Vegan (& Gluten Free) Banana Bread!

Banana bread makes a wonderful snack and is perfect with a cold glass of soy milk or a hot mug of tea! It is one of the first things my grandma taught me to bake and I have loved it ever since! She always put ginger in her banana muffins and banana bread, and they just don’t taste right to me without it. It’s not a strong flavor in the bread, but it really adds to the depth of the banana flavor so don’t leave it out! Here are the ingredients you will need:

You can use this recipe for a 9″ x 4″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. It makes a bit too much batter for a smaller loaf pan or for muffins, so use my banana muffin recipe instead if you’re making muffins or using an 8″ x 4″ or 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan.

If you are gluten free, you will need to either use Freely Vegan GF Flour or make your own DIY gluten free flour with The Plant Based Egg. Using the right egg replacement (and not using flour that contains xanthan or guar gum) is essential if you want muffins with the perfect texture! The Plant Based Egg replaces both gums and eggs in gluten free baking. Please note that The Plant Based Egg is already built into Freely Vegan GF Flour, so you do not need to add any!

If you are not gluten free, you can use regular all-purpose wheat flour and add The Plant Based Egg as directed in the recipe. I do not recommend using any other egg replacer as you will not get the same perfect results! (Other egg replacers bind, but they do not also leaven, provide structure, and emulsify like real eggs as this one does.)Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the flour (see recipe notes below!), baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a medium-sized mixing bowl. If you are using wheat flour, you will also add The Plant Based Egg now as well. Set this bowl aside for now.

Use fresh bananas that are very ripe with brown skins. At the very least, they should be very spotted. I do not like using frozen and defrosted bananas as they change the texture of the muffins. Mash your peeled bananas with a fork until only small bits remain. If you weighed your bananas, you can go on to the next step now. If you didn’t weigh them, you will need to measure your mashed banana first and discard any extra or add more as needed to get to 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana. I highly recommend using a scale!

Add the plant milk (I use Silk Original Soymilk or another high protein plant milk), vanilla, and vinegar. Stir to combine, then set this bowl aside as well.

Combine the vegan sugar, vegan brown sugar, vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread), and salt in a large mixing bowl:

Cream on high speed for two to three minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy:

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of the banana mixture and mix it in on medium-low speed:

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix it in:

Add half of the remaining banana mixture, then mix it in:

Add half of the remaining flour mixture and mix it in:

Add the rest of the banana mixture and mix again:

Add the rest of the flour mixture, and mix it in:

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then let your finished batter stand for ten minutes. Grease and flour your loaf pan while you wait.

Stir in the chopped walnuts. (Stir down the batter even if you are not adding nuts):

Add the batter to your prepared loaf pan, and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle additional chopped nuts on top if desired, then lightly press them into the batter (not shown).

Place your loaf pan in the middle of your preheated oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 55 to 70 minutes for a 9″ x 4″ or a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. If you used my banana muffin recipe and are using an 8″ x 4″ or an 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan, bake it for 50 to 65 minutes. You may need to cover your loaf with a tent of foil after 35 to 40 minutes if it’s getting too dark on the top. Keep the oven door shut until then, because opening the door lets too much heat out of the oven and can cause your loaf to fall if the crust has not set enough. Your loaf is done when it is pulling away from the edges of the pan and it is firm and bounces back when you press lightly on the top.

When your banana bread is done, place the pan on a rack to cool for a few minutes before turning the loaf out onto the rack to finish cooling. Let your banana bread cool completely before slicing it.

The above photos show a 9″ x 5″ loaf. Using a 9″ x 4″ Pullman pan will give you a taller loaf with straight sides:

You can also add up to 130 g (3/4 c) of chocolate chips if you like:

Enjoy!

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Vegan (& Gluten Free) Banana Bread!

This delicious vegan banana bread has fantastic flavor and a perfect texture! Make it with regular wheat or gluten free flour depending on your dietary needs.

Course Bread, Breakfast, Snack

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 295 kcal

Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

• 255 g (2 c) Gluten Free Flour Blend or All-Purpose Flour (See recipe notes below!)
• 9.6 g (4 tsp) The Plant Based Egg (ONLY add if using wheat flour!)
• 10 g (2 tsp) Baking Powder
• 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) Baking Soda
• 0.8 g (1/2 tsp) Ground Ginger
• 360 g (1 1/2 c) Mashed Ripe Banana
• 90 g (3/8 c) Plant Milk (I use Silk Original Soymilk)
• 10 g (2 tsp) Vanilla Extract
• 7.5 g (1 1/2 tsp) Distilled Vinegar
• 84 g (3/8 c) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
• 100 g (1/2 c) Vegan Sugar
• 75 g (1/3 c packed) Vegan Light Brown Sugar
• 4.0 g (5/8 tsp) Salt
• 60 g (1/2 c) Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a medium-sized mixing bowl. (If you are using wheat flour, you will also add The Plant Based Egg now as well.) Set this bowl aside for now. 
3. Use fresh bananas that are very ripe with brown skins. At the very least, they should be very spotted. I do not like using frozen and defrosted bananas as they change the texture of the muffins. Mash your peeled bananas with a fork until only small bits remain. If you weighed your bananas, you can go on to the next step now. If you didn’t weigh them, you will need to measure your mashed banana first and discard any extra or add more as needed to get to 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana. I highly recommend using a scale! 

4. Add the plant milk (I use Silk Original Soymilk), vanilla, and vinegar to the mashed banana. Stir to combine, then set this bowl aside as well.

5. Combine the vegan sugar, vegan brown sugar, vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread), and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cream on high speed for two to three minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of the banana mixture and mix it in on medium-low speed. 
6. Now alternate adding and mixing in the dry and wet ingredients as you would with any recipe using the creaming method. (Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix it in. Add half of the remaining banana mixture, then mix it in. Add half of the remaining flour mixture and mix it in. Add the rest of the banana mixture and mix again. Add the rest of the flour mixture, and mix it in.)  
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then let your finished batter stand for ten minutes. Grease and flour your loaf pan while you wait. 
8. Stir in the chopped walnuts. (Stir your batter to release the built-up air bubbles even if you are not adding nuts. This sounds counter-intuitive, but stir it anyway! You do not want any rise just yet, and the finished texture will be much nicer by stirring now. 

9. Add the batter to your prepared loaf pan, and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle additional chopped nuts on top if desired, then lightly press them into the batter. 

10. Place your loaf pan in the middle of your preheated oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 55 to 70 minutes for a 9" x 4" or a 9" x 5" loaf pan. If you used my banana muffin recipe and are using an 8" x 4" or an 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan, bake it for 50 to 65 minutes. You may need to cover your loaf with a tent of foil after 35 to 40 minutes if it's getting too dark on the top. Keep the oven door shut until then, because opening the door lets too much heat out of the oven and can cause your loaf to fall if the crust has not set enough.

11. When your banana bread is done, place the pan on a rack to cool for a few minutes before turning the loaf out onto the rack to finish cooling. Let your banana bread cool completely before slicing it. 

12. Slices of this bread freeze and defrost beautifully, so freeze any that you won't eat by the next day. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then place the wrapped slices in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to three months. Let a slice defrost at room temperature whenever you are ready to eat a piece.

Recipe Notes

• To make this recipe with all-purpose wheat flour, use the same amount of flour and add the equivalent of two eggs (9.6 g which is 4 level teaspoons) of The Plant Based Egg to the flour. Whisk together with the other dry ingredients. That is the only adjustment you need to make. (The liquid amount in this recipe has already been increased, so do not add extra as The Plant Based Egg package directions say to do. Those directions are only for recipes that include eggs and you are replacing them and veganizing the recipe with The Plant Based Egg.)
• If you are gluten free, you will need to either use Freely Vegan GF Flour or make your own DIY gluten free flour with The Plant Based Egg. Using the right egg replacement (and not using flour that contains xanthan or guar gum) is essential if you want banana bread with the perfect texture! The Plant Based Egg replaces both gums and eggs in gluten free baking. Please note that The Plant Based Egg is already built into Freely Vegan GF Flour, so you do not need to add any! 

• You can use this recipe for a 9″ x 4″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. It makes a bit too much batter for a smaller loaf pan or for muffins, so use my banana muffin recipe instead if you're making muffins or using an 8″ x 4″ or 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan.