Vegan Banana Bread
Apr 02, 2020, Updated May 07, 2023
Easy and quick Vegan Banana Bread requires only a handful of ingredients! Enjoy with a cup of coffee!
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Have overripe bananas? Make this quick and easy Vegan Banana Bread with readily available ingredients!
This bread is so good with a cup of coffee, chai or even a glass of milk.
I don’t always buy bananas and the reason is that I always buy more than we can consume.
The bunch that you get at stores, yeah we can never finish it before it starts going bad.
So, few weeks back we had the same problem again and I did what I usually do when I have overripe bananas and that is to make a banana bread!
It is my favorite thing to do with overripe bananas, yes I could freeze them and make smoothies or use them for pancakes or mash then in oatmeal, the possibilities are endless but bananas bread is always my “to-go” thing when faced with this situation.
This Vegan Banana Bread
✔ is easy to make with readily available ingredients.
✔ is moist and bursting with banana flavor.
✔ makes the perfect snack or breakfast!
For a good banana bread, always make sure to use really ripe bananas. The ones with brown spots are best to be used in this recipe.
Riper the banana, sweeter the bread. Also the flavor of the banana really comes through when the bananas are ripe.
Other than the bananas, the recipe calls for basic ingredients like flour, sugar, oil, baking soda, vanilla and salt.
I also added some walnuts because I love walnuts in my banana bread. You can add anything you like or keep it plain if that’s how you like it.
Chocolate chips would be a nice addition too!
One of the key things to remember is to not over-mix the batter.
You don’t even need a stand or hand mixer to make this batter, a wire whisk will do.
That’s what I used, just a wire whisk and that is why it is so simple to make this recipe. You can whisk as much as you want before you add the flour.
But, once you add the flour, do not over-mix the batter. More you mix => more gluten => tougher bread.
And we are looking for a soft banana bread here, right? So mix until just combined. Few streaks of flour are completely fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Optional add-ins: other than walnuts, you can add pecans, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, raisins, dried blueberries, cherries. They all will go well in here!
Can you make this oil-free? I have not tried but you can try replacing the oil with applesauce. It should work!
How to store the bread? The bread is okay at room temperature, covered for 3-4 days. If you want it to last longer, you should keep it the fridge. You can also freeze it, it should be okay for couple of months.
When you want to eat it, just thaw the bread in the refrigerator.
Can I leave brown sugar and use all white sugar? No, don’t leave the brown sugar out here if possible.
I like using brown sugar here since it not only makes the bread moist also helps in activating baking soda since it’s acidic in nature.
If you want, you may use 100% brown sugar here. I like using bit of white sugar to balance out the flavors and moistness.
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
1- In a bowl sift together flour, cinnamon powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2- In another large bowl, mash the bananas using a fork or potato masher. You should have around 1.5 to 1.75 cups mashed banana.
3- Add the sugars to the mashed banana and mix using a whisk until combined.
4- Then add the vanilla and mix.
5- And also add oil and mix until combined.
6- Start adding the flour mix in parts, add half of it and mix.
7- Then add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk (I used cashew milk) and mix followed by remaining of the flour mix. You can add additional tablespoon of milk if the batter looks too thick.
8- Do not over-mix the batter, few streaks of flour is okay. Batter will be thick.
9- Add in chopped walnuts.
10- Fold them into the batter using a spatula.
11- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
12- Bake at 350 F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Every oven is different so keep an eye on the bread after 45 minutes.
Cover the bread with an aluminium foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning.
Let the bread cool completely and then slice. Enjoy this vegan banana bread with a cup of coffee or chai!
If you’ve tried this Vegan Banana Bread Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour 260 grams
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large bananas mashed, around 1.5 to 1.75 cups mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup brown sugar 100 grams, I used light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar 25 grams, make sure it is vegan
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 ml
- 1/4 cup oil 2 oz/60 ml, I used canola oil
- 1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk 15-30 ml, I used cashew milk
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a bowl sift together flour, cinnamon powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, mash the bananas using a fork or potato masher. You should have around 1.5 to 1.75 cups mashed banana.
- Add the sugars to the mashed banana and mix using a whisk until combined.
- Then add the vanilla, oil and mix.
- Start adding the flour mix in parts, add half of it and mix. Then add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk (I used cashew milk) and mix followed by remaining of the flour mix. You can add additional tablespoon of milk if the batter looks too thick.
Do not over-mix the batter, few streaks of flour is okay. The batter will be thick. - Add in chopped walnuts and fold them into the batter using a spatula.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.Cover the bread with an aluminium foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Every oven is different so keep an eye on the bread after 45 minutes.
- Let the bread cool completely and then slice. Enjoy this vegan banana bread with a cup of coffee or chai!
Video
Notes
- Every oven is different so keep an eye on the bread after 45 minutes. You don’t want to over-bake it.
- Once the bread has been in the oven for 30 minutes, take it out and cover loosely with a foil, and put it back in the oven. This prevents excessive browning of the bread.
- You may use regular dairy milk here, the recipe just won’t be vegan then.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent recipe. i have tried many of the recipes but nothing as good as this . Thanks
Lovng it.
Tried it for the first time & just loved it. Super easy & quick to make & perfectly soft, moist bread I ever had. Highly recommended!
glad to know!
Manali this bread is incredible! I will make every time I have ripe bananas. I added some blueberry raisins.
Thank you for your beautiful work and your very good tast. I’m your fan. From Argentina! Blessings♡
Glad to know Ailen 🙂
My daughter tried this recipe and it came out great! We all enjoyed it for the entire week!!!
awesome!
I tried this recipe. It came out extremely well!! Thank you for this recipe.
Your recipe is awesome! My grandchildren loved it.
this may seem like a weird question but, do you think there are any substitutes for the non-dairy milk? that isn’t cow milk. I don’t want to buy an entire carton of plant milk and only use 2 tablespoons
you can use non-dairy milk in smoothies, oatmeal and so much more. anyway try water
Hi Manali,
Wanted to know the reason for not adding any baking powder? Also, can we use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Thanks!
doesn’t need it. there’s baking soda which reacts with acidic things like banana, brown sugar. You can try with whole wheat, haven’t tested but some have made it successfully with whole wheat.
Hi Manali, can I substitute sugar with jaggery in equal amount?
you can try 🙂
This is the best vegan banana bread I’ve ever made! Only change I made was that I blended the bananas with the sugar and oil in a blender. So yummy!
glad to know!
Hey Manali…
First up..You have a great website! Love your tips and tricks.
Your measurements and explanations are bang on!
Coming to the banana bread recipe, what is the microwave convection mode equivalent for 350 deg F? I have a LG microwave with a convection mode option that does not allow temps to go beyond 200 deg F.
Hi Shambhavi, I don’t have much knowledge about microwave baking or convection mode. I have always baked in a traditional oven. But looks like you live in India so the setting on your oven are in centigrade and not fahrenheit. I live in US hence mention the temperature in fahrenheit. The bread in baked at 350 F which is 180 C for you.
oh gosh! that is silly of me!
Thank you for pointing this out!
Can I try this recipe in the Kent bread maker machine?
sorry I don’t have a bread maker machine so can’t answer that.
Can I add cocoa powder to make it chocolate walnut banana bread??
few tablespoons of cocoa powder should be okay, might have to add a little more liquid to make up for it
Hi..
I am planning to make banana bread. Can you tell me what is the substitute for vanilla extract and cinnamon powder?
I will skip the vanilla and use any other spice that you like in place of cinnamon. Cardamom maybe if you have that?
Ok. Thanks. And what can be used instead of baking soda.. I do having baking powder
This recipe needs baking soda, brown sugar and bananas are acidic in nature and hence baking soda works well here. But you have try adding around 2 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in place. I cannot guarantee the results since I haven’t tested the recipe with baking powder but you can try.
Loved this recipe, turned out great. Made it with whole wheat and regular milk. Thanks manali
Can yeast be used instead of baking powder? I plan to use a bread machine for this !
no can’t use yeast here
I made this tonight and it turned out great! I used mostly applesauce in place of oil. I’m so thankful for a vegan bananas bread recipe!
Hi Manali,
I’m def gonna try your recipe. If I use frozen ripe bananas, would you recommend I use slightly less liquid(s) in the mix?
Thanks ?
yes frozen banana on thawing will have lot of liquid so I will cut down on the liquid.
I used frozen bananas and they had some liquid after thawing so I skipped the milk and it was moist enough.
This looks delicious. Bookmarking to try!