This easy vegan banana bread recipe is made in one bowl. Yes, you read that right! One bowl of ingredients makes the batter for this moist, flavorful loaf of vegan banana bread. And if you are looking for a vegan dessert option that is quick and simple to assemble, then this easy-peasy dish is perfect for you!
This easy recipe is so simple to make that you'll want to try it out for breakfast every day of the week. It's perfect for overripe bananas on your counter because you only need to pour your one-bowl batter into your baking loaf without any further mess in the kitchen.
💚 Why you'll love this recipe?
This fantastic banana bread needs only nine ingredients.
- The ingredients and process are straightforward.
- This quick banana bread recipe takes 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes in the oven.
- One bowl and one baking loaf, minimum cleaning.
- Works as a dessert, mid-morning snack, or breakfast.
- Storable and freezable.
- Easily customizable to make it gluten-free, nut-free, or add chocolate chips.
- Delicious, tasty, and crowd-pleaser.
- It is a loaf of basic banana bread. Still, it has all the must-have ingredients to make a banana bread recipe tasty and perfect.
If you love loaves, don't forget to try out our moist carrot loaf cake and our easy pumpkin loaf cake.
Jump to:
🧾 Ingredients
- Blackened bananas (extra ripe bananas are best)
- Oat flour
- All-purpose wheat flour
- Organic brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- Vegetable oil (or any other neutral oil)
- Chopped walnuts
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Baking powder
Optional: slivered almonds and flax seeds to top the loaf.
See the recipe card for quantities.
The best part about this easy vegan banana bread recipe is that it tastes like regular banana bread but without all the animal fats and dairy products.
Substitutions
| Original Ingredient | Suggested Substitutions |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour/Oat flour | Gluten-free flour blend or whole-wheat pastry flour for a gluten-free option |
| Brown sugar | Coconut sugar, homemade date paste, or maple syrup. Remember to adjust liquid ratios if using maple syrup |
| Neutral sunflower oil | Canola oil, melted vegan butter, melted coconut oil (flavor may vary), or lightly flavored oils like avocado oil |
| Cinnamon | 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, reduce or increase per taste. 3 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin spice mix as an alternative |
| Ginger powder | Adjust according to taste, or included in the pumpkin spice mix substitution |
| Bananas | If not fully ripe, add 2-3 tablespoons of additional brown sugar to compensate for sweetness |
| Walnuts | Almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts. Consider texture preference and pre-treatment (e.g., crushing or soaking) for harder nuts |
| Baking powder | DIY Baking Powder: Mix 2 parts baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar, and 1 part cornstarch. Use 3 teaspoons of this mix to replace the baking powder |
🍽️ Equipment
Loaf pan, large bowl, and fork or potato masher.
🔪 Instructions
Simply follow these simple steps.
Measure your ingredients to easily combine everything in a bowl. Getting the ingredients measured correctly is essential for any baking recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC) if using a fan oven. Set at 390 ºF (200 ºC) if using a gas oven.
Step 1: Mash the ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add the vegetable oil and the organic brown sugar. It is OK to have some banana lumps.
Step 2: Add the vegetable oil and the brown sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3: Roughly crush the walnuts with your hands or press them on a cutting board with a glass. I like having different walnut sizes on every bite.
Step 4: Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. You only need to fold in the ingredients without over-mixing.
Hint: This is the time to make any customizations, like adding vegan chocolate chips or seeds.
Step 5: Oil the baking loaf pan using vegetable oil or vegan butter, and pour the vegan banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Step 6: Optionally sprinkle with flax seeds. Now bake for 20 minutes.
Note: If your loaf pan isn't a non-stick one or is a little old, I recommend sprinkling a little flour until it is fully covered, discarding the flour that didn't stick. Don't use too much flour since white stains can remain on the bread loaf surface.
Alternatively, you can use parchment paper, lightly oil it, and pour the banana bread batter on top of the prepared pan to easily remove it from the pan. This is not necessary if using a non-stick loaf pan.
Step 7: Now bake for 20 minutes and add optional slivered almonds or slices.
Step 8: Then remove the bread loaf from the oven, cover it with aluminum foil, and return it to the range for another 30 minutes.
To ensure it is cooked, introduce a knife, which should come out clean.
Let the baked banana nut bread on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting it.
💡 Expert tips
Blackened bananas are best. The secret to excellent banana bread taste is using plenty of brown dots and ripe bananas. This is a beautiful alternative to refined white sugar. They're sweeter and add the right amount of sweetness to the bread!
Walnuts. Don't over-crush them. It is nice to have different-sized walnuts.
Do not overmix. Overmixed wheat flour causes it to be dense and chewy. Toss together the batter briefly, and don't worry if there are banana lumps.
Prep your pan correctly. I use a 9.5 x 5-inch bread loaf pan. I oil the bread loaf so that the banana bread comes out easily. Changing the pan size will alter the baking time, so be careful if you use a larger pan!
Using frozen bananas?
You can use them to make this recipe! Just do the following:
- At room temperature, thaw bananas on a deep plate until they are totally defrosted.
- Drain the remaining excess liquid.
- Use the thawed bananas in the recipe as directed.
🧐 Variations
Gluten-free: For this recipe, you can use a gluten-free flour mix instead of wheat flour or increase the oat flour to make up for the all-purpose flour and add one teaspoon of baking powder.
If you like doing your own stuff, use our go-to gluten-free flour mix, that works perfectly for this recipe
Oil-Free: Suppress the oil and use 2 flax eggs (made with 2 tablespoons of flax meal plus 6 tablespoons of almond milk or soy milk). Add one small ripe banana to the recipe, to keep the moisture.
Nut-free: Omit the use of any nuts in the vegan banana bread recipe. It will be absolutely delicious anyway.
Chocolaty: you can add vegan mini chocolate chips for a change. It will make it equally delicious, but you may not feel the cinnamon and banana flavor characteristic of amazing banana bread.
🥢 How to serve
Banana bread is super versatile; this is how we serve them.
Breakfast - we like having a slice for breakfast with our coffee and or golden milk. Make it slightly warm either in a toaster, microwave, or skillet on low heat for one minute.
We love indulging during Sundays' brunches with freshly made Italian artisan bread or vegan bread buns, with blueberry marmalade, and coffee, along with a nice slide of healthy vegan banana bread.
Mid-morning snack - when we have it as a snack, we have it at room temperature.
While banana bread is traditionally enjoyed sliced and sometimes accompanied by a spread of butter or cream cheese, there's an alternative, bite-sized variation that's just as delicious – mini banana bread muffins. These mini muffins are perfect for a variety of occasions, offering the same robust banana flavor in a compact, convenient form. You can even make vegan banana chocolate chip muffins.
Dessert - make it warm, and then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
❓FAQ
Adding leavening agents like baking soda and cream of tartar helps create air pockets in the dough which gives the texture a fluffier feel. If you're not sure about measurements, then stick to one teaspoon each for both; just remember that too much baking powder or soda can have the opposite effect by making your banana bread dryer instead of fluffier!
Be careful not to mix these ingredients too vigorously because that could eliminate some of their aerating power – just gently fold them into your batter until everything else has been combined well enough, so no lumps remain visible on its surface before putting it into an oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) for about 45 minutes until golden brown around edges & top looks set when lightly pressed down with fingertip (or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Remove from oven & let cool on a cooling rack before slicing & serving warm, slathered generously with butter! Enjoy 🙂
🥡 Storage
Store banana bread following these simple recommendations.
- At room temperature: This bread can be left at room temperature for a day.
- After a day at room temperature or after baking it, let banana bread cool in the fridge. I’d recommend storing the bread sealed in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Can I freeze this banana bread?
Yes, you can freeze this egg-free banana bread! Here’s how:
To freeze, take banana bread to room temperature, let it cool, put it in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for up to three months.
You can either thaw the whole banana bread loaf by letting it sit at room temperature for two to three hours or thaw individual frozen slices, which will be faster.
Try also our sweet potato cake, which is super easy to make, light, and fluffy!
⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
🎥 Video
📋 Recipe
Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 bananas large, ripe
- 1 oz sunflower oil 75 ml plus extra to oil the loaf
- 3.5 oz brown sugar 100 grams, or coconut sugar
- 3.5 oz all-purpose wheat flour 100 grams (or use self-rising flour and reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons), or gluten-free flour mix
- 4.4 oz oat flour 125 grams of almond flour, coconut flour, chestnut flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder see notes to replace for vegan buttermilk or baking soda. Notes on how to use these options.
- 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon ginger ground, or add 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional:
- 1.7 oz walnuts 50 grams, crushed
Directions
- Pre-Heat oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC).
- Prepare bananas. Mash three large ripe peeled bananas with a fork, then mix well with vegetable oil and brown sugar.
- Mix. Add wheat and oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger (or pumpkin pie spice mix), and combine well. Add the coarsely crushed walnuts if used.
- Bake in an oiled, lined 9.5 x 5-inch (24 x 13 cm) bread loaf pan for 20 minutes. Check and cover with aluminum foil if the cake is browning.
- Continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Cool down. Allow the banana loaf to cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
As the lead content writer and recipe developer at Our Plant-Based World, he combines his passion for health and sustainability with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certification to create accessible, delicious vegan recipes. His expertise in plant-based cooking supports the blog's mission of fostering a healthier, environmentally conscious lifestyle through simple and seasonal dishes. His commitment to making vegan cooking enjoyable and inclusive for everyone shines in each recipe and article.
Sisley White - Sew White
I love how easy you've made this recipe. Made for vegan family and they loved it.
Tayler Ross
I've made this banana bread several times and it always turns out perfectly! It's my favorite!
Cam
I love any recipe that only uses one bowl and this recipe was so easy to make and really delicious!!
Jess
I love that this is made in one bowl. So easy!
kushigalu
Love this vegan version of banana bread. Looks perrfect. Thanks for sharing.
Anaiah
I love how this vegan banana bread turned out! Perfectly moist and so flavorful. Using blackened bananas makes a huge difference!
Gus
Thank you for the feedback, Anaiah! We are glad you enjoyed this recipe! We are big banana bread fans! And yes, the blackened bananas are a must!
Jacqui
A great recipe, thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful classic with us!
Gus
You are very welcome Jacqui!
Marie
Love this recipe! SO easy to follow. A keeper for sure and the perfect way to use up those brown bananas
Gus
Thank you, Marie! We are glad you found the steps by steps helpful!
Andrea White
love this banana bread so much!
Maria San Juan
Yum!!! This looks so good! I am very excited for this! Thank you so much for sharing! I gotta try this!
Gus
Super! We are glad the recipe got you excited to try it out! Let us know how it turns out!
Taly
Me encanta el banana bread! Y ésta es una versión totalmente diferente a cómo la preparo, así que tomo el desafío para la próxima vez que lo prepare!
Gracias por compartir!
Gus
Qué Bueno Talia! Me alegra que le des una oportunidad a esta versión! Déjanos saber cómo te va!?
Sara Welch
I have the perfect bananas for this recipe; excited to give this a try! Looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Tara
Such a beautiful vegan bread! I love that texture from the bananas. Comes together so easily too!
Gus
Thank you, Tara! Yes, the perfect banana bread texture was key for us to achieve!
Andrea
Love that this recipe doesn't use eggs but still holds it's shape. Thanks for a great recipe.
Gus
yep! Exactly, a banana eggless bread and holds perfectly together!
Alison
This is such an easy recipe to follow and so moist and delicious! I can't believe it's vegan!
Gus
yep! Lots of vegan-friendly options to this classic!
Sue
The ingredients says baking powder or see notes to replace with buttermilk or baking soda. I don't understand how you can replace one with the other. Is this an error?
Gus
Hi Sue. Thank you very much for your feedback. No, it wasn't an error. The notes are in the body of the blog post, but thanks to your feedback, I have added a link next to the ingredients, that takes you directly to the spot on the blog note that explains how to use these options. Please let me know if that clarifies it! 🙂