This Applesauce Banana Bread with a Sweet Streusel Topping feels like a warm and cozy hug. With its perfect blend of cinnamon spice, almond flour and the natural sweetness that comes from the applesauce, this vegan-friendly banana bread is moist and flavorful. It's what I like to call a taste of home, a delicious trip down memory lane.
You'll be thinking of cherished moments pretty soon! And let's not forget, the irresistible streusel top adds an extra layer of nostalgia, too, just like how grandma used to make it.
Perfect for breakfast and dessert, this recipe is eggless and dairy free! The addition of almond flour and cornstarch is my secret for making a tender moist homemade bread without eggs, dairy or butter.
Ingredients Used to Make This Applesauce Banana Bread
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com. They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
Applesauce Banana Bread Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - You can use any brand of All-Purpose Flour. I haven't tried this recipe with whole wheat flour, oat flour or other gluten-free flour blends, so substitute at your own risk!
- Almond Flour - Almond flour contributes to a softer, more tender texture in this banana bread recipe. Because it's naturally gluten-free, the almond flour helps reduce overmixing and minimizes gluten-formation in the bread.
- Cornstarch - the addition of cornstarch is NOT REQUIRED, but it acts as a binding agent (it's sometimes used as a vegan alternative to eggs) and makes a softer, more tender textured bread that retains more moisture. Fun fact: cornstarch is the main ingredient in pudding mixes 🙂
- Salt - any kind. I used Pink Himalayan Salt
- Baking Powder - many banana bread recipes use baking soda, but I like using baking powder in my eggless bread recipes because the results are more consistent (baking soda is activated by acid while baking powder does not). If you want to use baking soda instead: 3 tsp of baking powder is approximately equate to 1 tsp of baking soda plus 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.
- Cinnamon Powder
- Brown Sugar, or other sugar of choice – Darker sugars like brown sugar, coconut sugar, date, and maple sugars will give you the most flavor, but you can use any sugar you have at home. If you want a low-sugar and low carb option, I recommend this brown monk fruit sweetener.
- Mashed Bananas - mash ripe, peeled bananas with a fork until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Applesauce - you can use any kind or any flavored applesauce. I used unsweetened.
- Light Olive Oil - I like using light olive oil since it has a neutral flavor, but you can also any cooking oil of your choice like coconut oil, or avocado oil instead
- Milk of Choice – I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk (dairy or dairy free) works in this recipe.
Filling Ingredients
- Chopped walnuts
- Diced Granny Smith Apples - tart and crispy, these Granny Smith apples work so well in this recipe because they soften up perfectly without being mushy or overcooked inside the banana bread. You can also use other similar apples like Honeycrisp. Fuji is also one of my favorites!
Streusel Ingredients (Optional)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar of choice
- 1 ½ Tbsp melted coconut oil
Banana Bread Add In & Filling Variations:
- Banana bread can be wonderfully versatile, and I've gathered some add in and filling ideas to take your baking to the next level. Here's the FULL POST
Step by Step Guide
How to Make Applesauce Banana Bread
STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a standard loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
STEP 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients
STEP 3
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients
STEP 4
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir gently until the batter comes together.
STEP 5
If there are still dry ingredients remaining, you can add 1-2 Tbsp more almond milk.
STEP 6
Fold in the walnuts and chopped apples into the batter.
STEP 7
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly.
STEP 8
For the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the streusel topping: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and melted coconut oil. Mix until crumbly.
STEP 9
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter in the loaf pan, evenly covering the surface. Use the handle of a spoon or fork to cut through the batter in a zigzag motion to get some of the streusel to get inside the batter
STEP 10
Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 11
Enjoy!
What are some ways you can eat Banana Bread?
- Plain and warm, served with jam or butter
- Toasted in the Air Fryer, and drizzled with honey, maple syrup, caramel or chocolate syrup
- Drizzled with this No Cook Keto Caramel Glaze for Banana Bread
How to Store Applesauce Banana Bread
- You can store any leftover banana bread covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, or freeze up to 4 months.
More Frosting & Glaze Ideas for Banana Bread
Get creative with these scrumptious glaze and frosting ideas to upgrade your banana bread to the next level! Here's a List of Topping Ideas to Try
Final Tips
- Use batter right away after prep. The batter will deflate over time, so I've found that you don’t want the batter sitting out on the counter for too long.
- Prevent Over-browning - Depending on your oven or where your bread is placed inside the oven, the top of your bread may start to brown. Check 40 minutes into baking to see if this is the case, and gently cover the top of the bread with aluminum foil. This helps prevent excessive browning while the bread continues to bake.
- Turn them into muffins! You can also bake this in a muffin pan instead of a cake pan. To adjust, reduce the cooking time from 50-60 minutes to 30-40 minutes.
Cozy Applesauce Banana Bread with a Sweet Streusel Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- ½ cup almond flour 60g
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup brown sugar of choice , use brown monk fruit sweetener for low sugar option
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup mashed bananas 168g
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce 112g , about one 4 oz applesauce cup
- ¼ cup light olive oil 55g
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
Add-ins:
- ½ cup diced granny smith apples , or honeycrisp
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Streusel Topping:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar of choice , use monk fruit sweetener for low sugar option
- 1 ½ Tbsp melted coconut oil , can also use olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a standard loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, cornstarch, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Ensure they are well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: sugar, cinnamon, mashed bananas, unsweetened applesauce, olive oil, and almond milk. Stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly incorporated.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently fold the mixture until a smooth batter forms.
- Carefully fold in the chopped Granny Smith apples and walnuts to distribute them evenly throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly.
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the streusel topping: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and melted coconut oil. Mix until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter in the loaf pan, evenly covering the surface. Use a knife through the batter in a zigzag motion to get some of the streusel to get inside the batter
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy
Leave a Reply