Looking for a Vegan Chai Banana Bread recipe made with actual chai? Look no further!
This Chai banana bread recipe is a delightful twist on the classic banana bread, incorporating the warm and aromatic flavors of chai. This recipe is made with freshly brewed Chai, instead of adding spices, which is then added to the batter to enhance the flavor.
Whip out this beauty at your tea parties or when you just want to enjoy a cup of tea by yourself, and I am sure you are going to want more of it. Paired with Chai, Chai Banana Bread will make your evening tea time much better.
Some recipes may also include nuts or chocolate chips for added texture and richness. The result is a moist and flavorful banana bread with the warmth and complexity of chai spices. Although using a spice mix can be convenient, using brewed chai relies on natural ingredients such as tea leaves, spices, and ginger.
Why brewed Chai Banana Bread?
Snacks like biscuits, pakodas, and rusk are common edibles during tea time in India. People love to pair their evening chai with dishes like Kohlrabi Fritters, Potato Papdi Chaat or Gulab Jamun Cake. One such popular tea-time dish is rusk which is often flavored. Rusk manufacturers sometimes incorporate cardamom flavoring to create a variation that appeals to those who enjoy the distinct taste of elaichi. These rusks may have a subtle cardamom aroma and flavor, offering a fusion of traditional rusk texture with the added twist of a popular spice. Because of the strong spice flavour, rusks often taste like chai-flavoured biscuits.
After seeing many chai banana bread recipes using dry chai spice mixes, I wanted to include brewed chai in the recipe. So, I decided to use brewed chai in the batter to give the bread a richer and more authentic chai flavor. Check here on how to make a perfectly brewed Masala chai.
Ingredients and Substitutes for Vegan Chai Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- Ripe bananas
- Vegan butter or neutral oil
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Brewed vegan chai (Plant-based milk plus masala made with crushed cloves, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger and fennel seeds)
- Fresh ginger
- All-purpose flour (or gluten-free option for those with gluten sensitivities)
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Ground cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped nuts
Substitutes:
- Vegan butter: Use neutral oil as an alternative or sub half of it with applesauce for a lighter version.
- All-purpose flour: Opt for a gluten-free option if needed.
- Brewed vegan chai: Ensure a strong brew made with plant-based milk and double the amount of tea leaves for a rich chai flavor.
- Optional add-ins: Customize the banana bread by adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to enhance flavor and texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the bananas: We will need ripe bananas to make this recipe. If you do not have overripe bananas, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place unpeeled bananas on the prepared sheet. Bake until the banana skins turn entirely black, typically taking around 15 to 20 minutes. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and once cooled, scoop out the banana pulp from the peel and mash it.
- Prepare the masala for the tea by grinding cloves, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger and fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar.
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of milk with ground masala Heat the milk over low heat until steaming, then remove from heat and let the tea steep for 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.
- To a blender, add the bananas. Add 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 1/3 cup of melted butter, the cooled chai-infused milk and blend until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Top the batter with split bananas. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the chai banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy your delicious chai-infused banana bread!
See more recipes:
Snacks that you can enjoy with your cup of tea
Vegan Chai Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the chai
- 2 cups Water 480 ml
- 2-3 tsp Loose tea leaves black tea
- 2/3 cup Oat/soy milk 160 ml
- Brown sugar to taste
- 6 Whole green cardamom
- 4-5 Whole cloves
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 inch Ginger crushed
For the wet ingredients:
- 3 medium to large extra ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup melted vegan butter or neutral oil 110 g
- 2/3 cup brown sugar 147 g
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup brewed vegan chai 90 g
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 ¾ or 210 g cup all-purpose flour or a GF option
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional add-ins:
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
Make the chai:
- Take a mortar and pestle and crush your whole spices.
- Add water to a pan, add the spices and aromatics (1/2 inch ginger), and bring to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and turn down the heat to medium or medium-low. Add the soy/oat milk.
- Let it get to the strength of infusion you want (I like to let it be on a slow boil for about 2-3 minutes) and turn off the heat when it has a pinkish orangish colour.
- Strain into cups or a tea pot and set aside.
Prepare Overripe Bananas:
- Ensure you have ripe bananas for this recipe. If not, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until skins turn entirely black.
- Let them cool, then scoop out the banana pulp from the peel and mash.
Prepare the wet ingredients:
- In a blender, combine the mashed bananas with 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1/3 cup brewed chai, and fresh ginger.
- Blend the mixture until well combined.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Gradually pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
Bake Chai Banana Bread:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Top the batter with split bananas.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve
- Allow the chai banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy your delicious chai-infused banana bread!
I did this yesterday and it turned out very well! It was nice and fluffy and tasted delicious 🙂 However, perhaps the instructions could do with one final check-up as there are some discrepancies: for example should it be 2/3 or 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and should it be 2 cups or 1 3/4 cup of flour? What should be done with the 1/2 inch of fresh ginger in the wet ingredient list? There is also no lemongrass in the ingredient list although it is mentioned in the instructions for making chai.
Regardless, the recipe is already very nice and luckily banana bread isn’t an overly fuzzy recipe to make!
Hey Vilna! Yes, sorry about that!! I made the necessary changes to the blog post! I’m so glad you liked the recipe though, despite the errors in the card 😅❤️
The introduction are confusing. Ingredients list mention 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, but the instructions says 2 cups. I am making it right now, and probably will figure out how flour to use as I am making the batter. Fingers crossed that it comes out nice 🤞🏼
Hi Kavitha, thanks for your feedback! It’s 1 3/4 cups. I’ve now made the corrections to the recipe.
Let me know how it goes!! ❤️
I made this recipe for my friend’s birthday and it was delicious. All of my friends loved it. It was so moist and soft. For my interest, I added some chocolate chips and nuts for garnish and it complemented the taste. Thank you so much for this yummy recipe. Looking forward to more and more recipes…:)
I made this the other day and it was so yummy and soft. My bread has never come out that soft before. 10/10 the best banana bread recipe I’ve come across.
I love chaï in general, so luckily I had all the necessary spices in my pantry & I was so glad to find this recipe that helped me use up my overly ripe bananas on a Saturday morning!
It turned out so moist, so fluffy, so yummy and most importantly not so sweet! I don’t like banana bread that’s too sweet so this was perfect.
I used coconut oil (knowing it’s not “neutral”) and it added a very yummy and subtle coconut oil flavor to it. I didn’t have a lot but I wish I had more walnuts to sprinkle on top, it would have made it even better.
I immediately saved this recipe, because I definitely will be making it again & I even shared it with my best friend because the deliciousness needs to be shared.