This easy vegan banana bread is the best ever! It’s moist, packed with flavor and comes out perfectly every time. Made with simple, easy to find ingredients, this is truly the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need.
This vegan banana bread is our classic, tried and tested recipe and it truly comes out perfectly every time.
Something that I truly love about baking banana bread is how good the house smells! Cinnamon and banana and caramelized sugar all mixed in with the smell of baking bread. Mmmmm!
And there’s nothing quite like a slice of banana bread served freshly baked and warm from the oven.
And if you love baking quick breads then also check out our recipes for vegan pumpkin bread and vegan zucchini bread.
What You Need To Make It:
Ingredient Notes
- Ripe spotty bananas: Ripe and spotty bananas are crucial because they are packed with natural sugars.
- Coconut Oil: This can be swapped for vegan butter (in the same quantity) or you can use applesauce instead for an oil-free version.
- Soy Milk: You can use soy milk as we did, or swap it for any other non-dairy milk.
- Walnuts: These are entirely optional. You can omit them or swap them out for a different nut such as pecans. Or replace them with chocolate chips.
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a summary of the process.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white and brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix together.
- Measure the correct amount of banana and add it to your blender along with soy milk and coconut oil and blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mix over your dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix it into a smooth batter.
- Add chopped walnuts (optional) and fold in.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared 9×5 loaf pan and smooth down. Add a few more chopped walnuts on top and place into the oven to bake.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
Mash or blend. We love blending up the banana, coconut oil and non-dairy milk in this recipe as it results in a very smooth batter and even distribution of that banana flavor. However, if you prefer not to get your blender involved, you can simply melt the coconut oil, mash it in with your banana and add to the mixing bowl along with the non-dairy milk.
Measure the banana correctly. If you have a food scale, then you can just weigh the peeled banana to get the correct amount. If you don’t have a scale then the best way to measure would be to mash the banana and measure it out in cups. This recipe uses 1 and ½ cups mashed banana or 337g.
Spoon and level the flour. The correct way to measure flour is to use the spoon and level method, which is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup. Alternatively, weigh it on a food scale.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the wet ingredients in with the dry you just want to mix it until just mixed. Don’t over-mix the batter or the texture and/or rise of your loaf may be impacted.
Recipe Q&A
With some small adjustments this works great for gluten-free, check out our vegan gluten free banana bread recipe.
Yes you can. Simply replace the coconut oil with applesauce (in the same quantity) for an oil-free version.
Yes! We’re mad about the muffins. Check out our recipes for vegan banana muffins and vegan chocolate chip banana muffins.
Store it covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. If you want it to last longer, then keep it covered in the fridge where it will last for up to a week.
Yes you can. It’s freezer friendly for up to 2 months. When you’re ready for it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Vegan Banana Recipes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Banana Cookies
- Vegan Banana Ice Cream
- Vegan Banoffee Pie
- Vegan Banana Cream Pie
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (250g)
- ½ cup White Granulated Sugar (100g)
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups Mashed Ripe Banana (or 337g peeled weight)*
- ½ cup Soy Milk (120ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil (55g) or Vegan Butter*
- 1 cup Walnuts (100g) Chopped, plus more to place on top before baking)*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white and brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix together.
- Measure the correct amount of banana and add it to your blender jug along with the soy milk and coconut oil (or vegan butter) and blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mix over your dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix it into a smooth batter.
- Add chopped walnuts (optional) and fold in.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared 9×5 loaf pan and smooth down. Add a few more chopped walnuts on top and place into the oven to bake.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Spoon and level the flour. The correct way to measure flour is to use the spoon and level method, which is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup. Alternatively, weigh it on a food scale.
- Measure the banana correctly. If you have a food scale, then you can just weigh the peeled banana to get the correct amount. If you don’t have a scale then the best way to measure would be to mash the banana and measure it out in cups. This recipe uses 1 and ½ cups mashed banana or 337g.
- Mash or blend. We love blending up the banana, coconut oil and non-dairy milk in this recipe as it results in a very smooth batter and even distribution of that banana flavor. However, if you prefer not to get your blender involved, you can simply melt the coconut oil, mash it in with your banana and add to the mixing bowl along with the non-dairy milk.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the wet ingredients in with the dry you just want to mix it until just mixed. Don’t over-mix the batter or the texture and/or rise of your loaf may be impacted.
- Make it oil-free: If you’d like this banana bread to be oil-free then you can replace the coconut oil with applesauce in the same quantity (¼ cup).
- Make it gluten-free: For a gluten-free version of this recipe, please see our recipe for gluten-free banana bread.
- Storing and Freezing: Store it covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. If you want it to last longer, then keep it covered in the fridge where it will last for up to a week. It’s freezer friendly for up to 2 months. When you’re ready for it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
- This recipe was first published in September 2015. It has been updated with new photos and lots more tips. The recipe itself has also been very slightly updated. The original recipe used a flax egg, we have updated the recipe to use more banana so a flax egg is not required.
Anna says
Amazing! So easy to make and the loaf didn’t last the day, it was gone in a flash.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for the awesome review Anna. 🙂
Christina says
Wow just wow! I’ve made many banana breads in my life, even before going vegan. So yummy, I have to stop myself from eating it. Hubby (non-vegan) loves it as well. You never disappoint 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Christina! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Brooke says
Very nice and simple recipe used it twice and both times it came out great!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much Brooke! 🙂
Sandra says
My first attempt at making banana bread since I’m newly vegan, and it was Fantastic. Thank you. Awesome website
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Sandra! 🙂
Kim says
I used only the brown sugar, no white one, so only 100g of sugar in total. Next time I would use even less.
Also, I didn’t have baking powder so I used apple cider vinegar instead. I added some dark chocolate.
This banana bread was really easy to make and tasted awesome! So happy with it! ?
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it Kim, thanks for sharing and the fab review! xo
Prashanti says
Started putting the batter together, then realised I was short of time. Made them into cupcakes instead, with pieces of walnuts and dried cranberries – PERFECT! Thank you, Alison.
Variations: Wholewheat flour, half the sugar, baking time: 25 minutes.
Alison Andrews says
Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Silvia says
This one is a keeper!
I already made this banana bread three times and it was always delicious. I tried different sugar amounts depending on banana ripeness and it worked great.
I love it with peanut butter and when cut thinly it makes satisfying peanut butter sandwiches to eat on the go.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you like it Silvia! Thanks so much for posting and the wonderful review! 🙂
Vladimir says
First time making banana bread, fantastic recipe! Instead of sugar, I put 100g of raisin.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So glad to hear it worked out well. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Laura C. says
Very tasty recipe! After reading Rich’s comment I reduced the sugars by 50%. I added 1/2 cup (60g) raisins, and used muffin tins greased with baking spray rather than a loaf pan. The muffins came out perfect at 25 min bake time. Thanks for a great recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So happy to hear they came out great! Thanks for the awesome rating and review. 🙂
Rich says
This banana bread recipe was simple to follow and easy to make. I tried it first with the original sugar measurements and found it too sweet. I halved it and it came out wonderful. This works fine with a chia egg too!
I would really go by the 60-to-70-minute baking time and not by the toothpick coming out clean method alone. I tried poking it the first time at around 40 minutes and the toothpick came out clean. I did a test cut and found it to still be a bit doughy in the middle (still perfectly edible though!).
I really, really love the simplicity of the recipe. Looking forward to trying out your chocolate cake recipe too!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rich, thanks so much for sharing your tips, and so happy you enjoyed the recipe and found it simple to follow. Thanks so much for posting and I’m sure you’ll love the chocolate cake too! 🙂
Joseph Bassett says
Worked out beautifully for me, though I cut the amount of sugar in half. (Just the 1/2 cup of brown sugar, no white sugar.)
I also added a small handful of raw almonds into the high-speed blender (Blendtec, like a Vitamix), with a little more coconut milk to offset the extra dry ingredient.
I never liked baking as a kid–all that sugar and dairy seemed gross to me. But with the healthy, vegan baking movement, I’m on board!
Alison Andrews says
Sounds awesome! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for posting! 🙂
Mart says
I made this with gluten free flour, chia seeds instead of flax, added blueberries and pecans. My non vegan mom loved it!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that Mart! Thanks so much for the awesome review. 🙂
Kenia says
Does it affect something if I add nuts?
Alison Andrews says
No! Go ahead, that would be great. 🙂
dave says
Does this really need 200g’s of sugar? surely not…
Polly says
Hello! How can I replace if not with flaxseed, I read about apple? Just putting an apple in the blender? Can I use apple vinegar?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
You could leave out the flaxseed and just use a little more banana, or applesauce would work yes, about 3 Tbsp to replace the flax egg. Not apple cider vinegar no.