How to Make Vegan Banana Bread

Banana bread is an American staple. And even though many recipes call for dairy ingredients, vegans can still enjoy this sweet and satisfying baked good at home with a few easy ingredient swaps.

How to Make Vegan Banana Bread

Making vegan banana bread is as simple as replacing butter and eggs with oil and apple sauce. Butter and oil can be swapped at a 1:1 ratio, so a half cup of butter is replaced with a half cup of oil. One egg is the equivalent of a quarter cup of apple sauce, so if your recipe calls for two eggs, you would use half a cup of apple sauce to make your bread vegan.

My Go-To Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Moist banana bread is the best, and below you can find my favorite recipe that I love to share with my family and friends.

Here are your ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup apple sauce
• ½ cup oil (I use olive oil)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl and set it aside. In a separate large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple sauce, oil, and vanilla and stir until everything is fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir the batter again until everything is fully incorporated. Pour the batter into an oiled standard loaf pan. Then, place the pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Now that you know how to make vegan banana bread, you can adapt the above recipe to suit your tastes. Adding more fruit, crunchy nuts, or fun flavors will make your banana bread even more versatile.

Creative Banana Bread Additions

Here are a few adaptations to this basic banana bread recipe:

• Very Berry Banana Bread: Adding one cup of blueberries to your banana bread will give it a tart surprise in every bite. Be sure to toss the blueberries in flour before adding them to the batter to ensure that they don't all sink to the bottom of the loaf.
• Banana Nut Bread: Adding a cup of chopped walnuts gives your banana bread a satisfying crunch and an earthy undertone. You can also try almonds, pecans, or whatever nut is your favorite.
• Tropical Banana Bread: I traditionally use olive oil when I make banana bread because it's what I keep on hand and it has a mild flavor. When I want to enjoy banana bread that makes me feel like I'm on a tropical vacation, I use coconut oil instead of olive oil. Adding a cup of chopped, dried pineapple also adds to the island vibes.

Living a vegan lifestyle doesn't mean giving up your favorite foods. Making a few easy baking adaptations can empower vegans to honor family culinary traditions in a new way.

For more delicious vegan recipes, check out the Meatless Monday board by @tomsofmaine on Pinterest!

Image Source: Laurie Fanelli

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Why It's Good

Making vegan banana bread is as simple as making a few easy ingredient swaps. There's no reason to give up your favorite foods when committing to a plant-based diet.