I know, I know. Everyone says they have the “best” recipe blah blah blah, but this really is a spectacular classic banana bread that also happens to be vegan! It’s super spongy, tender and moist and rises perfectly without that weird squidgy bit in the middle that never cooks that some dense breads can often have. It’s perfection.
I made this with just walnuts as I wanted to make a classic benchmark banana bread, but it would be so good with chocolate chips or even dried fruits if that’s your thing. If you make it exactly like my written recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
I’ve added an unusual optional ingredient of some grated orange zest. It’s adds another layer to the already complex flavor of this bread and is quite delicious. Using unrefined coconut oil also adds a hint of coconut flavor which is super tasty in my opinion. You can use plain oil if you prefer but it will not be as flavorful.
Let’s talk about bananas. You need super over-ripe ones for making banana bread. There’s a great debate in many households as to what’s considered ripe. Here at BBV headquarters, some think green bananas are ripe while slightly freckled ones are preferred by others. Just let them hang out until they’re really brown and they’ll be perfect.
Tips for success. It’s called a quick bread as it does not use yeast for leavening, but it should be mixed quickly as well. It’s actually best if you don’t over-mix quick bread batters. Doing so will make them tough because you’ll activate the gluten in the flour and they may not rise as well. You should mix just until you can’t see anymore steaks of flour and no more. One more tip is to mash the bananas with a fork so they still have some texture. Resist the urge to blend them in a food processor or purée them completely. Good luck, this bread is bananas!
The Best Vegan Banana Bread
12
servings15
minutes50
minutesThis is the best banana bread you’ll ever make vegan or otherwise!
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 medium sized very ripe bananas mashed well with a fork (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
1 tablespoon finely ground flax seed
1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated (optional)
3/4 cups walnuts, chopped
Directions
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Whisk the finely ground flax meal into the aquafaba and let sit for five minutes to thicken. If you do not have aquafaba, you can add three additional tablespoons of flax meal to plain water to create flax eggs.
- Mash the bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Do not purée them in a food processor or leave them in too large of chunks. You want them mashed so that they become loose and liquidy but that there are still some small chunks of bananas in there. If your coconut oil is not liquid, measure some into a mixing cup and microwave in 10 second intervals until just about completely melted. You can then use a tablespoon measure to measure out the liquefied coconut oil into your bowl. If you have any left over, you can simply pour that back into the jar of coconut oil to use another time.
- Add the brown sugar and the coconut oil to the mashed bananas and mix well. Mix the vegan vegan yogurt and aquafaba flax egg mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the chopped nuts and orange zest to the wet mixture if using.
- Add the whisked dry mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Over mixing will cause gluten to form from the flour and will make your end result tough and not rise as well.
- Preheat your oven to 350° and prepare a loaf pan by greasing well with an oil spray or vegan butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and even out with a spoon or spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached. If the loaf is darkening too much during baking, you can tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top to prevent burning. Cool, and slice. This will freeze well.
Notes
- I prefer using a heavyweight loaf pan but if you use glass or a thin nonstick pan, lower the temp to 325°.
- Use an unsweetened vegan plain yogurt. Vegan sour cream can be substituted if you don’t have any yogurt but you may want to thin it out with a little vegan milk first.
- Use organic sugar to ensure it’s vegan.
- Feel free to add different nuts, chocolate chips and different extracts like almond or maple.
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I admit that I purchase more bananas than I know I can eat, so I have an excuse to make banana nut bread. And every time, I look for a new recipe, searching for … something. No longer. This was hands down the best I have ever made. I may have had it for dinner, and breakfast, and tea time. Seriously so good and recipe was super easy to follow.
Thank you Lisa! It really is pretty much foolproof and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. There’s never a thing as too many bananas! 💛
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