Tall, Fluffy, Flavorful Vegan Banana Bread
Amazing vegan banana bread that is super tall, fluffy, moist, and flavorful! Easy to make in one bowl and endlessly customizable. And yes, it’s gluten free friendly!!
This is the BEST vegan banana bread. I know everyone thinks they have the best but I’ll tell you why this one deserves consideration:
- It’s super tall and fluffy. No short breads here. This banana bread is bursting at the seams.
- Super flavorful. With tons of bananas, a generous splash of vanilla, and just enough cinnamon to bring some warmth, this bread needs nothing but says everything.
- Easy to make. Nothing fancy, no weird ingredients, and you make it in one bowl. How easy is that?!
This recipe has been made so many times throughout my 13+ years being vegetarian and vegan that it’s basically a foolproof recipe that just works every time.
So the next time you have a bunch of bananas that you let get too ripe, make this bread!!
Ingredients
- Bananas: The more ripe the better! Tons of freckles are the right amount.
- Flour: Just all purpose here, nothing fancy.
- Sugars: Both brown sugar and white sugar combine for the perfect sweet flavor.
- Plant Milk: I prefer unsweetened and unflavored soymilk but any plant-based milk works here.
- Oil: Use a neutral flavored oil like canola or refined coconut oil so that the other delicate flavors don’t get covered up.
- Vanilla: Vanilla in banana bread is a love story that you don’t want to break up.
- Flaxseed: This is the “egg” in the recipe to help bring it all together.
- Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt
Substitutions + Variations
- Need to make this gluten free? No problem! Use your favorite high quality gluten free flour blend. I typically get the best results with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.
- Add some extras. Think chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, or sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top. You can also add some coconut flakes, shredded coconut, cacao nibs, or even dried cranberries. You really can’t go wrong with banana bread! Bake as directed.
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Prep Step: Line the Pan
Grab an 8×5-inch or 9×4-inch baking pan. Lightly spray and line with parchment paper. Set this aside. I like to use some clips to help hold the paper in place so it doesn’t move while I pour the batter in – just be sure to remove them before baking!!
Step One: Mash the Bananas + Flax Egg
Into a large bowl, using a potato masher or a big fork, mash the bananas. If you have super ripe bananas this should be easy. If your bananas are not quite ripe, add a splash of the oil to the bananas to help them mash down.
In a small mug, add the flaxseeds and hot water. Let it gel together for 5 minutes. I do this in the microwave because it’s easy.
Step Two: Mix the Wet Ingredients
To the mashed bananas, add in all the wet ingredients all at once. The sugar, brown sugar, plant based milk, oil, vanilla, flax seed egg, and bananas all get mixed together. You can use a whisk to help bring it all together.
Step Three: Add the Dry Ingredients
Now into the same bowl add all the dry ingredients. I like to add the flour first and then sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over top of it. Switch to a spatula to make sure you can scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl easier.
Step Four: Bake!
Carefully pour the banana batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread pulls out clean. This shouldn’t take much longer than 70 minutes. If the top of the bread is browning too quickly, after 45 minutes you can add a tent of aluminum foil on top.
Step Five: Cool!
Allow it to cool before slicing. This really is the most difficult part of making this banana bread is waiting for it to cool. Let it rest for a good hour in the hot pan on the countertop and then another 30 minutes or so outside of the pan on a cutting board. Then you can slice it and serve. If you slice it too soon after baking, you can squish the bread.
Tips
Need to ripen up some bananas to make this?
- To ripen in a few days: Place the bananas in the sunlight in a window or another warm spot.
- To ripen within 24-48 hours: Store the bananas in a paper bag with an apple.
- To ripen right now: Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. Place the bananas still inside the peel on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. The peel will turn black. Remove the bananas from the oven and let them cool. This will give them the texture of a ripe banana but they won’t be as sweet as a ripe banana.
When serving banana bread, enjoy it by the slice (easy enough), top it with some vegan butter, almond butter, peanut butter, or add a scoop of vanilla vegan ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce for a twist on a banana split!!
How to Store
Countertop: Store the banana bread covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Fridge: Store the banana bread covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store the sliced banana bread in the freezer with sheets of parchment paper in between each slice for easy removal. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before enjoying it after freezing.
More Banana Recipes
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, vegan friendly recipes you can subscribe to the newsletter. Did you make these? Please tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest! I love to see your creations!
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- Whisk + spatula
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups bananas mashed (about 4 large bananas)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup plant based milk
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoons flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a bread loaf pan with parchment, spraying lightly with oil. Set aside. Make sure that the oven rack is set for the middle or lower third of the oven.
- Mash the bananas and make the flax egg. Into a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher. If the bananas don’t mash easily, add a splash from the oil to help them mash down. Into a mug, add the flax seeds and hot water. Let it gel together for about 5 minutes.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Into the large bowl with the bananas, add the wet ingredients of the sugar, brown sugar, plant based milk, oil, vanilla, and flax seed egg. Using a whisk, mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Switch to a spatula and fold together, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until fully combined.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 65 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf pulls out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs are okay. If the bread is browning too quickly, after 45 minutes you can loosely tent with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Cool. Remove the bread from the oven and set onto a wire cooling rack but do not remove the bread itself from the hot loaf pan. Let the bread rest in the hot pan for a good hour. Then, you can remove the loaf from the now cooled pan and let it rest on a cutting board for an additional 30 minutes. Then, slice and serve and enjoy!!
Notes
- How to Store
- Countertop: Store the banana bread covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store the banana bread covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Store the sliced banana bread in the freezer with sheets of parchment paper in between each slice for easy removal. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before enjoying it after freezing.
-
Substitutions + Variations
- Need to make this gluten free? No problem! Use your favorite high quality gluten free flour blend. I typically get the best results with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.
- Add some extras. Think chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, or sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top. You can also add some coconut flakes, shredded coconut, cacao nibs, or even dried cranberries. You really can’t go wrong with banana bread! Bake as directed.
Nutrition
More Bread Recipes
Enjoy these vegan bread and roll recipes for every occasion! From traditional Polish Rye bread, to pillowy soft Hawaiian rolls, to classic dinner rolls and more, these recipes are perfect as a side dish for soups, the basis of an amazing sandwich, or just enjoying with a bit of vegan butter. Enjoy!
Hi Laura, I made your banana bread again and followed the directions perfectly. It came out a bit wet in the middle. I baked it for 65 minutes and the toothpick had a few crumbs like you mention and I cooled it down. What did I do wrong? Maybe bake it for the full 70 minutes?
Hi April, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t quite turn out this time. Yeah, for sure I’d bake it the full 70 minutes next time. Maybe add a bit of aluminum foil on top in last 15 minutes to prevent it from burning but still let it bake. Did you use the same pan that you made it in before? Glass and metal and ceramic all can affect the bake time with ceramic needing longer and metal needing the least amount. Finally, a super humid day can change baking times on things so if it was raining or snowing it might have made a difference. But if you have an internal thermometer as long as the middle of the bread reaches about 205F it is safe to eat and is done. Hope this helps!
Hey Laura! I used the same glass loaf pan. Anyway, I decided to make muffins this time. I was nervous about them not coming out well, so I looked up what the internal temperature for gluten free muffins is and they said between 200 and 210. They also said that additions might make the batter wetter. I used cranberries and walnuts again. I ended up taking them out at 205 degrees and they were still a bit gummy in the middle. Next time I’ll try 210 to 215! It’s such a good recipe and I am determined to make it work. My husband loves this batch in spite of it all.
Another update . . . I made the muffins again with the cranberries and walnuts and found that I had to cook them another 15 minutes past the suggested 23 minutes. I did put parchment paper on top to keep them from burning. They were finally removed from the oven at 213 degrees. Success!!! The thermometer made the difference. It must be because of the add ins that it took so long to cook. No gummy middle! Hooray!
BTW, I would like to make this recipe into muffins. How long should I bake them for?
Normally I like to bake any muffin or cupcake for about 19 to 23 minutes. For muffins, I would start the temperature higher at 425F/218C for 5 minutes to help the muffins get a good rise on top. Then, drop the temperature to 350F/180C without opening the oven door and bake for another 13 to 15 minutes. Because it’s gluten free, I would err more on the side of a longer bake than shorter to make sure it doesn’t turn out gummy. I haven’t made this specific recipe into muffins but this is my go-to technique for all my muffins I make. So I’m fairly confident it will work. Please let me know how it turns out so I can add these directions to the article!
Your banana bread is the best recipe that I have tried in years!!! I was very disappointed with gluten free versions from other cooks that stayed too moist in the middle and had to be toasted to get dried out. I will use your recipe for years to come. I used King Arthur’s gluten free measure for measure flour and added walnuts and dried cranberries. Yum and thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and sharing your experience! I’m thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed the banana bread. It’s one of my favorites too! And I love your idea of adding walnuts and cranberries. Happy Baking!!
Looks delicious. What size loaf pan did you use?
Thank you! I used a 9×4 Pullman loaf pan without the lid to make this loaf.