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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 baked it today and OMG! Best banana bread ever. Thank you for share the recipe.
Hi!
I’ve made this recipe twice already, and each time it comes out so crumbly. I can’t cut it into slices because it just doesn’t hold. So sad! The taste is AMAZING and I really want it to work. Any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
Thanks!
Hey there! Your nut butter may not be runny enough, OR you could be packing too much flour into the cups when you are measuring it. You are technically supposed to spoon the oats into a cup, level it off, and then only use those.
Thanks so much! I will try again as soon as I get more bananas!!
This is hands down my favourite banana bread recipe! Its so fast and easy to make and it tastes soooo good, so thank you Caitlin!
Guys! Try using half the amount of “egg” it makes the bread so might lighter, airer! I’ve been making this recipe for a while, decided to double it but forgot to double the “egg” and it turned out delicious!!
Anxious to try this recipe but I can’t have vanilla- could I substitute almond extract time should I just not add any flavor extract? Thanks!
You can add almond if you like, or just leave it out 🙂
Love this recipe turns out a treat every time. Is it ok to freeze after it’s cooked & cooled?
Yes! I would pre-slice it though 🙂
I made this recipe but I baked it at 325 on the bottom rack of my oven. It came out great; sweet but not too sweet and rose pretty well. Sadly, after it cooled it deflated and was slightly more dense than I expected it to be. Do you have any tips to keep it from becoming more dense as it cools??
Hi Diana, perhaps you did not cook it long enough?
Could you use packaged oat flour instead of processing your own?
Yes, just use a 1:1.25 substitution ratio!
Great recipe, Caitlin! I thought I’d share my success in making this recipe into muffins. I used the method from Sally’s Baking Addiction of baking the muffins at 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes, this allows the muffins to form the tall domed tops that looks so pretty. You then drop the oven temperature to 350 degrees and from here it took me another 12 minutes for the muffins to be perfectly done. It saved some time instead of using a loaf pan and it will make it easier for me to freeze some to enjoy later. Oh, and of course they turned out delicious! They’re more dense than a typical banana bread but I would guess that’s because the oats aren’t as finely ground as all purpose flour. I added 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredients but next time I might add a full 1 tbsp because the cinnamon flavor wasn’t too pronounced. I’m excited to try more of your recipes 🙂
Could you use other flour, such as almond flour maybe????
Hi Tayla, please see the recipe notes for flour substitutions. I have not tested this recipe with almond flour
I’ve already baked this banana bread once before and I loved it! I ate a whole loaf on my own during a weekend.
I was thinking of making muffins so I could try and have some self control lol. Would you have any idea on how long I would have to bake them for? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! I turned this bread into muffins in my Chunky Monkey Muffins recipe, so I would follow those instructions – bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes!
Can u make this recipe without Apple cider vinegar and substitute with lime juice?
I would recommend lemon juice, but not lime.
Thanks Caitlin! will definitely try it.
I added a tsp of baking soda, an extra tbsp of water to egg mixture, and I used maranatha coconut almond butter (since it has oil in it and it’s super dry in Colorado) and baked this at 8200ft. It came out perfect!! I also added walnuts and a few cacao nibs. So tasty and so stoked to have some moist bread at this elevation :))
In order to make this gluten free can I swap out the oats for gluten free oats?
yes!
This looks great! I love GF recipes that don’t require a bunch of different flours! Unfortunately, I only have instant GF oats. Will these work in this recipe?
yes, they will be fine
Hi Caitlin,
I usually never comment under anything, but this recipe is absolutely fantastic. My entire family loved it. I didn’t have access to oat flour, so I used whole grain spelt flour and it turned out great.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love from Germany
Lea
I am for sure going to try this recipe! I have been a fan of your youtube channel for a long time now, and I’m just kicking myself for not checking out your website sooner! You are such an amazing and talented person can’t wait to see what recipes you come up with next!
I made it yesterday and it is delicious. The only issue for me is that I feel it a bit too dry for my taste. Maybe I can try omitting the remaining 1/2 cup of rolled oats? Or lowering the temperature? Wonder which one will yield the results I want. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Sure, you can omit the oats!
I omitted the half cup of rolled oats as I thought it could have been fluffier too and let me tell you, it worked!
Just made this and it is sososoooooo good! I’m telling people left and right about this recipe haha. So moist and chewy with the perfectness sweetness.
I’m thinking of making this recipe again but double the ingredients in a bread tray. Do u think that would work? Should I change up the temperature or maybe cover the top with aluminum foil so the top won’t burn as the middle will most likely take longer to cook?
I think that’s a great idea!
Will quick oats ruin the recipe? I feel like I stock up on quick oats & steel cut oats for most of my meals but don’t seem to have any rolled oats!
No, quick oats are fine!