This tall and fluffy vegan banana bread is soft and moist and packed with bananas! It’s easy to make, uses only 7 key ingredients and comes together in one bowl.

Vegan banana bread on wooden serving board with two slices cut off revealing fluffy golden texture.

Why you’ll love this recipe

TRUSTWORTHY: This classic banana bread was adapted from my popular vegan banana muffins which has lots of positive reviews! I also served it to non-vegan family members who said it was the ‘best banana bread’ they’ve eaten, even compared to non-vegan banana bread!

TEXTURE: Fluffy but denser than banana cake. Finely textured with no dense spots.

FLAVOR: For the best flavor, I use brown sugar, extra cinnamon and extra bananas in this recipe!

Simple ingredients you’ll need

Flat-lay of ingredients for banana bread.

Ingredient notes & substitutions

Ripe bananas that are either fresh or thawed from frozen. Riper bananas will produce a sweeter bread with more banana flavor!

Brown sugar for depth of flavor. Alternatively, you can use coconut sugar for a slightly less sweet banana bread. Granulated sugar or a sugar replacer will also work but they lack the depth of flavor provided by brown sugar. Alternatively, check out my maple banana bread.

Dairy-free milk. I prefer using unsweetened soy milk as it has higher protein and makes baked goods more tender. However, any non-dairy milk (such as almond milk) will work.

Baking powder and soda. We’re using two baking agents to ensure the banana bread bakes through. This is a very tall loaf so we need a proportionate amount of baking agents.

Even though this is an eggless banana bread, we don’t need any special egg replacers such as flax eggs. The extra banana helps bind the ingredients and the extra raising agents give the bread extra lift.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Tips for making the batter

This vegan banana bread recipe is really easy to make. However, here are some hacks and expert tips, so you can make the best possible banana bread!

Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mash your bananas, instead of a fork or potato masher. Less effort, same result! Just add the bananas to a large bowl and use the beater or whisk attachment to mix them.

Two image collage of mixing bowl with mashed banana and the rest of wet ingredients added.

Once you add the all-purpose flour and dry ingredients, don’t overmix your batter. It’s fine for your batter to have a few lumps!

If you stir your cake batter too much, it will overwork the gluten and make the banana bread dense and tough.

Two image collage with dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and final thick batter.

Baking Tips

You can bake your banana bread as is or top it with:

  • An extra sliced banana
  • Old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Crumble, such as from my banana muffin recipe (use only half of the crumble recipe)
  • Chopped nuts

This is a very tall loaf so it will take at least one hour to bake. To prevent the top from burning, I recommend lowering your oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. This positions the banana bread closer to the middle of the oven, rather than closer to the top.

Here are some other tips to prevent your banana bread from burning:

  • During baking, if your bread is browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
  • When you preheat the oven, place an empty baking tray on an oven rack above your loaf. Some ovens have a strong top heating element and tend to burn cakes on top. An empty baking tray will shield your banana bread from the direct heat.
Two image collage of banana bread before in loaf pan and after baking.

Serving and storage suggestions

Like all cakes, when this banana bread is very fresh from the oven, it will be a little crumbly and slightly gooey. You’ll be able to cut cleaner slices if you allow the bread to cool down. On the day of baking, the top of the banana bread will be crispy so I recommend cutting it with a serrated knife.

This banana bread keeps very well for a few days. However, I recommend storing it unsliced so the bread keeps soft and moist.

If you’d like to freeze this bread, it’s best to cut it into individual slices, arrange it between pieces of parchment paper or in separate freezer bags, and then freeze it. You can freeze the banana bread as a loaf, but you won’t be able to slice it while it’s frozen. Either way, allow the banana bread to thaw in the fridge and warm it up to serve.

Stack of slices of banana bread showing golden top and caramelized banana on top.

Customizing this easy vegan banana bread

What else can I add to this bread?

– Vegan chocolate chips
– Chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter
– Traditional rolled oats for extra fiber (if so, I recommend adding extra dairy-free milk to the batter)
– Dried cranberries or other dried fruit to the batter
– Flaked almonds or other nuts on top
– Blueberries, raspberries or check out my vegan blueberry banana bread. If you add more fruit, it will make the bread more moist and you’ll have to bake it for longer.

This is a very tall loaf, so if you add too many extra ingredients, your bread might overflow in the oven. To prevent this, line your baking pan so the parchment paper stands tall and upright, or use a 9-inch loaf pan.

Can I make this gluten-free?

This recipe works well with King Arthur’s gluten-free measure for measure flour, but I recommend baking the bread for 65-70 minutes.

This recipe is very similar to my vegan banana muffins and readers have successfully made them with all-purpose gluten-free flour so I’d say it would also work with this recipe.

Can I omit the sugar or oil?

For a refined sugar free banana bread, check out my vegan maple banana bread.

I haven’t tested replacing the oil with unsweetened applesauce or yogurt, so I cannot vouch for results. However, from experience, it will change the texture of the bread.

Close up of one slice of banana bread on plate showing fluffy texture.

More vegan quick breads

Banana bread on serving board, with 3 slices cut out and lying flat to show fluffy texture.

Vegan Maple Banana Bread

Vegan Blueberry Bread
Loaf of pumpkin bread on plate with slice cut off showing texture of the bread.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Zucchini bread on serving plate, with one slice cut off showing the golden and fluffy texture of the bread.

Vegan Zucchini Bread

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Vegan banana bread on wooden serving board with two slices cut off revealing fluffy golden texture.
4.96 from 50 reviews

Vegan Banana Bread

Yield: 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Author: Anthea
This tall and fluffy vegan banana bread is soft and moist and packed with bananas! It's easy to make, uses only 7 key ingredients and comes together in one bowl.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

  • 3 x (~360g total) very ripe medium bananas, about 1 2/3 cups of mashed banana and weighed without the peel (note 1)
  • 1 cup (190g) packed brown sugar, coconut sugar, regular sugar, or granulated sweetener of choice e.g. erythritol (spoon and leveled, note 2)
  • ½ cup (125g) dairy-free milk
  • ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil, (note 3)
  • 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar, optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Dry ingredients

To decorate (optional)

  • 1 x (120g) medium banana, sliced lengthways

Instructions 

  • Adjust an oven rack to the lower third position of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan that's at least 2 3/4-inch (7 cm) tall with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Or use a larger loaf pan. (note 5)

Make the vegan banana bread:

  • Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and mash until it forms a thick lumpy paste. Add the sugar and remaining wet ingredients. Mix until well combined. Add all of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Some lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of flour.
  • Optional: Add any nuts or mix-ins and gently fold them in.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. If desired, place the extra banana on top.

Bake the banana bread:

  • Bake the banana bread for around 60-70 minutes. During baking, if your banana bread is browning too quickly on top but isn't fully baked in the middle, carefully tent the pan with aluminum foil. The banana bread is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
  • Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then place it on a cooling rack.
  • Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the banana bread into slices and enjoy it warm or at room temperature. For neater slices, allow the bread to cool completely. For something extra, toast a slice of banana bread and enjoy it with vegan butter or ice cream.
  • Store any leftover banana bread in an airtight container or plastic wrap. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow it to come to room temperature or warm up a slice before serving.

Notes

  1. For the best results, I recommend weighing your bananas. This recipe is already packed with bananas, but adding extra bananas may make the bread too dense.
  2. You can safely reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup (145g).
  3. You can use coconut oil, but make sure it’s melted and cooled. If you’re in a cold climate, it may make your banana bread firmer so try to warm up a slice before serving.
  4. Spoon and level method: If you’re using measuring cups, fluff up the flour in its bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. I don’t recommend using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container as it will pack in too much flour which will make the banana bread dry. For the best results, use a kitchen scale.
    Gluten-free banana bread: This recipe works well with King Arthur’s gluten-free measure for measure flour, but I recommend baking the bread for 65-70 minutes.
  5. This is a very tall loaf, so if your pan is shorter than 2 3/4-inch (7 cm), your banana bread may overflow. To prevent this, line your loaf pan so the parchment paper sits taller than the sides of the pan (to make the pan taller). Or remove 1/2 cup of the batter and bake it separately in a muffin pan.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 slice without topping, Calories: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Sodium: 204mg, Potassium: 62mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 110mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

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