Which bananas work best for chai banana bread?

The riper the better – bananas with plenty of brown spots are the sweetest and most aromatic. At our house they wait in the fruit bowl until they are almost too soft to eat, and that is exactly when they mash perfectly with a fork and give the banana bread its natural sweetness and moisture.

How long does the banana bread keep and can I bake it ahead?

Thanks to the bananas the loaf stays moist for 2 to 3 days, well wrapped at room temperature or a little longer in the fridge. You can easily bake it a day ahead – many people like it even better once it has settled. Individual slices also freeze well and can be thawed or toasted whenever you fancy a piece.

Can I bake the banana bread without the chai glaze?

Of course – it is just as delicious left plain. The glaze made from the leftover chai and powdered sugar adds an extra aromatic kick and makes the loaf look pretty, but without it the banana bread is a touch less sweet, which is perfect if you mostly eat it for breakfast.

Can I make chai banana bread gluten-free?

Yes. Simply replace the spelt flour with a gluten-free flour blend that contains a binder. The loaf turns out a little denser but stays nice and moist thanks to the bananas. Take care not to overmix the batter so it keeps a light crumb.

Can I swap the pecans or the chocolate?

Absolutely. Walnuts or hazelnuts work just as well as pecans, and instead of chocolate chunks you can use chopped vegan chocolate or leave it out entirely. If you don't have loose chai tea mix, just brew 2 tea bags with 150 ml (about 2/3 cup) hot water.

12 FEBRUARY 2018

Chai Banana Bread

By Verena Frei

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This post is also available in: deutsch

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Last updated 9 July 2026

Cook: 45 min
Servings: 1 loaf

Hello lovelies,

I'm back with a new recipe and this time it's a sweet one. Do you like to eat bananas? I don't, if I'm honest. A banana would not be my fruit of choice when I'm longing for some fresh fruit. But we always have them at home and I love to use them. We buy them ripe and then wait for the perfect moment, and for us that's when they are at the edge of getting too brown. Then they are perfect to be frozen for delicious nice cream (we always have bananas in the freezer), or we use them for smoothies, pancakes or for baking. Thanks to their natural sweetness they are perfect for cakes and cookies and let you cut back on some of the sugar, which is how my summer banana bread with rhubarb gets away with nothing but coconut blossom sugar under all that fruit.

Since my au-pair days in Canada I've really loved banana bread, and I always eat it when we are on vacation in the US. Nowadays it's getting more common in Europe too and you can find it in more places. It's not really a classic cake, but it can also be eaten for breakfast, and on a slow Sunday that slot goes to four vegetarian crookies that stay soft in the middle instead. This time I made a version as chai banana bread, with freshly brewed chai tea, pecans and lots of spices. The chai brings cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves into the batter, along with vegan chocolate and crunchy pecans. It turned out delicious and I'm happy to share the recipe with you.

Chai banana bread with glaze and blood oranges, close-up of the loaf

You can just leave the banana bread natural if you don't want to add the frosting, it will be delicious anyways. But the frosting with the Chai will add some extra yumminess. And if you haven't noticed by now, I love blood oranges so much, I just had to add them as well. The banana bread is very moist, exactly how we like it (please don't expect a fluffy cake, it's really a typical banana bread texture).

Glazed banana loaf topped with blood orange slices on a wooden board, halved oranges nearby

Cut loaf showing the moist crumb and dripping glaze, blood orange slices on top

The banana bread tastes perfect with a fresh cup of Masala Chai - of course! In December that same pot of chai sits next to a tray of spiced gingerbread slices with fresh persimmon, base and custard layer baked together in one go. Did you know that chai actually means tea, so we often end up saying tea tea :-) - just a little something to know, not that it matters much.

If you love banana bread as much as we do, my baking corner has a few more variations waiting for you: chocolate lovers will adore my banana bread with walnuts and chocolate, for the nutty and creamy crowd there is my peanut butter banana bread, and if you like it fruity you have to try my banana bread with cranberries and white chocolate. I'd be so happy if you bake this chai banana bread!

Yours, Verena

TIPS

Verena's notes

Tip from my kitchen: the riper the bananas, the better – I let them sit until they have really brown spots. I like to brew the chai a touch stronger so the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves come through in the loaf. Well wrapped, the banana bread stays moist for 2 to 3 days and the slices freeze well. You can swap the pecans for walnuts or hazelnuts, and leave off the chai glaze if you like – then it is less sweet and perfect for breakfast.

5.0 from 1 vote

Chai Banana Bread

Moist vegan chai banana bread with pecans, chocolate chunks and a chai glaze. Warmly spiced, easy to bake and made with ripe bananas.

Course:Cake, Kuchen
Cook:45 min
Servings:1 loaf

Vegan

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INGREDIENTS

2TbspChai Tea-Mix for 150 ml (3/4 cup) water or 2 tea bags
------
2Tbspflax meal +8 Tbsp water (or any other egg replacer)
100gr (3.5 oz.)raw cane sugar
3ripe bananas
125gr (4.4 oz.)vegan butter
1tspvanilla
50gr (1.8 oz.)pecan nuts
pinchof salt
300gr (10.5 oz.)spelt flour
150ml (3/4 cup)Chai Tea
2tbspbaking powder
cinnamon
cardamom
nutmeg
gloves
1Tbspapple cider vinegar
100gr (3.5 oz.)vegan chocolate chips

Frosting:

1Tbspvegan butter
Chai Tea
3Tbsppowdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C (356°F)
Brew the tea with 150 ml (3/4 cup) hot water and set aside
Mix the flax meal (or soy meal) with the water and set aside
Roughly chop the pecans
Mash the bananas with a fork, than mix with the sugar, butter and vanilla
Mix the flour with the baking powder and the spices
Add to the sugar/butter mixture alternating with the chai tea (keep 2-3 Tbsp for the frosting)
Stirr in the apple cider vinegar
Spoon under the chocolate chips in the end
Grease a baking pan and add the batter, bake for 40-50 minutes

Frosting

Mix one Tbsp melted (cooled a bit) butter with the powdered sugar and add some chai tea until you have a creamy mixture
Add to the cake (let it cool a bit first, but it should be still warm) - decorate with fresh blood oranges

Calories: 310 kcal

GOOD TO KNOW

Frequently asked questions

The riper the better – bananas with plenty of brown spots are the sweetest and most aromatic. At our house they wait in the fruit bowl until they are almost too soft to eat, and that is exactly when they mash perfectly with a fork and give the banana bread its natural sweetness and moisture.
Thanks to the bananas the loaf stays moist for 2 to 3 days, well wrapped at room temperature or a little longer in the fridge. You can easily bake it a day ahead – many people like it even better once it has settled. Individual slices also freeze well and can be thawed or toasted whenever you fancy a piece.
Of course – it is just as delicious left plain. The glaze made from the leftover chai and powdered sugar adds an extra aromatic kick and makes the loaf look pretty, but without it the banana bread is a touch less sweet, which is perfect if you mostly eat it for breakfast.
Yes. Simply replace the spelt flour with a gluten-free flour blend that contains a binder. The loaf turns out a little denser but stays nice and moist thanks to the bananas. Take care not to overmix the batter so it keeps a light crumb.
Absolutely. Walnuts or hazelnuts work just as well as pecans, and instead of chocolate chunks you can use chopped vegan chocolate or leave it out entirely. If you don't have loose chai tea mix, just brew 2 tea bags with 150 ml (about 2/3 cup) hot water.

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