Banana Porridge with Tahini and Date syrup
Banana porridge with tahini and date syrup is an unusual but truly delicious combination.
The earthy Middle Eastern sesame paste pairs wonderfully with the dark, rich fruitiness of date syrup when you drizzle them over oats cooked with banana, cinnamon and optional vanilla. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and you’ve an incredible and nutritious breakfast.
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Looking back at my old social media posts, I was surprised to see I’ve been enjoying the combination of tahini and date syrup on my breakfast porridge for almost exactly five years. So I’ve been a little remiss in not sharing on my blog a simple recipe that combines the slightly bitter, pleasant earthiness of tahini with the dark, rich fruitiness of date syrup.
But I’m putting that right today with a gorgeous breakfast that could even work as a quick and nutritious dessert.
TAHINI IN SWEET DISHES
While tahini is familiar as an ingredient in savoury recipes with a Middle Eastern origin like hummus, or in dressings like my herbed tahini yogurt, I think it’s well worth investigating the possibilities of sweet combinations.
A good example are my Fruit & Seed Flapjacks. Perfect as a healthier sweet treat or energising snack, the tasty squares combine the slow-release energy of oats with apple and bananas, dried fruit and seeds, plus tahini. I love how the tahini gives an earthy edge to the sweet, fruity elements.
As with my Banana Porridge with Tahini & Date Syrup, the sesame seed paste boosts the nutritional content of the flapjacks. Tahini is a good source of protein as well as B vitamins, vitamin E, and minerals like magnesium, iron and calcium. But I must admit that my main reason for regularly eating tahini is because I love its unique taste and silky texture.
DATE SYRUP
If you’re going to include tahini in dishes with a sweet profile, then its slight bitterness does need tempering a little. And that’s where date syrup comes in. A natural sweetener made from just dates, the syrup has a rich, complex flavour that, to me, is like a combination of molasses and sweet raisins.
As someone who doesn’t have a particularly sweet tooth, I love that date syrup doesn’t taste as sweet as, for example, honey or maple syrup. With its higher levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium and especially antioxidants, date syrup may also be nutritionally better for you than those more familiar natural sweeteners.
While it’s becoming more widely available in shops, I usually buy date syrup online here.
BANANA PORRIDGE WITH TAHINI & DATE SYRUP
You’ll find a recipe card at the end with ingredient amounts and full instructions. But I recommend you read the whole of this post for extra tips and images to help you create this satisfying and truly delicious porridge.
INGREDIENTS
- Rolled oats. I prefer the chunkier result you get with rolled rather than the finer porridge oats. They have the advantage of being more slowly digested too.
- Banana. Ripe bananas are best here for their extra sweetness.
- Milk. I use creamy whole cow’s milk delivered straight from a local farm. But you could replace it with your favourite.
- Ground cinnamon. A warm spice that’s a good partner to dates and tahini.
- Vanilla extract. You can leave out if you don’t have it, but I love the subtle background flavour it brings.
Those ingredients go into the banana porridge base, pictured above. For the topping you’ll need:
- Tahini.
- Milk. A splash or two is whisked into the tahini to give it a pourable consistency.
- Date syrup.
- Toasted sesame seeds. Complement the sesame in the tahini. I think a mixture of black and white is nicest and keep a jarful in the cupboard.
- Ground cinnamon. A final sprinkle to finish.
MAKING BANANA PORRIDGE
I always make my porridge in the microwave. As well as being quicker than on the stove, I do find it easier to clean up afterwards. Just make sure you use a large microwaveable bowl as the porridge will swiftly bubble up to more than twice the volume. If you prefer to cook it in a saucepan on the stove, stir frequently over medium heat.
Stir the porridge ingredients together in the microwave-safe bowl: the oats, chopped banana, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract if using. Then microwave on high for 2½ minutes, give it a stir, then microwave for another 2½ minutes.
Depending on how creamy you like your oats, you may want to stir and give it another minute. On the other hand, if you’ve a powerful microwave, or using the finer porridge oats, you might need to reduce timings to 2x 2 minutes. Also, while I like a thick porridge, I do sometimes add a little extra milk during the second cooking if it’s looking too thick.
When the porridge is done, leave it to stand for a minute.
SERVING BANANA PORRIDGE WITH TAHINI & DATE SYRUP
While the porridge is standing, thin the tahini with milk so you can drizzle it. Brands of tahini vary as to how thick they are, but I’ve found I need roughly 1 – 2 dessertspoons of milk per dessertspoon of tahini to make it pourable.
After transferring the porridge to your serving bowl swirl the tahini over, allowing it to fall from the end of a spoon. Follow that with swirls of date syrup; how much depends entirely on personal taste. Finally, sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and a generous pinch of ground cinnamon.
Then dig in straight away to enjoy what I think is a wonderful combination.
I really hope you love this Banana Porridge with Tahini & Date Syrup as much as I do. The natural creaminess of oats and banana cooked in milk is a wonderful contrast to earthy tahini and tangy, fruity date syrup.
Peanut butter, and other nut and seed butters, along with natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, have long been popular porridge additions. And if you like those, you really need to give tahini and date syrup a try.
If you’ve made this recipe, please leave a rating and comment to let me know what you think.
Banana Porridge with Tahini and Date Syrup
An unusual but truly delicious porridge (or even dessert): earthy sesame paste pairs wonderfully with the dark, rich fruitiness of date syrup when you drizzle them over oats cooked with banana, cinnamon and optional vanilla.
Ingredients
For the porridge
- 45 g rolled oats
- 1 medium ripe banana (peeled then roughly chopped)
- 200 - 225 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
To serve
- 1 rounded dsp tahini sesame paste
- splash of milk
- date syrup (to taste)
- toasted sesame seeds (preferably a mixture of black and white)
- ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
-
To cook in a microwave
Put all the porridge ingredients, but only 200ml of the milk, into a large, microwave-safe bowl and stir.
Microwave on high for 2½ minutes. Stir, then microwave for another 2½ minutes or until the oats are done to your liking. Add extra milk during the cooking if the porridge seems too thick.
Note: with some microwaves or with finer porridge oats you may only need 2x 2 minutes cooking.
Leave to stand while you complete step 2.
To cook in a saucepan on top of the stove
Put all the porridge ingredients, but only 200ml of the milk, in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir frequently until the oats are cooked to your liking. Add extra milk during the cooking if the porridge seems too thick.
-
Put the tahini in a small bowl and whisk in enough milk to give a pouring consistency.
-
Transfer the porridge to a serving bowl then swirl over the tahini, drizzling from the end of a spoon.
Drizzle over some date syrup, then scatter over the toasted sesame seeds, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve.
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