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This Vegan Banana Bread is fluffy, soft, and bakes up into an absolutely delicious treat. Plus, it’s actually healthy — you only need 9 whole food plant-based ingredients to make it! Gluten-Free, Refined-Sugar Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free Option.
This Vegan Banana Bread really does check all the marks for a delicious loaf. It’s light, fluffy, perfectly sweet, has a tender crumb and makes for a good breakfast, snack, and dessert. What’s not to love?
Table of Contents
A Loaf That’s Good and Good For You
I have always had a love for banana bread (who hasn’t!?). However, when I adopted a plant-based diet in 2015, I did have one small problem – Vegan Banana Bread always seemed to fall flat. There are a plethora of vegan recipes out there, but none of them have ever seemed to knock my socks off.
Luckily, after months (and yes, I really do mean months) of testing, I think I’ve finally done it! This banana bread is tall, fluffy, not gummy whatsoever, and made from healthy, good-for-you ingredients!
What You Need for Vegan Banana Bread
In addition to ripe, spotty bananas, you’ll need just 8 other ingredients. Let’s go over what each ingredient is doing here:
- Rolled oats: We’re using a combination of both rolled oats and oat flour to make the perfect textured gluten-free, vegan banana bread.
- Coconut sugar: One of my favorite go-to ingredients to add sweetness, yet keep a recipe refined sugar-free. As a bonus, it is always vegan!
- Ground flax: The binder that holds this loaf together and gives it structure.
- Nut butter: In the spirit of keeping this recipe good for you, I’ve used nut butter in place of refined oil. Don’t worry, it still bakes up soft and fluffy.
- Baking powder + Baking soda: Essential to giving this banana bread a lift in the oven and keeping it from falling flat.
- Apple cider vinegar: Activates the baking soda and helps the loaf brown beautifully.
How to Make Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Blend the rolled oats using a food processor or blender until a fine flour.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining rolled oats, and salt until combined.
- Mash the bananas in a separate large bowl until even and runny in texture. Add the nut butter, sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and flax egg. Mix to combine.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir to combine until all clumps have dissolved. Fold in chocolate chips or nuts, if using.
- Pour the banana bread batter into the bread pan and spread smooth using a spatula.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer the loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice and serve at room temperature with nut butter or vegan butter.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use overripe bananas. As bananas ripen, the starches in the fruit break down and increases the overall sweetness. For best, sweet vegan banana bread, use ripe, spotty bananas!
- Check your baking powder’s expiration date. Baking powder’s leavening powers greatly diminish after the container has been open for a few months. If you’ve had the same tin of baking powder for over 4-6 months, it is best to discard and purchase a new one.
Serving Suggestions
Like my favorite vegan muffins, my favorite way to enjoy a slice of banana bread is with a spread of nut butter or soft vegan butter. It makes the perfect snack or easy vegan breakfast. Serve alongside a drink like my Beet Latte or Iced Chamomile Matcha Latte for the ultimate bakery-inspired experience.
If you’re looking for more Vegan Bread Recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Zucchini Bread, Vegan Pumpkin Bread, Sweet Potato Bread and this Cranberry Orange Bread!
If you’re looking for more Vegan Bread Recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Zucchini Bread, Vegan Pumpkin Bread, Sweet Potato Bread and this Cranberry Orange Bread!
How to Store Vegan Banana Bread
As with most of my quick breads and loaves, this vegan banana bread keeps best at room temperature covered with a loose fitting lid. Individual slices of banana bread will also freeze well for up to 2 months.
For best results, wrap individual slices of banana bread in plastic wrap to help prevent sticking and freezer burn.
Thaw frozen banana bread slices at room temperature until soft again, then heat as desired.
Substitutions and Variations
- Coconut sugar substitution: Use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has a higher moisture content and will make the banana bread slightly more moist.
- Oat flour substitutions? As I have tested this recipe multiple times to ensure it’s deliciousness, I would strongly advise no flour substitutions. If you do decide to live life on the edge and experiment (and it works for you), please let me know in the comments below and I can update the recipe notes.
- Nut butter options: Any nut or seed butter will work, but I’d recommend using a neutral nut butter for the best flavor. A strong tasting nut butter such as peanut butter will greatly change the flavor. Some readers have also shared success replacing the nut butter with oil.
Recipe FAQs
This egg-free banana bread uses ground flaxseed as an egg replacer.
Oats in and of themselves are gluten-free, but they are often grown near wheat and can be cross contaminated. If you cannot tolerate gluten, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Yes! A few brands such as Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills sell a pre-made oat flour for purchase.
Absolutely. The best loaves of banana bread should be moist, but not wet. If you were to insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf it should come out fairly clean, with just a few crumbs.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Fluffy Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Bananas make sure they are very brown and spotty!
- 2 1/2 cup Rolled Oats divided (not Instant)
- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 cup Nut or Seed Butter*
- 2 tbsp Ground Flax OR Ground Chia Seeds + 6 tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Optional, but recommended
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl, combine the Ground Flax OR Ground Chia seeds with 6 tbsp water to form an “egg.” Stir and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of the Rolled Oats into a blender or food processor and blend until they form a fine flour, about 45-60 seconds.
- Place the Oat Flour into a medium sized bowl and add the Baking Powder, Baking Soda, remaining 1/2 cup of Rolled Oats, and Salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Add your ripe Bananas to a separate, large bowl, and mash with a fork until they form an even, runny texture. Add the Nut Butter, Coconut Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vanilla Extract, and Flax or Chia Egg to the bowl. Mix well.
- Slowly incorporate the dry flour mixture into the wet Banana mixture, stirring well and until all clumps have dissolved.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined or greased 8″ bread pan, smoothing the top off with a spatula.
- Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick comes out cleanly or with minimal crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
- Store in a container at room temperature for up to one week.
Recipe Notes
- Coconut Sugar may be substituted with Brown Sugar or Cane Sugar.
- You can use any Nut/Seed Butter that you’d like for this recipe, but this will affect the final taste. I prefer to use either Almond Butter or Peanut Butter, but you can also use Tahini, Cashew Butter, or Sunflower Seed Butter!
Hi Caitlin! I was wondering what the measurement would be for oat flour. Since I don’t have to blend it, would it be the equivalent of 1 cup?
Hi Lorena! This will vary based on the density of your oat flour, but I would suggest using 2 1/4 – 1/2 cups of oat flour for this recipe
2 cups of oats equal about 1.5 cups of oat flour!
Cannot wait to try this! It’s in my oven right now and it’s super hot in L.A but I don’t care! *says as she pushes up glasses sliding down nose from sweat*
Could I use bananas that have been frozen and then thawed?
I would not recommend that; I have tried this in the past, and the bananas are always very watery and definitely affect the overall liquid ratios 🙁
I just did this with frozen bananas, but drained as much of the liquid from the microwaved bananas that I could, and it worked well!!
Glad it worked well, Kaitlyn!
Could I add walnuts to this? Or would it change the bread?
Yes, that would be delicious! You can just add in 1/3 cup – 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the recipe and it should be fine
does the almond butter have to be runny? my almond butter is pretty thick and isn’t as runny, would this affect the texture of the cake?
I think the bread will be more dense if the almond butter is not runny enough, but it should still taste ok 😉
hey! this recipe looks delicious!! Do you think I could make this in a blender??
Thank you for sharing your awesomeness!
You need to keep the 1/2 cup of Rolled Oats whole, so I think you could blend everything else together in a blender and then stir those in at the end maybe xx
If I were to use slated almond butter should I omit the 1/2 tsp of salt? Or still use it?
I would reduce to 1/4 tsp, and then taste the batter before you put it in the oven to bake to see if you need to add more 🙂
Loved this recipe! Made 2 loafs and stacked them for my daughters 1st birthday. It’s her second birthday tomorrow and I want to use the recipe again, but can I do it in a cake tin? What size and how long to cook do you estimate? Thank you!
Happy Birthday to your daughter, Alice! I’m honored you’re using my recipe for her “cake”. 😍
I made this yesterday and it came out mushy 🙁 it tastes amazing but I was so excited for a fluffy banana bread that is made with oat flour! I followed the recipe, the only thing I changed that I used peanut butter (home made and liquidy) insteadond butter and I thought it would be fine, do you think that could be the problem?
Hi, I am sorry to hear that! I have not tested the recipe with peanut butter, so I am not sure. Also, depending on the elevation of where you live and your oven, you may need to adjust the cooking time. A toothpick should almost cleany come out of the center of the bread when it is ready to be taken out of the oven x
The toothpick wasn’t clean, but the outside of the bread already started to get burnt… :/ I don’t know what I did wrong but I will keep trying 🙂
You should try a lower oven temp for longer if the outside is cooking faster!
Thanks for the help! 🙂
It could also be the type of pan you’re using. Thinner pans tend to cook the outside of a baked good faster. If you’re using a dark pan, that might also be the problem, because they conduct more heat. Try reducing the baking temp by 25 degrees, and see if that helps.
Thanks for your help, I’m trying again tomorrow 🙂
just made these ! delicious ! 😀
The recipe looks delicious!! The almond butter I have only has roasted almonds but no salt added. Would that still work in the recipe or do you need salted almond butter?
Alli, that will be perfect! I use unsalted almond butter as well
Instead of baking powder, can you use corn starch?
No, I would recommend baking powder
hi, could u pls provide the measurement of the mashed bananas in cups?
It should be about 1 1/2 cup of mashed banana!
Would using regular flour work in place of the oat flour?
No, I do not advise flour substitutions
That’s too bad. I have celiac disease and avoid avenin, so oats are out for me.
You can use gluten free oats
If only we had air conditioning or it wasn’t going to be 103 degrees today! I have the perfect bananas sitting in a basket just waiting for their transformation! :.(
Aw no! I definitely understand that struggle!
Has anyone ever tried this with apple sauce instead of bananas? I love the recipe as is but thought and apple variation might be good too.
Personally haven’t tried it, but applesauce is a common replacement for bananas.
Hi! can we use any other type of vinegar? or can we take out completely? that’s the only ingredient i don’t have and i want to make this today!!
You can leave the apple cider vinegar out if you do not have it, but it may make the bread less fluffy. It reacts with the baking powder to give more rise 🙂
OMG, every ingredient is in my kitchen… Have to make this for my banana bread addicted brother (who is graduating tomorrow); he’ll be chuffed!
how awesome!!! 🙂
Hi! What do you do with the other 1/2 of oats ?
Just added it in! Sorry about that 🙂 You add it with the rest of the dry ingredients, it helps add texture to the bread!
this recipe looks amazing! i’ve been searching for the perfect vegan banana bread for a while. could i sub the almond butter for coconut oil? i know it defeats the purpose of being “oil free” but it’s all i have at the moment!
Anna, I have not tested this, but you could try! I would only use 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil though to start out though, as it is more runny than the almond butter. Make sure it is melted too!
Looks amazing can’t wait to try it out!!
One question is it OK if I change almond butter to peanut butter ?
Lots of love,
Hi Anna! I believe that should be fine, as long as you are using natural peanut butter and that it is runny. Keep in mind that this will alter the taste of the banana bread though!
I was just going to ask the same, good thing I absolutely don’t mind having some of that gorgeous peanut flavor with my banana bread.
Can’t wait to try the recipe! ✨
Hope you love it, Ariana!
My husband is allergic to almonds and we didn’t have any peanut butter in the house, so I used cashew butter that was actually quite stiff and dry. The bread still turned out GREAT! It was moist and delicious. I’ll definitely be keeping this as my go-to banana bread recipe.
Glad to hear you both enjoyed it Kristen! 🙂
Hi Caitlin! This recipe looks great and I’m so excited to try it ?! Can the sugar be reduced or replaced by any liquid sweeteners like agave? Thank you!!!
Hi Dana, Unfortunately, no; I tested this recipe several times and a dry sugar is best. Coconut sugar is unrefined and still has a lot of health benefits though! 🙂
O M G!!! This is the best banana recipe E V E R!!! How many times I made it I know the recipe by heart!! The moist and fluffiness!!sometimes I sub oat flour for almond flour. I don’t put that much sugar (coconut) because I find bananas already sweet from the ripeness:)
Overall ????????????
Thanks, Iva! Glad to hear that Almond Flour works too!
I’ve tried countless vegan bannana bread recipes and this recipes is my go-to. I can’t believe it’s gluten free and sugar free because I used monk fruit sweetener. I add a dolop of margarine to each slice for a nice treat. So much better than oatmeal!
just made this amazing recipe as I am taking a break from studying for nuclear medicine board exam! Thanks for yet another amazing recipe!!
Yay! Good luck on your exam 🙂
So dates wouldn’t work either? Instead of the sugar I mean
I’ve tried it with date paste (dates soaked for 2 hours and then put into a blender with water to make a creamy paste) … I did 1:1 for the sugar and it worked great .. I had to bake it about 15 mins longer tho cuz it was too moist.
Glad you were able to cook out the extra moisture! Baking can be a fickle thing, being able to quickly find a work around or solution to odd things that come up. It’s like being a doctor with cooking!
I have tried this with plain white sugar, sugar in the raw, and also truvia and they all come out great!
That’s great to hear!
You may not be able to use liquid sweetener, but you can definitely reduce the sugar if you like!
YOU ROCK!! These ingredients are PURE, CLEAN, LEGIT! Greatly appreciated, making it now!! <3 yayyyy!
This is the best!!! Love the simple ingredients. If I were to add chopped nuts, how much would you add, and do you think it would make the bread too dry? Thanks for another great recipe!
It shouldn’t dry it out by much – I would add in the nuts at 1/4 cup increments and do it by eye!
Love this recipe! I modify by lightly blending 2 cups oats so they’re mostly whole, and then added 1/2 cup of almond meal. Texture still turns out great!