Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
This healthy vegan banana bread is sweetened naturally with dates and bananas for a delicious, moist, and healthy morning or midday sweet bread. Prepare this easy quick bread recipe in just 10 minutes. Then sit back with a cup of tea and relax while you watch it bake.
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Servings: 12 people
Calories: 202kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates pitted and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 4 very ripe bananas
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8x4 loaf pan and set aside.
- Drain the dates and place them in a food processor along with the bananas, apple sauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, mix the date/banana mixture into the flour mixture until the flour is fully hydrated. Be careful not to overmix. Once your batter is uniform, stir in walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread even the top.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow loaf 20 minutes to cool in pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container or freezer.
Video
Notes
Serving and Storing - Serve this vegan bread immediately with some vegan butter and a chai tea latte. Tightly wrap uneaten bread and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For best results, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a large ziplock bag. This bread can be frozen. To thaw the banana bread, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once it is thawed, it should be eaten within 3 days.
Make in Advance - If you want to make this bread batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To bake the bread, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions. However, these bread may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The bread will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.
Recipe Tips
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Soak your dates for 20 minutes before blending. This helps soften the dates and makes them easier to purée.
- Use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
Nutrition
Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1.5mg