MOIST One Bowl Vegan Banana Bread Recipe- NO Egg Replacements
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 and super easy 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. I even use it in my vegan banana bread cheesecake!
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! (and actually the inspiration for this banana cream cheese crumb cake, which also just uses bananas as the egg substitute!).
For more seasonal quick bread recipes: Try this vegan pumpkin bread, vegan gingerbread loaf, or even this vegan chocolate zucchini bread!
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. This is our only vegan egg substitute. You don’t need anything else!
- 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.
- Granulated sugar & brown 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!
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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 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!
If you’d like even more vegan banana bread variations that have gluten free options, check out my cookbook and head to the breads and loaves section!
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:
- Heat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (any sized baking sheet will do).
- Place the bananas (still in their peels!) onto the baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
- 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!
Print
MOIST One Bowl Vegan Banana Bread Recipe- NO Egg Replacements
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This soft and tender vegan banana bread recipe is so moist, sweet and easy to make! You don’t need any eggs nor egg replacements- just banana! Absolutely no one will know this banana bread is vegan, dairy free, and easily gluten free as well!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) sifted flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups or 300 grams)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) dairy-free milk, such as oat milk or coconut milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted vegan butter, coconut oil, or olive oil, melted if butter or coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 cup (170 grams) chocolate chips, 1 large banana, sliced in half for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8″ or 9″ loaf pan with coconut oil or olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana if you haven’t already. Then add in the sugar, brown sugar, dairy-free milk, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk together.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in optional chocolate chips here as well.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and top with the extra banana if desired.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 65-70 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean and the top of the banana bread is slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow the vegan banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
- Slice and serve warm. Store any leftover slices in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 1 month in the freezer.
Notes
- To make this lower in fat, swap in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for the vegan butter.
- To make this even lower in sugar, you can safely reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup.
Baked this banana bread gluten free and it was very yum! I did make a few changes: used coconut sugar, turbinado sugar (because I ran out of coconut sugar), and brown sugar, but only used a little more than half the total sugar measurement listed and it was perfectly sweet for a banana bread; used almond flour for 15% of the flour mix; cut the nutmeg in half and the cinnamon by one-third; added 1/4 teaspoon salt; and added chopped walnuts instead of chocolate. Still delicious, so thank you for the recipe! I do want to mention a couple of things about the recipe: for the gluten-free bakers who don’t use a commercial cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mix that already contains xanthan gum (I make my own), you might want to mention to add 3/4 teaspoon or so of xanthan gum as part one’s own flour mix (such as for the person who wanted to use oat flour). Perhaps it would work without the gum, but not having done that, I’m not sure. The other thing is that there seems to be a glitch in the recipe conversion. When I clicked over to metric in the units, the measurements of several ingredients changed from the original amounts, and even once I clicked back to US units, the measurements were still different (e.g., went from 2 cups to 1.75 cups of flour). The only way to fix this was to refresh the page. I had actually printed this out with the incorrect measurements and happened to go back to look at this again on the site and realized my measurements were different, so I’m glad I had checked!
It’s great, fluffy and moist as described although I think it’s very heavy on the nutmeg. I did think twice about putting the amount it said in and did but regret it because all I can taste is nutmeg!
I used almond flour, and the muffins and loaf i made sunk in… I believe that is the cause, although the baking powder and soda may have been expired.
Hi Natalie! The loaf definitely sunk because of the almond flour unfortunately :/ That’s why I never recommend swapping in almond flour for gluten free 1:1 baking flour, as it’s not 1:1! I would definitely try gluten free 1:1 baking flour next time if you can! I love King Arthur’s blend!
Thanks for the recipe 🙂 one question – can sorghum flour or rice flour be used for gluten free flour?
I wouldn’t recommend using just using sorghum flour or rice flour- it’s better if you can use them in a blend! I always like to use King Arthur measure for measure flour. I hope that helps!
Thank you! I am new to baking and don’t understand measure for measure flour. If I use oat flour for instance, I use one cup of oat flour to substitute one cup of King Arthur flour or does it have something to do with the weight as well?
No problem at all! It’s a bit confusing at first. So 1 cup of KA gluten free measure for measure flour (in the white bag, it contains xanthan gum, which is a crucial ingredient in making it measure for measure for all purpose flour) is equivalent to 1 cup of all purpose flour (and 1 cup of each weighs 125 g, so it’s easily replaceable for those who use the metric system when baking). 1 cup of oat flour is NOT 1:1 in cups- it weights only 100 g per cup, whereas AP flour weighs 125 g, so you can’t swap in 3 cups of oat flour for 3 cups of AP flour. You would need 3 3/4 cups of oat flour for 3 cups of all purpose flour. I hope that helps!
Hi! Is there anyway to know how long to cook if using this recipe for muffins instead of a loaf? Thanks!
Hi Kay, if using a muffin tin they should bake for about 15-18 minutes!
What can I say, except just wow!!! You’ve made a baker out of a novice! I only used to bake cookies, but now I’ll get into cakes too. Thanks for clarifying the measurements – I used oatmeal flour and it turned out great😃 I used a skillet as I don’t have a loaf pan, well cooked in 65 mins.
This is so wonderful!! So happy you loved it 🙂 Enjoy!! Thanks for the review!
I just made this recipe! Absolutely amazing! Best vegan banana bread i have ever made!
This is wonderful 🙂 So glad you loved it!! Thanks!
I’ve made this delicious banana loaf four times since coming across recipe in early March 2023 – I just love it. Thank you!
Betty
This is so wonderful!! I’m so glad to hear it 🙂 Thanks for coming back to share! Enjoy!!
Your description of fluffy caught my attention. And YES it is fluffy. I must admit, I skipped the sugar entirely (no added sugar at all except what was in the 51% cacao semi-sweet chocolate chips) and it is perfectly sweet from the ripe bananas and chocolate chips. The texture is very tender even without the added sugar.
This is wonderful!! So happy to hear it 🙂 Thanks so much for the review!! Enjoy!
So moist and delicious!!! I use 4-5 ripe bananas just cause I like the extra banananess but I don’t change anything else in the recipe and it still turns out amazing!!! I also sometime make this recipe with regular flour and its just as incredible!!!
This is WONDERFUL!! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 This is lovely!!
I would give this 5 stars except the recipe is missing salt. I made it for my customers and they all felt like it was “fresh” and could tell it didn’t have salt. So I’d say if you’re not using vegan butter which tends to be salty, then make sure to add salt.
Hi Gillian! That’s a good note, I will add it! Thank you for the feedback!
Hi
Currently in the midst of making this delicious banana bread
Can I ask if it is possible to pop in a cupcake tray to make individual cakes?
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try
Hi Daisy! Oh you absolutely can! I’m not sure how many it would make, nor for how long, as I haven’t tried it, but you I have made my quick breads as cupcakes before for other recipes, and it’s worked!
I was really excited to try this banana bread and thought while I was baking that the amount of baking soda and baking powder was a lot. Unfortunately it’s all I can taste, leaves a bitter aftertaste that overpowers the banana.
I also think the milk metric conversion may be out. 1/2 cup is 118mL. Thanks anyways!
I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you! It sounds like you doubled the recipe, right? Unfortunately doubling the recipe, the metric conversions don’t double as well. That would explain the confusion regarding the metric conversions.
Like many others here, I found this to be perfectly moist and flavorful – not too sweet, a lovely aromatic from the spices. Super delicious banana bread! Will be making again!
This banana bread recipe is by far one of my favorites. I’ve had requests to make it more than once this week now, and I’ve already made it 3 times!
This is incredible!! So happy to hear it 🙂 Enjoy, and thanks for the review!!
I modified this a bit by using 1/2 cup of applesauce for the oil and 1/4 cup of brown monk fruit sugar and 1/4 cup of date powder for sweetener. I also used all GF oat flour and added 1 cup of chopped pecans. It came out moist and flavorful! Will make again!
Amazing!! That’s wonderful to hear!! Enjoy 🙂
This banana bread is AMAZING!! The first time I made it, it was perfect!(and I used measure 1:1 GF flour) The second time I made it, it sunk in, could it have been that I used almond flour this second time?
So so happy you like it!! And that could have totally been it for the second time- almond flour isn’t a 1:1 sub for all purpose flour, you have to be careful on ratios there!
Hi!! I made this recipe just two days ago and it turned out amazing! I needed a banana recipe fast because some bananas at the farm I work at were gonna go bad and I didn’t want them to go to waste. Since many of the people there are vegan or vegetarian I decided to try a vegan version of banana bread. Thankfully I came across this recipe and it is glorious. So fluffy and so moist. Aagghh!! Everyone loved it ❤️ I made one that was just cinnamon and another one with chocolate chips mixed in and nutella on top for those chocolate lover hehe.
Great bread. I used Better Batter GF flour. One batch I subbed apple sauce for the oil and the second batch I used the rest of my half cup container of apple sauce and some additional oil, it was about half cup total. Both batches turned out fine. Nice texture and flavor. I used a variety of smaller pans instead of a full loaf pan so I could share and give away some. Baking in a big loaf pan would definitely have taken longer.
I rarely leave comments on recipes, but I had to thank you for this amazing recipe. I own a home-based gluten-free bakery and needed something vegan for my son. I’ve been known for my chocolate chip banana bread for years, but my recipe is tough to make vegan. But this recipe works so beautifully for GF vegan banana bread, with or without chocolate chips. I make it with Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Flour, omit the nutmeg (since I’m not fond of it in my banana bread), reduce the cinnamon a bit, and no banana on top. It is so delicious!
Hi Jenne! So happy to hear you found this recipe for your son and that it turned out so good! 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback!
this was my first time making banana bread and a vegan one at that. this was super easy to follow and really delicious. very moist and I loved that there was a crispy edge to my bread. I’m going to try to make this next time with less sugar because it was a little too sweet for me but nonetheless it was amazing and I would definitely recommend.
So happy to hear it! Thank you so much for reviewing, and you can definitely reduce the sugar to 3/4 of what it is 🙂 Enjoy!!
Love this recipe! This is the only banana bread my toddler eats. He has egg allergy so you are our go-to for any egg friendly baked goods. Thanks heaps for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that you all love the recipe! Thank YOU for the review <3 Enjoy, and thanks for being here!
I want to make this for a group, but someone in the group is allergic to cinnamon. Can I just leave out the cinnamon?
Oh yes, you can omit the cinnamon no problem!
Thank you so much! I left out the cinnamon and it turned out DELICIOUS. Thank you!
That’s wonderful!! So glad it worked out 🙂 Enjoy!!
I doubled the recipe and used GF 1:1 flour. The flavor turned out great but the texture turned out very gooey and undercooked even though I baked it longer than what the recipe called for. I would love to make this again but not sure where I went wrong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi there! It sounds like it was a flour issue- did you use Bob’s? I find the texture is gummy with Bob’s, which is why I recommend using King Arthur! Bob’s I find isn’t truly 1:1 and so I never use it for my recipes anymore! I used to use it all of the time, but then I believe they might have switched their ratio of ingredients in their formula.
Yes, I did use Bob’s. I will try King Arthur, thank you for the feedback!
wow! this truly is the perfect recipe. i didn’t have brown sugar on hand so i used red sugar instead and it gave it a nice caramelized flavor which compliments the banana a lot. also initially i thought that it would be too sweet since the bananas i used were already very ripe but it turned out perfect for my taste- if anyone doesn’t want an as sweet bread they can reduce the amount of sugar as the recipe instructs- all in all i wanted to thank you for the AMAZING recipes they never fail to blow me away with how precise they are and -of course- how DELICIOUS they turn out!
Wow! So good! I love the addition of nutmeg and cinnamon. This will be my go-to recipe for banana bread!
This is so wonderful!! Thank you so much for the review 🙂 Enjoy!!