Vegan Banana Bread
It’s moist, it’s dense, it’s sticky, it’s vegan banana bread; made without eggs or dairy. Get the recipe below.
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The best kind of bread
I’m often asked to make vegan versions of recipes for friends and family who are trying to cut out eggs and/or dairy. One of the recipes that is always asked for is banana bread. Everyone knows that banana bread is the best kind of bread and so I’m not surprised. What’s not to love about a moist, dense, sticky loaf cake? Its delicious for breakfast, as a snack, or even as a pudding.
I always serve mine warm and sometimes spread it with peanut butter or chocolate spread if I’m feeling extra decadent.
How to make vegan banana bread
Making vegan banana bread is actually quite simple and doesn’t require any special ingredients. In fact the key is to use leftover bananas that are overripe, almost black! You might ordinarily throw these away but their super soft texture and sweetness make them perfect for making banana bread.
We start by taking the bananas and mashing them well. You want it to be as smooth as possible though the odd lump is ok.
Next we whisk in the oil and sugar. As you whisk the sugar will dissolve and the oil and the banana will be combined. Oil is used in place of butter here as it provides the required fat content but also keeps the cake moist.
Once your wet ingredients are mixed together we add the dry ingredients. There are 3 dry ingredients we stir into the wet ingredients: plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Most recipes say the cinnamon is optional but I think it’s an essential ingredient as it gives a depth of flavour you just don’t get if you leave it out. It might seem like a lot of baking powder but this is what helps the cake rise instead of eggs. You don’t want to over mix the cake so I use the folding method which helps to ensure you’re not left wit any lumps of flour.
Once the batter is mixed it gets poured into a loaf tin and baked. It’s that easy!
More about vegan baking
If you’re interested in finding out more about using substitutes in vegan baking then check out my big vegan baking guide. You’ll soon be able to take any recipe and make it vegan!
Variations
I’ve shared my classic vegan banana bread recipe below. You can “pimp” it out in a couple of different ways but my favourites are to add chocolate chips or raisins, perhaps even some nuts for a bit of crunch.
For one loaf cake you will want 50 grams of whichever “extra” you choose. Chocolate chips are my favourite…
If you’re after some inspiration, check out my other banana bread recipes.
How to line a loaf tin
Once you’ve mixed your batter you need to pour it into your loaf tin. But, you’re going to want that loaf tin lined so it’s easy to remove your banana bread once it’s cooked.
The trick to lining a loaf tin is to use two rectangles of grease proof paper. The first needs to be as wide as the short edge of your tin. Cut this so that it sits neatly in the bottom of the tin and then overhangs the sides slightly.
The next piece of grease proof paper needs to be as wide as the long edge of the tin. Make this piece extra long so that it overhangs the sides considerably. These long pieces of grease proof act as handles when removing the banana bread.
You’re now ready to bake!
The recipe
Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large overripe bananas or 4 small overripe bananas
- 75 ml flavourless oil e.g. vegetable oil
- 100 g caster sugar
- 225 g plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Line a loaf tin with grease proof paper.
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C/ 392F /gas 6.
- In a large bowl mash together the bananas using a fork until there are few lumps remaining.
- Whisk in the oil and caster sugar until well combined.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Fold the flour/baking powder/cinnamon mix into the wet ingredients.
- Spoon the batter into your loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes.
- Enjoy while still warm.
Nutrition
Storage instructions
This loaf cake will keep for up to a week in an air tight container kept somewhere cool. As the days pass it will become a little more sticky and stodgy but this is fine.
You can also freeze slices of the banana bread to enjoy at a later date. Defrost before you wish to eat it.
In both cases, re-heat under the grill for warm, toasty slices.
More loaf cakes
Enjoy!