This plant-based banana bread is a healthy alternative to the traditional kind that is made with animal products. It is my go-to banana bread at breakfast or as a mid-day snack.
Nutritious, moist and packed with natural sweet flavours, it is easy to make. For the flour, I use spelt flour because it has a more delicate gluten structure than wheat flour and thus easier to digest. You can use white or light spelt flour or a finely milled whole spelt flour or a mix of these. In Switzerland or France, you can use farine d’épautre claire or farine de petit épautre or a mix of both.
For best results, I recommend measuring (or weighing) the mashed banana, as indicated below in the ingredients. The right amount of mashed banana will give you the right taste and texture. Make sure that your bananas are ripe and with brown spots on the outer peel.
Consuming plant-based banana bread is a delicious way to improve your health by increasing your fiber and antioxidants, while reducing your saturated fat intake and improving heart health.
The recipe is below with ingredient alternatives or subsitutes.
Plant-based banana bread
INGREDIENTS
Dry
- 11/2 cups (200 gr.) of flour: white spelt flour or all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour or whole spelt flour or a mix of flours (I like to use a mix of white and whole flour) * see note
- 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) fine salt
- 11/2 tablespoon (tbsp) baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp Mascobado sugar cane or coconut sugar or brown sugar (can sub. with 2 tbsp of flour to keep it low sugar)
- 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or desiccated coconut
Wet
- 1 cup + 2 tbsps (320 gr.) mashed banana (taken from 2 to 3 ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup pure apple sauce, unsweetened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut cream or thick coconut milk (for low fat: sub with coconut-based yoghurt, such as this one or this one)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
*Note: In France or Switzerland, you can get spelt flour labelled as: farine de petit épautre or farine d’épautre claire or farine blanche d’épeautre or farine d’épeautre complète.
PROCEDURE
Oven: 180°C / 350°F
One loaf pan (lined with parchment if your pan is not stick-free).
- In a large bowl, combine and hand whisk the dry ingredients until blended. In a separate smaller bowl, combine and hand whisk the wet ingredients until smooth.
2. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until fully combined. Transfer into a loaf pan and spread evenly.
3. Place on middle rack in pre-heated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
4. When done, allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a cooling rack.
5. Loosen the edges with a dull knife and remove the bread. Allow it to further cool on rack. If using parchment paper, lift the loaf with the parchment kept underneath.
6. Slice and enjoy for breakfast, dessert or as a mid-day snack. Wrap loaf with foil and keep stored in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Health Continuum 
Julie,
Your banana bread looks fabulous! Is there a sub you could suggest for the coconut cream? I’m on a very restricted low fat diet.
Thanks so much!
Miriam
Hi Miriam. Thanks so much for asking this. 🙂
You can sub. with a plain low fat or no fat Greek yoghurt or a plant-based (no dairy) Greek soy yoghurt (e.g. sojasun). You can also experiment with plant milk (e.g.almond, cashew milk) however, you may not get the exact same bread texture and may have to increase the flour content by a tablespoon at a time until the dough is thick enough.
Sorry, but the bread in general is light and healthy, so adding the 1/4 cup of coconut cream is still healthy (our bodies need some fat) and gives the bread a nice texture. I find that adding some fat to a balanced eating pattern gives your metabolism a great source of energy and helps absorb vitamins, minerals…I know that I need some fat in my diet because I tend to get tired going without. It’s all about balance, I find.
But back to you, yes, of course, if you are on a “very restricted low fat diet”, there are substitutes to work with! I hope this works for you, Miriam. Let me know. Julie
Thanks for your quick and substantive reply, Julie! I’ll probably try the Greek yogurt as a sub for the coconut cream and I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
Hi Julie,
I made the banana bread, using a thick plant-based yogurt (Harmless Harvest, which has some coconut cream in it) and the bread was WONDERFUL! My hubby and I love it because it’s so tasty, light, and healthy! It’s now my go-to banana bread recipe. Thanks for creating and sharing it!
Miriam
Oooohh….I’m happy it turned out, Miriam! Harmless Harvest — what a great brand name! It’s the yoghurt that’s full of goodness and does no harm! 😇
Hi Miriam,
I just want to let you know that I finally found a thick plant-based Greek yoghurt in a natural food store in France. It’s similar to the one you used. It’s made with coconut extract and milk as well as almond protein. The brand is Abbot Kinney’s Coco Greek Style Yoghurt. I tried it this morning in the banana bread recipe and it turned out perfect. I had previously tried a plain Greek yoghurt and the texture was not as good as this plant-based version. So, I’ve added the option in the recipe. Thank you for sharing your discovery. Julie