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.
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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
- 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
- 1/3 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
- 1/4 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.
Kay Kay says
January 18, 2019 at 4:10 PMI just noticed that the recipe spells out: “bake for 50 minutes, let cool for 15”. …but your directions above say to bake for 15!! You may need to correct ASAP!
Alissa Saenz says
January 20, 2019 at 3:24 PMThanks for letting me know! Corrected! :)
Daniella says
May 7, 2019 at 6:08 PMMade this today I had never made banana bread before.
Absolutely amazing. Apparently It’s the best one ever!! Have shared your website on our Instagram page – plantbasedbeginners
🌱🌱🌱
Alissa Saenz says
May 12, 2019 at 4:16 PMYay! I’m glad you like it! Thanks for the share!
Suzanne says
January 18, 2019 at 4:19 PMAny replacement for oil. Not allowed to use☹️
Alissa Saenz says
January 20, 2019 at 3:24 PMTry applesauce! I’d love to hear how it works out if you do!
Sharon says
January 18, 2019 at 11:55 PMWhat can I substitute for the oil? I’d like to try this
Alissa Saenz says
January 20, 2019 at 3:12 PMApplesauce might work, but I haven’t tried, so no guarantees!
Ashley says
January 19, 2019 at 12:42 AMCan these be made into muffins? :)
Alissa Saenz says
January 20, 2019 at 3:12 PMYup! Just reduce the bake time. About 20 minutes should do it – but keep an eye on them. :)
Kay Kay says
February 4, 2019 at 11:22 AMIt REALLY is the BEST!
E.V.E.R.
Was so happy to have excellent results on my very first try with this recipe.
Would change nothing.
Thanks for sharing!
Alissa Saenz says
February 8, 2019 at 6:46 PMYay!! I’m so happy to hear that!
Aye says
March 26, 2019 at 5:43 PMHi, how many cups would 3 medium bananas mashed be equivalent to? Trying to standardize across different sizes of banana. Thanks
Alissa Saenz says
March 27, 2019 at 9:24 AMI haven’t measured, but I’d say approximately 1 cup.
Arz says
April 10, 2019 at 4:58 PMJust baked this and it is lovely!!!
Alissa Saenz says
April 13, 2019 at 3:10 PMI’m so happy to hear it!
dxxdxx says
April 18, 2019 at 4:43 PMMade this tonight and absolutely loved it (I added a cup of raisins) I did however have to add nearly a cup of oat milk to get the dry ingredients incorporated. Not sure what I did wrong to be so dry Nevermind, all’s well that ends well – we ate some warm from the oven with vegan butter and it’s by far our favourite banana recipe x
Alissa Saenz says
April 21, 2019 at 6:36 PMWonderful! Quickbread batters are usually pretty thick and dry compared to lots of other baked goods, so it might have just needed more mixing. I’m glad it worked out though! Thanks so much!
Gina Mello says
April 19, 2019 at 8:24 PMI making this with GF flour blend 1:1..hope this this comes out good..it’s for a bunch of people for Easter
Alissa Saenz says
April 21, 2019 at 6:29 PMI think it should work! Good luck and happy Easter!
Nae Nea says
April 22, 2019 at 6:47 PMI have looked and looked, but do not find the flax egg in the ingredients OR, really, in the instructions! Plz clarify. Wanting to bake this today!
Alissa Saenz says
April 22, 2019 at 8:48 PMThat’s because there’s no flax egg in the recipe. :) The bananas themselves function as an egg substitute – you don’t need anything else!
Emily Music says
April 28, 2019 at 6:54 AMThis recipe is amazing. I have used it in both muffin and loaf pans and had to add cook time to both (5 min for loaf, 3 for muffin). I made my cafe coworkers try it and they are a hard to please bunch when it comes to baked goods but they all loved them. Thank you!
Alissa Saenz says
April 28, 2019 at 6:05 PMAwesome!! I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks Emily!
Ivy says
April 30, 2019 at 1:49 PMI decided to leave the sugar out and it turned out great. But i can’t figure it out, just how many calories are in a slice of bread now?
Alissa Saenz says
May 5, 2019 at 2:16 PMWonderful! Here’s a link to the nutrition calculator I use. Just input the recipe with your adjustments and it’ll give you full nutrition info. :)
Haddie says
May 1, 2019 at 2:04 PMIf using gluten free flour, do i use the same amount as i would regular flour? Thanks
Alissa Saenz says
May 5, 2019 at 2:11 PMYup! Enjoy!
Sandra says
May 4, 2019 at 7:43 PMCan i freeze it? I made this recepie 5 times already and people love it!
Alissa Saenz says
May 5, 2019 at 2:07 PMThat’s awesome! It should freeze just find. I’d recommend freezing the loaf before slicing, if you can.
Natalia Sandoval says
May 5, 2019 at 1:17 PMHi!
I baked this today for a language meeting I had. I was fantastic! No one noticed it was vegan and you don’t miss the eggs in the batter due to how sticky the bananas are. My cake almost doubled its size in the oven.
Such a wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much!
Alissa Saenz says
May 5, 2019 at 2:02 PMYay! I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks So much Natalia!
Eileen says
May 24, 2019 at 4:53 AMI made this for my neice and her family, all vegans. My 4-year-old great-nephew said “I love this banana bread!” Non-vegans liked it too. This goes into my permanent recipe file.
Alissa Saenz says
May 27, 2019 at 4:52 PMAwesome!! I’m glad it was a hit!
Lynda says
May 25, 2019 at 3:03 AMI’ve tried so many vegan banana bread recipes and they never work out how I would hope BUT, this one was PERFECT!! Loved and eaten by the whole family. Feels so good to eat cruelty free ❤
Alissa Saenz says
May 27, 2019 at 4:50 PMYay!! I’m so happy it worked out for you! Thanks Lynda!
Alex says
June 7, 2019 at 10:32 PMSo good!
Alissa Saenz says
June 9, 2019 at 2:21 PMI’m glad you like it!
Lola says
June 13, 2019 at 12:49 AMI have over-ripe bananas and cannot wait to surprise my fam at breakfast time with smelling this BEST EVER Banana Bread obviously from ALL the comments saying so. of course, this will get them out of bed!
Alissa Saenz says
June 16, 2019 at 2:18 PMI hope it’s a hit!!