Vegan Mango Bread

by Vaishali Honawar · Jun 27, 2024 · 89 Comments

5 from 39 votes

Total time: 1 5

Every mouthful of this vegan mango bread is bursting with sunny flavor and the heady scent of cardamom. Use fresh mangoes in season or use canned mango puree to make this dessert bread any time of year.

At just 186 calories a slice this is quite a guilt-free treat, and you can make it even healthier with my tips below!

I love mangoes and all things mango: exhibit A, the armloads of mango recipes I've shared with you on this blog, including mango cupcakes, mango cake, vegan mango cheesecake, mango lassi and mango curry.

This vegan mango bread recipe is also a product of that obsessive love for mangoes I share with so many Indians, and Indian-born people around the world.

If you don't get it, you haven't tasted an Indian mango: radiantly golden and deliciously juicy. It drips down your elbows as you bite into it and its vivid flavor, literally, makes the world a sunnier place.

Over the years this vegan Mango Bread, which captures all of that sunny deliciousness, has won many fans, including so many readers of this blog who have made it. Desi can't get enough of it, and visiting friends and relatives often request it. If you have made it before, you need to make it again. And if you haven't, you're in for a treat!

Table of Contents

A one-bowl dessert bread
Ingredients
How to make vegan mango bread
Storage
Taste tips
More dessert bread recipes
Recipe card
Reviews

A one-bowl dessert bread

Scented with cardamom. When I created this vegan mango bread recipe many years ago I chose just one spice to maximize the flavor of the mangoes: cardamom. The delicate, sweet aroma of this pod is wonderful in Indian desserts like gulab jamun and kaju katli and in Indian-inspired desserts like this turmeric cake. It shines, unabashed, in this mango bread.
Soft, spongy texture. This bread has a cake-like texture that melts in the mouth!
Easy recipe. The one-bowl recipe is simple and straightforward and you can get the batter together in under 10 minutes.
Great for gatherings and potlucks. I often take this mango bread to potlucks or make it for dinner guests. It takes so little time to put together and it's so delicious, it always gets the most compliments.
Soy-free, nut-free recipe. You can make this recipe vegan by subbing all-purpose gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.

Ingredients

Flour. All-purpose flour will give you the best mango flavor. But if you want to make the bread healthier you can use whole wheat pastry flour or substitute half the white flour with whole wheat flour.
Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda. Using these will give the bread a nice rise and also make it soft and spongy, with a cake-like crumb.
Ground cardamom. This is the powdered seed of the small green cardamom pod. You can buy ground cardamom in stores but I strongly recommend buying the pods and making your own powder in a mortar and pestle for the best flavor.
Oil. The best oil to use for this recipe is an unflavored oil like avocado oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil. Coconut oil would be okay if you use a refined oil. Otherwise the coconut flavor can overwhelm the mango.
Sugar. Use any granulated sugar of your choice. I used turbinado sugar.
Cornstarch. This helps bind the ingredients and also makes the bread lighter. You can use flax meal for a healthier option. Add two tablespoons of flax meal to the batter instead of a tablespoon of cornstarch.
Mango puree (canned or from fresh mangoes). You can use any mango or mango puree of your choice, but the better the flavor of the mango, the better the mango bread will taste. My recommendation for the best flavor, if you live outside India and don't have access to Indian mangoes, is the canned alphonso mango puree that you can buy at any Indian store (I've added an affiliate link in the recipe box). Champagne mangoes will work at a pinch. Pass them through a sieve after blending for a fine-textured puree.

Variations

Stir a cup of blanched, sliced almonds into the batter or sprinkle a few sliced almonds on top of the batter before baking.
Add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the batter for an even sweeter, richer flavor.

How to make vegan mango bread

Flour, baking soda, baking powder and cardamom in bowl.

Place the flour in a large bowl with baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Whisk to mix well.

Sugar and cardamom added to flour in glass bowl.

Add in the sugar and ground cardamom and whisk again.

Add to the bowl the wet ingredients for the mango bread: oil and mango puree.

Vegan mango bread batter mixed with spatula in bowl.

Use a spatula to mix the ingredients until there is no dry flour remaining in the bowl.

Mango bread batter in glass loaf pan before baking.

Scrape the batter into an oiled loaf pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven for 55 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Storage

Refrigerate: Refrigerate the mango bread within 24 hours after baking. The bread will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: The mango bread, sliced or whole, can be frozen in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to four months. Thaw thoroughly before eating.

Taste tips

Tweak the quantity of cardamom to your liking. If you find 2 teaspoons too overwhelming, cut it down to 1 teaspoon. Or increase the amount of cardamom for even more aromatic flavor.
Warm a slice of mango bread in the microwave for 10-12 seconds before serving for the best flavor and texture.

More dessert bread recipes

Baked vegan mango bread in glass loaf pan.

Recipe card