This healthy vegan banana bread is sweetened naturally with dates and bananas for a delicious, moist, and healthy morning or midday sweet bread. Prepare this easy quick bread recipe in just 10 minutes. Then sit back with a cup of tea and relax while you watch it bake.
I originally published this recipe in March of 2016. It was a significant post in that it was my first recipe back after a year and a half hiatus from the blog; a hiatus I took while I survived the darkest time in my life. At that time in my life I was very uncertain if I had a future with this blog and it was only from the encouragement of a couple of dear friends that I decided to pick it back up again.
And look what’s happened in the nearly 3 years since!
I’ve updated the photos, tweaked the recipe, and rewritten this vegan banana bread post so that it’s fresh, new, and exciting.
While I love the reminder of what I’ve been through, I’d much rather embrace the present that is so simply good. And since you seem to love my vegan muffins and quick bread, I think it’s time to revisit this healthy vegan banana bread for a quick and delicious recipe I am certain you will love.
How to Make Vegan Banana Bread {Video}
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
I love this recipe and I think you will too! This vegan quick bread is moist, rich, and naturally sweetened. It is the perfect morning pastry or a midday snack.
Here is everything you need
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour – For healthier flour options, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blends, buckwheat, or spelt flour.
- Dates – For this recipe make sure to use Medjool dates rather than regular dates for they are juicier and sweeter.
- Bananas – Use overly ripe bananas. This gives the recipe more sweetness and flavor while also being easier to mash and incorporate into the remaining ingredients.
- Applesauce – Look for unsweetened applesauce. The applesauce acts as the binder for these muffins. You can’t taste the applesauce but if you would prefer a different kind of egg replacer, check out my complete guide on replacing eggs to get a few more ideas.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil adds a bit of flavor and moisture to the muffins. You could also use avocado or olive oil although olive oil will add a slightly savory flavor.
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder & Soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Toasted Walnuts – Make sure your walnuts are toasted to bring out the flavor. You can omit them for a nut free option or swap them out for vegan chocolate chips for vegan banana bread.
Recommended Equipment
For this banana bread recipe, you will need a mixing bowl, utensils, a wire cooling rack, a loaf pan, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
Like most quick bread, this banana bread is nearly fail-proof. As long as you can whisk and blend, you should be able to make this deeply satisfying vegan quick bread in no time.
Step One – Purée the Dates and Bananas
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain the dates and place them in a food processor with the bananas, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend the ingredients until a smooth purée forms. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food process a couple of times to make sure you get all the bananas and dates.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Step Two – Make the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix the date/banana mixture into the flour until the flour is fully hydrated.
Pro Tip: Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
Add the walnuts into the batter and fold them in with a wooden spoon or spatula until they are evenly distributed. The goal with folding is to get the walnuts fully incorporated into the batter without overmixing the batter. To do this, use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula and fold the batter from bottom to top in a “C” shape.
Step Four – Pour and Bake
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and bake for about 60 minutes at 350 F. The baking time will vary depending on your oven. After about 50 minutes, you can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, your banana bread is done.
If your bread batter is still fairly loose, bake for another 10 minutes before checking again.
Variations of Vegan Banana Bread
One of the biggest reasons I love this vegan banana bread is because there are so many flavor variations. A few of my favorites mix-ins to add are:
- Chocolate chips
- Pecans or Hazelnuts (omit the walnuts)
- Raisins or Cranberries
- Shredded Coconut and Pistachios
Or, skip the loaf pan and make them into muffins.
Serving and Storing
Serving
Serve this vegan bread immediately with some vegan butter and a chai tea latte.
Storing
Tightly wrap uneaten bread and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For best results, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a large ziplock bag. This bread can be frozen. To thaw the banana bread, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once it is thawed, it should be eaten within 3 days.
Make in Advance
If you want to make this bread batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
To bake the bread, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions. However, these bread may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The bread will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.
Tips And Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Soak your dates for 20 minutes before blending. This helps soften the dates and makes them easier to purée.
- Use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
- Make sure to let the bread sit in the loaf pan for 20 minutes before flipping them out to a wire cooling rack. Otherwise, the muffins may fall apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure! For gluten-free quick bread, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
Sure. If you would like to make this recipe oil-free, simply swap out the oil for additional applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
For sure! You can omit them entirely or swap them out for vegan chocolate chips, raisins, or cacao nibs.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates pitted and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 4 very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8×4 loaf pan and set aside.
- Drain the dates and place them in a food processor along with the bananas, apple sauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, mix the date/banana mixture into the flour mixture until the flour is fully hydrated. Be careful not to overmix. Once your batter is uniform, stir in walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread even the top.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow loaf 20 minutes to cool in pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container or freezer.
Video
Notes
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Soak your dates for 20 minutes before blending. This helps soften the dates and makes them easier to purée.
- Use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Fernanda says
Hi! How can I substitute the apple sauce with a chia seed egg?
Abi says
Hi looking at trying this recipe. What can I use instead of applesauce. Could almond milk work?
Marla says
Generally applesauce is used in baked goods in place of oil. So you would replace the applesauce with an equal amount of oil. ( Melted Butter, coconut, vegetable, canola etc). Hope that helps. Applesauce cuts calories and is undetectable once baked.
Nikia says
One of my favorite recipes! The family loves it! I was going to make a loaf this morning, but I only have date paste in the kitchen right now instead of the usual dates. How much date paste is equivalent to 1 cup of dates? I cannot seem to find a website to give a conversion factor. Thank you!
emma says
this was nothing short of perfect. definitely the best banana bread I have ever had by far! if you’re thinking about making this, DO IT
Doeri says
Great Recipe. I used 1 C. Trader Joes GF Flour and 1 C Almond Flour. My local market has been carrying packages of date puree. Worked out really well. Added 3/4 cut toasted walnuts and some Lilys low sugar mini choc chips. YUM. It’s very wet but super delicious with my pot of tea. I can’t stop eating it. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Jillian says
I made just a half a batch, and ate the whole thing in two days!! I usually don’t leave a comment on things like this, but his was so amazing that I just had to. I also substituted figs for dates and it turned out perfectly fine!! One of the most delicious breads I’ve ever had!!
Lou says
Turned out beautifully! It was a high, risen cake. It had the perfect sweetness.
Sara Campos says
Hi Sarah..
A couple of questions on your Banana Bread..
Can I swap Oat Flour for the white flour? I don’t want to use wheat flour cause I get allergy reactions to wheat.
Also, can I use Agave instead of the dates for sweetness, if I don’t have them on hand and how much should I use?
Thank you in Advance for you responses!
faye rivkin says
this looks yummy! i’m grain free but can’t do nut flours. what do you think about cassava flour? And, are the dates purely for sweetness? i wondered about leaving them out (I have everything at home but the dates!!) thanks.
Daisy says
This is seriously the BEST banana bread I ever made myself and that I ever had, even. It is super tasty, the texture is perfect and I absolutely love that it’s made with (almost) all whole foods and no sugar added. Yum yum yum!
Cindy says
Hi! I found the measuring to be a bit confusing because 2 cups of flour doesn’t translate to 158 gm. Can u please explain! Thanks ?
Sarah McMinn says
Thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes the calculators are wrong but I fixed it!
Rene says
I tried it, it tastes great.
But the cake remained doughy. How can I fry it fully? I used half all wheat flour and half all purpose flour. I also increased the ingredients. Altogether equally.
Sarah McMinn says
Hmmm…it sounds like it just needed a little longer in the oven. How long did you bake it?
Lakin says
I tried making this today using all whole wheat flour and it turned out really well! This is definitely my favorite banana bread recipe due to how fail-proof and healthy it is.
Emily says
This is my go-to banana bread recipe! Extra thumbs up that there isn’t any added sugar! I replaced the all-purpose flour with buckwheat flour and it’s equally delicious!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Jane says
How can I make this recipe oil free? Can I use peanut butter instead of apple sauce? Also if the recipe calls for 2 cups all purpose flour, how much should I use if I opt for whole wheat flour? 2 cups of whole wheat flour as well? Your recipe looks amazing!
Sarah McMinn says
If you wanted to make the recipe oil-free, I would add more apple sauce. I don’t recommend swapping the apple sauce out for peanut butter as peanut butter is a lot denser and this is already a fairly dense bread. Af far as flour goes, you could use 1 cup of whole wheat flour but I wouldn’t do 2.
Mynna says
Hi Sarah,
I have so many ripen bananas and would like to try making banana bread. I don’t have any dates on hand so can I replace it with something else, sugar? If I can use sugar, how much would be sufficient? Or should I wait and go find some dates first? Both of my girls are on no cholesterol diet because of health reasons, so we use lots of your other recipes. Thank you so much.