The Best Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

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This Vegan Banana Bread Recipe is "THE ONE" you were always looking for!! With perfectly caramelised edges, a soft, moist interior with the right balance of flavour and sweetness, this eggless banana bread recipe would become your comfort recipe for sure. 

You guys, This is the best banana bread recipe in the world!!

I know that's a huge claim there.. 😀

Well, claiming it not because this recipe is the best (actually it is!! 😉 lol) but because this was one of the very first recipe with which I started baking!!

Doesn't the term BANANA BREAD transport you to your Grandma's kitchen -

Those early morning days when she is up and ready with her flour and the baking soda in a bowl without measuring it..

mashing bananas, stirring the butter and cracking open the farm fresh eggs!!!

The kitchen that never closes!!!

Isn't it comforting?? 

Well, today we are making a plant based banana bread aka egg free and dairy free and trust me you won't miss your Grandma's love whatsoever.

A handful of ingredients is all you need to make this recipe:

The dry ingredients call for Flour, Baking soda and Baking powder.

A little bit of Salt which adds an amazing flavour.

For the wet - Bananas (ripe and moist), Oil, Dairy Free Milk and of course Sugar to sweeten.

Isn't it simple!!

No fancy egg replacements or any other fancy ingredients.

To make this Vegan Banana Bread recipe is absolutely a cakewalk!!

In the literal sense.

How to make Vegan Banana Bread in a step by step format.

Sieve all the dry ingredients - Flour (pic 1), Baking powder (pic 2), Baking soda (pic 2) and salt (pic 3) and set aside (pic 4).

Reserve some flour before seiving to coat the watnuts later on.

Mash the bananas (pic 5) and then add sugar (pic 6) , oil (pic 7) and milk (pic 8).

The key here is to use ripe bananas - which keeps the bread soft and moist

But, How ripe should bananas be for bread?

It is simple - The riper the better. Choose the bananas whose skin has literally gone black and has feckles as you can see in the Ingredients picture above.

Leaving it on the countertop for a couple of days would ripen it. 

But if you do not want to wait that long here is a quick tip for you on

How to ripen bananas for bread quickly?

Simply place it in a microwave-safe plate and microwave in bursts of 30 seconds. 

Check out my post on Microwave Hacks for additional details.

So now that your dry and wet ingredients are ready, all you have to do is mix them.

Add your dry ingredients in two batches (pic 9) to your wet and fold.

A tip here to avoid over-mixing is to add the next batch of dry ingredients (pic 11) when you can still see some bits of flour (pic 10 -note the arrow mark) from the previous batch. 

Finally, add the reserved flour to the walnuts (pic 12) and coat well.

Dump them too in the batter (pic 13) and fold (pic 14).

Transfer to your prepared 9x5 loaf pan (pic 15) and bake (pic 16). 

How long does Banana Bread take to bake?

It is a wet batter as clearly seen, also being baked in a loaf tin takes a long time to bake. 

Bake it in a pre-heated oven of 180°C for 60-70 mins.

That long!!

How to know when banana bread is done?

We would follow the simple skewer test.

After the bake time, simply put a skewer in the centre of the bread and if it comes out clean then your bread is done.

My Top tips to Make the Perfect Banana Bread every single time!!

Even though this is a fairly easy banana bread recipe, there are some key places where you could go wrong!!

Trust me when I started baking I made such a dense loaf of bread using this very same recipe!! lol..

And here is what I have learned all these years perfecting my technique so that I can share it with you all..

Yes, imagine me posting this basic bread recipe after 5 years of blogging!!

1. Spoon the flour onto your cup and then level every single time. Not only for this recipe but for all.
2. Sieve the dry ingredients to incorporate air.
3. Fold the dry into wet in two batches. Add the second batch when you still see some bits of dry flour in it. (refer the images above).
4. This also prevents over-mixing of the batter which is one of the reasons for your bread turning out to be dense.
5. Coat the add-ons with flour so that it is dispersed evenly and does not settle to the bottom of the cake while baking.
6. Bananas have to be ripe to make the bread moist and sweet.
7. Grease the pan well with butter and flour. Line the base with parchment so that it is easy for us to unmould the bread once baked.
8. If you see that the bread is becoming too brown while baking (happens due to the sugar content from both sugar and bananas) simply cover the top with an aluminium foil with the shiny side up or a parchment paper after 30 mins of bake time.

All these tips would be useful especially if you are a beginner.

But once you gain some experience you can easily make this recipe in a blender too.

Answering some questions that I often get especially on my Insta stories where I often share live videos on basic recipes.

How to make One Bowl Banana Bread??

Take a bowl - mash the bananas, add sugar, oil, milk and directly sieve the dry ingredients into it. Then follow the recipe.

Or blend everything in a blender - Transfer to a bowl, fold in the dry ingredients and bake as in the recipe.

Add some add-ons to spruce up the plain old boring banana bread!!!

I always like to make my banana bread with walnuts. It adds an amazing crunch.

Here are a few other add-ons options that you might like

1. Chocolate-chips: In place of walnuts use dark chocolate chips.
2. Chopped nuts: Use pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts or a mix of them.
3. Dried Fruit: Cranberries, apricots, raisins.
4. Fresh Fruits: Pear, Apples, all kinds of berries.
5. Nut Butter: I love nutella swirled banana bread, you can use peanut or almond butter too.
6. Imagine a swirl of cheesecake batter - that would be a great addition too.

Let me know what are you going to add to your Banana Bread??

Listing few Substitutions that you might need

Flour:

Can I make use of Gluten-Free Flour?

Yes you can make this Banana Bread using gluten-free flour too. Would turn out to be a bit dense but nevertheless tasty.

You can also use Whole- Wheat Flour again it would be a little dense.

Baking Soda:

I have been asked this multiple times now:

Can you make banana bread without baking soda?

Yes absolutely, Skip and simply use baking powder.

Another option would be to use Self-raising flour.

Oil:

Since we are making a vegan banana bread recipe here, I have used oil.

But you can also use melted butter in place of it.

Or to keep it vegan you can also use applesauce.

Almond Milk:

Since we are making the vegan version of banana bread, I have used almond milk.

But you can use dairy-based milk too or any other plant-based milk for that matter.

Sugar:

In place of regular plain sugar, you can also use brown sugar to give it a caramelised flavour.

Adding brown sugar would also darken the crumb colour if you prefer it that way.

How long does Banana Bread last?

Well, if you have a toddler at home like, I do, won't last for more than a day.

But you can keep this in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Can you freeze Banana Bread?

Yes absolutely. It will stay fresh for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container or bag.

To Thaw: Refrigerate it overnight

If you like this recipe or happen to try it then share your experience below in the comments by giving it a star rating or let me know by TAGGING ME, TWEETING ME OR INSTAGRAM ME. I would love to connect with you and your posts.

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4.84 from 6 votes

Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 1 9x5 inches loaf bread

Author Sushma Iyer

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups (240 gms) All Purpose Flour/Maida
• 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients

• 2-3 Bananas (refer notes)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Oil
• 1/4 cup Almond Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Add-Ons

• 1/2 cup (60 gms) Chopped Walnuts

Instructions

• Start by sieving the dry ingredients - Flour, Baking powder, Baking soda and salt in a bowl. (Reserve some of the flour to add to the walnuts later on).
• In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and add sugar, oil and milk. Whisk to form a homogenous mixture.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches. Do not overmix.
• Finally, coat the walnuts with the reserved flour and dump into the batter and fold that over too.
• Transfer to a greased 9x5 inches loaf pan. Level the top.
• Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C for 60-70 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow it to cool in the pan itself for 5 mins then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Video

Notes

1. Spoon the flour onto your cup and then level every single time. 
2. Sieve the dry ingredients to incorporate air.
3. Fold the dry into wet in two batches. Add the second batch when you still see some bits of dry flour in it.
4. This also prevents over-mixing of the batter which is one of the reasons for your bread turning out to be dense.
5. Coat the add-ons with flour so that it is dispersed evenly and does not settle to the bottom of the cake while baking.
6. Bananas have to be ripe to make the bread moist and sweet. You can follow the trick mentioned in this Microwave Hacks post to ripen the bananas quickly. 
7. The amount of sugar can be reduced to 1/2 cup but I found the sweetness to be perfect with 1 cup
8. Grease the pan well with butter and flour. Line the base with parchment so that it is easy for us to unmould the bread once baked.
9. If you see that the bread is becoming too brown while baking (happens due to the sugar content from both sugar and bananas) simply cover the top with an aluminium foil with the shiny side up or a parchment paper after 30 mins of bake time.

Few Substitutes:

1. Flour: You can use whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour but the bread will turn out little dense.
2. Baking Soda: Skip it and just use Baking Powder.
3. Baking Powder: Skip it and use self-rising flour instead.
4. Oil : Can replace oil with melted butter or applesauce.
5. Almond Milk : can be replaced with dairy based milk or any other plant based milk
6. Sugar: In place of granulated sugar - caster sugar, brown sugar or even coconut sugar can be used. 
7. Nut-Free : You can skip the nuts and use chocolate chips or fresh or dried fruit instead or totally skip a

How long does Banana Bread lasts?

You can store it in an air tight container for upto 3 days at room temperature. Or individually freeze each slice wrapped in an aluminium foil and placed in a zip lock pouch for 3 months.

Did you make this recipe? Tag me today!Tag me @spicesandflavors to get featured on my FB and Insta pages

Conclusion:

This is the ultimate beginners' guide to make the best Vegan Banana Bread ever!!

It has got you covered with everything you need to know right from :

1. Making banana bread without eggs
2. What kind of nuts go into it.
3. How to store the bread
4. Much needed substitutions
5. Tips for beginners.

Your one-stop guide to making the best banana bread you will ever have!!

Hope you go this eggless banana bread recipe a try!!

I will see you soon with yet another one

Until then

Hugs

Sushma