• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Flexitarian Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact

Inspired Epicurean logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Flexitarian Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Flexitarian Recipes
    • Lifestyle
    • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Flexitarian Recipes

    July 30, 2019 Flexitarian Recipes

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread overhead picture | hearth health happiness
    Moist, flavorful, and delightfully aromatic. Welcome to the banana bread recipe that will have your guests swooning.

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread...

    plus two ingredients you didn’t know you wanted.

    What special, magic hold does banana bread have on us? It’s the go-to vehicle for bananas that are past their prime, a comfort food offering when a friend or neighbor needs a “pick-me-up,” and a popular holiday gift from home bakers everywhere. Perhaps we love smashing food and letting our inner child have a moment or allowing the banana flavor to serve as a canvass to employ our own, unique ingredients (blueberry banana bread, banana nut bread, and more). What I love most about this cinnamon pecan banana bread recipe is the special twist created with pecan meal and Greek yogurt to make it flavorful, moist, and almost lighter-than-air. 

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread overhead picture | hearth health happiness

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread

    Melanie Lorick
    Banana bread with a nutty kick
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 50 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup chopped plain pecans
    • ½ cup pecan meal
    • ½ cup packed brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 ripe bananas
    • 2 eggs
    • 3 tablespoons plain full-fat Greek yogurt
    • ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, pecan meal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    • In a larger bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, Greek yogurt, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla extract until all ingredients are completely mixed together.
    • Using a spatula, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, gently folding to incorporate. Once all ingredients are combined, fold in the chopped pecans.
    • Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. A skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean when the bread is done.
    • Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack until completely cooled. If needed, loosen the bread from the sides of the pan using a knife with thin blade.

    Notes

    Greek yogurt does not interact well with aluminum pans, so be sure to use a pan that is made from a different material. My pan is ceramic, which works quite well.
    I prefer to whisk my dry ingredients together to ensure everything is evenly combined.
    If unable to use pecan meal, I suggest using 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and increasing the amount of chopped pecans to 1 cup.
    ALERT: Your home will smell incredible as this bakes. Be careful when you make this...doing so on an empty stomach is dangerous! 🙂
    Keyword banana bread, easy, Pecan meal, Pecans
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Baking with Greek Yogurt

    Why it’s helpful

    Greek yogurt is a versatile ingredient to keep on hand in your refrigerator, especially if other dairy products like buttermilk and heavy cream don’t frequent your kitchen space. If a recipe calls for cream, buttermilk, sour cream, and more, there is typically a way to substitute with Greek yogurt. In my opinion, keeping Greek yogurt on hand is more cost effective because it allows you to add dollops to various dishes throughout the week (our favorite use is topping chili, our Chipotle salad bowls, or slow cooker quinoa meals with Greek yogurt and a little shredded cheese). 

    Tips for successful Greek yogurt baking

    1. Use a ceramic, or non-aluminum baking dish. When it comes into contact with aluminum, the acid from the yogurt does not play nicely with metal. Best to avoid. 
    2. Use full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt. Now is not the time to worry about calories. Cut those elsewhere. Time and place, people. Time and place.
    3. Some versions of Greek yogurt may impact the consistency of the final product. I did not find this to be the case with this recipe, but pay close attention to the texture of your yogurt before adding to batter. I ensure that it is stirred thoroughly and consistent throughout, before incorporating it with the other ingredients. 

    Pecan Meal

    Most bakers are well versed in adding chopped nuts to breads, cakes, pies, and more. In fact, pecans are a bit unique in that their halves can adorn a baked item for decorative purposes while also getting toasted and chopped for the main dish. Picture a gorgeous pecan pie with its halves arranged in a unique pattern – all kept intact and selected carefully to avoid imperfections – but the bits inside the pie are lovingly combined with butter and sugar to give you a perfect balance of yummy flavor and great consistency. However, many overlook pecan meal as a fun option to add a mild, nutty flavor to many recipes. 

    Pro-tip: Toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes before tossing in the food processor. This extra step will give really unleash the nutty flavor. Working with older pecans? A gentle toast also helps mask any possible off-flavors. 

    And a unique cinnamon pecan banana bread recipe is born...

    Overhead shot of cinnamon pecan banana bread individual slice | hearth health happiness
    cinnamon pecan banana bread loaf overhead shot with wooden spoon and a handful of pecans | hearth health happiness

    Not only is the flavor profile very nice – the nutty flavor of the pecans really balances the sweetness of the bananas – but I cut the amount of oil in HALF with the addition of plain Greek yogurt.  I would suggest serving this as a weekend breakfast (there is just something special about weekend breakfasts), or dessert any day of the week. It is delicious at any temperature, but I love warming it and topping with a little butter. The bread is already moist, so not much butter is necessary. Yay!

    If you decide to try this recipe, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @hearthhealthhappiness. I would love to see your final masterpiece. 

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread overhead picture | hearth health happiness

    Cinnamon Pecan Banana Bread

    Melanie Lorick
    Banana bread with a nutty kick
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 50 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup chopped plain pecans
    • ½ cup pecan meal
    • ½ cup packed brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 ripe bananas
    • 2 eggs
    • 3 tablespoons plain full-fat Greek yogurt
    • ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, pecan meal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    • In a larger bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, Greek yogurt, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla extract until all ingredients are completely mixed together.
    • Using a spatula, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, gently folding to incorporate. Once all ingredients are combined, fold in the chopped pecans.
    • Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. A skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean when the bread is done.
    • Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack until completely cooled. If needed, loosen the bread from the sides of the pan using a knife with thin blade.

    Notes

    Greek yogurt does not interact well with aluminum pans, so be sure to use a pan that is made from a different material. My pan is ceramic, which works quite well.
    I prefer to whisk my dry ingredients together to ensure everything is evenly combined.
    If unable to use pecan meal, I suggest using 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and increasing the amount of chopped pecans to 1 cup.
    ALERT: Your home will smell incredible as this bakes. Be careful when you make this...doing so on an empty stomach is dangerous! 🙂
    Keyword banana bread, easy, Pecan meal, Pecans
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Until next time, cheers to your #hearthhealthhappiness!

    More Flexitarian Recipes

    • overhead image of matcha muffins withh
      White Chocolate Matcha Muffins
    • gluten free red wine pasta on counter with scattered ingredients
      Gluten-Free Red Wine Pasta
    • sautéed radish and green pea pasta in skillet
      Sautéed Radish + Green Pea Pasta
    • overhead image of pomegranate rosemary brie bites
      Pomegranate Rosemary Brie Bites

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Get the latest recipes, sustainable living tips, and more!

    Content straight to your inbox

    Thank you!

    Melanie Lorick Hair Half-up looking at camera

    Welcome! I'm Melanie - the founder and content creator of Inspired Epicurean. I share delicious vegan recipes (with a few flexitarian recipes from my pre-vegan days).


    Our lifestyle content is crafted to bring eco-friendly and sustainable ideas more mainstream. Learn more about what Inspired Epicurean has to offer in the about me section. Pull up a seat, friends. Cheers!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • air fried potatoes and carrots on cutting board for serving
      Air Fryer Potatoes and Carrots
    • Stacked cookies on wire rack
      Banana Tahini Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)
    • side image of stacked peanut butter cookies with bite taken from cookie on top
      2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
    • side image of air fryer bananas ready for serving
      Air Fryer Bananas
    Cookd Pro: A Genesis Child Theme for Food & Lifestyle Bloggers

    Footer

    Stay Connected

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Inspired Epicurean
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates, plus download your free ebook!

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Cook'd Pro on the Cook'd Pro Theme

    Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions