This classic healthy vegan banana bread recipe is so deliciously soft and sweet, with absolutely no eggs or dairy required!
Say hello to your new favorite vegan breakfast.
Seriously, it’s that good.
In the three years since first making it, I’ve served the banana bread to at least fifteen non-vegan friends and family members, always with fantastic reviews and multiple requests for the recipe!
People are always shocked to find out that a naturally vegan recipe with such healthy ingredients can taste so moist, fluffy, and delicious.
Also try these easy Vegan Pancakes
With a full 2 cups of mashed banana packed into the recipe, this simple vegan banana bread is loaded with rich banana flavor.
I sent the recipe to a friend a few weeks ago, who made it for her husband and kids and said they decided it was the best banana bread they’ve ever tasted, vegan or not!
Or here is a vegan chocolate version:
Banana Loaf Ingredients
The flour: The vegan banana loaf works with spelt flour, oat flour, or plain all purpose white flour, and there’s also a low carb almond flour option linked in the recipe.
Substituting whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour will yield a denser loaf with a tougher texture, but it technically still works. I haven’t yet tried gluten free all purpose yet, and I don’t recommend coconut flour here.
The milk: With so many nondairy milks on the market, feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I normally buy almond milk or coconut milk, but soymilk, macadamia, cashew, oat milk, or hemp milk are all fine to use as well.
The sweetener: The bread calls for a granulated sweetener, such as regular sugar, coconut sugar, cane sugar, turbinado sugar, or xylitol for sugar free.
For refined sugar free banana bread, try this Healthy Banana Bread.
The oil: This can be vegetable, sunflower, or melted coconut oil. Or substitute an equal amount of peanut butter, almond butter, applesauce, vegan yogurt, milk of choice, or additional mashed banana for a low fat and oil free option.
The add-ins: The best part of the recipe is how easy it is to customize. Add a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or a tiny pinch of cardamom, 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, shredded coconut, raisins, or dried blueberries.
Making banana bread without eggs
This quick bread is a naturally eggless recipe that will rise beautifully thanks to the baking powder and doesn’t even need any chia or flax eggs.
However, if you do want to add ground flaxmeal for added fiber and nutrition, simply stir 1-2 tbsp into the batter before baking.
How to make vegan banana bread
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir all dry ingredients very well, then stir in wet to form a batter.
(I like to combine the wet ingredients first in a separate bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed, but technically you can make it a one bowl banana bread if you prefer.)
Smooth batter into the prepared loaf pan, then bake on the center oven rack for 48 minutes. In my oven, it’s always light, fluffy, and cooked through after this time, but if you live in a super humid climate or it’s a rainy day (or if your oven isn’t calibrated), yours might need a few more minutes of baking before a toothpick inserted into the center of the banana loaf comes out mostly clean.
Let it cool, then go around the sides with a knife and the loaf should pop right out. If you can wait, I recommend loosely covering overnight, because some of the excess moisture will evaporate and the flavors deepen, so it’s sweeter and better textured the next day.
For freshness, it’s best to store in the refrigerator after a day.
Eat plain or frost with coconut butter, vanilla icing, or Vegan Cream Cheese.
If there are any leftovers after 3-4 days, they can be sliced and frozen, with parchment paper in between each slice, in a glass Pyrex or plastic Tupperware container for a month or so. Thaw frozen slices before eating.
For a healthy breakfast full meal, try serving it with Tofu Scramble.
More Banana Bread Recipes
Above, watch the step by step vegan banana bread recipe video
Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups white, oat, or spelt flour (keto version: Almond Flour Banana Bread)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp each: baking powder and salt
- 2 cups mashed banana (480g)
- 3/4 cup nondairy milk of choice
- 1/4 cup oil, or additional milk of choice
- 1/2 cup sugar (a refined-sugar-free version is linked above)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- optional 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- optional 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- To make the vegan banana bread, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Stir dry ingredients well, then stir in wet to form a batter. Smooth into the pan. Bake on the center rack for 48 minutes or until light and fluffy. Let cool. If you can wait, I recommend loosely covering overnight because the taste and texture are even better the second day!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Easy Vegan Recipes
The Ultimate Vegan Cheese Sauce
(Or this vanilla Vegan Cake Recipe)
Vegan Tacos ( 5 ingredients)
This is my go-to banana bread recipe. I’ve made it more times than I can remember. Several people have told me it’s the best banana bread ever!
Thank you so much!
Katie, this is a great recipe. I’ve made many of your recipes over the years, and they NEVER disappoint. In fact, they always amaze me, given their often reduced sugar and fat compared to other same-category recipes. With this bread, I added cinnamon, as you suggested, and also chocolate chips. I like the ease of this recipe because I’m someone who always has granulated sweeteners but who does not always have liquid sweeteners like maple syrup. I also live at very high altitude (Colorado Springs, CO), and this recipe baked perfectly in approximately 45-48 minutes. It keeps very well in the fridge, covered, in my opinion, even for a couple of weeks. 😉 My husband, who does not usually like banana bread or banana flavored things thoroughly liked this recipe. Awesome job, as usual, Katie. Thank you, again, for so many wonderful recipes including this one!
Also, I used almond butter as the fat in this recipe, too, per your post. The almond butter as a flavor is not detectable for anyone who may wonder, or at least it was not in my particular banana bread load.
This makes us so happy. Thank you for making the recipes 🙂
Hi! Could you make 12 muffins from this recipe instead? Thank you
We know readers have commented here to say they’ve done it successfully by decreasing the baking time. Or you can make these if you prefer: https://lett-trim.today/banana-muffins-recipe-best/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E