Vegan Banana Bread

By
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams is a restaurant professional and workshop instructor with a specialty in dairy-free cooking and baking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/6/22
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings

Banana bread is a breakfast staple for many and a welcome treat at teatime, as well. For vegans, banana bread is usually a no-go without the appropriate substitutions. While most banana bread recipes contain dairy and eggs, this vegan banana bread variation uses neither, yet it's still moist and delicious.

Feel free to add walnuts, raisins, or dairy-free dark chocolate chips to dress up your bread. If you skip nuts in the recipe, you can spread nut butter and honey on banana bread for a heartier taste.

A trick to get the most banana flavor is to let your bananas get very, very ripe. Let them get almost completely brown. This develops the most complex and intense banana flavor.

Vegan banana bread recipe

The Spruce Eats

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 cup plain soy milk, or almond milk

  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

  • 2 cups mashed bananas, from about 4 large very ripe bananas

  • 1/4 cup canola oil

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for vegan banana bread recipe gathered

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  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

    Lightly oiled loaf pan

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  3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, white granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

    Dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

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  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soy milk and cider vinegar and let it stand for 2 minutes.

    Soy milk and apple cider vinegar whisked in bowl

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  5. Add the mashed bananas, canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined.

    Mashed banana added to milk mixture

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  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).

    Banana bread batter in a bowl

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  7. Fold in the chopped nuts (if using) and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

    Banana bread batter in a bread pan

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  8. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.

    Vegan banana bread in loaf pan

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  9. Allow the bread to cool on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes before serving.

  10. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

    Banana bread ready to serve

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Recipe Variation

Add your favorite dried fruits, such as cranberries or raisins. You can also fold in blueberries, sliced bananas, or dairy-free chocolate chips.

Using a Muffin Tin or Mini Loaf Pans

  • If you are use a muffin tin instead of the loaf pan, cut down cooking time by one-third to one-fourth.
  • If using a mini loaf pan, cooking time can be cut down by about half.
  • Baking times will vary given the size of your muffin tin or mini loaf pan, but a regular-size muffin tin should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes, while mini loaves shouldn't take more than 40 to 45 minutes. Use the same oven temperature.
  • Remember to test doneness by using the toothpick test.


How to Store and Freeze Vegan Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe is super moist fresh out of the oven, but storing it properly is important to maintain the taste and texture, given its lack of eggs and dairy.


  • Bread may be kept at room temperature for up to two days in a breadbox. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. 
  • If you cook a large batch and want to keep it for more than four or five days, you can freeze banana bread in portions or whole loaves.
  • To defrost, thaw the wrapped banana bread at room temperature for an hour or so. After it has thawed, rewrap the bread in foil and bake in the oven at 300 F for 45 minutes. Check and bake up to 15 minutes longer for the perfect serving temperature and texture.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
241 Calories
5g Fat
47g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 241
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 219mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 16%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 188mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)