Eggless banana bread has always been on my "to-bake" list. So I was really thrilled to find this vegan banana bread recipe and I have to say that hand's down this is the best banana bread ever. It was moist, yummy and the sweetness was just right.
I always love baking with banana and blueberries because all the recipes I have tried so far have been very successful; in taste and appearance too.
If you check the recipe index by ingredients I'm sure that the banana and blueberry recipes page will have the most recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutes
You don't need any fancy ingredients, the procedure is very simple, and you make one of the best quick bread recipes ever! How cool it is!
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Allspice
- ½ cup Margarine at room temperature (I used Becel Vegan Spread)
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 3 Banana medium-sized, mashed well
- ¼ cup Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Chopped Walnuts
Best Tip
Sometimes I use oil instead of the softened non-dairy butter mentioned in the recipe. In that case, I use ⅓rd of a cup of oil instead of half a cup of butter.
If I had to choose one of the best recipes using bananas, this vegan banana bread recipe would be the one.
This vegan banana bread is also one of the recipes which I make quite often whenever I have overripe bananas at home.
Oh boy! I'm very glad that I found the vegan banana bread recipe because this is the best banana bread recipe you will ever bake vegan or otherwise.
Recipe FAQs
Allspice is also called Jamaican pepper. The ground powder has a combined flavor of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. So if you don't have it use cinnamon instead and it should be fine.
You will have to thaw it to bring it to room temperature and then only it can be used.
I haven't baked this or any other recipe in a microwave oven because I don't have the convection type microwave oven which can be used for baking/grilling also. But if you have one please follow the instructions for baking in it and it should work.
I hope so. I don't have experience baking in a gas oven but I don't see why it shouldn't work. Follow the procedure that you would normally do to bake in a gas oven and it should be fine.
Yes you can bake it in a bundt cake pan, or a 13x9 inch pan. The times will definitely vary. So take care that you do not over bake it and test for doneness accordingly.
Yes you can. Follow the same procedure like you would bake any muffin. Either grease the tin with non-stick cooking spray or line it with cupcake liners, fill ⅔rds full of batter and bake it for around 18-23 minutes maybe. Time might differ. Please test for doneness accordingly.
I think it should not be an issue. Like any other quick bread you can freeze it. Thaw it by keeping it in the fridge overnight and use it the next day.
Yes you can. But I prefer using apple cider vinegar because it doesn't give an after taste/flavor unlike white vinegar. You can try it for yourself and see.
Yes keeping the measurement same you can use your choice of add-ons.
Yes you can try, but it won't be banana bread anymore..duh! Jokes apart, you can try any other fruit of your choice keeping the measurement the same.
Always use white granulated sugar and not powdered sugar while baking unless a recipe specifically calls for it.
Yes you can try it. I haven't though. I'm thinking about ¾ cup of either of the syrup should be fine instead of 1 cup of sugar.
Yes it should not be a problem. You can also use coconut palm sugar instead.
Yes, any type of non dairy milk can be used. I personally prefer rice milk and almond milk. For some reasons don't like soy milk. Most of the times it gives a sticky texture.
Yes you can use dairy milk instead of almond milk. If you don't have buttermilk then use dairy milk and vinegar.
Yes buttermilk can be used instead of the non-dairy milk and vinegar combination. It's actually the vegan substitute for buttermilk. So if you don't want to bake it vegan then you can directly add buttermilk. So you don't have to use buttermilk and vinegar.
Again I haven't tried it, so just guessing what would be the result based on my experience baking fat free. Fat-free doesn't work always. It's more of a trial and error experiment. Personally I wouldn't suggest baking it entirely fat free, because you might end up with a dry bread. So start with maybe ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce and ¼ cup of softened butter/margarine or about 2 tablespoons of oil. See how it turns out and based on that you may decide to reduce the fat content further.
Using softened butter in place of margarine shouldn't be a problem, only that it won't be vegan anymore. Even ghee (clarified butter) in semi-solid state shouldn't be a problem, if you like the flavor. You won't have to make any changes to the recipe. But if you want to use oil, the recipe has to be tweaked a little bit. I'm estimating that ⅓rd cup of oil should be enough instead of ½ cup of butter/margarine.
Personally I do not bake anything with bananas with just whole wheat flour. It doesn't taste good in most of the recipes. Again this is my personal preference maybe. You could try it for yourself and see if you like the taste and texture. I use whole wheat pastry flour instead. It still has the same nutritional value of whole wheat flour but doesn't affect the taste and texture too.
Maybe you cannot omit either all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour totally but can use about 1 cup of that and for the rest any other whole grain flour or a multi-grain flour mix should be OK.
I haven't tried it myself but one of the readers mentioned in the comments that she used rice flour instead of all-purpose flour and a little bit of extra soy milk and the bread turned out fine. Most of the gluten-free and egg free recipes use Xanathan gum for it to rise. I haven't tried Xanathan gum while baking. The reader mentioned that she didn't use it either and the bread turned out good.
Quick breads, be it banana or any other bread has to be cooled completely before you can slice it. Preferably overnight. Do try it this way and you should be able to cut it without the bread crumbling or getting mushy. Trust me you will get neat slices without any problem.
It is natural for quick breads made with considerable quantity of fruit, especially egg free to be slightly on the denser side. When compared to many other quick bread recipes I have tried and tested this vegan banana bread is really not that dense. But do not expect it to be very light like a slice of angel food cake.
A couple of reasons and solutions for this problem.
1) Use a light-colored aluminum pan instead of dark non-stick metal pans because it absorbs heat and browns the loaf. Don't even think of using a glass pan because it's the worst. Glass acts as an insulator and will burn the bread.
2) Baking time and temperature matters. Most quick breads take anywhere between 50-75 minutes or sometimes more to bake. Such long temperatures do tend to brown the base and the top of the bread. So if you are baking in a dark pan it is suggested to bake the bread at 350F for a while and then reduce the temperature to 325F the top covered with aluminum foil for the rest of the time. This vegan banana bread bakes in 60 minutes. Since I used a light pan I didn't have to do this. The bread baked perfectly fine without any change in the temperature.
But if you are using a dark metal pan then bake at 350F for the first 30-35 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325F, cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until it's done.
Recipe
Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice ground
- ½ cup Margarine at room temperature (I used Becel Vegan Spread)
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 3 count Banana medium-sized, mashed well
- ¼ cup Almond Milk (or any non-dairy milk of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Combine together the non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar; set aside.
- Preaheat the oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spice.
- Cream together the margarine and sugars in another bowl. Then add the bananas, vanilla, and milk-vinegar mixture.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Mix in the nuts and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Mine was done shortly after 60 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Then transfer the bread from the pan to the rack and let it cool completely before slicing (preferably overnight).
My Notes
- Any non-dairy milk can be used instead of almond milk. My personal preference is always almond milk or rice milk.
- You can add (vegan) chocolate chips along with nuts to make it decadent.
- Always slice quick bread the next day. Do not slice it while it's still warm because it might not slice neatly.
- For a healthier version, you may want to substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or any other whole grain flour, use some homemade applesauce or some more mashed bananas for a part of the vegan butter substitute, and voila you have got a healthy banana bread without eggs.
Taste & Texture
Nutrition
Johanna says
Very tasty, I subbed walnuts for dairy-free chocolate chips. It's a little dense but is great warmed up with a little margarine melted on it. I would definitely recommend this recipe, easy to make.
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Johanna.
vegan-muffin says
Amazing !
Paulina says
Would this turn out if I was to freeze the batter for a few days before baking?
Madhuram says
I have never tried freezing any batter before. So not sure but even then feel that it won't turn out that good. Why don't you bake the bread and freeze the bread instead.
Darcy says
Hi ... Apple cider vinegar can it be replaced with Lemon juice or Citric acid
Madhuram says
It can be replaced with twice the quantity of lemon juice. Haven't tried citric acid.
Katy says
Hello, super keen to try make this on this rainy Sunday evening. I don't have baking soda, can I somehow use baking powder or something else? Thank you
Madhuram says
Baking soda and powder cannot be used interchangeably. Sometimes it might work. I would say that it's a risky experiment.
Tongzi says
First in my life making cake, it turned out wonderful and everyone surprised it was my first trial. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't wait to try other recipe.
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Tongzi 🙂
Eliza Reichl says
so wonderful to see people educate themselves on the toxins in processed oils. we are not taught about the heavy metals lurking in the refinement process, so it makes me so happy and uplifted to see this information becoming popularized. Thank you! now to try out this recipe!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Eliza.
Tongzi says
Hi Madhuram, I am eager to try out this recipe, this is my first cake i am going to do. So just to make sure "pre-heat 350F/180C for 15 minutes" and should continue using 350F/180C to bake for 70-80 mins?
Madhuram says
Yes. That's right.
Elle says
This was so good! I did 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 chocolate chips, was out of almond milk so used rice milk. We were also out of vegan butter so I tried coconut oil and it worked great! Couldn't find any spice, put in a tablespoon of pure maple syrup, not sure if that made a difference but the end result was great! Very moist and delicious!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Elle.
Shirin says
This is absolutely amazing!!! One of the best things I've baked! The only thing is that I changed it a bit to add more flavours!
The only difference is that instead of 3 bananas I used 2. I added two medium sized shredded carrots. I halved the amount of walnuts to 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (trader joes has some that happen to be vegan and taste more like milk chocolate rather than the usual bitter vegan dark chocolate!). Last thing is that I added 1/4 tsp extra of the ground spice.
I cooked it for about 70-80 minutes in the oven and yummy. Everyone who tried it said it was amazing 🙂 Mind you that 4 of these people are not even remotely vegan! My older sister literally ate two serving in under 2 minutes which is unlike her! And even better, my mom who never eats late and doesnt really like sweets was half asleep in her bed when I handed this to her and initially didnt want any. When I went downstairs to grab soymilk for myself and came upstairs, she was wide awake and almost finished it already! She told me it was heaven. Wow that was the biggest compliment I could ever get! I will definitely bring this to a potluck. Everyone should try this! 😀
Madhuram says
OMG! Shirin you made my day! What an excellent feedback! I think this is the biggest compliment for me in the recent past. 😀 Thanks a bunch. 😀 I love your idea of adding carrots. Let me try it the next time.
Shirin Farhoomand says
I just saw your reply! Thank you I'm so glad 🙂 I actually made it again with the amount of bananas you have in the recipe and its even better that way! I should've known haha but I was low on bananas that day
Madhuram says
You're welcome Shirin.
Anon says
Is it alright to substitute apple cider vinegar with regular vinegar?
Madhuram says
Yes it is.
kausaliya says
Lovely website you have. I keep reading. I'm already subscribed to your site so I keep getting all your recipes. I couldn't get access to Oils and fat site, you have mentioned above. I'm turning fully vegan as i have health issues. Could you guide is it by invitation to that site?
Madhuram says
Kausaliya, I have fixed the 'Oils and Fats' link now. Please check it out. If it asks for username/password, just hit Cancel. Hope this helps.
Jeanne says
I just made this and it is quite delicious!
I did use some multigrain flour and added some wheat germ and ground flax, plus some golden raisins, but otherwise followed the other directions.
I will definitely make again!
Madhuram says
Thanks Jeanne. 🙂
sharanya says
Hi
Tried the banana bread today . Came out well except that the sides and base turned crisp. Any idea why? Taste wise it is awesome. Just made a few substitutes. Used oil instead of margarine and full white sugar instead of brown and white.
Would luv to hear a solution from you as I am planning to bake this pretty often. Thanks
Madhuram says
Sometimes treats that has to be baked for longer time does turn out like this..You may try covering the pan with aluminum foil so that you can avoid the edges becoming crispy or reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees after a while and bake for extended time.
Jess says
I'm making this as I type for a friend with egg allergies. I hope it turns out as well as everyone else's. I substituted avocado oil in place of the butter since I was all out, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
puspa desai says
Interested gonna try the Gluten free version
My husband is on a Gluten free diet
Devanshi says
Hi Madhuram!
I tried this recipe and simply loved it!! Seems my struggle to look for egg less baking recipes will find an end after i discovered your website!
thx 🙂
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Devanshi. Yes this is an awesome recipe.
Eire says
No I didn't use Xanathan gum just the rice flour. It isn't too dense. I cut up in slices and it freezes really well.
Madhuram says
That's great to know Eire. Thanks. 🙂
Athi says
Hi Madhuram,
Tried this banana bread today and came out well even my one year old daughter liked it very much .I have question although it tasted good ,bread was bit dense I could get crumb only on the corner and centre part found to be very dense?plz clarify.
Thanks
Madhuram says
I think banana breads are usually quite dense only.
Eire says
Just made this using rice flour and a little extra soya milk to make a wheat free version for my little 16 month old girl who is on a wheat, egg and dairy free diet. It's yum can't wait for her to try it tomorrow.
Madhuram says
That's great to know Eire. Did you use xanathan gum?
honey says
Hallo Madhuram,
Thanks for the information about side-effects of canola oil etc. You mentioned olive oil. In the mediterraean countries ,olive oil has been used for ages for cooking and baking. I guess the native cold pressed oil is only for salads.
Do you have anymore information an this subject?
Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes you are generously sharing.
Madhuram says
Yes, cold pressed olive oils are suitable only for salads. I remember reading Mark's Daily Apple about oils and a couple of other websites. You're welcome.
Jacqui says
What can I use in place of wheat flour?
Madhuram says
Do you want to make it gluten-free? In that case you will have to use xanathan gum to give the bread a rise. I have not tried it though.
Shanthi says
Hi Madhuram,
Can I use butter instead of Margarine? If so, could you please tell me how much to use? Thanks.
Madhuram says
Yes Shanthi. The same quantity.
Snehal says
Can i use normal 2 % milk instead of almond milk? I am not trying to make a vegan bread, just an eggless one.
Madhuram says
Yes that should not be a problem, Snehal.
dipti bandekar says
Can we use wheat flour instead of the all purpose flour, which is not supposed to be so healthy?
Madhuram says
Yes you can switch it if you are used to the flavor of whole wheat flour. Otherwise start with replacing half of it with whole wheat flour.
Angie Pather says
Yummie looks so good. Thanks 4 sharing. I can imagine myself picking out the nuts:-)
Madhuram says
You're welcome Angie.
Lavanya Sundaram says
Hi Madhu
Never really wanted to try this recipe because its not like we didn't use eggs. I was simply too scared thinking it might not bake. Tried it today and am sure impressed. The banana bread was delicious. Just need one advice though, what can I do with the can of almond milk thats left over? Badam kheer perhaps...
Madhuram says
Thanks for taking a leap of faith Lavanya. I'm glad that the bread turned out good. Use the almond milk to make smoothies or with your cereal. Or bake something else. Check out the ingredients page for almond milk and you can find recipes using the same.
Kim says
Delicious! It is so wonderful to find eggless recipes that closely mimic their egged counterparts. Thank you so much! It was delicious!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Kim.
Tresvant77 says
Best. Banana nut bread. Ever!
Madhuram says
Thanks.
Kristey says
Madhuram, this morn I decided to set aside my grandma's famous banana bread recipe after I stumbled upon your recipe- and I have to say... I wasn't disappointed! The only thing that I did differently was that I used applesauce in place of vegan butter (to make it calorie free) and my bread still turned out extra tasty. Thanks for an starting my day off right!!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Kristey. I'm really surprised to know that the recipe turned out great even without the vegan butter. That's great to know. I'm going to try it too.
Alamelu says
Can I use buttermilk instead of non dairy milk?
I love nuts in my baking!
Madhuram says
Yes you can, Alamelu.
Lena says
This looks great. I have used this recipe when I am making banana bread for my son with a egg-allergy
http://foodieanonymous.com/eggless-banana-bread/
...but am trying to go vegan, so will try it this way! - Thanks!
Carol says
Can I use apple instead of banana ...but doubting will it be so mosit...?
Madhuram says
Yes unsweetened applesauce should work too.
Jen says
Hi, and thank you for your website. I just discovered it today when searching for a vegan guava bread recipe. (I have a guava tree in my yard and am tired of throwing out perfectly good fruit just because I don't know what to do with it.) I ended up using your recipe with slight alterations, and thought I'd pass along my tweaks for any other guava chefs out there. Instead of three bananas, I used the de-seeded flesh of six guavas. I also reduced the white sugar to 1/4 cup, since guavas are so sweet, and I used cinnamon instead of allspice. (I also substituted coconut oil for the margarine, simply because I don't have any of the latter.) The bread ended up yummy and is a lovely shade of pink! Thanks again!
Madhuram says
That's great Jen. Now you have made me think/drool about guava bread.
Isneh Singh says
I made it with ghee instead of butter and came out so good.smells good.
Isneh Singh
Madhuram says
That's great Isneh.
Gillian says
This recipe is so great, thank you for sharing! I've made it at least a dozen times now and like to add a little cinnamon. It's so moist you don't even notice it's dairy free!
Madhuram says
Thanks Gillian.
Vien says
Delicious! My family love it, and we aren't all vegetarian. Its the go-to banana bread recipe.
Madhuram says
Thanks Vien.
devyani says
does the batter consistency remains thick or is it a little runny.....?
Madhuram says
I actually don't remember it.
Tina Kalpesh says
Amazing ! My family loved this one my father in law complemented saying that he couldn't believe it wasn't store bought.
Madhuram says
Thanks Tina.
Andrea says
I have made this recipe many times. It is AMAZING! I love adding half of a cup of chocolate chips. YUMMMM!!! I have converted skeptics into loving vegan baking after they have tried this. So moist and full of flavor and EASY to make!
Madhuram says
Thanks Andrea.
Karen says
This looks delish! about coconut oil, it does impart a coconut taste to baked goods but in a good way. I use only extra virgin organic coconut oil. My husband loves the delicate taste from it.I love it for baking!
Kimberly says
This bread rocks! It freezes well, and I sometimes sneak in a bit of flax for some extra goodness for my kids, they always ask for more. Now I buy extra bananas every week and make muffins for a quick breakfast. Thank you!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Kimberly.
Chelsea says
holy moly, this recipe is delicious!
Madhuram says
Thanks Chelsea.
Meghan says
Just baked this and it is amazing! I tweaked a few things. I used 1/2 cup I applesauce instead of a vegan butter. I also didn't have allspice so I used 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I added chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips. AMAZING!! Thanks for the awesome recipe. 🙂
Madhuram says
You're welcome Meghan.
Wendy says
By the way, I used a gas oven and had no problem. Maybe making the bread into muffins works better with a gas oven since the cooking time is so much shorter then?
Wendy says
I agree with Magdalena--the best banana ANYTHING I've ever had! I omitted the all spice and used 3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead. For the margarine, I used half Earth Balance non-dairy spread (I'm dairy-free) and half extra virgin unrefined coconut oil (the solid kind). I made them into muffins instead of bread--they only took around 18-20 minutes to bake then. OMG, they were the moistest things ever--even after 3 days (we had to pace ourselves when eating them). 🙂
Madhuram says
Thanks for the feedback, Wendy.
Manisha says
Hi Madhuram
I enjoy your website. I have tried a couple of items and really liked them.
One question about the banana bread recipe. I have a gas oven. The middle part of the bread was not cooked properly (top and bottom were already brown). So I sliced the bread open and then baked again.I thought it could be due to gas oven. Next time I tried the recipe again on my OTG but same thing. Can you explain what went wrong?
Madhuram says
I'm hearing mixed reviews about gas oven and that's the reason I'm still not able to decide whether to buy a gas range or not, though I would love the speed of gas top cooking. How long did you bake the bread for? For quick bread recipes and pie recipes where you have bake for an extended period of time, it is advised to loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent burning/overcooking of the sides and top of the bread/pie. Did you do the toothpick test, or you just removed the bread out of the oven because the bread was becoming very brown at the top?
Magdalena says
This was just THE BEST banana bread I ever tasted! I used coconut oil instead of margarine and I also used only brown sugar instead of also adding white oh and I also had a little more of the allspice... Yuummm, thank you very much for this recipe!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Magdalena. How much coconut oil did you use? Did you use melted oil or measured it in the solid state?