This ‘tried and true’, classic vegan banana bread recipe is moist, healthy, and so easy to make. It’s egg & dairy free, has an oil-free option, and is the best banana bread ever!
I love my vegan banana breads, and have quite a few variations in the recipe collection, like this Blueberry Banana Oat Bread, Buckwheat Banana Bread, and Carrot Banana Bread. All have been adapted from this very recipe which is straightforward and incredibly simple, using ingredients you probably already have on hand. I’ve made it again and again, and it has not disappointed me yet!
This plant-based banana bread recipe is kid friendly and a fan-favorite for good reason – it’s delicious! I’m happy to share with you this wonderfully easy, healthy vegan banana bread that I have loved for many years, and look forward to loving for many more to come!
Tips For The Best Vegan Banana Bread
It’s all about the bananas! Banana bread is easy to veganize by adding extra banana, which acts as a binder, replacing the need for eggs or other egg replacers. And as an added benefit, it also helps to lessen the amount of sugar needed. The trick is to use very ripe, freckly bananas, because the riper your bananas are, the less sugar you’ll need! This recipe only calls for 1/3 cup of sugar, but of course you can adjust, up or down, to suit your tastes.
Fats or no fats: In place of using butter or vegetable shortening, I call for oil. But you’ll find this banana bread recipe to have the option of using vegan butter or shortening if you prefer. I’ve also played around with using half oil and half unsweetened almond milk (equaling 1/3 cup) with excellent results. And if you want to skip the fats all together, for an ultra-healthy vegan banana bread, try using unsweetened applesauce – it’s terrific!
Spruce up your banana bread with additional add-ins and toppings! Add up to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, fold in chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans to the batter. Or once the batter is in the loaf pan, add a sprinkle of walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, rolled oats, or sunflower seeds over top before baking, they will add texture add protein.
Spoon & level the flour! When measuring your flour, it’s helpful to use the ‘spoon & level’ method, this will ensure you don’t add too much flour. Never scoop the flour with a measuring cup. Instead, using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup, without packing it, and level with the back of a knife.
Don’t overmix the batter! It’s best baking practice when making any type of quick bread to not overmix, overmixing the ingredients will cause the gluten proteins to create an elastic batter that may not rise well. You only want to mix until you don’t see any flour streaks.
Methods: Since first posting this recipe, I have since adapted it to be mixed in one bowl making for an easy banana bread! But you’ll also find the original method as well.
Without further ado, let’s put it all together and bake…
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread
Making vegan banana bread is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3, this is the 1 bowl method!
- Add the bananas to the bottom of a medium mixing bowl and mash well, add in the remaining wet ingredients and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
- Pour the batter in a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake for 50 – 55 minutes. Ovens are different, so use your best judgement. You can test for doneness using a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
- Let the banana bread cool, slice and enjoy. If you find you can’t wait to slice your bread before it’s cooled, you may notice a little gumminess on the knife, this is normal, but once completely cooled it will slice cleanly.
And that’s it, perfectly golden, moist and flavorful vegan banana bread made easy and healthy!
Make your slice even better by adding a smear of this healthy Cashew Sweet Cream or Triple Berry Chia Jam for a delicious breakfast or snack!
Store your banana bread, covered to maintain moisture, for up to 3 – 4 days on the counter.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I make banana bread gluten-free? Absolutely, you can make banana bread gluten-free by using any gluten-free flour blend or buckwheat flour, replacing 1 – 1 the amount of flour called for.
Can I make this recipe oil-free? Yes! I have made banana bread oil-free by replacing the oil with applesauce, and it was just as good and even healthier. The loaf was a little denser, but the flavor was still great.
Can I make banana bread without baking soda? Yes, often times I will make banana bread with using 2 heaping teaspoons baking powder with great results, but I have left the baking soda in the recipe because I know some may prefer to add it as it does also help brown the top of the loaf. Just know that if you don’t have it on hand, you’ll be fine just using baking powder only.
Can I freeze banana bread? Sure thing, you can safely store banana bread in the freezer, it will stay fresh for up to 2 months if stored in a freezer safe container or bag. Simply let thaw in the refrigerator before eating. Banana bread can also be stored, covered, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. Or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can I make muffins instead? Yep, and they are so good! You can use this Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe as your guide. If you don’t care for the chocolate chips, omit them altogether or replace them with walnuts.
More Quick Breads Using Fruit
Because you can never have too many baked good recipes on hand. Take a look at these other fantastic vegan bread recipes, you just may find a new favorite!
- Classic Pumpkin Bread
- Applesauce Bread (Oil Free)
- See all vegan Bread recipes on TSV!
If you try this banana bread recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
VEGAN BANANA BREAD (HEALTHY + EASY)
A tried and true, classic vegan banana bread! Perfectly moist and delicious, this healthy vegan banana bread recipe makes a terrific snack or great way to start the day.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 - 10 slices
- Category: Quick Bread
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (245 g) flour (spelt, whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, or gluten free blend)
- 1/3 cup (75 g) organic pure cane sugar (or finely chopped dates)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of mineral salt
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) neutral flavored oil (or coconut oil in liquid state, vegan butter at room temp or applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 small or 3 large overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups (338-410g)), mashed
- 1/4 cup (56 ml) almond milk, use only if needed
optional tasty add-ins:
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini or regular)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your loaf pan.
One bowl: In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash 3 – 4 bananas (about 1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups works well), add oil/applesauce and vanilla extract, mix again. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and mix well, but don’t overmix, just enough until the flour is combined. Batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is ok. If mixture seems too thick, add more milk, especially if using heavier flours such as whole wheat or whole spelt, you’re more inclined to need it).
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 min – 1 hour. Ovens vary, mine usually takes 50 minutes. You can also do the toothpick test in the center of the loaf, if it comes out clean it should be ready. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min before slicing.
Original: In a medium/large size bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, mash bananas. Add the oil, vanilla and bananas to the dry ingredients and mix until combined, do not overmix. If mixture seems too thick, add the almond milk (especially if using heavier flours such as whole wheat or whole spelt, you’re more inclined to need it).
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 min – 1 hour. Ovens vary, mine usually takes 50 minutes. You can also do the toothpick test in the center of the loaf, if it comes out clean it should be ready. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min before slicing.
Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the wrapped loaves overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or a toaster oven with a door.
NOTES:
I’ve stopped using baking soda in this recipe, sticking with only 2 teaspoons baking powder with great results, but I have left the baking soda in the recipe because I know some may prefer to add it as it does also help brown the top of the loaf. Just know that if you don’t have it on hand, you’ll be fine just using baking powder only.
I have made this replacing the oil with unsweetened apple sauce and it was just as good. Loaf was a little denser and didn’t rise as much, but the flavor was still great. I’ve also played around with using half oil and half unsweetened almond milk (equally 1/3 cup) with excellent results!
If using coconut oil, be sure it’s warmed and in its liquid state. My preferred oils for this recipe are either light flavored olive oil or coconut oil.
Add up to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a different flavor.
Try adding toppings like walnuts, sesame seeds, rolled oats, sunflower seeds or pecans.
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Tamara says
I’m new to vegan baking so please excuse the newbie question, and apologies if I’ve missed it in the recipe, but what do you use to grease the loaf pan?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Tamara, that’s a great question as I don’t think I specified. You can lightly grease your loaf pan with olive oil. If you make the bread, let us know how it went. Enjoy!
Carmen says
Came out great, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside
★★★★★
Anna says
This also works replacing the sugar and oil with 1/4 cup agave syrup. I just completely omitted oil and used 1/3 cup of almond milk. The loaf still rose and browned beautifully.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Anna, that’s wonderful! I love the idea simply replacing the oil with almond milk and adding a liquid sweetener. Sounds perfect, so glad it turned out well for you! Cheers :)
Gözde says
Hi,
I’m a bit confused is it 1 + 3/4 cups (245 g) flour or a 3/4 cups of flour? Or is it maybe 1 or 3/4 cups of flour?
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Greetings from Sweden,
G
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, it’s 1 + 3/4 cup flour. Sorry for the confusion, I really wish my fractions would display small so it’s more obvious. Enjoy the loaf and be sure to let me know how it turns out for you! Cheers :)
Johannes says
Hello, I usually don’t post comments on any websites but your recipe is way too good not to let you know. The recipe is truly delicious and thank you very much for also listing the ingredients in metric system, it is highly appreciated! The various different options for ingredients are awesome aswell and make this a really robust recipe.
Cheers! (Made this 3 times in the last 2 weeks already and friends and family all enjoy it as much as I do!)
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you so much, truly makes my day! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe! Cheers :)
Coletha Browning says
Again!!!…another winner. I am so glad my google search led to you! This is the second time I have cooked something you created and again it was a winner. I love to cook and in my former way of eating I cooked unhealthy foods very well, but I was never much of a baker. I’ve always wanted to be…but that was always left to the matriarchs of our family, who have all passed on (mother – aunt – grandmother) from health-diet related illnesses, which plague the black community in America with our horrible SAD diet adding on a layer of life-altering, traditionally deep fried southern cooking. My daughter and I are Whole Food Plant Based No Oil, No refined sugar, gluten-free ethical vegans. I used spelt flour, replaced the oil with applesauce, and used date sugar in the place of cane sugar. Because I used spelt, I had to add the plant-based milk (my daughter’s homemade cashew) just under half a cup, which I worried would impact how well it rose. It rose nicely. I baked it 55 minutes, The next time I make it I will bake it 50. I am beyond excited. I look forward to making more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I love all your substitutions here, so glad it all turned out well! Keep up the good work of eating well, you’re doing a great job so fat!
Helen says
Hi
I’ve beee looking through your banana bread varieties which look divine. In this one, your conversion from cups to grams of mashed bananas looks great but in some of the others it looks incorrect and you need to double up the grams to get get it right. Here, you use around 220g mashed bananas for a cupful or 2 bananas roughly, I’ll try and find the banana breads with the conversions I thought were incorrect (when I scrolled through briefly a few minutes ago) now and alert you to the inconsistency. But I urge you to check yourself. I use grams as I’m in the UK and always check conversions from cup quantities.
Kind wishes,
Helen
Helen says
Hi, Helen again
I said above your mashed banana measurements in grams for this recipe look perfect but in others they are incorrect and are certainly not in line with the conversions here. I also said you need to double up your grams in the recipes to correct the conversion (of mashed banana) but it’s not quite as straight forward as that. You need to ensure that a cup of mashed banana is around 220g. Look at the banana quantities in grams for your buckwheat bananas bread as that is the first incorrect conversion I spotted. I don’t have time to write the detail right now about all the others but I will do so soon if you don’t spot the errors yourself. Look at buckwheat banana bread first, compare it to this and you will see what I am getting at.
Kind regards,
Helen
Helen says
This recipe looks perfect in so far as cups to grams of mashed bananas are concerned. Please look at some of your other banana bread recipes and the conversions for mashed bananas are incorrect. Sorry I can’t sort them all out now for you. I urge you to check. I’ll go through them in time, I promise and will write to you.
Helen
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thanks so much Helen for pointing that out! I’ve went through and fixed them all. If you see anything that needs adjusting, please let me know. I really appreciate it, and so do others who will be making this recipe! Cheers :)
Helen says
Hi again
So sorry for the time taken to get back to you. I am so glad you realised the errors yourself. I’ll go back and check again another time!
I have an almost uncanny ability to spot errors involving numbers. They just leap out at me. It can be quite a handicap and many people do not appreciate being told they are wrong, however diplomatically I try to explain things. I’m glad you are not like that! I have a background in mathematical physics and spent years looking at students’’ work which is probably responsible! It isn’t always good – it holds me up as I cannot let errors just sit there.
Love Helen x
Gloria says
It was so good it almost didn’t have the chance to cool down! Everyone loved it! Definitely The recipe for banana bread from now on.
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
So glad it’s a hit with everyone! Thank you for the feedback. Cheers :)
Cassie says
I’ve made this recipe several times with great success! I use applesauce instead of oil and 1/4 cup of sugar instead of 1/3. I find that it’s plenty sweet. I also use both the baking soda and baking powder. Planning on making another loaf tonight :)
★★★★★
Michelle says
Came out moist and soft…..this was the best vegan banana bread I’ve made. Great recipe. I used 4 bananas and 1 green apple and no oil / no extra plant milk.
★★★★★
Gord says
I just made your recipe. I used the walnuts, which I toasted, apple sauce instead of oil, chopped dates instead of sugar, whole Einkorn wheat flour which I ground fresh, and a little extra vanilla.
My wife and I had a slice with some tea after dinner and I told her it may be the best banana bread I’ve ever tried! It was pretty dense, but the flavor was out of this world!
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I’ve always wanted to make a whole-grain banana bread with no sweetener or oils. This is a great one!
★★★★★
Anna says
Tried a few different healthy banana bread recipes and this one is very good and easy.
Made my own gluten-free mix by grinding up leftover millet and rice and topping off with a bit of chickpea flour. Used the chopped date and applesauce options. Kept in the baking soda, went with the walnuts, and did not add any milk.
★★★★★
Rachel says
I made this yesterday, absolutely delicious. I chose to add walnuts and cinnamon to the batter and sprinkled some oats and a little cinnamon on top. Definitely my new go to banana bread recipe from now on.
★★★★★
Wendy says
First time I made banana bread, really loving it!
★★★★★
Talia says
I just made the cake now and can’t wait to try it. Please note that you forgot to mention the salt in the One Bowl method. I did it without and hope it won’t affect the result much. Will try to omit oil in apple sauce next time. Thanks!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great, hope you love it! I’ll adjust the recipe, thanks for pointing that out. Also, it’ll be just fine without salt! Enjoy!