This 5-Ingredient Vegan Banana Bread is light, fluffy, and loaded with banana flavor! It's easy to make and comes together in just 1 bowl!
I know that making vegan banana bread can be tricky, but this one has it all, it's moist, tender, and has a golden, crispy edge. You'll love this 5-ingredient vegan banana bread for its simplicity, rich flavor, and great texture!
This recipe is easy to customize and you can add anything from chocolate chips to dried fruits, to nuts. It requires just 10 minutes of work, with no mixer or fancy equipment needed.
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Self-rising flour. Make sure that your self-rising flour consists only of flour, salt, and baking powder. Otherwise, results may turn out different.
- Milk. We use soy milk, but you can use any unsweetened plant-based milk you like.
- Coconut oil. Make sure to use refined coconut oil if you don't want your banana bread to taste like coconut.
- Bananas. You'll need 3-4 very ripe bananas.
How to make 5-ingredient vegan banana bread
Step 1
First, start by mashing your bananas with a fork or a potato masher until they turn into a puree.
Step 2
Then, add coconut oil, and brown sugar and stir until it's well mixed.
Add plant-based milk and mix once again.
Step 3
Then, add self-rising flour and use a spoon or a spatula to mix it in a few times just until combined.
Step 4
Pour the mixture into a greased pan, layered with parchment paper, and bake in a pre-heated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 5
Let the bread rest in the pan for exactly 5 minutes, then remove. If you leave it for longer, it will get soggy, so make sure to set a timer. Lastly, let it cool completely before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Use overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the more banana flavor you get. You don't want just spotty bananas, you want them to be overripe (a.k.a. the peel comes out very easy and the skin has big dark spots).
- Measure out the banana puree. Be sure to measure out exactly 1 ⅓ cup. Adding more mashed bananas than needed will change the texture, which you don't want.
- Measure out the flour correctly using the spoon and leveling method. If you don't know how to do that, we suggest reading this guide.
- Don't overmix the batter. If you mix too much, the bread will turn out trough and dense. Stop mixing the moment you see that everything is combined and there are no big chunks of flour.
- Cover the bread with foil in the last 10 minutes if needed. I've found that it tends to get pretty brown towards the end, so keep an eye on it.
FAQ
No. Oil is what gives moisture to the bread and brings it all together. You can substitute it with another neutral oil like canola oil, sunflower oil, etc.
To make fluffy and light banana bread, you need to make sure that your baking powder is fresh and active, and that you bake the bread right away. The batter needs to go into the oven no later than 5 minutes after making. Otherwise, it won't rise as well.
If you don't have self-rising flour on hand you can make your own by mixing 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 3 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.
Yes! You can freeze it either whole or cut it into slices. It will keep well for 2 months in the freezer.
Optional add-ins
- Chocolate chips. ½ cup is ideal, but if you are crazy about chocolate, you can add up to 1 cup.
- Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or allspice. Add ½-1 tsp, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
- Vanilla extract. Add 1 tsp.
- Dried fruits such as raisins, dried cherries, or dates. Add ⅓-1/2 cup.
- Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans, etc. Make sure to chop your nuts before adding. Add up to ½ cup.
- Orange zest. 1 tablespoon orange zest can brighten up this recipe.
- Fresh fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, etc. Add up to 1 cup of fresh fruits.
- White chocolate chunks. Add up to ½ cup.
More Vegan Baked Goods
Vegan Chocolate Chip Mug Cookies
Zucchini Brownies with Matcha Frosting
Healthier Double Chocolate Cookies
5-Ingredient Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups overripe bananas (~3 large bananas)
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar, vegan
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk (we use soy milk)
- 2 cups self-rising flour, spooned and leveled (*see notes for substitutions)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 10x5 bread pan and line a piece of parchment paper in the center for easier removal (see photos in the blog post above).
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the bananas and mash until pureed. Measure out exactly 1 ⅓ cup.
- To the bananas, add melted coconut oil and brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add the plant-based milk and mix again.
- Gently fold in the self-rising flour using a spoon or a spatula. Stop mixing the moment you see that there are no big chunks of flour and the batter is just combined!
- Pour the batter into the greased bread pan and bake for 40 minutes. After that, check the bread to see if it's getting too brown on top and needs to be covered with foil. Cover with aluminum foil if needed and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the banana bread rest in the pan for exactly 5 minutes, then remove. Let it cool completely before slicing (about 1-2 hours).
Sophia says
I have been searching for a simple banana bread recipe and this one was perfect! Very fluffy and not too sweet.
Petranka says
Glad you liked it! It's definitely one of my favorite recipes!