Vegan Banana Bread | Egg & Oil-Free
This vegan oil-free banana bread is irresistibly good because it’s incredibly moist and naturally sweetened with ripe bananas, making it a healthier choice without sacrificing flavor. Packed with wholesome ingredients and free from refined oils, it offers a delicious, guilt-free treat that’s perfect for any time of the day.
There is just something so comforting about a warm slice of banana bread. It brings back memories of sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table as she drank a hot cup of coffee and talked to me. It’s the same for me when I make these amazing healthy applesauce muffins.
This recipe was inspired by my Zucchini Oil-Free Bread recipe because I knew that it should be as simple as switching out the grated zucchini for ripe bananas. I was right, and the basic recipe is so versatile it can be made into several different plant-based bread options.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Moist and Flavorful Texture: This vegan banana bread is incredibly moist and packed with rich banana flavor, making every bite a delightful treat. The natural sweetness of ripe bananas ensures a delicious taste without needing refined sugars.
- Made with Wholesome Ingredients: Crafted with whole grain flour and natural sweeteners, this vegan banana bread is a nutritious option that you can enjoy guilt-free. It’s filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a healthier alternative to traditional banana bread.
- Allergen-Friendly and Versatile: This vegan banana bread is free from dairy and eggs, making it suitable for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. It’s also highly versatile, allowing you to add your favorite mix-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit for a personalized touch.
Ingredients you will need
- Bananas- Using overly ripe bananas to make vegan banana bread is essential because they are naturally sweeter and softer, which enhances the flavor and texture of the bread.
- Flour- Using whole wheat flour to make vegan banana bread contributes to a heartier texture and slightly nutty flavor, enhancing the overall taste and making the bread more satisfying and filling
- Applesauce- It acts as a natural sweetener and moisture enhancer, allowing you to reduce or eliminate added sugars and oils.
- Apple juice concentrate- Provides natural sweetness and enhances the overall flavor without relying on refined sugars. Its concentrated sweetness helps balance the flavors and adds a subtle apple essence that complements the bananas.
- Maple syrup- Adds a rich, natural sweetness with a unique caramel-like flavor that enhances the overall taste.
- Spices- Cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla create a warm delicious flavor.
How to make vegan oil-free banana bread
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients including whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together well.
STEP #2: Peel 2 large overly-ripe bananas and use a potato masher or fork to mash them up in a separate medium-sized bowl.
STEP #3: Add the other wet ingredients–applesauce, apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, vanilla–and mix well. I use a whisk to do this. We have a great homemade sugar-free applesauce recipe if you would like to make your own.
STEP #4: Pour the well-blended wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients and add crushed walnuts if you are planning to use them.
Combine all the ingredients well using a large spoon or whisk. This will be a thick batter. If it seems overly thick, you can add a splash of plant milk such as almond or soy milk to make sure there are no dry spots.
STEP #5: Pour the batter into a baking dish. I like to line my glass baking dishes with parchment paper to prevent sticking and alleviate any need for using oil. If you look closely at the photos, you’ll be able to see the paper lining. It works perfectly!
Another option to prevent sticking is to use silicone baking pans which I often do. Just remember that when baking with these pans, you’ll need to place them on a baking sheet for support in the oven.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes. Remember that oven temperatures vary.
About 25 minutes into cooking, test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done otherwise, place it back into the oven and test again in 5-10 minutes.
Remove from oven when done, allow to cool, and serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Though I haven’t tried it, I’m sure it can. Minimalist Baker has a gluten-free baking guide that can help with that.
Absolutely! Simply use a muffin pan instead of a loaf pan and reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes. Remember to check around the 20-minute mark for doneness using the tips above.
To replace the concentrate, you can use apple juice undiluted. The bread won’t be quite as sweet, because apple juice concentrate is much sweeter, but it still will be good.
Keep cooked loaves in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it lasts for up to a week. It freezes well in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teapoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas approx 1 cup
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate thawed & undiluted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped optional
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl, begin adding the dry ingredients that include whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Use a whisk to mix them together well.
- Peel 2 large overly-ripe bananas and use a potato masher or fork to mash them up in a separate medium-sized bowl. Add the other wet ingredients–applesauce, apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, vanilla–and mix well. I use a whisk to do this.
- Pour the well-blended wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients and add crushed walnuts if you are planning to use them.
- Combine all the ingredients well using a large spoon or whisk. This will be a thick batter. If it seems overly thick, you can add a splash of plant milk such as almond or soy milk to make sure there are no dry spots.
- Pour the batter into a baking dish. I line my glass baking dishes with parchment paper to prevent sticking and alleviate any need for using any oil.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes. Remember that oven temperatures vary.
- About 25 minutes into cooking, test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise place back into the oven and test again in 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven when done, allow to cool, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Hi Terri，how many grams of 1 cup of the smashed banana? Could I replace the same amount of the apple juice concentrate for the applesauce instead? Don’t have the baking soda, can I double the baking powder？Thank you.
The banana should be around 300 grams. The apple juice concentrate is for sweetening, so you could increase the amount of maple syrup. Baking powder isn’t as strong as baking soda, so you will need to increase the amount. That’s a lot of changes, so I’m hoping it turns out well for you. Fingers crossed!
Terri, This recipe is absolutely delicious. I have made it several times and they come out perfect. I have also made it with GF Oat flour and it has turned out great. I usually use home made apple sauce too. I just add fresh apple chunks to my Vitamix and make fresh raw apple sauce for this recipe. It turns out great. Also I use just plain water by the Table spoon if the batter gets too thick. I have used dates as well to sweeten and that turned out great too. About 4 Mejdool dates per cup of flour + 1/8 C of raisins per cup of flour. I process the dates with pits removed along with the flour in my food processor along with 1/8 cup of raisins for every cup of flour. I also add all the dry ingredients to the food processor. Hope this helps if you want to try sugar free option.
I have made your chocolate cake recipe and chocolate muffins too. They turned out very good as well. Your blog site is my go to for WFPBNO recipes…
Hi Shobha- This is such great information for all of us. Thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad to hear about how much you are enjoying the recipe. 😀
I just made this as muffins. Makes just about 12 perfectly! (Single batch). Cooked for 25 mins at 350 as suggested and they came out AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Josh- That’s terrific to hear! Thanks so much for the great feedback, and I love the option to bake as muffins.
Hi,
I do have a question regarding the measuring of the banana. Do you mash the banana and then measure one cup, or do you slice the banana until you get one cup. It would also be helpful if the size of the baking dish is indicated. By looking at the photo it looks like a standard loaf pan.
Another question I have, and I find it perplexing is the measuring of some ingredients. For example, one tablespoon of ground flax seed. If you are grinding your own, is the one tablespoon measurement before you grind the flax-seed or after?
Thank you so much for your response. I will be making the banana bread using 1 cup of mashed banana and hope and pray it is not too much.
Peggy
Hi Peggy- Truthfully, I just usually use 1 whole banana, and don’t worry about actually measuring it. For the flaxseed, I measure the flax meal, so it would be after grinding the seeds. I hope the bread turns out well for you!
Can I just increase amount of applesauce if I don’t have the apple juice concentrate? Or is there something else I can substitute for it?
Hi Denise- Yes, increasing the applesauce would be a good substitute for the concentrate. It won’t be quite as sweet but will work just fine.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Gail- Yes, it can. I actually doubled it to take this photoshoot for it.