The Best Healthy Banana Bread (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
This is the best vegan & gluten-free banana bread you’ll ever eat! Made with oat flour & naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, this healthy banana bread is perfectly moist, fluffy & delicious!
Banana bread is one of my favorite things to bake (and eat), so this recipe has been a long time coming. I’ve been testing this recipe for the past year. I was determined to make a healthy banana bread that’s vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. Well, last week I finally perfected it, so here it is! All those failed attempts were worth it because this truly is the best banana bread (which just so happens to be vegan and gluten-free).
A lot of vegan and gluten-free breads can turn out flat, dense and gummy. I ran into that a lot when recipe testing. But not this recipe! I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I cut into it for the first time.
It comes out perfectly moist and fluffy with a light crumb and it’s full of that delicious banana flavor which is complimented by the warm spices and hint of caramel from the coconut sugar.
The crust gets golden with a slight crunch and the inside has the softest crumb texture – like a pillow! And of course, the rich pockets of melty chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts are the cherry on top.
Stay Connected Get recipes via email:
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread
- It’s made with simple healthy ingredients that are dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free
- It comes together in one bowl – easy to make, easy to clean!
- It tastes even better than traditional banana bread! Your friends and family won’t be able to tell the difference.
- Jazz it up with walnuts, chocolate chips, etc. The possibilities are endless!
My friends who are non-vegan and non-gluten-free can’t even tell the difference. A lot of them actually prefer this healthier version to the classic!
Ingredients Needed to Make Banana Bread
- Bananas – what’s banana bread without bananas? The riper your bananas are, the better. The bananas act as the egg replacement and help bind the bread together.
- Oat flour – this recipe uses nutrient-dense oat flour instead of regular flour. You can buy oat flour or make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats or quick oats in a blender until a fine flour forms. If you have a serious gluten allergy, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
- Coconut sugar – this natural sweetener adds some extra sweetness and caramel flavor. It pairs so well with the bananas.
- Apple cider vinegar – reacts with the leavening agents to give the bread height and fluffiness.
- Baking powder and baking soda – to help the bread rise. It can be tricky to get vegan and gluten-free breads to rise, so we have to use a bit more leavening agent to assist.
- Vanilla extract – a banana bread essential.
- Non-dairy milk – I like to use unsweetened soy milk, but any dairy-free milk will work.
- Coconut oil – melted coconut oil adds the perfect amount of moisture. Be sure to use refined coconut oil as it doesn’t have any flavor.
- Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Vegan chocolate chips – this is optional, but I always love to add chocolate chips to my banana bread. I use Hu Kitchen chocolate chips since they’re vegan and refined sugar-free. You can shop with my discount code: booboo.
- Walnuts – this is optional, but I like to add walnuts on top for some crunch and added flavor.
How To Make The Best Banana Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients, then stir in the dry ingredients.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and top with chopped walnuts and vegan chocolate chips. Bake for 60-65 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it set in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Finally, slice and dig in!
Tips & Tricks
- Use ripe bananas. This is key to getting that sweet and flavorful taste! The darker, older, and mushier the banana, the better.
- Let it cool completely. I know it’s tempting to dig in once you pull it out of the oven, but patience is key. If you cut into it before it’s cooled, it can be gummy and sticky. Banana bread retains heat after it’s pulled out of the oven, so cutting it while it’s still warm can cause a gummy interior.
Serving Suggestions
What’s better than a slice of warm banana bread? I like to enjoy it plain (totally delicious), but it also tastes great with a little vegan butter or nut butter spread on top.
Make it a full breakfast and serve it with my Vegan Tofu Scramble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to use spotty/brown bananas?
This is key to getting that sweet and flavorful taste! The darker, older, and mushier the banana, the better. Ripe bananas are extra sweet and add the perfect amount of moisture.
Can I freeze banana bread?
Of course. Once it’s completely cooled, slice and freeze in an airtight bag. Then, let it thaw overnight on the counter.
How can I make my own oat flour?
It’s really easy! Simply add oats (rolled oats or quick oats) to a blender or food processor and blend until a fine flour forms. If you have a serious gluten allergy, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
Got More Ripe Bananas? Make These Recipes
Find all of my banana recipes here and more vegan breakfasts here.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ★★★★★ star rating below letting me know how you liked it! This helps others find my recipes. I appreciate your support, as always. xo, Megan
The Best Healthy Banana Bread (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, = 1 ½ cups mashed banana
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup vegan chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, coconut sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar until combined.
- Mix in the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vegan chocolate chips until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and top with more vegan chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (if desired).
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (tempting, but this is very important!). Once cool, slice and serve!
My family said this is their favorite banana bread ever!
Aww that’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing Erika, I’m so happy the whole family loved it 🙂
We enjoyed this recipe. Especially good for schools that are nut free (if you omit the walnuts). Thank you!
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed it, Fatima! I agree, it’s just as delicious even without the walnuts – then you can add even more chocolate chips 🙂 thank you for sharing!
One of the best recipe I would say❤️ Healthy banana bread ever I will never tur back to any other recipe after this😍 tasted extremely delicious 🤤👌👌 Thanks for the amazing recipe would love to try many other recipes in ur website ❤️
Aww, I’m so happy you loved my banana bread recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your lovely review. I look forward to hearing what you’ll make next!
Such a delicious and super easy recipe! I love banana bread but can no longer have gluten due to gut health issues. Love the clean ingredients and the simplicity of your recipe. Definitely making weekly so I can have a nice, sweet, & healthy treat! 💕
Aww yay! I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe and will continue baking it. Thank you for the lovely review, Jolene! xo
What type of flour can I substitute for oat flour?
I haven’t tried this recipe with any other flours, so I’m not entirely sure. It is usually not a one-to-one substitution because oat flour is light and very absorbent, so you’d have to adjust the amount accordingly depending on the type of flour. But if you have oats on-hand, you can easily make your own oat flour by blending oats into a flour!
Can I reduxe the coconut sugar and maple syrup?
I would only recommend reducing the coconut sugar, since the maple syrup adds liquid/moisture to the bread. Let me know if you try it!