This mango bread is super moist, very dense, and full of crunchy walnut pieces. It’s like banana bread, but instead of bananas, it’s made with mangos. It’s great to make during the mango season, or you can also make it using frozen mango. Perfect as a healthy breakfast, snack, and dessert.
I recently discovered a forgotten bag of frozen mango in the depths of my freezer that I had leftover from making vegan mango ice cream. I didn’t want it to go to waste, so I used it to create this healthy mango bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This quick bread is made with clean, whole-food ingredients.
- It’s very easy to make. This is a no-knead bread, and the dough doesn’t need extra time to rise.
- The recipe is versatile. You can customize it using different nuts and spices.
- You can enjoy a slice (or two) of fresh mango bread for breakfast or as a healthy afternoon snack.
- This healthy recipe is dairy-free & refined sugar-free.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Whole Spelt Flour: Spelt flour is made from spelt which is a type of wheat. Whole spelt flour is similar to whole wheat flour and is made from the entire wheat grain. It can be substituted 1:1 with whole wheat flour in most recipes.
- Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar is one of my favorite natural sugars to bake with. It looks and tastes like brown sugar but is made from crystallized coconut tree sap (you can use brown sugar instead).
- Baking Powder: Instead of yeast, you’ll use baking powder in this recipe to help the bread rise.
- Cardamom: Cardamom is a warming Indian spice with a deep herbal and citrusy flavor. The warm notes taste lovely with the sweet mango. Just a little bit of it adds just enough flavor to hide the distinct taste of spelt flour.
- Salt: Salt enhances the other ingredients’ fruity and sugary sweet flavors.
- Mango: You’ll need 2 to 3 large, ripe mangos to make 1 1/2 cups of mango puree and 3/4 cups of diced mango. If frozen, be sure to thaw it first.
- Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs for flavor, moisture, and color.
- Coconut Oil: Extra virgin coconut oil is a healthier alternative to shortening and vegetable oils in baking. Make sure it’s melted.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla enriches the pleasantly sweet and deep caramelized flavors.
- Walnuts: Add chopped walnuts for some crunch and nutty flavor. I used walnuts, but pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and brazil nuts are great options.
How To Make Mango Bread
- Mix the dry ingredients: Combine the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, ground cardamom, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Puree or blend the mango chunks until smooth and dice the remaining mango. Add the pureed mango to a separate bowl along with the eggs, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Combine the dry and wet mixtures: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and gently fold together. Lastly, fold in the walnuts and diced mangos.
- Bake and cool the mango bread: Pour the batter into a loaf pan and smooth out the top. Top with more walnuts. Transfer to your preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (about an hour). Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Recipe Tips
Don’t skip the spice. If you haven’t tried cardamom before, don’t skip it! Buy a little bit of ground cardamom at your grocery store (it’s not super expensive) and try it this one time to see if you like it.
Cardamom is a mild spice and works well in baked goods. Just a little bit of it adds a wonderful hint of flavor that completely covers the taste of spelt flour present in almost all baked goods that are baked with it.
Don’t over-mix the batter. Once the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined, leave it be. Overmixed mango bread batter can be chewy and rubbery tasting.
Don’t overbake the mango bread. Because this mango bread is so dense, it takes a while to bake it. But over-baking it is also not a good idea. So start checking it after about 45 to 50 minutes. It took 1 hour to bake in my oven, but baking times might vary, so be careful.
Variations
- Mix-ins – In addition to nuts, raisins, golden raisins, raw shredded coconut, chopped dates, and chocolate chips are delicious in mango bread.
- Warming Spices – In addition to cardamom, spice up your bread with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store your mango bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. This bread doesn’t need to be kept cold, but it will stay fresh another day or two if stored in the fridge.
Freezing: Bake a loaf for now and a loaf for later. If wrapped tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, you can freeze mango bread for 2 to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen mango in mango bread?
Using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit in baking is super convenient, especially when mangos are not in season. The fruit is already chopped. All you need to do is thaw it first.
Can I make mango muffins?
To convert this mango bread recipe to a mango muffin recipe, you can try baking it for 25 to 30 minutes.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
This bread was only tested with eggs, but you can try flax eggs instead.
More Healthy Baked Goods Made with Spelt Four:
- Spelt Banana Bread
- Healthy Apple Cake
- Healthy Raspberry Muffins
- Sweet Potato Waffles
- Oatmeal Spelt Cookies
Healthy Mango Bread
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Equipment
- Food Processor (or blender)
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup whole spelt flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp aluminum free baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1½ pound mango chunks (about 1½ cups mango puree + ¾ cup mango slices, thaw if using frozen)
- 2 range-free eggs (beaten)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup walnut pieces (+ 2 Tbsp )
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Place the spelt flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cardamom into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.1¾ cup whole spelt flour, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 1 Tbsp aluminum free baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cardamom
- Place the mango chunks into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. You will need about 1½ cups of mango puree. Slice the remaining mango into small pieces.1½ pound mango chunks
- Pour the mango puree, eggs, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract into another bowl. Mix to combine.2 range-free eggs, ¼ cup melted coconut oil, ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
- Add ¾ cup of walnut pieces and ¾ cup of mango slices and carefully mix until just combined.¾ cup walnut pieces
- Pour the batter into a loaf pan. Smooth out the top and sprinkle with the remaining walnut pieces.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, until risen and golden, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
The nutrition facts are an estimate. Variations in ingredient brands, portion sizes, or substitutions can affect the final nutritional values. For the most accurate information, please use a nutrition calculator or consult with a healthcare provider. Always ensure that each of the ingredients is allowed in your diet.
Meet Maria
Maria Ushakova is a holistic nutritionist and food blogger. She focuses on developing easy recipes using real food ingredients. She believes that healthy food is delicious and anyone can learn how to cook it. Maria’s work has appeared on numerous popular websites as well as in print.
