Banana Bread

Who doesn’t need a great banana bread recipe? Bananas are always in my home and most of the time they get gobbled up as soon as they arrive in the kitchen. However, there are those times when it seems like no one is interested in them and in two twos they have some speckles. Once those yellow beauties get a spot or two there is no chance that they are going to be eaten by my boys. They either get tossed in the freezer to add to smoothies OR made into some seriously yummy banana bread. Sometimes I think the boys wait it out to see when those first specks appear just so they can have homemade bread. Cheeky but smart!

I have tried out quite a few plant-based recipes for banana bread and I think that I have finally gotten it just right! It is wonderfully easy to make and with ingredients you probably have on hand. The kids love to help out with this one too because it comes together quickly.

You know those speckles I was talking about…those are the key to a great bread. Those super ripe bananas add natural sweetness and moistness to the recipe. So next time you see your bananas showing their “age spots” so to speak try this recipe out.

I use 3-4 bananas for this recipe depending on the size. If they are large then I use three but if they are a bit on the smaller side I use 4 bananas. You can do this next step a couple ways. Mash with a fork or pop into your mixing bowl and let your machine do the work! How much you mash or puree your bananas is up to you. I like to have a few little lumps of banana showing through but some people want the puree as smooth as possible.

Once your bananas are all mashed up add the sugar to the mixing bowl and mix to combine. To this add the coconut milk, the oil and the vanilla and mix well. Whilst this is mixing sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. The dry ingredients need to be added to the banana mixture in batches. Do not just dump it in all at once and scrape down the sides after each addition of the dry stuff. You want the mixture to be mixed evenly but not over mixed. At this stage you can do some add ins if you wish like 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips, seeds or chopped nuts.

Once everything is combined pour it into a lightly greased loaf pan and pop it into a preheated 350-degree oven. It takes about 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. I have found the perfect baking time in my oven is 55 minutes. In case your oven runs hotter than mine make sure to do the toothpick test at around 45-50 minutes to make sure that you don’t over bake it. Once the bread has cooled remove it from the pan and slice and serve it up! You can store the bread for up to three days in a sealed container but if your house is anything like mine it certainly won’t last that long!

I have tried this recipe out quite a few times with and without add ins and it has come out great every time! I hope this becomes your go to recipe for vegan banana bread.