The best banana bread ever, and it's vegan! Perfectly sweet, moist, and topped with a brown sugar crust, this delicious banana bread is super easy to make and customizable with your favorite stir-ins.
My family has the best banana bread recipe. Ever. I hate to brag, but it's true. Back when I was young and learning to cook I tried out some banana bread recipes that were decent, before my mom took me aside, handed me a recipe card and informed me that it was the only banana bread recipe I'd ever need, because it was the best!
Well, she was wrong about at least one thing, because I guess she didn't know that a time would come when a I'd need a vegan banana bread recipe. But that's not a big deal, because veganizing the old family favorite recipe was no biggie!
Oh, and well, maybe she was wrong about it being the best, because, in fact, this vegan version is actually better.
How to Make Vegan Banana Bread
The great thing about veganizing banana bread is that you don't have to fuss over figuring out the right egg substitute. Bananas do the job! I use bananas as an egg substitutes in all kinds of vegan baked goods, but when it comes to banana bread, they're already an integral part of the recipe.
Make sure your bananas are medium-sized and overripe. You want lots of brown spots! Mash them up with a fork or potato masher, and then stir in some oil, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Dry ingredients go in next: flour, baking soda, cinnamon (it works — trust me), and salt. Stir everything just until blended. Don't overdo it!
Optionally, include some stir-ins. Walnuts are my go-to, but pecans and chocolate chips are great as well. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan, smooth out the top, and sprinkle with brown sugar. This will give you an awesome crust on top!
Bake your loaf for 50 minutes at 350° and then let it cool for a few minutes before slicing.
This stuff is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
FAQ & Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Banana Bread
- Be sure to use overripe bananas for this. They should have lots of brown spots — the more the better!
- If you have overripe bananas but aren't ready to make banana bread, just freeze them! Peel them, seal them up in freezer bags, then thaw when you're ready to bake.
- Whatever you do, don't overmix the batter! You want to stir just until the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, and no more. Mixing too much will overdevelop the gluten, making your bread tough.
- HELP! My bread didn't rise! Usually old baking soda is the culprit. Test yours by sprinkling it in some vinegar. It should fizz. If not, toss and replace it.
- Can this bread be made gluten-free? I'm not sure! I think your best bet would be to replace the flour with an all-purpose gluten-free blend.
Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
The Best Vegan Banana Bread
The best banana bread ever and it's vegan! Perfectly sweet, moist, and topped with a brown sugar crust, this delicious banana bread is super easy to make and customizable with your favorite stir-ins.
Ingredients
- 3 medium overripe bananas
- ⅓ cup organic granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup organic brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil (or your favorite baking oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans, vegan chocolate chips, or your favorite banana bread stir-in)
For Topping
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°.
-
Lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan and arrange a strip of parchment paper width-wise along the center, with just a bit hanging out over each side.
-
Peel the bananas and place them into a large mixing bowl. Mash them well with a fork or potato masher.
-
Add sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well-mixed.
-
Add the flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon and salt on top of the flour.
-
Stir everything together just until mixed. Don't overmix. The batter will be thick.
-
Fold in the walnuts.
-
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
-
Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
-
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
-
Slice and serve.
Wow! I'm 54 and quite set in my ways. My whole life I've been using the same non-vegan banana bread recipe my mom used when I was a kid, and I love it. I made this one for my vegan niece who was visiting for Thanksgiving, and I also made one of my usual kind. Trying them side by side, I was amazed to find I liked this one even better. The best banana bread I've ever had of any kind. Thank you! (Note: I left out the walnuts on purpose and the vanilla extract by mistake, and it was still fantastic.)
I left off the sugar topping since I was making this for my toddler. It turned out amazing. I made it twice this week, one for myself, and one to bring to my parent's house.
Sooooo yummy!
My little prefers muffins so I spooned enough into a muffin tin (to experiment on the timing) … it turned out excellent as well: same temp but 25 minutes instead of 50 minutes.
One of the best banana bread recipes I’ve made and so simple! Absolutely delicious. I’m vegan but my parents aren’t and they loved this. I love that the recipe is accessible for those unaccustomed to vegan baking :)
This one is a keeper. Amazing recipe and thank you for posting
It turned out delicious. I used a mix of walnuts, pecans and vegan chocolate chips. Replaced half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce and only used half the brown sugar for the topping to save some calories.
Thank you for a great recipee!
Great recipe! A bit too salty for my taste, but overall a great flavor.
This can be made gluten-free! I made it substituting the flour for a rice flour-based mix, 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum and added a teaspoon of baking powder. Because gluten-free recipes do well with extra protein I added an egg. If you can find a vegan protein source go ahead and add that although it might be fine without it. I also added frozen blueberries and it was so good! I was so happy to find a recipe that didn’t have any form of butter since I can’t eat that.
I wasn’t able to add this to my Pinterest board though.
Fabulous recipe! Made muffins and they are incredibly delicious! Thank you for all your creations, you make vegan food sing!
I made this as directed and it came out dry and crumbly. If i slice it it falls apart. Hard to take to a party
Very very yummy. I decided to try this instead of veganizing my old recipe. It was excellent as prepared per the recipe. It is a keeper!