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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I followed this recipe to the letter. Did not add walnuts, but did add chocolate chips. It is a huge hit here. The brown sugar topping is the perfect touch. Bookmarked as a go-to. Thank you!
This actually is the best vegan banana bread. I've made it a number of times now, and it always turns out perfectly (but isn't around for very long). It's so easy to put together, needing only a handful of simple ingredients. and can be ready for baking in minutes. I don't tend to have white sugar so just use a double helping of light demerara, and have been using 'Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Organic Pastry Flour' as that's what I happened to have, and it works a treat. Thank you!!
I've been making this recipe for a couple years now and it is the absolute best. It's not too sweet and I switch between tossing in chocolate chips or walnuts. A hit every time.
Great recipe it was a hit when I made this shared the recipe with employees they loved it thanks again for the recipe from cleveland, ohio
Love this. Thank you so much for your delicious recipe's.
This recipe is so easy and always delicious. Even my non-vegan husband loves it. Thanks for another great recipe!
loved this recipe, so easy & straightforward, hard to mess up lol. i sprinkle turbinado sugar on top and it’s *chef’s kiss*
I've made this recipe many, many times now and everytime it comes out perfect! I love how it's super easy, with a handful of simple ingredients that are already sitting in my cupboard. So every time I have some sad bananas, I get to turn them happy again! I really love adding pecans instead of walnuts and I like to top the cake with a lengthwise-sliced banana for dramatic effect.
This has been my go-to recipe for YEARS. It’s seriously so easy and consistent every time I make it. Sometimes I do swap out the sugar topping for an oat crumble, but both are great. Thank you so much!!
I love it! It makes the perfect breakfast at work, and to be honest the best snack the whole day through. I don't like baking or cooking particularly, but for this one mysteriously I don't feel the usual antipathy to get baking.
I'm the only vegan in the house for now, so the only one that always needs to pack food from home; so the last time the banana bread didn't last very long. This time I'm making a lot, so my kids get to taste it too.
Trick or Treat get ready the Best plain no nuts just some Cashew cream butter Mmm the Greatest 🥰😊💗😘🎃😊🎃
Never made a vegan banana bread before, but made this one for my daughter. It was very good. Thank you!
Wow! This was delicious! I found that 4 bananas were about the recommended weight so used all 4, I added a scant cup of chocolate chips and slightly decreased the sugar to account for that. I love that I almost always have all these ingredients on hand! The end result was moist but cooked through and not overly gooey, with a lovely exterior -- the crunch of the brown sugar on top is perfect! Am making this my go-to banana bread recipe now. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Delicious and easy!
Wow. This recipe makes a moist banana bread that cooks very evenly. I'm not vegan but this is now my go-to recipe for delicious banana bread. Thanks for sharing it!
An even better way to freeze bananas? Throw them in freezer, peel and all! No need for plastic since the peel protects it from freezer burn! When you're ready to use them, remove from freezer and throw into a bowl of warm/hot water. Cut off one end and the banana will easily pop out of intact peel (if it doesn't, put it back in the water for another minute). So easy!!
King Arthur has an excellent article "How to tell when banana bread is done" by PJ Hamel. They suggest for perfect doneness center of bread is 200-205 degrees! No part should be under 200 degrees! I've tried this and it's perfection! Also if your bread gets to dark on top loosely tent it the last 20 minutes! I just want to tell you how much we all love this banana bread! Everyone I make it for says its the BEST! I found this when my SIL with cancer started a Vegan diet and I've made it for her a few times. I have to make her 2 loaves because I label one for her and one for her family as they would devour the loaf before she could even get a second slice of it! Yesterday I misplaced my recipe and panicked, but I searched online and found it again and now it is "book marked" on my laptop so I'll never lose it again! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Perfection!! I don't usually like baking but this was super easy and delicious. I will definitely be making this regularly! Thank you!!
Great recipe and so easy to follow! Thanks!!
This is the absolute BEST banana bread recipe…everyone loves it, vegan or not! I don’t even add nuts or chocolate chips and it always comes out perfect! I’ve also doubled the recipe and baked in a Bundt pan, comes out just as good and doubles as cake! :). Thank you so much!!
Excellent banana bread recipe! Love the addition of brown sugar on top for a nice crust. Didn’t have any baking oil so I just had to use vegan butter!! (and reduced the salt because the butter was salted). Delicious.
I make this recipe all the time. Whenever we have bananas in the house that we deem too ripe to just eat plain, I stick them in the freezer so that way I always have those whenever I want to make banana bread. To bake, just set the frozen bananas on a plate and microwave for a few minutes, flipping them after each minute. Then you can just peel them over your bowl. I do not have a loaf pan, so I always make this in a cast iron skillet. It comes out great and takes the cook time down to 30-35 minutes!
It was very good not mushy I added extra cinnamon and 1/4 chopped apple 2 Bananas and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans I'm loving the new Organic Brown sugars and Cane sugars I use all Organic items Thanks for the recipes 💗😊💗☺️💗
i’m not vegan but i have allergies to eggs and dairy and i love this recipe!!! everybody i’ve fed it too loves it too and it’s a great use of almost bad bananas. i find 1/4 cup is too much for the brown sugar topping, so i usually just do 1tsp.
So sorry. I forgot to give you a star rating; 5 stars of course!
Thank you for an excellent recipe and especially for providing metric weights. I also intend to try some of your other quick breads. I do have a question though. I usually whisk dry ingredients together and then fold them into the wet. Is there a particular reason for your method i.e. add the flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon and salt on top of the flour?
I'm glad you like the banana bread! My method is used as a shortcut. I sprinkle the other dry ingredients over the flour rather than whisking everything together because it saves you having to use a second bowl.
Should have commented before as I love this recipe and have made on many occasions. Makes such a good banana bread, and watching peoples' reactions as they take their first bite is always amusing as it's often a very vocal "WOW!" I often get asked for the recipe. I always add more cinnamon and also nutmeg as well as I like strong flavours. Thanks very much for posting!
This was so easy to make and it is DELICIOUS just like all the previous reviewers have stated. I did use less salt as recommended in some reviews. Everything else was per the recipe, except no nuts. Next time I plan to add cranberries and chopped walnuts. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Absolutely delicious
Hello! I love this recipe and have made it many times! I have a question though - my loaf always cooks unevenly. The edges are always done well before the middle is and I end up taking the loaf out when the middle is mostly done, at which time the edge are dry and overdone. Any ideas why this is happening or tips for avoiding this? Thank you!!
Hi Amanda! Glad you like the banana bread! It could be an oven temperature issue. It's pretty common for ovens to be a bit off. You could check yours with an oven thermometer, or just try baking it at 325°F and see if that helps. Another thing to try would be a different loaf pan. Some people find that metal works better than glass (and vice versa), so you could try switching it up if you've been sticking to one type of pan.
Excellent recipe!
So easy and so delicious, non-vegans loved it too.
Thank you
I have tried about 5 different vegan banana bread recipes over the last few the best and this one is the best of the best!
For anyone who is curious, it works fine with whole wheat flour, it tastes great with chocolate chips (but it’s too much sweetness for me personally), and you can cut the salt down to a mere pinch if you want to and it’ll still turn out great.
I also have cut the sugar in half, and I use coconut sugar. I also use about four or five bananas. It doesn’t make it mushy. It still turns out well!
Can I double the recipe?
Sure - if you're planning on making two loaves you can definitely double it with no problem! If you were planning on making a double sized loaf you'd need to make some adjustments to the bake time and possibly temperature, but I can't say exactly what they are without having tried it myself.
This definitely is the best vegan banana bread ever. I've made it several times. My best friend exclaimed "omg...this is the best banana bread I've ever had!!"
I add walnuts, golden raisins and tiny chocolate chips to my recipe.
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
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
How much apple sauce did you use to substitute?
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 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!
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 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?
Delish
Wow...even the non-vegan believers loved this!!! Reminds me oh Hawaii!!!
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!
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!
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.
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!