You can make our vegan banana bread in one bowl with one fork and eight simple pantry staples.
The bread is soft, perfectly moist, and packed with the natural flavor of ripe bananas.
Whether you are vegan or simply looking for a healthier and more sustainable treat, you’ll love this recipe, so grab your ripe bananas and let’s get cooking!
Table of Contents
Dietary Note: This recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet when using gluten-free flour.
Did you know that banana bread was popularised by excellent marketing efforts from Chiquita (the banana company), who released a Banana’s Recipe book in the 1950s to boost banana sales in the USA.
The recipe was a hit; after all, banana bread tastes delicious and is easy to bake.
Our vegan banana bread recipe stays faithful to the original, using only simple pantry staples.
You won’t find flax egg, ground flaxseed, aquafaba, or other types of egg replacement here.
We’ve done many tests, and we are confident you can make the best vegan banana bread with the simplest ingredients.
The texture of this banana bread is light; it almost dissolves in your mouth as you bite into it.
The crumb is easy to slice, moist but not excessively, and you won’t need to bake it for hours. It has a naturally delicious banana flavor.
Vegan banana bread video
Ingredients & Substitutions
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Ripe Bananas
Try to use ripe or overripe bananas to make the best banana bread. Pick the ones with black spots on the peel. They are sweeter and easier to mash.
If you don’t have very ripe bananas, use regular ones and add 1/4 cup of extra sugar.
Flour
We use all-purpose flour.
Substitute half whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) with half all-purpose flour. For gluten-free, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for baking.
Sugar
We use brown sugar, but any sugar works. White sugar, palm sugar, and coconut sugar are all good alternatives.
Remember that coconut sugar is less sweet, so you might need to add 25% more than our doses.
Feel free to add more sugar if you like sweeter banana bread; you can go up to 1.5 cups.
We haven’t tried this recipe with maple syrup.
Non-Dairy Milk
We use almond milk. Any other dairy-free milk works. For example, we tested soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk, and they all worked great.
Oil
We recommend olive oil or avocado oil because they are the healthiest oils you can bake with.
Substitute any neutral-flavored vegetable oil for olive or avocado oil. We tested canola oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil, and they worked perfectly.
To make the recipe oil-free, you can substitute yogurt, apple sauce, or milk for oil in the same quantities.
We think oil is superior (and healthier) to butter when making quick breads because it produces a light and moist crumb. Butter produces a heavier, denser, and drier loaf.
For butter lovers, you can surely add unsweetened melted butter to this recipe instead of oil.
Melted coconut oil and vegan butter work, too.
Vanilla extract
Vanilla extract, or the seeds of a vanilla pod, adds a pleasant aroma and depth of flavor, and we recommend it.
Baking powder and baking soda
Baking powder is essential in baking a domed banana bread like the one you see in our picture, with a light, airy crumb.
If you are looking for a more natural alternative to baking powder, then cream of tartar is your best bet.
Baking soda makes the crumb super light and soft. It also adds a beautiful golden-brown color.
Salt (optional)
You won’t taste the salt in this recipe; however, salt helps in bringing the other flavors together and making tastier banana bread with a fuller flavor.
If you are on a low-sodium diet, keep the salt out.
What about add-ins?
Customize your loaf by stirring in your favorite add-ins. We like it with the following:
- Nuts: check out our banana nut bread recipe. You can use chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.
- Raisins and cranberries: 1/2 cup.
- Dark chocolate chips: 1/2 cup.
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon.
- Grated zucchini: check out our banana zucchini bread recipe.
- Hazelnut chocolate spread: 1/2 tablespoon per slice to spread on top once baked.
How to make vegan banana bread
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 9 x 5 inch (23 cm x 12 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork until you get it to a pureed consistency.
Add non-dairy milk, olive oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the mashed banana. Mix with the same fork until well combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir the banana mixture until just combined. You can use the same fork.
Don’t over-mix the batter; lumps are ok. Overmixing will develop the gluten that will make your loaf gummy and heavy.
Tip: Avoid using a whisk, electric mixer, hand mixer, or stand mixer; you’ll risk overmixing the batter. A fork or spatula is more than enough.
Tip: At this stage, you can fold in your favorite add-ins.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake immediately at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 to 50 minutes.
Tip: don’t overbake, or the loaf will dry out. Check doneness at the 40-minute mark. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, the vegan banana bread is ready. If not, keep baking in 2.5-minute increments.
Let the banana bread cool down for 15 minutes in the loaf pan, then pull it out and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack (at least 1 hour).
Slice with a bread knife and enjoy. We recommend 0.8-inch or 2-cm thick slices.
Variations
Banana muffins
You can make 12 vegan banana bread muffins with the same batter. They only take 23 minutes to bake!
You can add chopped nuts or chocolate chips as regular banana bread.
To bake banana bread muffins, use a standard 12-muffin tin (or two 6-muffin tins). You must line the pan with muffin liners or squares of parchment paper.
Check out our vegan banana muffin recipe.
Banana nut bread
Want to make this recipe with nuts? Walnuts taste delicious with the banana; we think they are the best add-in for banana bread. The recipe is also dairy- and egg-free.
Check out our banana nut bread recipe.
Banana zucchini bread
This one’s a favorite on our Instagram. Everyone loves it! The grated zucchini adds even more moisture, and the bread stays soft for almost an entire week.
Check out our banana zucchini bread recipe.
Questions
If your bananas are black inside, have lost all texture, and taste funny, they are probably too ripe for banana bread. Keep in mind that bananas can have completely black peel and still be perfectly fine inside.
Yes. To do that, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend made for baking.
Many recipes call for large eggs in banana bread. However, we find no need to add eggs to make a delicious banana bread loaf. The bananas act as a binder and eliminate the need for eggs.
We recommend using oil instead of butter to keep your banana bread moist. Also, don’t overbake the loaf, and wrap it well in plastic once it has cooled down.
There are two ways to tell when bananas are ripe enough for banana bread:
1) visually, if they have dark spots on their peel, they are ripe enough.
2) taste them; If they are soft and sweet, you can use them for banana bread.
If you don’t have enough bananas, use apple sauce, grated apples, grated zucchini, or pumpkin puree instead in the same metric/gram quantities.
Storage
Make ahead: this vegan banana bread is an excellent recipe to make ahead and for meal prep because it stays moist for days, and its taste gets better on the second day.
Room temperature or fridge: vegan banana bread stays on the counter for 3 – 4 days or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Either way, wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep it fresh and moist.
Freezer: you can freeze banana bread for up to 3 months. Make sure it cools down completely, then wrap it in plastic and freeze. If you’d like single portions, you can cut it into slices before freezing.
Thaw: defrost in the microwave or at room temperature over several hours. Do not freeze multiple times.
More breakfast recipes
Get more breakfast and brunch ideas with these easy, sweet, and savory meals:
Desserts
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Tofu
Tofu Scramble
30-Min Meals
Vegan frittata – no eggs, no tofu
Breakfast
Bircher Muesli
More banana recipes
Serve them for brunch, breakfast, or as a meal – these recipes with bananas are tasty and wholesome:
For many more breakfast ideas, check out our breakfast category page.
Vegan Banana Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan 9 x 5 inch (23 cm x 12 cm)
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- 3 ripe bananas 330 grams, 12 ounces, or 1⅓ cup mashed
- ⅓ cup almond milk or any other milk
- ¼ cup olive oil or any other neutral vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.In a large bowl, mash 3 ripe bananas with a fork.
- Add ⅓ cup almond milk, ¼ cup olive oil, ¾ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Sift in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 pinch salt. Stir until just combined. You can use the same fork.Don't over-mix the batter; lumps are ok. Overmixing will develop the gluten that will make your loaf gummy and heavy.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
- Let cool down for 15 minutes in the loaf pan, pull it out, and cool down completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
- Slice with a bread knife and enjoy. We recommend 0.8-inch or 2-cm thick slices.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this vegan banana bread, you might also like:
Hi
Has anybody tried gluten free flour for this Vegan Banana Bread?
Well THAT was easy! Thanks – came out great! I dry-fried diced pecans in a skillet to mix in.
That sounds fantastic, Sam. Great idea with pecans, yum!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Hello Nico!
What’s the difference between the recipes “Banana Nut Bread” and “Vegan Banana Bread”?
Except put nut inside and plant milk different. Are the other ingredients any different?
Thank you!
Hi JY,
thanks for your message 🙂
The recipes are very similar, Banana Nut Bread has a little less sugar than Banana Bread and of course nuts in it.
I hope this helps.
Nico
Any tips on substituting yogurt for oil? Also, use oat or almond flour instead of all purpose flour? Thanks.
Hi Sona!
Yes, to make this banana bread oil-free, you can substitute yogurt, apple sauce, or milk for oil, use a 1:1 ratio.
As for almond and oat flour, we haven’t experimented with these just yet. These flours would change the moisture level of the cake, so it would require some testing that we haven’t had time to do yet.
I hope this clarifies the variations a little 🙂 Have a great week ahead!
Kindest,
Louise
Thank you Nico, another delicious recipe from Plant Based School:)
Hi Holly, thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment – I’m delighted you liked it!! Have a great Sunday. Cheers, Nico
Dear Nico,
Thank you for taking the time to explain the recipe so clearly. I followed your exact instructions and it came out exactly as you have described it. It’s the best banana loaf I have ever tasted or made. Very tasty, quite light, sliceable, manageable, even toastable! I must admit that I added almond essence instead of vanilla, by error because I got the bottles mixed up, but it’s worth a try. The taste is really lovely.
thank you….
Hi Dipti, thank you for your kind comment. Wow, I’m so happy you like the loaf (despite the almond essence, actually quite a good idea!). Have an amazing day! Cheers, Nico
Thank you this looks amazing. Do you think applesauce would work in place of the oil?
Hi there! Yes you can. To be honest, we haven’t tried with the banana bread but with the zucchini bread and it worked very well! Cheers, Nico