Vegan Banana Bread

If you’ve been looking for the best vegan Banana Bread Recipe, your search ends here. This loaf has a tender, cakey, moist crumb and it tastes decadent; but it’s also secretly healthy because it’s made with whole wheat flour and no artificial sweeteners. A vegan, soy-free recipe, can be nut-free.

This vegan Banana Bread is quite possibly the first baked good I veganized almost 15 years ago, when I first became a vegan. And I promise you it’s the best banana bread you will ever eat.

This is also one of my family’s favorite recipes. It’s the dessert Desi most requests and Jay, my son, adores it as well, so it’s quite kid-friendly. I love it not just because it’s delicious, but it’s filled with so many good things, it is good enough for breakfast or a snack between meals.

This banana bread is all whole wheat. That’s right. It has no artificial sweeteners, and it doesn’t have a whole lot of oil. But what it does have is lots of fruit (bananas and applesauce), flaxmeal, and walnuts (or pecans, take your pick).

This recipe has lived on my blog almost since it’s inception, 12 years ago, but I am bringing it back to the top for those of you who are newer here, and also because I want to add a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years that make this vegan Banana Bread more amazing than ever. I’ve also added new photos for you.

Nearly every kitchen has overripe bananas sitting around, and this is the perfect way to use them up. Let’s get baking!

Tips for making the best vegan banana bread:

• There’s no reason to make your banana bread with white flour, unless you are a masochist (about food, I mean ;)). Repeat that five times and then write it down for future reference. I use whole wheat pastry flour, which is quite easily found in stores and online and is a great substitute for white flour in many, many desserts. It is especially good in this banana bread, adding a wonderful, nutty flavor.
• If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour, use a half-and-half mix of whole wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour.
• Now here’s another thing for your memory file: you don’t need artificial sweeteners in your banana bread. In fact, sugars like coconut sugar, turbinado, coconut palm syrup and maple syrup are more desirable in banana bread because they add wonderful richness. I use any of these, or a combination. You can also add in a tablespoonful of molasses for really amazing flavor, because molasses and banana go perfectly together. This bread is perfectly sweet and not cloyingly so, with rich banana flavor, as it should be.
• I use applesauce to add more moistness to this bread, without bumping up the amount of oil. You can use vegan yogurt instead if you like. The applesauce adds a tiny bit more sweetness, so you won’t get that with yogurt. In that case, add a teaspoon or so of sugar more, or don’t — you’ll still have an incredibly delicious and perfectly sweet banana bread.
• If you want nuts in your banana bread — I love some here — you have a choice of walnuts or pecans. Both work really well, and I don’t have a preference. Do toast the nuts lightly and chop them before adding them to the batter. You can also add chocolate chips to the batter.
• Pro tip: Make cleanup easier by using a blender to mix your wet ingredients. You can throw in the bananas first, blend them, then add all the other wet ingredients and blend them for a few seconds before adding to the dry ingredients.

Ingredients for Vegan Banana Bread:

• Whole wheat pastry flour (or a mix of regular whole wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour)
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Vegetable oil
• Coconut sugar (or turbinado or coconut palm syrup or maple syrup)
• Molasses
• Flaxmeal
• Apple cider vinegar
• Applesauce (or vegan yogurt)
• Bananas 
• Walnuts (or pecans)

Looking for more delicious vegan banana recipes?

• Vegan Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
• Vegan Banana Crumb Muffins
• Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Vegan Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
• Vegan Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Streusel

Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Wholegrain | Soy-Free | Can be Nut-Free

Print Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Vegan Banana Bread

If you've been looking for the best vegan Banana Bread Recipe, your search ends here. This loaf has a tender, cakey, moist crumb and it tastes decadent; but it's also secretly healthy because it's made with whole wheat flour and no artificial sweeteners. A vegan, soy-free recipe, can be nut-free.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time55 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Baking, Can be nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or turbinado or coconut palm syrup or maple syrup)
• 1 tbsp molasses (optional. You don't need this with the unrefined sugars, but do add if using cane sugar or any refined sugar)
• 2 tbsp flaxmeal (whisked with 6 tbsp water to make flax "eggs")
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup applesauce (or vegan yogurt)
• 3 very ripe bananas (mashed)
• 3/4 cup walnuts (or pecans, lightly toasted, then chopped)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
• Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
• In another bowl, mix the oil, sugar, molasses, if using, flax eggs, applesauce or yogurt, and mashed bananas.
• Add the banana-sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until just combined and you don't have any dry flour in the bowl.
• Fold in the chopped nuts.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake about 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then unmold and let cool completely on a rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg