Vegan Banana Bread

There’s a lot to love in this delicious simple Vegan Banana Bread! This Banana Bread recipe has a moist and light texture and is made with simple ingredients directly in a large bowl. Use this recipe as a base and customize it however you like! (Chocolate chips are welcome.)

Healthy Vegan Banana Bread

When it comes to Banana Bread there are a few necessities that make it perfect. It has to be moist, fluffy, just the right amount of crumbly and of course, and be loaded with tons of banana flavour!

Many Vegan Banana Bread recipes with no eggs or milk can be a little mushy or gummy, but not this banana bread! This vegan banana bread is THE ONE. It legit tastes like “traditional” banana bread and you’d have no idea it was vegan. No gummy or mushy texture here!

I consider this to be a healthy Vegan Banana Bread recipe since it has less sugar than many banana bread, not too much butter, (or oil) and is made with simple ingredients. This recipe does use regular all-purpose flour, so if you want to make it *extra* healthy you can substitute half the flour in the recipe with whole wheat flour. This banana bread is also of course egg-free and dairy-free

Banana Bread Vegan Ingredients

• Bananas: make sure to use overripe bananas. The riper the better and sweeter the banana bread will be! 
• Lemon juice: the acid in the lemon juice is important in this recipe to help the bread rise and make it light and fluffy since there are no eggs in it.
• Vegan butter: I like to use vegan butter or a buttery taste but you can also use coconut oil.
• Almond milk: you can substitute with any type of plant-based milk you love.
• Vanilla: a teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavour.
• Brown sugar: if you want to make this Vegan Banana Bread extra healthy you can alos use coconut sugar.
• All-Purpose Flour: to make this recipe gluten-free you can use a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend. If you want to make the bread extra healthy swap out half the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
• Salt: just a pinch! This helps balance the flavour in the banana bread.
• Baking powder: to help the banana bread rise.
• Baking soda: this will also help the bread rise
• Ground flax seeds: this will help everything bind together.

How to make Vegan Banana Bread

Step 1

Grab your overripe Bananas and mash them up in a medium bowl with a fork or a potato masher.

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Step 2

Add in the vegan butter, almond milk and vanilla to the mashed bananas and stir together. Then add in the brown sugar and mix it in until the sugar is dissolved.

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Step 3

Mix the flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.

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Step 4

Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter.

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Step 5

Pour the Vegan Banana Bread batter into an 8×4 inch loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Step 6

Let the Banana Bread cool completely on the counter top. Remove the banana bread from the loaf pan and cut into even slices.

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Recipe Variations

I love this Banana Bread recipe because is works great as a “base” recipe that can be adapted in many different ways. Here are some ideas on how you can adapt this recipe:

• Add mix-ins: if you love nuts, chocolates, or dried fruit, fold about 1/2 cup into the batter. Pecans, Walnuts and dark chocolate chips are delicious in banana bread! You can also sprinkle some additional mix-ins on top of the banana bread.
• Spice it up: add in 1 tsp of cinnamon or nutmeg to the banana bread for a delicious traditional flavour.
• Add nut butter: try adding 3-4 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter. When the batter is mixed, gently fold in the nut butter.
• Make it gluten-free: The key to making a gluten-free banana bread from a recipe with regular flour is to uses what’s called a 1-1 gluten-free flour . This means it can be swaped out exactly for all purpose flour (i.e. 2 cups of all purpose flour becomes 2 cups of 1-1 gluten-free flour.) This type of gluten-free flour already contains xantham gum, which is a stabilizer that will help the gluten-free bread rise.
• Make it oil-free: If you’re avoiding oil you can substitute the vegan butter or coconut oil with apple sauce. That being said, I personally find this recipe tastes much better by using some fat in it.
• Make it whole-grain: spelt flour can be substituted regular flour in this recipe. You can also use 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 cup of whole-wheat flour if you like a mix.

How to use frozen bananas in Banana Bread

If you have overripe bananas and you don’t want to make a banana bread right away, freezing them is a great way to have the perfect bananas on hand to use in recipes like banana bread, banana bread granola and banana bread muffins. Bananas will stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months.

You can freeze bananas by peeling them first and placing them in a freezer bag, or just freeze them with the peel on. Both ways are perfectly fine for freezing.

To use frozen bananas in this Vegan Banana Bread recipe, you MUST defrost them first. Don’t try adding the frozen bananas into the recipe.

To defrost the bananas you can let them thaw in the countertop, or defrost them in the microwave. If after defrosting the bananas you notice there is some excess liquid, you can strain the bananas. You want to make sure there is not too much excess liquid, otherwise you may end up throwing off the ration of the dry to wet ingredients in the recipe.

Tips for making the best Vegan Banana Bread

• Use overripe bananas. Overripe bananas are essential to a delicious banana breads. The riper the better. Overripe banans will add sweetness and more banana flavour to the banana bread. If you use bananas that are just *slightly* spotty, you’ll end up with a very bland tasting bread.
• Don’t leave out the lemon. The acid in the lemon is important in this recipe to help give the banana bread some “lift.”
• Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until combined and no large chunks remain. Overmixing can lead to tough and dense bread.
• Bake right away. Once you add the banana bread to the loaf pan, place it in the oven to bake right away. You don’t want the batter to sit too long before baking as this can cause a dense banana bread.
• Use fresh baking powder and baking soda. If your banana bread doesn’t rise, it could be because you’re using stale baking powder or baking soda. It’s best to make sure you baking powder and baking soda are fresh.

How to Store and Freeze Vegan Banana Bread

Counter: Vegan Banana Bread can be stored covered on the countertop for up to 5 days either in an airtight container to tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Keep in mind that the banana bread will dry out slightly after a couple days, so it’s best enjoyed in 2 days.

Freezer: to freeze Banana Bread, let the bread cool completely. You can cut the banana bread into slices, or leave it whole. Tightly wrap the whole banana bread or slices in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. To defrost let the banana bread thaw on the countertop.

How to make this recipe into Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

This Vegan Banana Bread recipe works well as muffins too! Simply follow the recipe directions as you would for the bread, but add the batter to a muffin tin instead, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes until golden brown on top. Make sure to use a toothpick and poke one of the muffins to see if the toothpick comes out clean. If it doesn’t, your muffins may need a little extra time!

What causes banana bread not to rise?

There are a few reasons why your banana bread might not be rising. The first is stale baking powder. Make sure to use fresh baking powder in the banana bread to give it that lift. The second possibility is the batter has been overmixed. This can cause dense banana bread that doesn’t rise as much. The third possibility is the banana bread isn’t cooked in the middle when you remove it from the oven. This can cause the banana bread to collapse.

Vegan Banana Bread FAQ

More vegan baked goods to try

• Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake
• Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Vegan Chai Latte Donuts
• Vegan Apple Crumb Muffins
• Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

If you tried this Vegan Banana Bread or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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