Vegan Banana Bread

If you love the comforting classic of banana bread but want a vegan twist, this recipe is for you! With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up a moist vegan banana bread that’s perfect for breakfast, snacking, or even dessert.

A slice of vegan banana nut bread is topped with melted vegan butter with the rest of the loaf behind it.

If quick breads make your day, be sure to try this Whole Wheat Banana Bread or this Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe, too.

Banana bread holds a special place in my heart. The sweet smell wafting through the kitchen, the anticipation of a warm slice – it’s pure comfort food. This vegan version is everything I adore about the classic, but without any eggs or dairy.

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
Run, don’t walk to your over-ripe bananas and make this ASAP! I have stopped looking for the holy grail banana bread recipe because this is the one. Thank you!

Jen

★★★★★
Sooooo delicious! I don’t think I could be any prouder of how mine turned out. This recipe is a keeper for sure! I used toasted pecans, added chocolate chips, and put shredded coconut on the top while it baked.

Paden

Ingredients & Substitutions

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

  • Bananas: Super ripe, spotty bananas are essential. They’re sweeter, softer, and way easier to mash.
  • Vegan Butter: Look for brands like Miyoko’s Kitchen or Earth Balance in the refrigerated section near traditional butter.
  • Brown Sugar: Adds a rich, caramel sweetness. Light or dark brown sugar will work.
  • Plant-Based Milk: Any unsweetened variety works (soy, almond, oat, etc.),located in the shelf-stable or refrigerated section.
  • Ground Flaxseed: Replaces eggs as a binder. You’ll find it in the baking aisle.
  • Cornstarch: Helps thicken the batter for a perfectly moist loaf.
  • All-Purpose Flour: This is the foundation of your bread. You can substitute whole wheat pastry flour without risking the texture.
  • Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Give your bread its perfect rise.
  • Salt: Enhances the flavors.
  • Walnuts: Adds a satisfying crunch. Pecans or chocolate chips are delicious substitutions!

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Kid-Friendly: This recipe is simple enough for kids to help with, making it a fun family activity.
  • Freezer-Friendly: Make a double batch and freeze one for later – it’s the perfect grab-and-go treat.
  • Naturally Sweet: The overripe bananas add tons of natural sweetness, reducing the need for extra sugar.

How do you know banana bread is done?

Make sure your loaf is fully baked before removing it from the oven, otherwise it will sink in the middle. Here are some tips to make sure your banana bread is done:

  • The top crust should be golden brown
  • The loaf should be pulling away from the sides of the pan
  • Insert a tester in the center of the loaf. To do this, use a toothpick or a thin-bladed knife (like a paring knife). It should come out clean.

Marly’s Tips

  • Make sure you’ve got the pan greased and ready to go before making the batter.
  • Add strawberries to make Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread.
  • Make an oil-free banana bread by substituting 1/2 cup applesauce for the butter.
  • Make vegan banana bread muffins by pouring the batter into papered muffins tins. Reduce the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
  • For extra flavor, toast your walnuts before adding them to the batter.
  • Don’t have a food processor? No problem – use a fork to mash the bananas.
  • If your bananas aren’t super ripe, microwave them for a few seconds to soften.
  • A little lumpy is OK! Overmixing the batter will make your bread tough.

This is called quick bread because it doesn’t require yeast to make it rise. However, it still requires a long time to bake. The aroma of baking banana bread that fills your house will make it worth it!

Storage Tips

To store, let the loaf cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, or frozen up to 2 months. To thaw, leave the loaf at room temperature. Then heat up individual slices in a toaster oven or microwave.

New to Vegan Baking?

The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!

A loaf of banana bread sits on a cutting board with a bowl of walnuts and a banana behind it.

Frequently-Asked Questions

What can I substitute for eggs for in banana bread?

Because bananas are a go-to egg replacer, you don’t even need eggs in banana bread. As a result, no additional egg replacers are required. However, if you simply want to add them, there are many ways to substitute eggs in banana bread. For example, you can use applesauce (1/4 cup per egg), a Flax Egg, a Chia Egg, or whipped tofu (1/4 cup per egg).

Is banana bread vegan?

Unfortunately, the standard banana bread recipe is not vegan. It actually doesn’t make much sense because bananas are a favorite egg replacer in vegan baking. If one were into conspiracies, you’d almost think people were intentionally inserting eggs in recipes…even when it’s completely unnecessary!

How can I make banana bread healthier?

You can make vegan banana bread healthy by reducing the sugar and substituting whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour. Either way, this is not a low-calorie treat. In fact, it has around 320 calories per slice. However, it is a bit healthier than the traditional version because it’s made without eggs. You can reduce the calories even further by making it sugar-free. To do this use a sweetener like Swerve. I’ve had great success with Swerve and you use it on a 1:1 basis with sugar.

Can you make this bread gluten-free?

You can make this into gluten-free vegan banana bread by subbing gluten-free baking flour in place of the all-purpose flour. I oftentimes add around 1/4 cup almond flour when using gluten-free flour to add tenderness to the quick loaf.

Serving Suggestions

Serve vegan banana bread with any of the following:

More Vegan Banana Recipes

If you’re into all things banana, like me, then this vegan banana bread will be your favorite. But let’s not stop there! You should take a look at my favorite vegan banana recipes:

Want more? Here’s all my favorite Vegan Banana Recipes, from banana cream pie to puddings…all vegan!

A slice of quick bread with melted butter sits next to the rest of the loaf with a bowl of walnuts beside it and a couple of bananas.
A slice of vegan banana bread with a pat of butter on it sits in front of the rest of the loaf.

Vegan Banana Nut Bread

This simple vegan banana nut bread is incredibly moist, flavorful, and packed with sweet banana goodness. Toasted walnuts add an irresistible crunch factor.
5 from 13 votes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Resting time:: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 323kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas about 1⅓ cups, mashed
  • ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup walnuts toasted*

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a large loaf pan** with vegetable spray.
  • In a food processor, add the bananas, vegan butter, sugar, milk, flax, and cornstarch. Pulse in short bursts until combined, leaving some banana chunks. Set aside.
    Bananas and other ingredients are in a food processor.
  • In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
  • Fold the chopped toasted nuts into the flour mixture. Stir until the nuts are coated. Add the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
    A bowl of flour is being poured into batter.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • When done, remove the pan from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Then invert on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To store, let the loaf cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, or frozen up to 2 months. To thaw, leave the loaf at room temperature. Then heat up individual slices in a toaster oven or microwave.

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Notes

* Toast walnuts by baking for 5 minutes at 300°F/150°C **
You can use smaller loaf pans but be sure to reduce the baking time. 
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2024.

31 Responses to Vegan Banana Bread

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCamee Reply

    Excited to make this… How much vanilla, please?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Camee! So glad you’re looking forward to making this banana bread! I’ve tried it with and without vanilla. I find the flavors of this bread to be so delicious that I didn’t notice omitting vanilla so I opted to leave it out. Thanks for your comment, I deleted the word in the recipe description text. If you choose to add vanilla, you can use 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJudy Ng Reply

    Hi thanks for the recipe, what happened if I omit the oil? Will it still turn out the same? Thanks

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Judy. You can omit the oil, but I would substitute applesauce to give it a softer texture. Otherwise, the bread will be quite dense and chewy. I hope this is helpful!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJanet Reply

    5 stars
    Best banana bread ever! So moist and delicious!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Janet, so glad you liked this recipe!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJen Reply

    5 stars
    Run, don’t walk to your over-ripe bananas and make this ASAP! I have stopped looking for the holy grail banana bread recipe because this is the one. Thank you!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Jen, your comment made me so happy! I’m so glad you like this recipe — and as you can imagine, I completely agree!

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPaulina Rivera Reply

    5 stars
    I didn’t realize until the loaf was in the oven that I forgot to add the baking soda, and it still came out great

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAimee B. Reply

    5 stars
    This is amazing! I omitted the nuts and baked mine in a mini loaf pan, so got 6. Next time, I’m thinking of adding either some mini chocolate chips or some crushed Oreos. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper for sure and a GREAT way to use up overripe bananas. 🙂

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPaden Reply

    Sooooo delicious! I don’t think I could be any prouder of how mine turned out. This recipe is a keeper for sure! I used toasted pecans, added chocolate chips, and put shredded coconut on the top while it baked.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Paden. So glad you liked this banana bread. Adding chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and coconut flakes is brilliant! ❤️

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