Even if you’re not on a plant-based diet, this vegan banana bread is a gorgeous and moist treat. So soft and satisfying, and the banana flavour really shines through with every bite.
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✏️ Making a tasty and easy recipe
I’m a huge fan of quick and simple recipes, and this is one of the easiest I’ve created. I fell in love with this recipe during the quarantine lock-down, where a lot of key ingredients were pretty scarce, but vegan banana bread is perfect any time!
Enjoy this treat served fresh and warm, spread with butter, or you can allow it to cool and enjoy the added gooey banana flavour that’s develops the next day.
To ensure your vegan banana bread is beautifully moist and flavoursome, you’ll want your bananas to be large and VERY ripe. I’m talking basically black. It’s actually a great way to use up bananas that are too ripe for you to snaffle normally. You can also check out this article on how to ripen bananas quickly.
I love to use roughly chopped nuts in this recipe, such as walnuts or pecans. This adds that extra texture of a nutty crunch and elevates the flavour to the next level. You can also substitute nuts for dried fruit such as sultanas or even chocolate chips.
🥘 Ingredients notes
Always sieve your flour and baking powder. I used to be a bit lazy and skip this part, but it really makes such a difference to get you a lump-free mixture.
When measuring your ingredients, I always recommend using weights rather than cups for greater accuracy. This is especially important for the amount of flour.
🍱 Storage
Keep your vegan banana loaf in an airtight container at room temperature. It should last up to 3 days.
You can also freeze your banana bread by wrapping it in a layer of cling film (plastic wrap) and then a layer of foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months, before defrosting and enjoying as normal.
💭 Top tips
One of my top tips for baking all types of loaves is to peek at the loaf towards the end of the bake, i.e. the last 5-10mins. If it’s looking pretty golden-brown, then cover it loosely with foil for the remaining time to stop it from getting a bit too dark around the edges.
♻️ Alternatives and substitutions
Nut-free option:
I usually make this vegan banana bread with walnuts, but you can also swap these out for another tasty nut like pecans or macadamia nuts. Alternatively, you can remove these altogether.
Gluten-free option:
For a gluten-free version, you can swap the regular plain/all-purpose flour for a gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour blend of the same quantity. Beat your bread mix for longer before baking for a better texture to your gluten-free loaf.
I usually recommend swapping in a pre-mixed flour blend such as King Arthur's measure for measure flour or Freee from Doves Farm.
To be safe, always check your other ingredients for allergen warnings on the nutritional label, as they may have cross-contamination warnings.
🧁 Other goodies
Love a bit of fruity fun? Why not check out my recipe for classic blueberry muffins or gluten-free lemon almond shortbread!
After some more vegan treats? You might like these Biscoff stuffed vegan cookies - both vegans and non-vegan alike will LOVE them!
Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!
Or if you’d like to hear about our latest recipes, why not subscribe to our newsletter?
📋 Recipe
Vegan Banana Bread
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Ingredients
- 3 bananas (large, ripe)
- 80 g (⅓ cups) sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)
- 100 g (½ cups) soft light brown sugar
- 225 g (1¾ cups) self-raising flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 60 g (½ cups) chopped nuts (e.g. walnuts or pecans)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven: 190°C / 170°C (fan) / Gas Mark 5 / 375°F
- Peel the large bananas and mash them with a fork in a mixing bowl until no large lumps remain.
- Mix in the oil and brown sugar, stirring until combined.
- Sift the flour into the mix, adding the baking powder and cinnamon and folding these in well.
- Then add the dried nuts and stir until just spread throughout, without over mixing.
- Bake in a greased, lined 2lb loaf tin for 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Check and cover with foil for the remaining time if the loaf is browning after 25mins, and again after a further 5mins if not.
- Allow to cool a little in the tin before removing and slicing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
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