I Never Put Sugar in My Banana Bread — I Add This Instead
Like many people, I love a cake masquerading as “bread.” You know what I’m talking about: zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, and, perhaps the king of them all, banana bread. These supposed breads come in many forms and are often laced with added sugar like chocolate, Nutella, and various glazes. While I find them all to be delicious and would happily eat a slice right now, they are not bread — and they are all much too sweet.
Many years ago when inquiring about family recipes, I was shown a friend’s mother’s handwritten recipe for banana bread, which included, among other things, over a cup of granulated sugar. I was not as well-versed in recipes as I am today and at the time had never baked banana bread before. I was shocked because that is a lot of sugar for one little loaf of “bread.” I went searching for a substitute that might help transform the banana bread from a cloying sweet treat into something a bit more balanced, and came across what I thought was a great suggestion — substituting the sugar for applesauce. I have never looked back.
Why I Substitute Applesauce for Sugar in Banana Bread
That was about 15 years ago, and I have never made banana bread for myself or my family with sugar in it. For me, it’s all about the banana in the banana bread. Bananas are very sweet. The idea of adding what, in a typical recipe, is usually no less than an entire cup of sugar seems … excessive. I wouldn’t try this switcheroo on another type of quick bread because without the copious sweetness that bananas bring to the table, I don’t think it would work.
Applesauce is a great sub, in my opinion, because it adds both sweetness and moisture, but not too much of either. In preparation for writing this piece, I re-tested my theory on our easy banana bread recipe, substituting 1 cup of applesauce for the 1 cup of granulated sugar called for. Guess what? It was great, and I’m not sorry. And before you ask, no, this is not some kind of health hack. I’m not swapping out the sugar because I want to turn banana bread into health food. I just don’t want it to be super-duper sweet.
I will admit that this swap might not be for everyone. The banana bread will still be sweet, but noticeably less so than what you might be used to compared to your typical loaf. If you’re curious to try it, but not so sure, I’d encourage you to start with substituting half of the sugar instead of the full amount the recipe calls for. I have done this swap with a wide variety of banana bread recipes over the years and have always been pleased with the results. So if you’re like me and want a slightly less sugary-sweet banana bread, give it a try.
Further Reading
We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Ice Cream, and They All Said the Same Thing
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
