be a hippy if I add in chocolate chips? err…carob chips? 🙂

    • Cassidy

      I was going to add in chocolate chips, but decided to try as is first….although I feel one can never go wrong adding chocolate…

  • lee

    Can’t wait to try – avid banana bread LOVER…. – omg just ordered that loaf pan…love….

  • India

    Yum! I’ve been waiting for you to post this. Love all the texture. Also enjoying the new amazon feature at the bottom of this post – great idea! Your readers always ask where things are from, so that helps and hopefully you can earn money that way too 🙂

  • libby

    Friends invited us over for game night… I feel like this is the perfect, winter time, never-arrive-empty-handed gift.

  • Joseph

    Ive been doing this for years, I usually add whatever I have around the pantry. Trail mix is a great addition and is what I typically add. I am curious about the maple syrup and the cinnamon, I’ve never tried those but sound quite interesting any comments on that? Thanks for your recipe I like your pictures, very fancy looking stuff you use.

  • This and That | Week 220 | Two Peas & Their Pod

    […] 8. Turning my brown bananas into this bread. […]

  • Alison

    Yum! Now, that’s a banana bread I can get behind!

  • HilaryT

    Yum! Making this ASAP – THIS is why I keep all those over ripe bananas in the freezer…

  • Danabee

    I made this bread today and LOVE it. I subbed coconut oil for the olive oil and dried cranberries for the cherries because that’s what I had. Added a couple Tbsp of cocoa nibs too. Really enjoying their contribution to baked goods lately. I adore a hearty, seedy, wholesome snack and this fills the bill brilliantly. Thank you so much!

    • Tracy

      Wow! That sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing your tweaks. I was curious how it would be with coconut oil!

  • Susan in CA

    I made this tonight! Wow! Awesome! Delicious!

  • Edy

    I can’t eat eggs. I wonder if egg substitutes can bind all this yumminess together?

    • Ida

      For baking, as an egg substitute you could try flax eggs, which are meant fo mimic eggs in baking. The Minimalist Baker has a simple recipe to reference.

  • MaryAnn

    Long time listener, first time caller here. Just wanted to report that I got all the ingredients for this, got home. . .and realized I don’t have a loaf pan. I ended up putting the batter into a muffin tin (and when there was leftovers, into a MINI muffin tin) and just slashed the baking time. I think the muffins took about 20 minutes, the mini ones closer to 12. Delicious!

  • Neha

    This bread was freaking awesome. My husband who hates banana bread loved it so much that he finished half of it. Thanks for sharing. I will have to try it with wheat flour next time.

  • Beazzy

    My kind of recipe. I am on a quest for the easies, best banana bread I have a few frozen bananas to use up. Hope they work.
    I wonder why you are experimenting with more almond flour and less flour? Taste or texture?

  • Amanda

    Finally found the time to make this today and it is SO GOOD. Definitely my new go to banana bread recipe. Thanks for sharing it!

  • Neha

    Love love love this bread. It always reminds me of Dave’s bread. I have already baked it twice and the second time I reduced the all purpose flour by quarter cup and substituted it with whole wheat pastry flour. The texture was still great. I am wondering if I can freeze it.

  • Cassidy

    Made this bread today and my husband said it will not last one week! Also, we don’t use almond flour (allergies) but used 1/2 cup slow cook oats as a substitution. Since I felt oats may dry out the recipe, I also added a 1/4 C plain greek yogurt. Very hearty and delicious, indeed 🙂

  • Carrie

    This is so great! I’m a maple/olive oil banana bread devotee and this is equally delicious. I didn’t have walnuts, so I threw in 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut and 1/4 cup millet for crunch. Outstanding and so versatile. Thank you!

  • Emily

    I loooved this bread and totally plan on making it again this weekend. It lends itself well to adjusting, too. I didn’t have almond flour so just subbed whole wheat flour for that half cup, no problem. I also left out the pepitas so it only had the half cup sunflower seeds, and that also worked well. The cherries were really delicious, but I bet other dried fruits would be good, too. It lasted a couple days at my house and didn’t dry out. Thank you!!

    • Tracy

      So happy to hear that it’s a hit!!! I love how adaptable it is too!! I’ve done golden raisins and regular raisins before. Equally good!

  • Weekly Reads 13 - The Hoot Eats

    […] Tracy has been making all the hippy banana bread lately, I’ve been craving it. I was too impatient to wait for bananas to ripen, so Andrew bought a […]

  • Tawni

    I made this a while ago and it was really good and hearty. The sunflower seeds turned bright green from the reaction to the heat/baking soda, which was fun (and a little unsettling, at first) to eat.

  • Jeanne

    This recipe was fabulous!! I’d like to find a similar recipe using zucchini rather than bananas. Has anyone found one or experimented?

  • Candy

    Wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing!
    I made a few substitutions (because I didn’t have everything on hand) and it is delish!
    This is what I subbed: cake flour for the all-purpose, PB2 for the almond flour, coconut oil for the maple syrup, and I used pecans and toasted coconut in place of the nuts.

    Yum! Thank you!

  • Ericka

    WOW – made the Hippie Bananna bread today & it is delicious! My husband literally told me to throw away my other recipes – that this was the best one I’ve ever made. I didn’t have almond flour & substituted flax seed flour instead. THANKS!!!

  • Mary Mich

    Sounded great, made it, but WAY too sweet. My suggestion is omit all of the maple syrup.

  • Mary Beth Einerson

    Made this one from the August 2018 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Yummy-but needed to be baked in a 9 x 5 pan rather than a 8 x 4. Substituted avocado oil for the olive oil.

  • Lisa

    Wow❗️Made this today. I don’t know what pepitas are, but after all the ingredients (I love cinnamon, so upped to full teaspoon), I used dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, pecans, and walnuts for my add ins. Fantastic! Thank you for such a great banana bread.

  • Jan Putnam

    Could you make this into muffins instead of banana bread? Easier for two people to freeze and eat. Sounds like it will be great.

  • DessertForTwo

    I made this today and it’s perfection! I used chopped prunes instead of cherries (cuz it’s what I had), and I can’t stop eating it! 🙂

  • Maria

    Loved this bread! It was perfect to help my mood after shoveling through the snow and ice in my driveway. Thanks.

  • Candice

    Just made this amazing recipe today! It is where all my ripe bananas always go. Hope you are well Ms. Tracy xoxo

  • Alice

    I’ve baked this bread twice and just want to say that it’s now my favorite banana bread recipe. The tenderness is second to none, and the sweetness level is perfect. I’ve tried different add-ins including chocolate and dried figs and have had good results. This versatile recipe is a delight. Thank you!

  • Lara

    This is a favorite recipe in my house! I double up and freeze the second one.

  • michelle

    THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
    Like others, I found this recipe in a Better Homes & Gardens publication – I looked it up online to share the link with friends (who LOVE the end result) and saw someone comment that it’s YOUR recipe. Hopefully they didn’t just “steal” this recipe from you! So I found your site and here I am.
    Needless to say – this recipe is MY VERY FAVORITE NOW when I want to use up fruits – I’ve made it with the bananas, chopped peaches, pears, & apples (when using fruit chunks I add some applesauce for wetness); added ground cardamom, nutmeg, candied ginger, chia seeds, wheat bran, & coconut to every batch, and they’ve all worked. Sometimes I melt 2T Earth Balance with some oats & cinnamon and sprinkle it on top before baking. I always toast my sunflower seeds and pepitas before adding them in. Lastly, like other readers, I make muffins out of them – they do only take 20-25 minutes.
    I thank you immensely for this recipe – in 3 months, I’ve made 6 batches!! It produces bread or muffins that are HEAVENLY – healthy and not too sweet. I really don’t want to use any other recipe, unless I want a “junk food” muffin.
    Now I can’t wait to check out your other recipes!!! Thank you again.

  • Hippy Pumpkin Bread - Shutterbean

    […] all know and love Hippy Banana Bread right?? Now that it’s Autumn, let’s shift gears and make Hippy Pumpkin […]

  • DEB

    This is absolutely delicious, we are hooked. I’ve made it several times since I discovered it 4 months ago. Best banana bread we’ve ever had and believe me I have made many, many recipes in search of “the one”. This is definitely the ONE. Thank you!!! 🙂

  • Darlene Anger

    Hi Tracy! Just wanted to let you know I love your blog and use your recipes all the time. I wish I had your style!
    I wondered if you tried using more almond flour in your hippy banana bread like you mentioned in the write up? I love the bread as it is written but I’m trying to stay away from flour and wondered about using all almond flour or even some coconut flour. Thanks for all you do!

  • Brooke

    I LOVE this recipe! I made it oil free and vegan by substituting applesauce and ener-g egg replacer. The first time I didn’t have cherries and my sunflower seeds had gone off, so I used raisins and hemp seeds. About to go make it again!

  • sandu

    Made recipe as written, except for the add-ins I did 1/2 c walnut, 1/2 c pumpkin seed, 1/4 c shaved coconut, 1/4 c raisin, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Very delicious!! Next time I’d try the dried cherries, but keep the chocolate and coconut. Thanks!

Leave a Comment