Gluten Free and Vegan Banana Bread
One bowl gluten free and vegan banana bread that is so easy to make, soft, super moist, and totally delicious! No eggs, no dairy, and gluten free option.
This is my favorite banana bread recipe. It’s just one of those classic recipes that you know you can always make and have it turn out delicious each and every time.
Free From: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn (optional), sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
What I love about this eggless banana bread recipe is that it’s made with simple vegan ingredients, comes together in just one bowl, and is so easy to mix up! You don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients. Just a few ripe bananas and you are on your way to a delicious banana bread!
For more seasonal quick breads try my gluten free pumpkin bread, vegan gingerbread loaf, or a dairy free cinnamon swirl bread.
Recipe and photos updated September 2023
Why You’ll Love this Banana Bread
- Lots of banana flavor
- Not overly sweet
- Super soft and moist for days
- Easy recipe that mixes up in one bowl
- Tons of variations
- Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Gluten free, and more!
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this banana bread. For the recipe amounts, see the recipe card below. Need an allergy substitution? See the allergy swaps below for my tips and recommendations!
You can make this vegan banana bread either with wheat all purpose flour or with a good gluten free flour blend – it’s up to you!
- Bananas: You can’t make this bread without them. I like to use bananas that have lots and lots of freckles on them. The more ripe, the sweeter the bread will be. Yes, you can use frozen bananas that have been thawed.
- Flour: I have used both all purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends. For gluten free, I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure. I don’t recommend using all whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Sugar + Brown Sugar: Using both helps with the moisture in the bread. You can replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar to make this a lower sugar bread.
- Dairy free Milk: Any of the thicker milks would work great in this. I typically use soy milk, but oat milk, almond milk, and coconut milk also work.
- Dairy free Butter: This is the fat in this recipe. You can also swap it for canola oil or refined coconut oil.
- Flaxseeds: This is to replace the eggs in the banana bread. I’ve tried making it without flaxseeds and it works but doesn’t get as good of a rise or texture. You can also use chia seeds. If you don’t have ground flax seeds, you can use a commercial egg replacers for one egg.
- Spices: I prefer to keep mine simple with cinnamon but the addition of nutmeg and a pinch of allspice is really lovely in the cooler months.
- Baking powder + baking soda + salt: The leavening agent and salt for taste!
Allergy Substitutions
Need to make this gluten free? You totally can! This bread works great with an all around all purpose gluten free flour blend. I have consistently found the best results with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour blend.
If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract and baking powder are corn free. You can find my favorite corn free products on my shop page!
To replace the vegan butter, you can use your choice of either canola oil or refined coconut oil, as you need.
If you need to replace the flaxseeds, I recommend the use of chia seeds. Follow the same instructions for preparing a chia seed egg as you do a flax seed egg.
Variations
You can replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar to reduce the amount of refined sugar in this recipe.
Additionally, to lower the oil amount in this recipe, you can use half of the melted vegan butter and use half unsweetened applesauce, for a total amount of 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter and 3 tablespoons of applesauce.
There are so many things you can add to this classic vegan banana bread, here are a few ideas for mix-ins and toppings!
- Slices of banana, add an entire extra banana sliced lengthwise down the top.
- Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks
- Chopped walnuts or other nuts such as pecans, almonds, or coconut flakes if you aren’t avoiding nuts!
- Spices like pumpkin pie spice, chai spice blends
- Lemon or orange zest
- Dried fruits like cranberries or chopped apricots or dates
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please skip to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
This is a quick overview on how to make this banana bread. It’s really simple!
Make the flax egg. In a large bowl, combine the flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Make sure it is hot water! Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Whisk together the wet ingredients. In the same large bowl, mash the bananas until they are fairly smooth. Add the dairy free milk, melted vegan butter, sugars, and vanilla extract.
Sift in the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Switch to a spatula and fold the dry ingredients into the wet.
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. You can use either an 8-inch loaf pan or a 9-inch loaf pan. Make sure it is lightly greased and lined with parchment paper on one side.
Bake and cool. Bake the banana bread until a toothpick pulls out clean, anywhere from 65 to 75 minutes. The important thing, especially if you are using gluten free flour, is to let it rest in the hot pan for at least an hour! The residual heat will help hold the shape and crumb of the banana bread.
Slice and serve! I find that fully cooled banana bread slices best. Heck, I love to store mine in the fridge to make slicing even easier. Plus, I love chilled banana bread.
More Banana Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
- Banana Nice Cream
- SunButter Banana Wrap
- Nut Butter Banana Protein Shake
- Gluten Free Banana Muffins
Tips
- It’s all about the bananas! For the best banana bread, you want to make sure you use ripe, or even overripe bananas. The more spots the better!
- Vegan Butter vs Oils. For the best moist banana bread, use the melted butter. It also adds a bit of flavor. You can use plain canola oil or other vegetable oil, but it doesn’t bring as much flavor to the party. If you want to make this with less oil, you can add applesauce.
- Don’t over mix. Rather like pancakes, you want to just mix this until the batter just comes together. Give it a quick scrape with the spatula to make sure the bottom of the bowl has been incorporated. But if you over mix banana bread it can really activate the gluten and make it not rise.
- Keep the oven door shut for the first 45 minutes at least! Opening the oven door causes a lot of the hot air to rush out of the oven, which will drop the oven temperature like a rock. This will change how well your banana bread will bake. If you need to check on it, try not to peek until the very end.
FAQs
Generally speaking, yes! Dogs can enjoy a bite of banana bread on special occasions. However, if you are making this with the intention of sharing with your pup, make sure that you do not use nutmeg in the spices. Dogs can not eat nutmeg in any amount. But if you have any major concerns or questions, you should always consult your vet.
Yes! To freeze, make sure that the banana bread is fully cooled. Slice into individual slices and wrap in plastic wrap or add pieces of parchment paper in between each slice. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in a freezer safe container. This can be frozen for up to a month. Make sure that you thaw banana bread in the fridge overnight or on the countertop until it is room temperature.
Yes, of course! You can freeze your fully ripe bananas to use in any recipe. Place fully ripe and unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and freeze. If I’m freezing them for baking, I don’t chop them into chunks. Let them freeze and then transfer to a freezer safe container for longer storage. This way, the bananas won’t stick together by freezing them individually on a tray. Plus, most recipes call for ingredients like, “3 whole bananas” and I know exactly how much that will be!
Want to make banana bread but don’t quite have ripe bananas? Try this trick out!
1. Heat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the bananas still in their peels on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the bananas and let them cool. They are ready to use!
How to Store
Countertop: Store leftover banana bread in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 2 days.
Fridge: My favorite! Store leftover banana bread in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Yes, you can freeze banana bread! Slice into individual slices to make storage easier and pop a sheet of parchment paper in between each slice. Store in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours before serving after freezing.
More Breakfast Recipes
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Equipment
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Loaf Pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour can be gluten free, see notes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups banana mashed, about 4 bananas
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- ⅓ cup dairy free butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoons flaxseeds
- 3 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- Prep the pan and over. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle to lower third of the oven. Lightly grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
- Make the flaxseed egg. In a small bowl, stir together the flax seeds and hot water. Set this aside for 5 minutes to gel together.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, begin by mashing the bananas together with a fork or potato masher. Mix until most of the bananas are fully mashed but a few larger pieces are okay. Add the melted butter, flaxseed egg, sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk this together well.
- Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently mix together with a spatula, mixing until the batter is just combined. Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate the ingredients. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake. Bake the loaf uncovered for 65 to 70 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread pulls out clean. A few moist crumbs can come away as well and the bread will be done.
- Cool. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the hot pan on a wire cooling rack for one hour. Remove the bread from the pan after this point to allow it to fully cool. Slicing banana bread is much easier when it is cooled fully!
- Store. Cover and store the banana bread in an airtight container for up to 2 days on the countertop. Bread kept in an airtight container in the fridge can last for up to one week. See the notes for freezing instructions.
Notes
- Allergy Substitutions
- Need to make this gluten free? You totally can! This bread works great with an all around all purpose gluten free flour blend. I have consistently found the best results with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour blend.
- If you’re avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract and baking powder are corn free. See my shop page for my favorite corn free finds.
- To replace the vegan butter, you can use your choice of either canola oil or refined coconut oil, as you need.
- If you need to replace the flaxseeds, I recommend the use of chia seeds. Follow the same instructions for preparing a chia seed egg as you do a flax seed egg.
- How to Store
- Countertop: Store leftover banana bread in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: My favorite! Store leftover banana bread in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Yes, you can freeze banana bread! Slice into individual slices to make storage easier and pop a sheet of parchment paper in between each slice. Store in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours before serving after freezing.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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