Sweet treat craving? Try this surprisingly healthy chai banana bread recipe

There’s something about a slow weekend that calls for a delicious treat baking in the oven. And if you’ve got a few overripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl, this chai banana bread is the perfect excuse to put them to good use. Fragrant with warming spices, naturally sweet and wonderfully fluffy, it’ll fill your kitchen with the comforting scent of cinnamon.

It’s one of the moreish recipes from dietician Josie Porter’s new book How Not To Take Supplements: A Dietician’s Guide To Thriving On Real Food. The 32-year-old London-based health pro believes many of us are too reliant on supplements, when we should focus instead on getting the range of nutrients we need from our diets. The book is cleverly organised into sections that address your specific health concerns with dietary tweaks, before you reach for a pill or powder (that might not actually work). Case in point: this midweek marvel turkey kofta salad, a protein-packed dinner that can help boost your energy, via the inclusion of high-fibre bulgur wheat.

Porter dedicates this banana bread recipe to her late sister Jenn, who took her own life in 2025, after suffering from addiction and mental health issues: “She had impeccable taste and was the first person to introduce me to a dirty chai. This recipe combines two things she loved: a good, spiced chai and a perfectly fluffy banana bread,” she says.

If you’re looking for a healthier bake that still feels like a treat, this will strike the perfect balance. Each slice gives you around 5g protein and 3g fibre and serving with some yoghurt will also boost calcium.

Whether you’re baking for a lazy weekend brunch, packing slices for the week ahead or simply craving something sweet with your afternoon tea, it delivers all the cosy flavours of your favourite spiced latte in loaf form. Ready to make it?

Josie Porter’s Dirty Chai Banana Bread recipe

Makes 8 slices, each slice containing 5g protein and 3g fibre

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 80g Greek yoghurt
• 150g granulated sugar
• 30g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 30ml espresso, cooled
• 220g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 50g chopped pecans (optional)
• 50g dark chocolate chunks (optional)
• 1 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and grease or line a loaf tin with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, yoghurt, sugar, melted butter, vanilla and espresso. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and spices to a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overmix. Fold in pecans or chocolate (if using), then pour the batter into your tin. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (if using).

Bake for 45-55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Loosely cover with foil for the last 10 minutes if it looks like it’s browning too quickly.

Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack. Slice and enjoy on its own, or enjoy with yoghurt, almond butter and extra pecans.

How Not To Take Supplements (£17.99, Vermilion) by Josie Porter is out now