Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sep 12, 2023, Updated Jun 24, 2024

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The best way to use your overripe bananas – make this easy homemade Vegan Banana Bread. Moist, flavorful and delicious. Egg and dairy-free, could be made oil-free, with low-carb sweetener. Just the perfect healthy banana bread!

Sliced vegan banana bread on parchment paper

Why do we need another banana bread recipe on the internet?

Because this one is vegan and dairy-free, could be made refined sugar-free and even gluten free. It us soft, moist and super delicious. All you need are just a few pantry staples and 1 hour to make.

No electric mixer required, you can mix the batter by hand.

Healthy vegan banana bread

This banana bread recipe is super simple, yet delicious.

Made with ripe bananas for extra natural sweetness, dark chocolate chips, earthy walnuts, nut milk and flour, there is no need to even add any oil to this baked good.

Great for breakfast, coffee snack or dessert. And I can definitely have more than 2 slices at a time.

I remember the time I got into baking and later started my blog to document my journey.

Learning from everyone around me, I realized that banana bread wasn’t the easiest dessert to make and there are some tips and tricks to follow.

It is best to not under bake the dessert, use the right amount of bananas and follow a proper sugar to flour ratio. And I still got some mediocre results at times.

Now, with gluten-free and low-carb baking, that are popular and “here to stay”, I’ve learned to love and enjoy vegan and low-carb desserts.

While this bread is not gluten-free, you can use gluten-free flour. Just make sure you adjust the amounts of baking soda and baking powder. You need to use twice as much of them.

Sliced vegan banana bread on white parchment paper

How to make vegan banana bread?

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour). Gluten-free flour can be used, but the texture of the bread will not be the same. For Whole Wheat and Gluten-Free Flour, reduce the amount in the recipe to 1.5 cups.
Coconut sugar, cane sugar or erythritol
Baking soda
Baking powder – why use baking soda and baking powder together? Because in this vegan recipe, we don’t have enough acidic ingredients to help baking soda “lift up” the bread. So a combination of both will work better.
Salt – enhances the flavor and helps the bread gain a better texture.
Vanilla extract – for extra flavor
Overripe bananas, mashed – they work as a sweetener, egg and even oil replacer.
Nut milk ( you may not need it all) – milk is used to “thin” the bread batter. Depending on the consistency of the mashed bananas and the type of flour used, you may need 1/4 cup of nut milk to be added to the batter. Add 1/2 of it and check the consistency. The batter should not be thick nor runny.
Coconut oil (this is optional and I don’t use it every time, the bread is perfect without it). Vegetable oil, olive oil or melted vegan butter and be also used.
Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional). Any other nuts or seeds could be added. Other options are – almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios or pumpkin seeds.
Chocolate chips (optional) – I used vegan chocolate chips, because my family loves the banana-chocolate combination. Chopped dark chocolate can be used, too.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mash bananas in a large bowl.
Add vanilla extract. If using oil, add it and mix. Sift in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Add the sugar.
Mix to combine. Add milk, a little bit at a time. If using oil, you may not need to use all the milk. When using all-purpose flour, less milk will be needed, but you may need it all for spelt or whole wheat flour.
Mix until just combined.
The batter is thick. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts. Stir to incorporate.
Pour into the pan.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Let it cool inside the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Cut when the bread has cooled to room temperature.

Recipe Tips:

Use overripe bananas. We need that sweetness and runny mashed banana consistency.
Baking time will vary. It all depends on the type of pan and oven used, moisture of the ingredients and altitude. For high altitude baking, since the higher the altitude, the lower the pressure, you need to adjust the oven temperature and baking time. For this particular recipe, I suggest increasing the oven temperature with 20 F (7 C) and decreasing the baking time with 15-20 minutes. Check this expert article on the Wilton Blog, regarding High Altitude baking of different goods.
Baking pan – I used one of my favorite loaf pans by Kitchen Aid, but any loaf pan can be used. This banana bread can be also made in a 9×9 square dish. Just make sure you adjust the baking time. You may need to reduce it by 10 minutes or more.
Take the bread out of the oven and leave it inside of the pan to cool for 20 minutes. Then remove from the pan, place on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Slice and enjoy.
Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper – this is an important step for me. I dislike washing pans with baked goods stuck to them. You can skip the step and just spray the pan with cooking spray, but I don’t guarantee, that the bread will not stick. I suggest using a large piece of parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of the pan, then pour the batter inside.
How to store this vegan banana bread? – Once the dessert is fully cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can refrigerate for up to 1 week. The bread can be frozen, if wrapped in aluminum foil and then plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Defrost in at room temperature and consume right away.
Can you make it in advance and freeze it? Yes, this Easy Vegan Banana Bread can be made in advance and frozen. While I prefer making this bread on the day I need it (it is super quick and easy), if you decide to make it in advance or have leftovers, refrigerating or freezing it is an option.