Chia Banana Bread – Fiber, Omega 3 & Crunch!

This easy chia banana bread recipe is a delicious way to add some extra fiber & omega 3 to your family’s diet. Described by some people as a “superfood”, chia seeds contain a lot of fiber & nutrients (such as B vitamins & omega 3). Chia seeds also add a different texture to banana bread by adding a nice crunch!

Chia Banana Bread with Optional Chia Seed Topping

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

Your family will love the taste of this banana bread… and you will love how you are secretly sneaking some extra fiber, vitamins and minerals into their diet.

Sliced Chia Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups – Mashed Bananas – 345 grams – This is roughly 3 large bananas but you use exactly 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas for the best results.
• 1/2 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 115 milliliters – Use a neutral flavored (mild) vegetable oil.
• 2 Large Eggs – 114 grams – Not extra large eggs or jumbo eggs.
• 1 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 215 grams
• 2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 240 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 5 milliliters
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams
• 2 Tablespoons – Chia Seeds – 26 grams
• Optional – 1 Teaspoon – Chia Seeds – 4 grams – To sprinkle on top of the batter before placing the bread pan in the oven. This adds an optional “crunchy” chia topping to the banana bread.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.

Key Ingredients – Ripe Bananas & Chia Seeds

Chia Banana Bread without a Seed Topping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Mash bananas with a fork.
• Lightly beat eggs.
• Mix bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Stir until completely mixed.
• Mix in the remaining ingredients (except the chia seeds). Stir until the batter is fully mixed. FYI – I prefer to use a large spoon to mix the batter. An electric mixer can overmix the batter and this can lead to gummy & rubbery banana breads.
• After the batter is mixed, add the 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to the mixing bowl. Stir until the chia seeds are completely spread throughout the batter.
• Pour the finished batter into a nonstick bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan.
• Optional – Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of chia seeds on top of the batter just before you place the bread pan in the oven.
• Place the bread pan in the oven. Bake at 325 F for 65-70 minutes or until golden brown.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let the banana bread cool down in the bread pan for 10 minutes. Do not remove the banana bread from the bread pan during this 10 minute cool down period. Use oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot coming out of the oven. FYI – Do not skip this step as the “cool down” completes the baking process.
• After 10 minutes, remove the banana bread from the bread pan. Place the banana bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1-2 hours.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common banana bread problems.

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Chia Seeds being added to the Batter

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help banana bread “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include my tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Banana Bread Recipes such as eggless banana bread, pecan banana bread and chocolate chip banana bread.

• What are chia seeds? According to Wikipedia, “Chia seeds are the edible seeds of Salvia hispanica, a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to central and southern Mexico… There is evidence that the crop was widely cultivated by the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times and was a staple food for Mesoamerican cultures.”
• What are the benefits of chia seeds? Chia seeds contain dietary fiber, omega-3 and vitamins & minerals (such as B vitamins, magnesium, calcium & iron).
• Chia seeds have roughly 4 or 5 grams of fiber per tablespoon. Nevertheless, be aware that this fiber estimate can vary by manufacturer. So check the nutrition label on your chai seed package for the exact amount. According to the nutrition label on the Bob’s Red Mill chia seeds package that I like to use, there are 10 grams of dietary fiber in 2 tablespoons of their chia seeds. However, some other manufacturers have lower numbers on their chia seed packages.
• Chia seeds have a lot of insoluble fiber. It is estimated that the fiber in chia seeds is 70-80% insoluble and 20-30% soluble.
• Chia seeds are a super easy way to add fiber to a banana bread without changing the flavor dramatically. In contrast, while whole wheat flour adds fiber to a banana bread, it can also create a denser banana bread and some people dislike the flavor of whole wheat.
• In my opinion, the only drawback to chia banana bread is getting some of the chia seeds stuck in your teeth. Ha!
• Visitors – Why do you like to add chia seeds to your banana breads & baked goods? Please post your chia seed thoughts & suggestions in the comment section below.

• Optional – Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chia seeds on top of the batter before placing the bread pan in the oven. This adds an optional “crunchy” chia topping to the banana bread.
• I would recommend NOT adding more than 1 teaspoon of chia seeds to the top of your banana bread. 1 teaspoon of these little seeds covers a lot of ground!
• Optional – Add 3 tablespoons of chia seeds (instead of the 2 tablespoons called for in the recipe) to the batter if you want a “crunchier” interior to your banana bread.

• Use RIPE bananas for the BEST flavor. Ripe bananas are soft and have a yellow peel covered with many small black spots. Hard yellow/green(ish) bananas are too starchy and have much less banana flavor.
• FYI – A beautiful pure yellow banana (without any spots) is not fully ripe!!
• Using UNRIPE bananas will result in a very bland banana bread (with little banana flavor).
• Make sure to use 3 large bananas (not 3 medium bananas). Otherwise, the chia seed banana bread might turn out to be a little dry.
• To avoid any recipe problems (e.g. the banana bread is too dry or too wet), you should use EXACTLY 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas.
• Unfortunately, large bananas can vary in size. Therefore, it is safer to measure the exact amount of mashed bananas (with a measuring cup or kitchen scale) when making any banana bread recipes.

• Use a NEUTRAL-flavored vegetable oil (e.g. corn oil) for the best results.
• Stronger flavored oils (e.g. peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil) may NEGATIVELY impact or change the taste of banana bread. You want to use an oil that has very little flavor (so it does not interfere with the banana flavor).
• If you want to use olive oil, I would recommend using a “mild”, “light” or “extra light” olive oil as they would have the least impact on the banana bread. Unfortunately, extra virgin and virgin olive oil have stronger flavors and are more likely to negatively impact the taste of your banana bread.
• A number of my visitors like to use avocado oil in order to make their banana breads. Avocado oil has a neutral flavor and is high in monounsaturated fats. However, as you are probably aware, avocado oil is usually significantly more expensive than corn oil.

• Optional – Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter if your bananas are not totally ripe. Cinnamon helps to partially “hide” the missing banana flavor.
• Optional – For a little more crunch. you can add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the batter.
• Optional – Or you can turn this into a chocolate chip chia seed banana bread by adding 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips or regular-sized chocolate chips. I prefer to use mini chocolate chips (versus regular sized chips) in my banana breads because the mini chips “float” better in the batter and thus spread out more evenly in the banana bread.
• Visitors – What extra ingredients do you like to add to your chia seed banana bread? Fruit? Chopped nuts? Chocolate chips? Extra spices? Please leave your recipe variations in the comment section below.

• Do NOT use an electric mixer to mix your ingredients (when combining the wet and dry ingredients). Stick to an old fashioned wooden spoon. An electric mixer can overmix the ingredients and the banana bread will turn out rubbery & gummy.
• This doesn’t happen often but if the top of the banana bread looks too moist or undercooked, you should try the “toothpick test”. Gently push a toothpick (or long wooden skewer) into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the toothpick. If batter is sticking to the toothpick then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread pan back into the still hot oven for another 2 or 3 minutes. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan will be very hot. After the 2 or 3 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the banana bread again with a toothpick.
• If you have trouble getting banana bread out of a bread pan and/or smudging the top of the banana bread when removing it from a bread pan, you can try using baking parchment paper (lining the interior of the bread pan). Baking parchment paper makes it easy for you to lift the banana bread out of the bread pan (without having to flip the bread pan upside down, etc.).

• Always try to use relatively FRESH baking soda & powder for the best results. For example, using baking soda from an open container (that has been deodorizing your refrigerator for months) may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking soda/powder may lead to rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your banana bread.
• Store your ingredients (e.g. flour & sugar) in airtight containers to avoid “funky” flavors being added to your baked goods. Airtight containers also prevent contamination by moisture (in the air), dust, pests, etc.
• Flour stored in an open package will absorb moisture from the air and this can throw off the liquid-to-dry ratios in recipes.
• This recipe uses all purpose flour. Do not use bread flour to make banana breads or they are more likely to turn out dense and/or gummy. Banana bread recipes work best with all purpose flour.
• If you like to use chia seeds in your baked goods, check out Bread Dad’s recipes for Bread Machine Chia Seed Bread (a soft sandwich bread) and Seed Bread (made with chia seeds, flaxseeds & sunflower seeds).

• If you have a problem with a banana bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (e.g. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (e.g. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• Problem with sinking middles? Then check out my Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle? page for reasons & potential solutions.
• Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, this quick bread could come out undercooked. Use a portable oven thermometer to check the interior oven temperature.
• Please use the suggested 9 x 5 inch metal bread pan to make this recipe. If you start using different-sized pans, there is a greater potential for bread top collapses (potentially less bread pan “wall” support for the quick bread as it rises), different interior batter to exterior crust ratios (thus the need for different baking lengths), smaller pans are more likely to overflow, etc.
• FYI – For a standard 9 by 5 bread pan, the interior of the bread pan (not exterior) measures approximately 9 inches in length, 5 inches in width and 2 1/2 inches in depth/height.

• If you are looking for other banana bread recipes with fiber, check out my Golden Flaxseed Banana Bread and Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (e.g. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (e.g. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (e.g. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a hot oven and bread pan.
• For more delicious banana bread recipes (e.g. no butter banana bread, cranberry banana bread or blueberry banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s sections on easy Banana Bread Recipes.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Banana Bread
2. Wikipedia, Chia Seed

Related Recipes

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2. Flaxseed Banana Bread
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4. No Egg Banana Bread
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