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!
Jump to:
Well, she was wrong about at least one thing, because I guess she didn't know that a time would come when 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.
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. Check out the photo below to get an idea of what this looks like. 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 It's Made
Below 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 vegan egg substitutes in all kinds of baked goods, but when it comes to banana bread, they're already an integral part of the recipe.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Oil a loaf pan, then cut a sheet of parchment paper to about half the length of your pan. Line the pan with the parchment paper as shown in the photo above. You'll use that little bit of overhang to lift your banana bread from the pan when it's ready.
Step 3: Peel and place your bananas into a large mixing bowl, then use a fork or potato masher to mash them up. Get the mixture relatively smooth, but don't break a sweat! In fact, leave a few little chunks if you like. Personally, I think little chunks are part of the charm of homemade banana bread.
Step 4: Add sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl, then stir everything up.
Step 5: Add your flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the other dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients — baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Tip: Wondering why we sprinkle the other dry ingredients on top of the flour? That's how we keep this as a one-bowl recipe! This method helps to ensure that everything gets mixed in evenly, without you having to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Step 6: Stir the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Don't overdo it!
Step 7: Now, gently fold in the walnuts. The batter will be very thick.
Tip: Stir your batter 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.
Step 8: Pour the batter into your loaf pan and smooth it on top.
Step 9: Sprinkle some brown sugar over the top of your unbaked loaf. I like to gently press it in a bit with my hands.
Step 10: Pop the pan into the oven and bake your vegan banana bread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 11: Let your loaf cool for at least 15 minutes. At this point you have the option of removing it from the pan. Use the extra parchment paper hanging over the sides to pull it out.
Tip: As with all baked goods recipes, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin baking.
Step 12: Once your vegan banana bread has cooled completely, go ahead and slice it up. Dig in!
If you love this recipe and have more overripe bananas to use up, try my vegan banana waffles, vegan French toast casserole, vegan banana cake, or vegan banana pancakes!
Variations
- Chocolate chip banana bread. Instead of walnuts, add a cup of vegan chocolate chips to the batter. And if you're a chocolate lover, make sure to check out my vegan chocolate banana bread recipe as well!
- Switch up the nuts. Replace the chopped walnuts with pecans, almonds, or peanuts.
- Spiced banana bread. Include some additional warming spices, such as cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. You can increase the amount of ground cinnamon as well!
- Garnish with an extra banana. Cut a banana in half, lengthwise, then place the halves over your loaf before baking, cut sides up. Gently press them in. I recommend skipping the brown sugar topping if you go with this option.
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.
When I created this recipe, I used overripe bananas weighing about five ounces each. This includes the peel and everything. Having said that, the recipe is forgiving, and unless you rarely buy bananas, you should be fine to simply use what look like medium-sized bananas to you.
More Vegan Quick Breads
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!
📖 Recipe
The Best Vegan Banana Bread
Equipment
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
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Lightly oil a 9 x 5 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 wire rack. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let it cool completely before slicing.
- Slice and serve.
Video
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.
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Hello, Thank you for this recipe. I made it today and my boyfriend is a happy man :). I did not use the walnuts because it didn't have any but it came out really good. Thanks :) Stay Safe!
The salt ruined it for us here, we ate one piece and threw the rest away.
If I could give this bread 1,000 stars I would! I made it for the second time this morning and again it is incredible.
The first time I did not use the walnuts. This time I did and it is even better! This make a very moist loaf. The texture is perfect in my opinion. This is the first banana bread recipe I've used that resulted in the entire loaf being eaten! If you are concerned about the sugar - I made it using 1/2 cup of brown sugar and no other sugars and it was sweet and delicious. I think you could cut it back even further if your bananas are black and naturally sweet like the ones I use. Try this recipe! You won't regret it.
holy hell this is the most delicious banana bread of all time ! i found it a little sweet so next time i wouldnt add so much sugar but dear lord this is so decadent !!!
I used coconut sugar instead of what you recommended and chopped almonds instead of walnuts as we didnt have any, also sprinkled some dedicated coconut+oats on top before the sugar.
ive never been one for banana bread but ive been converted ! must try recipe !!!
I have made this recipe numerous times. I substitute applesauce for the oil. It is not too salty for our tastes. I have made it as a loaf and as muffins. My favorite is muffins so I have one instead of eating the entire loaf! I bake the 12 muffins at 340 degrees for about 25 minutes. It is easy, does not require 2 or 3 pans and absolutely delicious!
Awesome recipe, not unnecessarily complicated. I subbed gf plain flour instead of normal cause I’m celiac and it still worked great:))
I absolutely love love (love!) this recipe. I've made it more than 5 times in the last couple of months and keep recommending it all the time. Thank you so much
The best! Held together nicely. I used agave syrup instead of sugar and used 1 cup flour and 1 cup rolled oats.
I have been searching for a banana bread recipe that works for my dietary needs as I have to eat gluten, dairy, corn and egg free. This is a fabulous recipe, very tasteful and so easy. However...only the top half of the loaf turned out somewhat edible. In every recipe I use for banana bread, I can say that I can't get the bread to fully cook. I end up throwing out my whole loaf. My soda is new; I measure my flour correctly; I stir very gently; I leave it in the oven for about an hour. I'm so frustrated. Does anyone have any suggestions please?
Have you tried testing your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? That could be the issue, particularly since this has been happening with multiple recipes. You could also try using a different loaf pan - different materials conduct differently. I use a glass pyrex pan, for reference. I hope that helps! I'm glad you like the recipe and I hope you can get it to work for you!
Thank you for the immediate reply ;) Cookies and casseroles seem to turn out fine, but I will test my oven for sure. I was wondering if you have ever measured your bananas? Since my bread was so moist, maybe my version of 3 medium bananas was wrong. It seemed like a lot of bananas. Thank you so much!!
I weighed them for another recipe and they were about 5 ounces each. I hope that helps!
Wow! This vegan banana bread is AMAZING! Made this tonight and my family loved it. Even my anti-vegan husband lol. The addition of the brown sugar on top is the greatest thing EVER! Thank you so much for sharing.
TRULY THE BEST!
I doubled the recipe & made some modifications because I didn’t have brown sugar, so I did part organic cane sugar and part maple syrup instead! For my oil I used coconut oil, everything else was the same though & man it’s delicious and made a beautiful brown loaf. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the recipe! A lot of vegan recipes call for an acid such as vinegar to pair with the baking soda base. How well does this bread rise? I'm nervous to try it without the vinegar, so I'm going to add a little vegan "buttermilk" to go with it...
You can leave out the vinegar - the bananas are acidic enough for the baking soda to react. Enjoy!
Could you use this recipe for zucchini bread? If you can how much zucchini should I use
Love this recipe!!!
So glad you like it! I'd actually recommend trying my vegan zucchini bread recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-zucchini-banana-bread/
Amazing - I ran out of flour and used pancake mix so not entirely vegan as there is dried egg in the pancake mix. Omitted nuts b/c I hate nuts in anything other than salads and spreads. Best banana bread I've ever made. Only needed to bake for 35min.
I have been making another vegan Banana bread for my husband that he loved....but I thought I would try something different. I think yours is now the new favorite ! The Brown sugar on top gives a nice little crunch. EVERYTHING YOU MAKE has been a home run for us! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I am not a vegan, only 1 person is in my 4 person household. I was skeptical of this tasting satisfying without butter. Shockingly, this is one of the best banana breads I have ever tried. I followed the recipe exactly except used choc chips instead of walnuts. It even smells buttery - maybe it's the vanilla. Anyways, kudos to you.
It may sound dramatic, but this is the best banana bread I've ever had. This is my fourth time making it in the past month, and my dad (who normally isn't huge on banana bread) is absolutely obsessed. Love flaunting that it doesn't even have eggs in it, too! Thanks so much for this, saving this recipe for life!
This is really good!
I made mine whole food plant based. Here are the subs I did:
-raw sugar for granulated sugar
-maple syrup for brown sugar
-unsweetened applesauce for oil
-almond flour for all purpose flour
-raw sugar sprinkled on top
Next time I may use a little more applesauce to make it more moist. The flavor was really good! Thanks for sharing!
I have only made banana bread a couple of times but I'm so glad I found this recipe!! I will make it a lot more often! It was perfect. The only thing I added was a few walnuts with the sugar on top but other than that I wouldn't change a thing! :)
Thanks for sharing this! I've been looking all over for a good vegan banana bread recipe. It tastes great but is way too dry for me.
I'm surprised you thought it was dry, everyone who tried this thought it was the opposite. People commented on how moist it was, maybe just personal preference.
Mine turned out really dry as well it was almost crumbling when you ate it. I tried slathering on a bunch of butter and it was a bit better but it was pretty hard to eat.
Made this tonight with my 12 year old son. It was Absolutely divine. We had a blast making it and it was super easy for a not great baker like myself. Came out beautifully. Thanks so much! Will be making this again soon.
great!
THanks for a great recipe--glad I chose this one. Appreciate that it tolerated my major experimentation!
Made a double recipe, but only had 5 bananas so I threw in around 1/2 c- 3/4c pumpkin puree. No sugar (keeping our immune systems up during covid times), used 1/3 c maple syrup. Added some flax (1/4 c?) mash into the banana and let it sit for a few minutes. Used a little less than 4 c flour (double recipe) as I was using whole white wheat flour. Used 1.5 t soda and 1/2 t baking powder (I don't like the bitter taste when there's more than a t or so of b soda).
I then put the mixture in huge spoons on a baking sheet--like giant scones or biscuits. Not the prettiest, but they baked in around 25 minutes and the hungries were waiting!
I have this baking in the oven as I type this. It came together so quickly and easily. I didn’t have brown sugar, so I substituted coconut sugar, and I omitted the sprinkle on top. I am curious to know the protein content of this recipe. It appears to be missing from the nutrition chart.
Opps! It's 6 grams. I just added it - thank you for catching that!
My boyfriend, the carnivore: *walks downstairs* (incredulous and slightly mocking tone) “Are these vegan?”
Me: “ya...” (Hadn’t tried them yet)
Him: “OMG OMG OMG! Can you make more?!”
Boom. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I just made this bread today. My husband, a banana bread expert (taster category) said it was the best! I’m shocked that a vegan loaf was so tasty. A little sweet for me...a little less white sugar nexT time.
I love that you are sharing a vegan banana bread recipe, as its one of the easiest and most delicious quick breads to veganize. Unfortunately, the 1 whole teaspoon of salt ruined the recipe for me. I should have cross-checked with other recipes before cooking, because once I did, I found that most other recipes call for between 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt (and absolutely none of them call for as much as 1 tsp). Can you tell me why you put so much salt in? Do you generally put more salt in your recipes than others do, or was there a reason you felt more salt was necessary for this? Since it's such an unusual amount I'm curious about the reasoning. I totally understand that taste is subjective and some people love more and others less of salt and sugar, but this was excessive and ruined the flavor balance of the bread. I guess its a lesson in being familiar enough with ingredients to know what each of our own tolerances is. :)
As you said, taste is subjective. And as you can see, there are a lot of good reviews from people who loved this recipe. I'm sorry it's not for you!
so good!! can i use less flour or is this much required?
Thank you! This much is require, at least as far as I know. I haven't tested the recipe with less.
My bread is crumbly and tastes bland. Very disappointed.
This is my favorite recipe for banana bread! I've made it 5 or 6 times then made it today as muffins. Baked for 20 min at 375 oven in a standard muffin tin. So good, can't even tell it's vegan. Thank you!
Yum! Simply yum. Subbed with coconut oil and walnuts with choc. chips. It came out so good! Moist and delicious.
I’ don’t have vanilla. Otherwise I made it accordingly. It turned out with a brown thick putty like inside rather than a bread.
I loved the addition of the brown sugar on top, but sadly found the banana bread too salty for my liking. It's not inedibly salty, but it's quite noticeable and detracts from the taste of the bananas and walnuts. Salt is such a subjective thing as we all have different tolerances, but I suspect I wouldn't be alone in finding 1tsp too much, so wanted to mention it. This recipe definitely has great potential and I think that once I adjust the salt to suit my tastes (decrease to 1/2tsp), it'll be an easy five stars. 😊
I totally agree - I tasted the batter and almost spit it out! I've made a lot of vegan banana bread in my day and its never tasted salty. This was barely edible. I should have compared to other recipes, I thought 1tsp sounded like a lot I'd be curious to know how 1 tsp was decided upon for this recipe. So disappointing to waste a whole bread because of too much salt but this was horrible. :(
I agree - WAY too salty. I thought I had misread the recipe! I LOVED it otherwise - I can tell that if I cut back on the salt next time it will be perfect!!!!
This banana bread recipe was soooo delicious, I truly enjoyed it . Thank you!!
Excellent banana bread!
Thank you so much for this banana bread recipe! It truly is the best I've ever tried. I made it last week with 5 kids home due to the pandemic. It was gobbled up in a day! I am planning to make it again today. We all loved the brown sugar topping! Just delicious! Thank you, thank you!
Oh dear, this is delicious!
I had never had banana bread because it’s not just a cake typical of where I’m from (Portugal). I thought I wouldn’t like it very much because I don’t like ripe bananas or cooked bananas, but since I had 2 bananas looking not so great, I decided to give it a try.
I had to make the adjustments for just 2 bananas and added roasted peanuts instead of walnuts.
This is fantastic, absolutely brilliant and so easy and quick! Thank you!
This is such an easy yet delicious recipe.
Definitely my go to recipe for banana bread.
You were not exaggerating, this is the BEST banana bread! Like you, I have tried many, many banana bread recipes and none compare to yours. First, let's start with the fact that this contains 3 whole bananas...YES! I knew it was legit from the start. Not too much oil, brown sugar...oh my...this is a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing with the world. This will be go to from now on.
Simple one-bowl recipe and truly delicious!!! I added walnuts and vegan chocolate chips. So addictive! I will throw away every other recipe!. 😊
this is my go to banana bread recipe now... i’m thinking of trying to adapt it to muffins, is there anything i should modify for that?
Glad you like it! I actually went ahead and adapted it to muffins! Here's the recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-banana-chocolate-chip-walnut-muffins/
Made it twice in the past two weeks and my older teens asked if I can make it again today. I added a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and a quarter cup dried cranberries. Delicious.
Yum! I made this bread during the time of corona and now it will be a keeper. My mods:(1) whole wheat flour, instead of white flour; (2) 1/3 cup brown sugar with 1.5 tbs of white sugar; (3) one flax egg - 1 tbs flax + 3 tbs of warm water; (4) almost 1/3 cup applesauce and remaining bit oil; (5) Greased pan with vegan butter, instead of using liner. It turned out AMAZING and even my non-vegan parents who complain, loved it. Thanks so much!!
I've made this recipe several times and it is hands down the best banana bread ever!
Would whole wheat pastry flour work? It's all I have. Thanks!
I don't see why not! Enjoy!
Oh my stars! I love this recipe! I wanted to put my overly ripe bananas to good use and The Best Vegan Banana Bread recipe did just that! Of course, my carnivorous friends balked at the idea, they don’t know what they are missing.
Thank you for posting this recipe.
Stumbled upon this recipe last year and once I tried it, immediately became my go-to for banana bread. Even my meat-eating family members ask for this particular recipe and appreciate that there's nothing "weird" in it. Baking four loaves right now to distribute for our socially distant Easter dinner.
Hello Alissa --- Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe! I too made it during quarantine, and it is SO GOOD! I used coconut oil, and melted it to liquid consistency in the microwave before blending... I used 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract, cuz I love almond flavor so much. This combo is subtle, but the hint of almond is there! That simple topping of just brown sugar is perfect! It gets lightly crispy and is so good on top. I only had what I think is an 8 inch loaf pan, rather than 9 inch, but all the batter did fit in, I wasn't sure if it would overload it and not bake well. I ended up keeping it in the oven for a full hour and that was just right. I've already shared the recipe link with friends...! Thx Again! : )
Such a quick and simple recipe! Thank you for giving me something delicious to make during self isolation. I included walnuts and chocolate chips & such a good combo!
I made this tonight. Have to say I do not agree with you. It is not the best Vegan banana bread, I think it's the best banana bread hands down. I added walnuts and resisted the chocolate chips. The brown sugar topping is fantasti. cI have posted it on my Instagram page @SurroundedByCarnivores. Thanks
Love your blog name!!! Thanks for this recipe. I used a mixture of chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts, and substituted 1/4 cup organic all purpose whole wheat pastry flour for 1/4 cup organic white all-purpose. Loved the texture. Felt the banana flavour was drowned out by all the sweetness, so will try substituting chopped nuts and seeds for the sugar crust next time. The loaf sure found favour with my the guy in my life,though,who does have a sweet tooth!