Last updated on June 13th, 2025

Sourdough Banana Bread is a tender loaf made with sweet, ripened bananas, warm spices, and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. The addition of the sourdough discard gives it a nice tang and helps it stay moist. This easy quick bread is perfect for breakfast or wholesome afternoon snack.

Ingredients to make Sourdough Banana Bread

Dry Ingredients

All-purpose unbleached flour is made from ground wheat kernels with the bran and germ removed. It has a moderate protein content of 10-12%, making it a versatile option for most baked goods.
Instant ClearJel is a modified food starch used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent. When used in pie fillings, it produces a clear, smooth texture. In baked goods, it helps retain moisture, producing a light, tender texture.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a leavening agent that, when combined with an acid (like lemon juice, buttermilk, or vinegar) creates carbon dioxide gas to make baked goods rise.
Baking powder is a leavening agent that contains both an acid, like cream of tarter, and a base, like baking soda to help baked goods rise. Use a double-acting aluminum-free baking powder to avoid a bitter aftertaste.
Pink salt is a type of rock salt found near the Himalayas, that is minimally processsed and contains trace minerals.
Cinnamon comes from dried bark from the tropical Asian cinnamon tree and is available as whole cinnamon sticks or ground. There are two types: Cassia which has a warm, sweet flavor, and Ceylon known as “true cinnamon”, which has an intense spicy bite.

Wet Ingredients

Bananas are a tropical fruit grown on banana plants that start off green and unripened. When baking, it is best to use bananas with brown spots which add natural sweetness and moisture.
Butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.
Sugar is a made by processing the juice of the sugarcane plant. Cane sugar is a natural option that is less processed with a slightly courser texture.
Brown sugar is granulated sugar with molasses added, providing deep flavor and moisture to baked goods. Light brown sugar contains 3.5% molasses and dark brown sugar has 6.5%, giving it more robust flavor.
Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of sourdough starter that is removed before the starter is fed with fresh flour and water.
Eggs are produced by female chickens and are important in baking because their proteins provide structure, they act as a natural leaving agent by trapping air that expands during baking.
Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, which enhances the depth of flavor in baked goods. Homemade vanilla is best, or use a high-quality, all-natural brand that contains at least 35% alcohol.

Mix-Ins

Chocolate chips are cocoa solids and cocoa butter and depending on their cocoa content will vary in sweetness. They range from dark chocolate (50-90% cocoa solids), semi-sweet chocolate (40-60% cocoa solids) and milk chocolate (10-40% cocoa solids). For this recipe use semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Homemade Ingredients

Vanilla: Purchase Grade B vanilla beans (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 ounces of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.

Sourdough discard: Here is my recipe for basic sourdough starter a traditional method of flour and water. Another way to make sourdough starter (with milk). The basic recipe of flour and water takes up to 2 weeks to really develop its sour flavor, while the version with flour and milk only takes about 2-3 days.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

If ClearJel is hard to find, cornstarch is a good substitute. To swap: If the recipe calls for 1 T. cornstarch, use 1 1/2 T. ClearJel. If the recipe calls for 2 T. flour or tapioca, use 1 T. ClearJel.
When making baked goods with bananas, be sure to use ripe, brown-speckled bananas. If your bananas are not ready to use, roast them at 300° for 30 minutes until they are black outside and soft inside.

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

Use a premium gluten-free flour blend.
Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
Add 1-2 tablespoons additional liquid (use the same liquid called for in the recipe) to help hydrate the flour.
Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° to bake low and slow, since gluten-free flour is delicate and tends to burn baked goods before the center is cooked through.
Gluten-free baked goods have a shorter shelf-life than conventional baked goods and dry out faster. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days. The refrigerator tends to dry them out more, so it is best to freeze up to 6 months.

TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE

Swap out the butter with unsalted vegan butter sticks.
To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.
Replace the dairy with unsweetened oat or almond milk.

Equipment

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Storage

Baked Loaf: Cover in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days. To freeze, cover in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.

Unbaked batter: Prepare batter and place in a sealed container up to 3-5 days in refrigerator.

Apryl Niksch