Ever buy bananas intending on eating them but realize weeks have gone by and they’re too ripe? Use those bananas with this perfect recipe and you’ll be grateful you forgot to eat them! Bananas make this bread taste really moist. I like to add chopped walnuts, cranberries, and chocolate chips, but feel free to modify the recipe as you like. You can find great vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe’s. Whenever I make them, they tend to disappear in a day.
I originally got this recipe from my aunt who is vegan. Many times when I’d come home for the holidays from Berkeley and stopped over at her house to see what she had baked that day, she’d have fresh banana bread with walnuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. I fell in love with it and have been making the bread once every month or two for the past few years.
Whenever I make this banana bread, they tend to disappear in a day! Out of all the recipes I have on this blog, this one is probably the one I make most frequently…everyone loves it!
Banana Nut Bread
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cup flour , white flour, whole wheat flour, or Arrowhead Mills gluten-free all-purpose baking mix
- 3 bananas , preferably ripe
- 8 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar , for a healthier option, see notes below
- 1 teasp baking soda
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 pinch clove powder
- ground cinnamon , to taste
- chopped walnuts , optional
- vegan chocolate chips
- cranberries or raisins , optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel, cut, and mash the bananas in a bowl (I prefer to do this with a masher or my washed hands).
- Add all dry ingredients into the same bowl. Add oil in the end.
- Mix with a electric mixer. Add more cinnamon if needed.
- Line the bottom of a 8″ pan with a circular 8″ piece of wax paper and pour batter in the pan (you can also use a bread pan, but i prefer using a circular pan). Sprinkle some cinnamon on top before baking.
- Bake bread in oven for 50-55 minutes.
- Let bread cool completely and turn over onto a rack or cutting board. Peel off the wax paper and cut into square pieces or slices! Enjoy cold or hot!
NOTES
- Use whole wheat flour instead of white flour
- Instead of 3/4 cup sugar, use 1/3 cup sugar + 4 tbsp applesauce
NUTRITION
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Amy
Do you have a gluten free version? Can I use a different flour than wheat flour or would they come out funky?
Gastronomers - Amman & Anjali
I haven’t tried a gluten-free version of this recipe. But i’m thinking you may be able to substitute gluten-free all purpose baking mix from arrowhead mills.
I’ve been meaning to try it out for my brother so i’ll let you know how it turns out!
Gastronomers - Amman & Anjali
Hi Amy! I tried making this banana bread recipe gluten free by substituting all-purpose gluten-free baking mix by Arrowhead Mills and it turned out really good! See my recent blog post for an update on the recipe!
Reema
One of your BEST creations! This without fail comes out delish EVERY time! All Ritesh’s coworkers die for it!
anjali
So happy everyone likes this bread! It’s probably the one recipe on this blog that I make the most and always turns out perfect…especially with the addition of chocolate chips =)
Gayathri Bhandarkar
Do you know if it will be possible to halve this recipe? (I have only 2 bananas at home! 🙂 ) I have a bread loaf pan which i want to use too. What do you suggest?
anjali
Hi there! Actually I think you’ll be fine if you use 2 bananas only for the entire recipe. It’ll still taste great and you may not even notice a difference. The amount of bananas may affect the moistness of the bread. In the past I used to state 2-3 bananas, but just to be safe because bananas come in all different sizes, I stated 3 bananas. But as long as they are not really small bananas, I think you will be fine making the entire recipe.
If they are really small bananas, then yes, you can easily just halve the recipe. And you should be fine using the bread loaf pan even if you halve the recipe. Be sure to still bake for the time given, I would just check it close to when it is done to make sure it cooked all the way through with a toothpick. I’m excited to hear how it turns out!
Gayathri Bhandarkar
Great! Thanks so much! Will try tonight and let you know! 🙂 The bananas are not too small .. so I will just stick to your recipe and not halve it.
Kajal
I have made this bread a few times and it has turned out perfect every time. Thanks for providing a low sugar option. The applesauce makes the bread really moist.
anjali
Glad to know you enjoyed the low-sugar option. I’ve recently been trying to cut down refined sugar if possible and replacing with natural sugars instead. Apple sauce and bananas are great int hat it not only helps with moisture, but also helps with the baking. This is one of my favorites…try making my Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cookies – I think you’ll love them! Healthy and great for a quick breakfast out the door.
Nisha Patel
Tried this recipe with 1/3 cup brown sugar n Apple sauce. I added one grated carrot and one grated Apple, it was delicious.
anjali
Great substitutions! I’ve made it with less oil and sugar and added apple sauce, but have never tried grated carrot and apple! Great suggestion will have to try that next time! And glad you enjoyed the recipe…thank you!
Nisha Patel
Used the three bananas as suggested, and added grated almonds as didn’t have walnuts.
anjali
great! so glad you enjoyed the recipe! thank you for the comment!
Megha
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. It came out great ??
anjali
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! It’s my staple go-to when I have extra ripe bananas laying around. I’ve been making it for 10+ years and it’s always a huge hit.
Meera Mulchandani
Hey, I’m out of corn starch, can I substitute it with something? Excited to try this recipe!
anjali
So sorry I didn’t respond sooner! You can also use tapioca flour instead of cornstarch. The amt to sub may vary slightly. I can’t say exactly how much because i haven’t tested it with this recipe, but it may also be ok 1:1. Let me know if you try it out!
P.D.
Perfect recipe. We all liked it..Banana with Nuts -nice combination.