We’re getting back to basics with vegan banana bread! I wanted to start tackling some of the basic baked good and vegan dessert recipes this year, really making sure I have a solid foundation for some delicious desserts before tinkering with them (and almost always adding chocolate, DUH). First up, this EASY and delicious vegan banana bread recipe! I played around with this one for months, trying to get the texture just right and making sure it’s sweet enough to be a dessert, but not too sweet so you can still eat it for breakfast. I actually polled you all on Instagram and most of you said you eat your banana bread with butter vs. peanut butter (one person was appalled someone was putting peanut butter on their banana bread, ha! However you eat it, this is one perfectly basic and delicious banana bread recipe that I see myself adding
Tips for making vegan banana bread
- Make sure your bananas are RIPE. Like I mean
ripe ripe , not like ok I could eat this maybe today ripe, but like ‘I’m going to need to freeze these or get rid of them’ kind of ripe. The ripeness adds the perfect amount of sweetness and texture to the banana bread, without making it too stiff or mushy. - Don’t overbake your banana bread! Banana bread is naturally more moist than other
breads , so make sure when you take it out, it’s done without being too done. There are two ways to tell if it’s done: insert a toothpick or sharp knife in the middle, if it comes out clean, it’s done! Or lightly touch the top of the bread and if it bounces back, that also means it’s done baking. - Mash your bananas. I know, this seems like a given, but I’ve had too many a time where I don’t mash my bananas enough and then there are these giant chunks in the bread that are just GROSS. It also won’t bake evenly and will not end up how you want it to, so just mash ’em!
- Let it cool! If you try to slice into it too soon, you’re going to have one crumbly, sad mess. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in.
- Don’t overmix! Overmixing is a cardinal sin in baking, but especially in banana bread. Only mix until the flour streaks are gone and everything is combined. It’s going to make your batter tough and it won’t rise enough to give you that perfect vegan banana bread.
Vegan Banana Bread FAQs
Can I make this into muffins?
Yes! You totally can. A loaf of banana bread batter usually equals 12-16 muffins, depending on how full you fill the cups. I usually recommend only filling them halfway up, so there is room to expand and you don’t get an overflow of batter on your pan.
Can I substitute applesauce for the oil?
Yes and no. I haven’t tried subbing in applesauce specifically for this recipe, but usually with banana breads this is totally fine! If anything, if will make the bread a bit tougher and less tender. I would recommend only subbing in half of the oil for applesauce, because you don’t want the bread to be totally dense.
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Only part of it! As I talked about on my Instagram stories, subbing in whole wheat flour is a whole other thing. It will make the bread too dense and tough if you sub it ALL in, but subbing in half would be a great way to go.
Question for you: Would you sign up for an e-mail newsletter than includes healthy substitutions for a recipe I’ve posted? Let me know in the comments!
Hope you’re all having a wonderful start to the week! We had a great weekend filled with seeing friends (we had 15 people over at our house!) and recovering from all the socializing. As an introvert/extrovert, I LOVE hanging out with our people, but also need to chill out for a bit after I’ve been around others for a day or two. Also, we are planning a trip to Montreal and I would love your suggestions! I know I want to eat all the things and see Old Town, but what else should we do and see?
Other Vegan Banana Bread recipes:
Dark Chocolate Banana Bread Granola
Banana Bread Muffins with Peanut Butter Glaze
Cranberry Banana Bread Granola
Print
Vegan Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The PERFECT healthy vegan banana bread recipe! Comes together in under an hour and is the ultimate healthy sweet treat!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large bananas
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate small bowl, peel and mash the bananas, making sure they are finely mashed. Whisk in the ground flax seed, almond milk, brown sugar, and olive oil.
- Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and mix together until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
- Usually, 2 bananas equal about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana.
- You can replace the brown sugar with granulated sugar, but the bread is going to come out much paler in color!
Keywords: vegan dessert, banana bread, vegan banana bread
jacquie says
would the substitutes include something that could be used in place of bannana’s? If so, i would definetly sign-up. So many people now seem to be using them in recipes to substitue for other ingredients but the social injustice issues regarding the workers combined with the enviromental destruction caused by their production and decomposition makes me refrain from using them.
Well and Full says
I love banana bread because it’s one of the few things I can bake without messing up. This version looks so sweet and delicious! 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Thank you, love! It’s just such a classic!
Tara Z says
Beautiful recipe! Second time making it today, its perfect 🙂 I love that you use olive oil in the recipe too. Last time i used avocado, but today used olive and its perfection. Thank you for this gem!
★★★★★