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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!
I made this recipe with not as much oat (used all the oat I have which was 1,5 cups) with 2 bananas, walnuts and chia seeds. I devoured it with a dollop of vegan butter. It is, indeed, a great sweet breakfast option! YUM! thank you! I’m going to try this again.. it was a little wet but I’m guessing that’s because I didn’t have that much oat (didn’t have any but still this is an awesome recipe 🙂
Thank you!
That’s awesome! Thanks for leaving a review, Seyma 🙂
Hi there. Can I use gelatine eggs instead of flax seeds? I am allergic to seeds
Hi, Carina! If you do not tolerate chia or flaxseeds, you can make a good egg substitute with gelatin.
Made this recipe last night and it turned out great! Such an easy way to use up bananas.
Thank you for the feedback, Ashley! Glad it turned out great. 😀
This is such a great recipe!
I made a version with 60 grams regular white sugar yesterday, and today I made a version with 70 gram dried dates, I soaked them in hot water for like an hour and drained them after, then blended them smooth with 2 of the 3 bananes.
I used peanut butter both times bacause it’s most affordable.
Both versions taste great and the one with dates is still fluffy, so I’ll stick with that one!
This will be my new favorite healthy banana bread recipe!
P.s; the extra banana on top really gives it something extra, look ánd tastewise. Thanks again!
I really appreciate the feedback, Annemarie!
This is my go to banana bread recipe! We’re not vegan but try to eat 75% plant based. This recipe checks all the boxes of a warm, delicious banana bread. I like to add cinnamon sugar to the top for extra sweetness!
Thank you for the feedback, Kimberly! I’m glad you like it. 😀
BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! Perfectly fluffy and sweet 💕 i also love switching up the nut butters, just to keep things interesting 😜
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Hi Caitlin! I tried this recipe over the weekend, used cashew butter (which is a bit stiff), added 1/2 tbsp cinnamon and baked for 60 mins. However, it came out a little dry and kinda dense. I’m quite okay with it being dense as I prefer my breads dense, but I want it to be more moist. Was it due to the cashew butter which was not so runny? Or should I try to bake it at a lower temperature or shorter duration? Overall, this tastes great and I love the clean ingredients! 🙂
This is amazing! Made it on Tuesday night and Thursday it’s gone ! Making it again! Thanks for another great recipe!
Oh it never lasts long around here either! Thanks Margaret 🙂
i Love this recipe turns out a treat every time. Is it ok to freeze after it’s cooked & cooled?
Yes, it freezes well! I would just pre-slice it
I have made this bread about ten times in the last few months. It’s an amazing way to use up ripe bananas and delight your family at the same time (my sister adores this recipe and won’t eat any other banana bread if it is not ‘caitlin shoemaker’s recipe’).
Thank you so much Caitlin for coming up with such an amazing creation.
And if you are scrolling through the comments, hesitant about making it or not, do it!! You won’t regret it.
Hi Caitlin, I made this last night and the result
was mind blowing. Dare I say it’s even better than any non-vegan, non-GF banana breads that I have ever made/tasted in the past! Using oatmeal was GENIUS as I love the texture it gives the bread. It is the moistest, tastiest, most delicious banana bread. I followed the recipe to a tee, the only alteration was replacing half the coconut sugar with stevia. I recently decided to go whole foods plant based due to a rare health condition which so far has no cure. After a week, I didn’t crave meat or dairy but I craved cakes and breads and pastries. This banana bread satisfied all of my cravings so you literally saved me! Thank you! Will be trying the zucchini and sweet potato bread next! ????
This came out so well!! I used a combo of sunflower seed butter and almond butter, used a little less sugar and added carob chips and pecans. It’s so yummy. Will definitely make again using other add-ins and nut /seed butters. Endless options!
So, so, sooooo good! The best vegan banana bread I’ve made by FAR! I added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, because my nana always added those to her banana bread and so I always have too! Seriously can’t recommend this recipe enough. Thanks so much!!
I made this with canola instead, sweetner instead of sugar and I added cinnamon. I didn’t read the recipe properly as had a baby strapped to my chest whilst trying to make myself something I can grab through the week. I ended up throwing everything in the blender and carefully squishing down to a paste using a spatula. It came out so well. My husband and I have eaten the majority of it. I’ve now not really got anything to last the week but by god it was tasty! Diabetics everywhere – rejoice 🙂
Best vegan banana bread I’ve tried! I used cashew butter and it was delicious. Moist, light, and fluffy!
This is the best recipe ever I 100% recommend
This really is phenomenal. I’ve made it with chocolate chips and also put it in to muffin pans. Texture is so fluffy and not too sweet
Thanks so much!
This is so delicious! I don’t even enjoy baking but I found both this recipe and your pumpkin bread to be very simple and straightforward to make, and the results were so worth it <3 Thank you for all the great recipes!
Nice to hear that it was an approachable recipe even if you’re not a frequent baker! Thanks!
Hi, finally! the quest for the ideal GF vegan banana bread has been long and filled with bananas and lots of good but sticky, too moist, too dry or too-something-else loaves. My only other best was one I threw together without using a recipe and it was good but: I could never replicate it. :-). Today we found your recipe and bow to the master:-) Thank you for a great recipe and snack. I did half a cup of walnuts chopped but won’t be doing that again as I actually hate walnuts:-). Next time mixed nuts or pecans. thanks again.
Thanks so much for the rave review! Glad you found a recipe that works for you!
I love this recipe!! The textures of the oats and everything is just right! For a second batch I experimented with some crushed walnuts and coconut flakes and it turned out great!!
Those sound like fun additions!