Some weeks, my kids complain that I am not buying enough bananas, they get gobbled up so fast! Yet, other weeks, I am greeted with the sad sight of over-ripe bananas, on their way to self-stewing in the fruit bowl.
In that case, I have the perfect solution.
My never-fail, easy vegan banana bread recipe!
I love banana bread, but it physically hurts spending $5 on a slice at my local plant-based cafe.
Desperate for a fix, I used to buy banana bread at my local markets. Delicious as it was, it was almost $6 for 5 portions, which is cheaper than the local cafe, but still pretty pricy.
I was on a mission to find the perfect, plant-based banana bread. Frankly, it took some time.
I wanted a dense loaf, but not stodgy. Banana-ish, but not too sweet. And it needed to be simple. One recipe I sampled had over a dozen ingredients! Delicious? Yes, indeed it was. But it was also expensive and fussy.
My two least favourite things in the world are 1) expensive and 2) fussy.
This recipe is a one-bowl mix with no messing about with flax eggs or a million different ingredients.
The bananas are the hero here! This easy, healthy, banana bread couldn’t be simpler to make. Plus, it is so economical, $6 will make you about 2 loaves or 12-14 generous portions of banana bread!
When I have a glut of manky-bananas, I make a few batches of this banana bread. The slices freeze beautifully and are perfect for the lunchbox.
It is easy to add a few extras to vary the flavour. I love it with walnuts. My kids love it with dark chocolate chips.
My Never-Fail, Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
You will need
- 3 ripe mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil
- 1/2 cup of Whole Nut Milk
- 1/2 cup of raw sugar
- 2 cups of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
Optional Extras
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence, cinnamon or mixed spice
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, or chopped dried fruit to taste.
Preparation
Oil a 21.5 x 11.5cm loaf pan and set your oven to 200 degrees Celcius.
Blend all wet ingredients together. If you wish, you can completely blend the banana into the wet ingredients and the sugar for a fine-crumbed banana bread, or mash the banana with a fork for a chunkier, more textured loaf.
Here, I have blended the wet ingredients together, my youngest son isn’t a fan of the chunkier style loaf as much as I am! Ah, sweet compromise.
Stir the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Add any optional extra ingredients and fold through the batter evenly. An over-worked mix makes for a tough, chewy, banana bread, so have a light hand.
I like to top the banana bread with a sprinkle of raw sugar and crushed walnuts for a tasty crust.
Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin and place in the centre rack of your oven.
Cook for 20-25 minutes, and check the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the banana bread and it comes out clean.
Turn off the oven and allow the banana bread to cool in the oven with the oven door ajar. When the tin is cool, turn the loaf onto a baking rack to cool completely. Slice and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. I prefer to wrap and freeze the slices.
If you want to be really decadent on a chilly, wet morning, this loaf is extra delicious grilled in a frypan with a little vegan butter and served with a spicy hot chocolate!
Do you love banana bread? I love to hear from you, do give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
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