Name: Vegan Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 14 oz / 400 g ripe, mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas); 1/3 cup / 80 ml melted coconut oil (plus more for greasing the loaf pan); 8 oz / 225 g flour 4.2 oz / 120 g sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ginger powder; 1/4 tsp ground cloves pinch of salt; 2-4 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (if needed)

Looking for a foolproof recipe everyone will love? This vegan banana bread is the easiest recipe, takes just 10 minutes to prep, and calls for all sorts of holiday flavors including ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Pop the banana bread in the oven, sit back and relax while the smell of the holidays fills your house.

Is Banana Bread Vegan?

Banana Bread is not usually vegan as it typically contains eggs or some form of dairy such as butter or milk. Luckily, there are tons of vegan alternatives and substitutions for butter, milk, and eggs.

This healthier recipe for vegan banana bread calls for coconut oil instead of melted butter. This recipe also uses dairy-free milk instead of dairy milk. Some of our favorite dairy-free milks to use in banana bread are oat milk and almond milk. Or, use banana milk to infuse the batter with even more flavor.

Eggs typically act as a binder in many baked goods like banana bread. This recipe uses four medium mashed bananas instead of eggs as a binder in vegan banana bread.

Ingredients You’ll Need For Easy Vegan Banana Bread

Ripe (or overripe) mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
Coconut oil
Flour
Sugar
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Ginger powder
Ground cloves
Salt
Dairy-free milk
1 banana for decorating (optional)

Should You Use Ripe or Overripe Bananas in Vegan Banana Bread?

Most recipes call for overripe bananas because, during the ripening process, they get sweeter and develop more flavor. Don’t stress if you don’t have any overripe bananas. You can also use ripe bananas but the bread won't taste as flavorful.

How to Ripen Bananas Fast

The fastest method to ripen bananas is with a paper towel or plate and microwave. Take the unpeeled bananas and pole small holes with a fork all over the bananas. Place the banana on a paper towel or plate.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time. Keep microwaving the bananas until you reach the desired softness. Only microwave one banana at a time.

The paper bag method is the most effective method. The only catch is that it can take up to a couple of days for the bananas to ripen.

Place the bananas in a paper bag and close it. This traps a gaseous plant hormone known as Ethylene gas in the bag. Ethylene gas is essential to the ripening process in fruit.

Leave the bananas in the paper bag overnight. Bananas can take up to a couple of days to ripen so make sure to keep an eye on them.

5 Toppings That Upgrade Your Healthy Banana Bread

Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
Walnuts or Pecans
Zucchini
Vegan Nutella
Berry Jam
Vegan Cream Cheese

Tips and Substitutions For Vegan Banana Bread

This recipe is very easy and adaptable so feel free to play around with it.

Use flours like white, whole wheat, spelt, oat, or a gluten-free blend.
Cut back on the amount of sugar if you prefer vegan banana bread that is less sweet.
Swap coconut oil for vegan butter.
Make an oil-free vegan banana bread by swapping oil or butter for applesauce.
Skip on the spices (though they work super well here), or double them for an even more flavorful result.
Pumpkin spice mix, star anise, nutmeg, or cardamom work with the recipe too.
You can add extras to your Banana Bread. Try chocolate chips, walnuts, hazelnuts, chopped dates, poppy seeds, oats, or fresh blueberries.
Use soft, and spotty bananas.
Make vegan banana bread french toast with leftover slices.

The Easiest Way to Make Vegan Banana Bread

Mash bananas with a fork. Add coconut oil, and mix well.
In a separate bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices.
Add dry ingredients to bananas, and stir gently until just combined, making sure you don't overmix it. You still want banana chunks visibly present in the batter. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if the batter is too dry.
Spoon batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let Banana Bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely (otherwise it’s difficult to slice).

How to Avoid Dry Vegan Banana Bread

Avoid overmixing the vegan banana bread batter. Overmixed batter will lead to dry, dense banana bread. You want the batter to still have some banana chunks.

Another common mistake that causes dry vegan banana bread is the ratio of flour to banana. Too many bananas will lead to a wet banana bread loaf. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense banana bread.

Can You Use The Same Recipe to Make Vegan Banana Bread Muffins?

This recipe is extremely versatile and can be used to make muffins as well. Add blueberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon, pumpkin, or strawberries to have different variations of muffins for the week. You can also use the batter to make banana bread pancakes and cookies.

What is the Best Way to Store Vegan Banana Bread?

Banana Bread stays fresh when covered for a couple of days at room temperature. You can also freeze any leftover banana bread slices. When ready to eat, take the banana bread out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to defrost. Warm them up in the oven for a few minutes when ready to eat.

Easy Vegan Banana Bread

for 1 loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Baking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

14 oz / 400 g ripe, mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/3 cup / 80 ml melted coconut oil (plus more for greasing the loaf pan)
8 oz / 225 g flour
4.2 oz / 120 g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
2-4 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (if needed)
optional: 1 banana for decorating

Instructions

Preheat oven to 360 F/180 C. Grease and line a loaf pan.
Mash bananas with a fork. Add coconut oil, and mix well.
In a separate bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices.
Add dry ingredients to bananas, and stir gently until just combined, making sure you don't overmix it. Add a little plant milk if the batter is too dry.
Spoon batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the banana bread cool down for 10 minutes in the pan. Transfer it to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely (otherwise it’s difficult to slice).

Nutritionals (1 of 8 Slices)