Vegan Cardamom Guava Banana Bread (Print version)

Tropical fusion loaf combining sweet bananas, creamy guava, and warming cardamom in a moist dairy-free treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 1 cup ripe banana, mashed (approximately 2 medium bananas)
02 - 3/4 cup guava pulp, fresh or canned, strained if seedy
03 - Zest of 1 lime

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar
05 - 1/3 cup neutral oil such as sunflower or canola
06 - 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (almond, oat, or soy)
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
10 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
11 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Optional Garnish

13 - 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mash bananas until smooth. Stir in guava pulp and lime zest until evenly distributed.
03 - Add brown sugar, oil, plant-based milk, and vanilla extract to the fruit mixture. Stir until well combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, ground cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
05 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir gently until just combined; avoid overmixing to maintain tender crumb structure.
06 - Fold in chopped nuts if using, distributing evenly throughout batter.
07 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top surface and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
08 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
09 - Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours on it, but your hands will only touch a bowl for about fifteen minutes.
  • The cardamom sneaks up on you in the best way, making each bite feel a little more interesting than the last.
  • This one works for breakfast, afternoon tea, or whenever you need something that feels a touch fancy without the fuss.
02 -
  • Don't use green bananas—they're starchy and won't give you that natural sweetness or the soft texture you're after.
  • Cardamom loses its magic fast once ground, so if yours has been sitting open for months, grab a fresh container; it genuinely changes how the bread tastes.
03 -
  • Room temperature bananas and guava mix more smoothly and blend better with the other ingredients than cold fruit straight from the fridge.
  • If your guava pulp seems very seedy or fibrous, strain it through a fine sieve before folding it in—no one enjoys biting into cardamom seeds when they're not expecting them.
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