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!
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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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I've made this twice now and it is AMAZING. I just went vegan a few months ago and I'm so glad I found a killer vegan recipe for my favorite treat.
I don't even like bananas or banana bread not a fan but THIS was amazing!!
I've tried a fair amount of vegan banana bread recipes the past five years, so I can wholeheartedly say that this one has earned its title of "The Best." The texture, taste, and density are SPOT-ON. They hold up perfectly, whereas with other recipes my bread or muffins will either be too dense or too crumbly.
I omitted the brown sugar from the batter (I still topped it with it though) and added a little molasses instead, and used only half a cup of chocolate chips, and it came out perfectly sweetened for me.
This will definitely be a weekly recipe, it's so quick and easy and tasty! The first time I doubled the recipe and made two loaves, but I still devoured it before the week was up haha.
Wow! Delish! I am not vegan, but my sister in law was just told by her Dr's that she needs to follow a vegan diet, as she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast and bone cancer. She likes banana bread and I thought I'd try this recipe! Well, I made 2 loaves so I could try it before I brought her a loaf and I was impressed how good it is! I added walnuts and the brown sugar on top and it is perfect! Thanks for sharing this healthy delish recipe!!! One tip I can offer is I read somewhere else when you're not sure if your banana bread is done in the middle, or your toothpick keeps coming out moist and sticky, use a Digital thermometer and the center temp should be around 200 degrees! After 50 minutes it was almost 200 so I pulled it out of the oven and it was baked perfectly all the way through! Thanks!
Deliciously fantastic!! I was searching for a diary and egg free banana bread recipe for my severely allergic daughter who has never had anything like banana bread before. She loved it so much (as did her non allergic brothers & myself) that we have now made three loaves in the past week! The brown sugar topping gives it such great texture.
Loved the final product. I lined the pan with cinnamon and folded in pecans, and oats. topped with banana slices and whole cooking placed chocolate chips
Tossing all other vegan banana bread recipes….made as written, using 8x4 pans and baking additional 20 minutes. This is dense, moist, rising up over top of pan….. and the aroma? Keep windows closed or neighbors will be lining up for a warm slice!
I have to agree. I have tried many vegan banana bread recipes and this is by far the absolute best. But I have to say that all the recipes I have tried from this website are delicious, for example the general Tso's tofu. I was a little skeptical at first because this banana bread requires baking soda with no baking powder, but it turned out perfect. Also, this was one of the rare times when the indicated baking time was perfect as well. I added a cup of strawberries and used whole wheat flour as that's what I had. Next time - because there's definitely going to be a next time - I will try it with walnuts and/or blueberries.
Just made this and it was great. I changed it from cooking in the oven to making it in the Instant Pot.
Woa! Please say how you cooked it in the instant pot? High Pressured? Low pressure? Something else? And for how long? I would love to try this but have no idea where to begin!
I made my bandana bread with coconut oil, half almond flour and half regular flour. Tasted GREAT!! 10/10 would recommend!
This came out really great! I didn't follow it exactly, I used four bananas rather than three and whole wheat flour rather than white and it still came out just fine! The brown sugar sprinkled on top made it smell even more delicious when baking and is a very nice touch when eating :-) Thank you!
This recipe always turns out perfectly -- I vary the nuts I add, but almost always include dark chocolate chips. I get so EXCITED when there are three bananas starting to get too ripe to just eat because it means I get to make this bread "just to not be wasteful"!! :)
I also wanted to mention that I have an Evernote folder called "Recipes Made and Loved" to differentiate the successful recipes from the hundreds that I save and will probably never make. I noticed the other day that ALMOST ALL of the recipes in the folder are from this website. You are amazing!!
Incredible!! I’m a very inexperienced baker and I was nervous to try this because I figured I’d mess it up lol. But it was amazing!!! It turned out perfectly and tastes so good.
Made it this morning and it's the best banana bread ever. I mixed in pecans and the taste was out of this world. I didn't add the topping, and it still developed a sweet caramelized crust. What I really like is that it slices so well without compromising the nice texture.
Tried this tonight, it was wonderful! Thank you! Do I put it in the fridge after ur cools?
Glad you enjoyed it! It's best stored at room temperature, or on the freezer if you want to keep it for a while. I don't recommend the fridge. :)
This came out very nicely! I had to add an extra 15-20 minutes to get the inside fully cooked, but it stayed really moist and tasty. There is a lot of baking soda - most vegan quick breads I've made have 1/4-1/2 tsp at the most - and it does leave that soapy aftertaste. Otherwise it's really good, and would be even better with some chocolate chips!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
My wife usually complains about the vegan desserts we make being too dry, but everyone in my household, my wife included, thought this was the best banana bread we'd ever had, and that includes all of the non-vegan recipes we've tried. I added a cup of vegan chocolate chips, and cut the walnuts to 1/2 cup. It's such a fabulous recipe!
Also I made it with gluten free flour
I made this recipe as muffins and it’s really good!
I made this for my kids for breakfast. I added in some blueberries and almond slices. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
Sooooo good! Thanks for this awesome recipe!! This is my second time making it in a week. Clearly my family loves it!
I did not have a bread tin, so I used a muffin tin. Excellent recipe!! Scrumptious!!! My husband is begging for these NOW, since the entire house now smells like banana bread. Thank you for sharing/creating recipe!!
I love this recipe! Today I tried to make it with Almond Flour instead of all-purpose and it didn’t turn out good. Any advice on that??
Glad you like it! I typically don't recommend subbing almond flour for wheat flour in recipes - they have totally different characteristics. Were you using it as a gluten-free alternative? If that's the case I'd go with an all-purpose gluten-free blend like those made by Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur.
This really is the best banana bread ever! I've made this about 10 times now and it's perfect every time. I now add a handful of chopped glace cherries and chopped dates and this adds another dimension. Love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
I made this today and wow!! The best banana bread I’ve ever tasted, I used whole wheat flour because I didn’t have all purpose flour and it still tasted amazing!! 11/10 would definitely recommend!!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 5 or so times now and it turns out perfectly every time!
I have made this recipe 3 time’s already and it’s perfect every time! The only change I made was I added two scoops of vegan protein powder before adding flour to the measuring cup, I also used bread flour instead of all-purpose. But I cannot tell you how good this is, and how much I enjoy it! Thanks for the recipe 😉
Any tips to avoid a gooey middle ? Baking an extra 40 mins didn’t seem to help haha.
Check your oven's temperature - that's most likely the issue. You could also try a different type of baking pan. I developed this recipe with a glass Pyrex pan. Good luck!
I’m having the same issue (going on 45 extra minutes right now), but I don’t think it’s my oven temp or my pan. I think my batter is just too wet. I had small bananas, not medium ones, so I used 4 instead of 3. And I may have over-poured the vanilla a bit. Hopefully I’ll get something edible eventually haha. It smells incredible!
I cranked the oven up just a bit to 375 for the last 15 minutes and did a total of 45 extra minutes and that did the trick. It’s absolutely delicious, but I’ll probably be more conservative on the bananas next time.
I have the same issues. I have a new stove I just purchased in January 2021, so I know it works. I am using one of those disposable aluminum loaf pans, I have to bake it an extra 45 minutes. My first attempt at making this I made a mess as the middle was not cooked - it was all gooey and I had tried to flip it out on a cooling rack. The reviews of this recipe rave so much I tried again, this time checking for bakedness multiple times and it took extra 45 minutes, in addition to the first 50 minutes. I did not change the oven temp, but may try the 375 for last 15 minutes of the 50 minutes and see if that works.
Delicious, best hands down. I don't put the sugar on top, everything else is delicious
How long does it last?
If you store it at room temperature it should be good for about 4 days, as long as it's sealed well. You could also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Excellent recipe, thank you! I used sunflower oil, dark brown & turbinado sugars, 00 flour, 2x vanilla and added some nutmeg. Came out wonderful on first attempt, definitely a keeper!
moist and delicious!
Making this one for the second time, turned out great the first time and I am sure it will this time also. Thanks for the recipe.
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this really came out awesome! I didn’t have brown sugar so I just used all white sugar, and even without the brown sugar on top, it was sweet and delicious. Soooo good! Thank you! I’ll make it again for sure and try some add-ins, but it doesn’t even need anything else. Excellent!
I never know - do I dark brown or light brown sugar? I used dark brown and in the oven now!
I use light by default, but this recipe will work with either. :)
I've done it today for the second time and WOW! This banana bread is incredible. I add a mixture of different dried fruits and an crushed dark chocolate and it is great.
I love this recipe! It always ends up super dry for me though and I have to add some milk. But as a disclaimer, I make mine with whole wheat flour and date sugar so I think that may be why! I also replace the oil with applesauce. But it’s so delicious - the best low fat muffins I’ve had!
Hi I’ve had this same issue when I’ve made this, but wasn’t sure how to make it more moist without messing it up! Would you mind telling me how much milk you add and how much applesauce you replace the oil with?
Super easy to make and it's THAT good that I decided to make it twice in one week! Needless to say this is by far the best vegan banana bread recipe I have ever made. My life is now complete, thank you so much!
I can't help but do ANOTHER rave review for this recipe. I always make the batter into muffins - baking them at 340 degrees for 25 minutes.
I have used 2 ripe bananas with no other ingredient adjustments and the recipe made fewer but still AMAZING muffins.
Came out really tasty : )
I halved the recipe, used only brown sugar, replaced the AP flour for Whole Wheat Flour, and used about 2.5 g of vanilla extract. I baked it in 2 small pound cake tins and they came out amazingly caramelised all around. The top was crunchy and the inside was moist and soft. The whole wheat flour gave it a interesting quick sand/soft cookie texture but spongy when pressed. I'm going to use 50% AP flour and 50% whole wheat the next time to see if the texture becomes tastier.
I love this recipe! Bread turns out perfect every time, and I have gotten a handful of compliments from non-vegan taste testers- approved!! I even make it gluten free with Krusteaz Gluten-free all purpose flour.
Can this recipe be doubled? If so, what changes, if any, need to be made to baking time?
Would you be making it as two loaves? If so, the bake time would be the same. If you're making it as one big loaf or cake the bake time will probably be longer, but I'm not sure how much. I'd check it every 5 minutes or so after the initial bake time is up.
Amazing recipe and tastes even better on the third day, like the ones you get at a coffee shop :)
The brown sugar topping makes it for me
Huge success! Thanks so much for this detailed recipe. Your recipe has been amazing. Thank you again 🙂
My first vegan banana bread - it's delicious!
Thanks very much for the recipe, Alissa.
I made it today -and it is delicious!! Thank you very much for sharing :) Have a wonderfully magical New Year! 🎊
I've made this recipe a few times now for my family and everyone loves it. I have a kid with severe allergies so finding something I don't have to tweak as much is a plus. The recipe is great as is (minus the cinnamon and nuts due to allergies) but this last time I ran out of oil making a double batch so I equal parts melted Earth's balance soy free baking sticks and sunflower oil. It was a huge hit. I also leave 1/2 without the brown sugar on top and it is plenty sweet for me
Can I freeze after baking!
Absolutely! Seal it tightly and it should be good for about 3 months.
Can’t wait to make this!! Unfortunately I have only one banana, will it work if I just add extra applesauce?
I'm afraid I'm not sure, as I haven't tried it myself.
I've made this recipe about 5 times now, each time tweaking the recipe slightly and using different add ins.This recipe is amazing with desiccated coconut and chocolate chips. Added about 1/2 a cup of each. I love it, and so does the family!
So good! I made it this morning and my house smells amazing. I missed the brown sugar in the batter/dough step, but it’s plenty sweet without it. Also, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour with good results.
I made it yesterday and turned out delicious! Thak you for the recipe!