This Sesame Banana Bread is moist and fluffy with a nutty flavor from tahini, and great texture from toasted black and white sesame seeds.
Why You Should Try This Banana Bread
If you love banana bread but want to try something unique, this sesame banana bread is the way to go. Tahini provides moisture and a subtle nutty flavor to the bread. The sesame seeds run throughout, as well as, on top of the bread, giving a crispy, crunchy texture.
My inspiration for this recipe was Bon Appetit’s Sesame Banana Bread. I found their version a bit too sweet, so I drastically cut back on the amount of brown sugar. I also use sour cream in my version for moisture and tanginess to further balance out the sweetness. The result is a moist and fluffy banana bread, which one of my fiancé’s friends proclaimed was the “best banana bread” he ever had (thanks, Eric :)).
Ingredient Notes
- Bananas- As you likely already know, it’s important that the bananas you use for banana bread are very ripe. The skin should definitely have some black spots on it for the best results.
- Sesame seeds- You can use either black or white sesame seeds or a combination of both.
- Tahini- I prefer to use tahini (white sesame seed paste) for this recipe, but almond butter may also work well.
- Sour cream- If you don’t want to use sour cream, plain, full fat, Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
Recipe Steps
To start, grease, flour and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan (1). Then, toast a portion of the sesame seeds in a pan over the stove until the white seeds turn golden (2). Next, whisk together the dry ingredients (3). Then whisk together the eggs and brown sugar thoroughly (4).
Whisk in the oil, vanilla and sour cream into the eggs and sugar (5). Next, combine the wet and dry ingredients, and fold in the toasted sesame seeds (6). Then, transfer the batter to your prepared pan and top with untoasted sesame seeds (7). Bake on the center rack of the oven at 350F for approximately 45-55 minutes (8).
To serve, I love to spread the bread with softened butter, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of flakey salt. Maple syrup works great too!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature. The sour cream and eggs will blend much more smoothly with all of the other ingredients if they sit at room temperature for a few hours before baking. To speed the process, place eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. You can warm the sour cream on a very low power setting in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Do not substitute white sugar for brown sugar. Either light or dark brown sugar work well in this recipe, but you cannot use white sugar instead. Brown sugar is an acidic ingredient. The brown sugar and sour cream both react with the baking soda to help leaven the bread. Using white sugar would not yield as moist and fluffy of an end result.
Banana bread is referred to as a quick bread. It’s leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda, rather than yeast. The composition of the batter is similar to that of a muffin.
Banana bread is good to eat on it’s on. You can also spread a slice with butter and add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top.
After slicing into the banana bread, you can store it in an airtight container and leave it on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
In order to make bananas ripen more quickly, place them in a brown bag and seal it shut. The carbon dioxide will build up in this enclosed environment, causing the bananas to ripen more quickly.
Related Recipes
- Gluten Free Almond Flour Zucchini Bread
- Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
- Glazed Chai Tea Muffins
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Spiced Apple Sour Cream Muffins with Crumb Topping
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Fluffy Sesame Banana Bread with Tahini
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
This Sesame Banana Bread is moist and fluffy with a nutty flavor from tahini, and great texture from toasted black and white sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, divided
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds, divided
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (½ tsp fine salt)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup tahini paste (sesame seed paste)
- 3 to 4 medium overripe bananas, mashed (1 ½ cups)
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain, full fat Greek yogurt (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven and prep pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Line with parchment, overhanging on two sides. Grease and flour parchment.
- Toast sesame seeds: In a small skillet, add 1 tablespoon each of white and black sesame seeds. Turn the heat to medium and toast the seeds for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until fragrant and the white seeds are lightly golden. Transfer to a bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until well-combined. Whisk in oil and tahini. Stir in sour cream, mashed bananas and vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry: Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients in 2-3 additions until just combined. Do not over-mix. Stir in toasted sesame seeds.
- Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the remaining untoasted sesame seeds evenly over the top. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Cool in the pan for 8-10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. To serve, I suggest topping the bread with softened butter, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and a sprinkle of flakey salt. Enjoy.
Notes
You can substitute dark brown sugar, but not white granulated sugar.
Use enough bananas to yield 1 ½ cups mashed. This might be 3 or 4.
After slicing into the banana bread, you can store it in an airtight container and leave it on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of loaf
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 235mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 39mg
Keywords: sesame banana bread, tahini banana bread, banana bread
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