Want to know what’s in my fridge? A whole lot of ‘what the heck am I going to do with that’? Maraschino cherries. Basil pesto. Expired buttermilk. Kale… lots of kale. A bottle with less that a tablespoon of maple syrup and carrot juice. It’s a glamorous life I lead. Totally.
You should be thankful I didn’t reach into my fridge for this recipe. Cherry Pesto Kale Bread sounds like a big mistake.
Instead I scavenged through my cupboards. What did I find? A can of crushed pineapple. A bag of dried beans. Shredded coconut and bananas that I had very obviously forgotten about. So! Yes! Bread! Minus the beans…. cause… that would just be weird.
So, just in case you’re keeping score… you could go ahead and call me an ‘oh crap I’m out of eggs and butter and just about every other animal product needed for baking’ type of vegan. Also… I totally love bacon. Worst vegan ever.
You would never know that this bread was something I threw together out of cupboard desperation. It’s dang good. With bananas and pineapple, you can afford to add less oil… meaning less fat. Of course, all our dreams of low fat banana bread fly out the window when we add sweetened shredded coconut. It’s just too good to leave out.
Moist. Flavorful. Fruity. Vegan. This just proves that we can add just about anything to banana bread and still call it delicious. Well… except dried beans. That will always be weird.
Need more banana in your bread? Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread and Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
Coconut Pineapple Vegan Banana Bread
makes one 9×5-inch loaf
2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
generous pinch of ground ginger
pinch of allspice
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, pineapple, and oil and whisk briskly to incorporate.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in the coconut.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar if you’d like. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Lindsay
Can i use frozen pineapple chunks?
Zoe
I was dubious when I read about the flavours… I thought they may overpower the banana… But not at all. This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made, hands down, and it’s a great snack because there’s only 1/4 cup of oil in the whole thing. So if you’re not sure – go for it!!
RSN
Thank you for the recipe- I was looking to take advantage of putting together my overripe bananas and some fresh pineapple I had. I did substitute pear syrup (concentrated pear juice that can be substituted for molasses or sugar)as a sweetner and skipped the coconut (I had fresh coconut but wasn’t sure how this would turn out. The batter was a bit wet so I added a tad bit more whole wheat flour to firm it up.
Its in the oven now and smells fabulous. T
AZ
Oh. My. Goodness.
I just made this (used a muffin tin instead) and it was perfect (even w/ unsweetended coconut)! Next time I’m going to add a splash of rum.
Iris
I was looking for something to make to bring to a meeting discussing a project that’s taking place in Uganda. As last time I was there I sat around eating bananas and pineapple until I was stuffed to the gills, I think I found the one! Probably going to make it as smaller buns, though, to make it easier to eat.