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 creating a vegan version of 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 recipe is actually better.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Overripe bananas. Your bananas absolutely need to be overripe. This means LOTS of brown spots. Preferably almost as much brown peel as yellow. Using bananas that aren't ripe enough will not only affect the banana flavor of your bread, but it will give it a dry, chewy texture.
- Sugars. We're using granulated white and brown sugar, and you'll want to make sure both are organic in order to keep the recipe vegan. Coconut sugar can be substituted for brown sugar if you'd like.
- Canola oil. Feel free to substitute another baking oil, like vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, or even olive oil. I don't recommend using vegan butter in this particular recipe.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose wheat flour, which is the only type I've tested it with. I've had a few readers that had success with various gluten-free flours though. Check out the comments below the recipe to read about their results. I suspect that whole wheat pastry flour or a mix of white and whole wheat flour would also work.
- Baking soda.
- Cinnamon. You can leave this out if you insist, but it adds a wonderful flavor to the loaf.
- Salt.
- Walnuts. You're welcome to substitute another type of nut such as pecans or hazelnuts, or use your favorite banana bread stir-in, such as chocolate chips.
Tip: 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
How to Make Vegan Banana Bread
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
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.
- Mash your bananas up in a large bowl using a fork or potato masher.
- Add some oil, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla to your mashed banana, then stir everything up.
- When your wet ingredients are mixed you can add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Fold the nuts into you batter, being careful not to overmix it.
Tip: You want to stir just until the ingredients are combined. Mixing too much will overdevelop the gluten, making your vegan banana bread tough. This rule applies with pretty much all wheat flour-based muffins and quick breads.
- 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°.
- Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes before slicing.
Tip: As with all baked goods recipes, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin baking.
Leftovers & Storage
Store your leftover vegan banana bread in it's original loaf pan, tightly covered in plastic wrap. It will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for about 1 week.
You can also seal the loaf up in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
You can optionally warm the individual slices in the microwave or oven heated to 350°F for a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually old baking soda is the culprit. Test yours by sprinkling it in some vinegar. It should fizz. If not, toss and replace it.
They're not necessary! Bananas serve the same function.
Use my vegan banana muffins recipe! I've made all the necessary adjustments for you.
More Vegan Quickbreads
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
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 (Notes 1 and 2)
- 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 (Note 3)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans, vegan chocolate chips, or your favorite banana bread stir-in)
For Topping
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°.
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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.
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Peel the bananas and place them into a large mixing bowl. Mash them well with a fork or potato masher.
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Add sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well-mixed.
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Add the flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon and salt on top of the flour.
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Stir everything together just until mixed. Don't overmix. The batter will be thick.
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Fold in the walnuts.
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Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
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Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
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Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
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Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure at least a third of your banana peel is brown, and preferably closer to half. Bananas that aren't ripe enough will negatively affect the flavor and texture of this recipe.
- You should be able to eyeball your bananas to find a medium one, but if you're in doubt, go for ones that weigh about 5 ounces (with the peel).
- While the majority of commenters on this recipe have loved it, I've also heard from a few people who found it to be too salty. I think the amount of salt is perfect, but if you tend to be sensitive to saltiness, try using only ½ teaspoon of salt the first time you make it.
I love this banana bread! I haven't made it for a while but made it today after making a different banana bread last week which turned out terribly... I was so happy to bite into this one and have it taste just as it should! I have now saved this recipe for future use so I don't make the mistake of using another banana bread recipe again!
Thank you!
This is a great recipe. Simple and with everyday ingredients and it turns out a great banana bread.
I usually weigh because I tend to unde or overfill the measuring cup. My batter turned out dry looking so I added about 1100 ml coconut milk. The bread still turned out fantastic.
I also cut the sugar in the bread down to 1/3 cup (I used date sugar) and the topping down by half. I prefer less sweetness. Many recipes are not that adaptable to reduc d sugar but this one did fine.
I was glad for the note to cut salt to 1/2 tsp. That was just right to balance out the reduced sweetness.
Thanks. This really is a great recipe and I agree that I don’t need any other for banana bread whether vegan or otherwise!
Typos in my comment -
1. I used 80 ml coconut milk.
2. I usually weigh, but this time I used a measuring cup and probably over filled.
Love this recipe! I just wanted to share that I add 3 large shredded carrots and some chocolate chips and bake it in muffin form. That way my young children will eat it AND I sneak in some veggies!
I have been using this recipe for about 2 years since I became vegan. My friends beg me to make it for them.
I use a 12 count muffin tin and cut the time to 25-30 minutes.
So good!
Wow...even the non-vegan believers loved this!!! Reminds me oh Hawaii!!!
Delish
This turned out so good for me! I adjusted this slightly to be gluten free and it turned out great! I used 230g of Great Value's Gluten Free AP Flour. I also baked it in my 10in cast iron skillet cause gf bakes seem to come out better for me when I do. It only needed around 30 mins to bake in the skillet.
I rarely have success on the first go when I adapt a recipe to gluten free. I'm super excited. I'm eyeing your zucchini bread recipe next! Thank you!!
Did you gf flour have xanthiam gum already in it?
I wanted to try this recipe but I only had two bananas and an 8 inch brownie tin instead of a bread pan, but it still tasted absolutely amazing! Definitely the best that I’ve had banana bread turn out.
this banana bread is superior to all else! I had friends tell me they literally wanted to sleep with this banana bread! the only changes I make are using 3.2 ounces of applesauce instead of oil! and I do 1/3 cup of white sugar and then 1/6 cup of brown sugar and 1/6 cup of maple syrup! It is the best recipe I have ever come across and I have made a lot of banana bread! you will not be disappointed!
can i put this in a 9x13 inch pan?
I'm pretty sure you can, but the bake time will probably need to be changed and I can't say by how much. I would start checking on it at about 20 minutes.
This bread is fantastic. I used unsweet applesauce instead of oil to further reduce the fat context, and it turned out so great. Excellent flavor and texture.
Glad I found this recipe! Plan to try some of your other recipes soon.
Accidentally hit four stars instead of five! This is 100% a five star recipe!
This was a great recipe, however there was way too much salt and I even cut it in half. I had to throw my first loaf out because it was so salty that nobody in my house wanted to eat it and we're not generally salt-sensitive. I made it again with 1/4 tsp and it was much better, but I may even cut it back a little further next time. Other than the salt, it has a great flavor and will continue using this recipe with the salt modification. I may also mix the brown sugar on top with butter or something so it sticks to the bread. By itself, I haven't found that it sticks very well/melts into the bread and a lot of it falls off when you cut it.
Love this recipe! I make it mostly as-written: I add a 4th banana cut into small chunks, folded in with the walnuts. Adds 5min to the bake time. Made this probably 10 times now, always with excellent results.
Tried this recipe yesterday! Everyone including the non vegans LOVED it!
Followed the directions as I had everything on hand and it cam out perfect!
This will definitely be my go to for banana bread! Thanks!
I’ve made this many times and love it! I’m going to try it out in muffin form next because my kids can’t stop eating it. It’s the perfect allergy friendly recipe thank you!
I've been making this banana bread for a few years now and it's absolutely the best, delicious. I usually make it with pecans but have used a variety of nuts, including brazils and also with chocolate chips. My four daughters also love it, so much, I have to make double quantities each time I make it, so everyone can take a bundle of slices home. I have it toasted with fat free ( to reduce the calories 😉) Greek yogurt on top, drizzled with maple syurp, or just toasted with butter. I've got two leaves in the oven now. Thanks