Testing this vegan banana bread recipe brought back all my childhood memories of banana bread and muffins. Whether it’s baked plain, with chocolate chips, walnuts, or any other combination of add-ins… banana bread has to be one of the most comforting snacks. This simple vegan banana bread recipe is:
Fluffy and moist
Made in one bowl
No mixer needed
And uses the simplest of ingredients
If you are new to baking without eggs you may be surprised by how easily this egg and dairy free recipe comes together! I also sneak in some whole wheat flour for a bit of extra nutrition and even then… I promise no one will know it’s vegan.
Ingredients
With the absence of eggs in this recipe, you can keep your mixer in the cupboard! Just grab a large bowl, a spoon, and the following simple ingredients:
- 3 medium sized overripe bananas (blackened and mushy bananas are the key to tasty banana bread!
- Vegetable oil or applesauce for an oil-free loaf
- Cane sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt, baking powder, baking soda
- White and whole wheat flour
- A splash of plant milk
- And any add-ins you desire like walnuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit.
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour the loaf pan you will be using so that the finished loaf will slide out easily after it is baked. (Use vegan butter to keep this recipe vegan).
In a large bowl:
Mash the overripe bananas using a fork.
Whisk in the oil or applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and plant milk of choice.
Stir in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Gently fold in the flours just until no flour is visible – being careful not to overmix.
Optionally, fold in any add-ins like chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.
*A tip if folding in chopped walnuts or other dried fruit – lightly toss the pieces in flour before folding into the batter. This will help prevent the pieces from sinking through the batter and ending up at the bottom of the loaf.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with additional add-in ingredients and a dusting of sugar and cinnamon.
Bake the banana bread for 45 minutes or until the loaf is:
- Fragrant
- Dry on top
- Golden
- And a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Recipe Cost
Sometimes when I look at ingredient lists for my recipes I wonder how much more cost effective it really is to cook and bake at home. Grocery costs have been rising BUT even with the rising bills at the grocery checkout… pricing my recipes out proves to me how much more cost effective homemade really is!
This vegan banana bread recipe costs us approximately: $2.53 CAD. Adding walnuts or chocolate chips adds under $0.80 to the recipe cost.
We would be hard pressed to buy a single slice of banana bread from a cafe for less than $3.00.
Another bonus to this vegan recipe is that there are no ingredients included that wouldn’t be found in a traditional banana bread. If anything… you’re saving a little by not including an egg!
So go ahead and try this vegan banana bread recipe. Let me know if you find it as easy to bake as I do and if anyone can tell it’s vegan! Try my Vegan Sweet Potato Bread when you want to change things up and make this perfect for fall loaf!
If you like this recipe, you might love my Simple Vegan Carrot Cake! It’s consistently my most popular recipe across our blog and YouTube channel! You can also use those overripe bananas for a quick and healthy Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie!
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Vegan Banana Bread No One Will Know Is Vegan
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
An easy vegan banana bread recipe using just one bowl and the simplest ingredients. Everyone will enjoy the fluffy height and moist texture!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana (3 medium overripe bananas)*
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Scant ¼ cup plant milk (I use oat)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup white flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, vegan chocolate chips, or dried fruit (optional)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a loaf pan (mine was 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75”). *Use vegan butter to keep this recipe vegan.
- Mash peeled bananas in a large bowl with a fork. Add oil or applesauce, cane sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and just under ¼ cup plant milk of choice. Whisk to combine.
- Add salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Lightly stir into the wet ingredients.
- Add flours (make sure to spoon and level the flour into your measuring cups – scooping the flour will cause you to use more than needed). Fold the flour gently into the wet ingredients just until no more flour is visible. Careful not to overmix. *You can use all white or all whole wheat flour for this recipe.
- If adding chopped walnuts or chocolate chips add ⅓ cup into the batter (again careful not to overmix). *If using walnuts, the pieces can be tossed in a sprinkle of flour before folding into the batter. This helps prevent the walnuts from sinking to the bottom of the bread.
- Pour the batter into the buttered and floured loaf tin. Top with remaining chopped walnuts or chocolate chips and sprinkle with a little extra cane sugar and cinnamon if desired.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the loaf is fragrant, golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack and cooling completely before slicing.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for longer storage (this banana bread freezes very well)!
Notes
Approximate Cost: $2.53 CAD. Adding walnuts or chocolate chips adds less than $0.80 to the recipe cost.
This recipe can make 12 banana muffins. Fill greased and floured muffin tins ¾ full and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until dry on top, golden, and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
jacquie
hi – i like the idea of a bread w/ whole wheat and low sugar but i don’t use bananas so do you have something similar without bananas? pumpkin or apple maybe?
Kathryn Alexandre
Great question. I unfortunately don’t have a recipe up yet for something similar with pumpkin or apple but that’s something I can work on for sure! You might be able to substitute the bananas in this recipe for pumpkin puree or more apple sauce and have it work out (with pumpkin puree you might need to add more liquid to the batter if it is too thick). I have a savoury Vegan Irish Soda Bread that uses whole wheat flour if you want to try a quick savoury bread.