Moist & Fluffy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe (Gluten Free!)

Moist, soft, and very flavorful vegan banana bread recipe that’s so quick and easy to make, and easily made gluten free! Absolutely no one will know this banana bread is vegan, dairy free, and made without eggs!

Why you’ll love this vegan banana bread whether or not you’re vegan:

This is truly the best banana bread you’ll ever make, hands down, vegan or not. It tastes just like the one I grew up with: super moist with a soft crumb texture, full of extraordinarily ripe bananas and a caramelized sweetness from the granulated sugar or coconut sugar (that mimics brown sugar), and subtle notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla for extra warmth.

Like my vegan double chocolate banana bread and more summer-y vegan zucchini banana bread, you won’t be able to resist. It’s one of the best classic vegan breakfast recipes, and a wonderful dessert option on a cozy fall day.

This vegan banana bread recipe truly does taste just like the classic, so if you have some non-vegans stopping by for a bite to eat, know that you can serve this healthier banana bread without any doubt that it’s anything but the classic.

That’s how amazing this recipe is.

I know, a really bold statement to claim, and yes, I’m sure that other vegan food bloggers have amazing banana bread recipes, but I’m that confident that you’ll love this banana bread recipe as much as I do!

Which, if you couldn’t tell, is a whole lot. It’s made with simple vegan ingredients, comes together in just one bowl, and is the easiest vegan quick bread recipe to make when you’ve got to use up those ripe bananas!

Ingredients you’ll need:

As I mentioned above, one of the reasons why this is the best vegan banana bread ever is because of how simple the ingredients are.

You can make this vegan banana bread recipe entirely gluten free or keep is just vegan- it’s up to you! But here are the basic ingredients that you’ll need to get started:

• Mashed bananas from super ripe bananas
• Flour: I have used both all purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends (King Arthur Measure for Measure is what I recommend!). You can easily make this a gluten free vegan banana bread by using gluten free 1:1 baking flour or even oat flour. I do not recommend using whole wheat flour nor whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe. Whole wheat flour bakes much differently from all purpose or even gluten free.
• Sugar: As mentioned above, you can also use coconut sugar for a completely refined sugar free healthy banana bread recipe. You can also use both granulated sugar and brown sugar. 
• Cinnamon + nutmeg
• Dairy free milk: such as oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk
• Vegan butter: or olive oil or unsweetened applesauce (for oil free)
• Baking soda + baking powder

Nothing out of the ordinary here, which is why I love this banana bread. Whether or not you’re vegan, you can definitely fall in love with the combination of these ingredients!

What can replace eggs in banana bread?

Unlike other vegan banana bread recipes on the web, we’re actually replacing eggs with just mashed banana. Some recipes use ground flaxseed (even I used to!) to make flax eggs, but I’ve actually found the texture is much better if we just omit the vegan egg substitutes all together.

That’s right: this vegan banana bread does not use any vegan egg substitutes, making it a super approachable and easy one bowl recipe.

How to make vegan banana bread (overview):

For the full instructions and measurements for how to make this healthy vegan banana bread, please skip down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

However, for a quick run through of what you’re going to do to bake this banana bread recipe, keep reading!

To make a classic vegan banana bread:

Whisk together the dry ingredients. This is the flour, spices, and leavening agents. Then set this bowl aside. Alternatively, to make this a one bowl banana bread, you can mix the wet ingredients first and then use a sifter to sift in the dry over the wet.

Whisk together the wet ingredients. This is the banana, sugar, dairy free milk, melted vegan butter, and vanilla. You can just use a hand whisk for this. Then add in the dry ingredients to your large mixing bowl, and whisk or fold the dry into the wet. Finally, stir in the vegan chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. You can use an 8″ or a 9″ loaf pan. here. Top with extra chocolate chips or sliced banana if desired! I just do this for decoration and to signal that it’s banana bread (although you can definitely smell it from the kitchen!).

Bake the banana bread. Then allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Then transfer the bread to a cooling rack or wire rack to cool some more. Allowing the bread to rest will ensure a cleaner slice.

Then slice and serve! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Easy Banana Bread Mix-Ins and Toppings

If you want to upgrade your classic vegan banana bread to have a bit more excitement, try some of these fun banana bread mix-ins and toppings!

• Chopped walnuts or other nuts, such as pecans, almonds, even peanuts!
• Chocolate chips
• Coconut flakes
• Spices, such as pumpkin pie spice, chai spice blend, cardamom, etc.
• Lemon or orange zest
• Dried fruit, such as cranberries or chopped apricots
• Maple syrup: you can add just a tablespoon of maple syrup for a bit more of a maple-y taste without messing up the texture!

Tips for the best vegan banana bread recipe

Don’t over-mix the batter:

Stir the banana bread batter until it is just mixed. The dry ingredients should be fully incorporated into the wet, but since we’ll also be adding in the banana separately, make sure not to over mix, or you’ll end up with a gummy texture.

Measure your flour correctly:

I personally recommend using weighted (gram) measurements over a measuring cup. Your measurements will be way more accurate, and you’ll be more likely to achieve the desired result. However, if you don’t have a kitchen scale, please make sure that you spoon and level the flour into your cup measurements rather than scooping the flour. Scooping will lead to too much flour in the batter, and unfortunately a dry banana bread!

Don’t forget the nutmeg!

This is the key to a classic banana bread taste. Trust me, no one will know that this healthy banana bread recipe is entirely vegan, and I partially attribute this to the nutmeg. Nutmeg adds a nice kick to the cinnamon and makes it more lively.

Keep the oven shut while baking:

I know how tempting it is to keep opening the oven to see how close you are to done, but don’t do this! Opening the oven will drastically alter the oven temperature (even if the clock doesn’t read it), because the hot air will rush out into a cooler kitchen (yes, 72F is considered way cooler than 350F haha!). This will change the way that the banana bread bakes. If you want to check on it, turn on the oven light, or if you need to open the oven, try to not do so until the very very end.

For a super moist vegan banana bread:

Use vegan butter! My favorite brands are Miyoko’s and Forager Project, but for a completely nut free vegan banana bread, you can also use Earth Balance. I’ve used all 3 for this recipe, and love them all!

Can I make this banana bread recipe oil free?

Technically, we’re using vegan butter here, but if you want to make this vegan banana bread lower in fat, you can absolutely swap in applesauce for the oil/vegan butter.

I give the exact swap down below in the recipe card.

Can I freeze this banana bread?

Absolutely! After making this vegan banana bread, simply slice the banana bread and store any leftover slices in an airtight container or bag.

Place the slices into the fridge for up to 5 days or store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

When ready to serve again, you can simply place a slice of frozen banana bread on a piece of tin foil and onto a baking sheet. Place the slice into the oven, set to 350F, and bake for 5-7 minutes.

How to ripen unripe bananas- FAST!

Want to make banana bread but your bananas aren’t ripe enough? I learned this super quick method for ripening bananas fast in the oven.

Easy! Use this trick:

1. Heat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (any sized baking sheet will do).
2. Place the bananas (still in their peels!) onto the baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Then remove the bananas and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Use as you would super ripe bananas

You are just going to love this vegan banana bread recipe! If you make it, let me know down below in the comments section, along with giving it a rating so that other people can see.

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there! Please leave a review as well as a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️so that others may find this recipe too!

Happy classic banana bread baking!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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