Every bite of this vegan Mango Bread, which really is more cake than bread, bursts with sunny flavor and the heady scent of cardamom. And you can set aside any guilt by making it whole wheat. Also a soy-free and nut-free recipe. (Updated from a Sept. 2008 blog post)
Around now is the time when mangoes of every shape and size flood Indian markets, coloring them in brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red.
To most Indians (and Indian-born, like me) there is no fruit in the world that can compare, even distantly, with the luscious mango. And to understand that passion you'd really have to taste an Indian mango.
I am not talking about the sorry, hard, pale-yellow-green approximation available in supermarkets here in the United States. The fruit I am talking about is radiantly golden and deliciously juicy. It drips down your elbows as you bite into it and its vivid flavor, literally, makes you a different person.
It also makes the country's oppressive summers just a little more bearable.
This vegan Mango Bread was born years ago of my longing for the Indian mango, and over the years it's won many more fans, including readers of Holy Cow! and many in my own family. Desi and Jay, of course, can't get enough of it, but visiting relatives too fall hard and never quite recover.
You will need pureed mango for this recipe. For best results, use a bright, orange-fleshed, sweet mango like alphonso or champagne. It should be ripe. Because I don't always get what I need here in the markets, I usually use canned alphonso mango puree from India. I'll add an affiliate link in the recipe box, but you'll probably get it far cheaper at an Indian grocery store. If using fresh fruit, make a very smooth puree in the blender.
I like using whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe because it makes the bread healthier and it's still delicious while being almost healthy. You can go with all purpose flour, or a mix of all purpose and regular wheat flour.
You have a choice in how much sugar you want to add. I use ¾ths cup, which makes this cake/bread sweet enough and delicious, but if you have a sweeter tooth, or if your mangoes just aren't sweet enough, you could go with as much as 1 cup.
Cardamom is a must in this recipe--its fragrance makes this mango bread even more intoxicating and addictive than it already is. I also stir in a dash of vanilla extract, but that's optional.
The blanched, sliced almonds on top of the bread are optional. I don't always add them. Over the years, readers who've made this recipe have written to tell me they've added chocolate chips
Whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour, or a mix of apf and whole wheat flour)
Baking powder
Baking soda
Green cardamom (powdered)
Salt
Vegetable oil
Sugar
Flaxmeal
Pure vanilla extract (optional)
Mango puree (canned or from fresh mangoes)
Almonds (Slivered or sliced, optional)
Vegan Mango Bread Recipe
Vegan | Whole Wheat | Soy-free | Nut-free
Vegan Mango Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour, or a mix of apf and whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon green cardamom pods (powdered)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 cups mango puree (canned or from fresh mangoes)
- ¼ cup almonds (Slivered or sliced and blanched, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Oil or spray the bottom and sides of a standard (approx 9 by 5 inch) loaf pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the oil, sugar, flaxmeal, vanilla, if using, and mango puree to the bowl.
- Mix well with a spatula until there are no dry streaks of batter remaining. Don't overmix.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Strew the top with almonds, if using. Bake 50-55 minutes minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, or with a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Cool on a rack, then unmold and slice.
Hetal
Mango bread......hmm,great recipe.It just looks delicious.
Usha
I can imagine the taste of this one...it looks wonderful...I love alphonso mangoes too....
Sangeeth
Mangoes are truly divine! I can imagine how scrumptious this bread will be! yum!
Cham
The title is very exotic 🙂 Very dense and moist slice, i can smell the aroma while baking the bread!
Pallavi
Wow.. Vaishali.. !! This looks sinfully yummy.. Mango is my favorite fruit..and agree with everything you said about it 🙂
The Indian grocery here sold the "Alphonso" mangoes this summer (imported all the way from India..) Ill remember to try with the fresh ones next year.. For now, the Mango pulp works great too..I am definitely making this ..sooner.. Cant wait for so long.. to have the Mango bread.. Thanks for sharing ..
Sireesha
Mango bread looks divine.....I am drooling now....
Pearlsofeast
Vaishali,this is meant to be bookmarked and a must try ,i love the texture, awesome!
G.Pavani
mango bread looks awesome,mouthwatering me to eat from ur plate
SMN
Hey Vaishali i envy u that bread slices look so tempting and more than anything i wonder how did u manage to get mango at this season?
i found unripe mangoes in the market the other day though
Jayashree
I know how delicious this bread tastes. I tried it a few months back with fresh mangoes and blogged about it too....
Nidhi
Mango bread indeed looks very luscious and delicious 🙂
I only wish we still had the Mango season...either ways its bookmarked!
snowy
What I use is the frozen mango chuncks, just throw in the blender when they are de-frosted and whip it up. Then, fresh mango is always on hand, especially for recipes like this.
Shreya
Hi Vaishali, reg the beans, i suppose it should be ok to substitute with regular green beans. I have never tried it that way. Please do try it and let me know how it turns out:-)
Shreya
Hi Vaishali, Mango with cardamom (i agree with the married part) and in bread! I so love it!! What a lovely ripest-mango colour too:-) You never cease to surprise me with your amazing talent:-)
Meera
wow!! mango bread with cardamoms!!! That's a great idea!!! Loved your creation.
anudivya
Wow!
The canned ones are loaded with sugar, is it neccessary to add more sugar on top of it? Or will it affect the texture in any way?
ANJALI J.
mango bread.... the recipe name itself is so delicious..good i have all the ingredients at home. i can try it.
jaya
hello Vaishali - I followed your recipe but my bread turned out very dense and not fluffy.. can you tell me what might be going on?
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Jaya, did you sub with regular whole wheat flour?