Going Bananas for Vegan Banana Bread: The Ultimate Vegan Banana Bread Recipe You Must Try!

Freya Coombes discusses how we can use our overripe bananas to make something delicious, instead of contributing to food waste. This easy, plant-based recipe is both satisfying and sustainable!

Bananas are a household staple, but how often do we find ourselves staring at the overripe ones, wondering whether to throw them away? Whether you’re inspired to whip up a quick banana bread or freeze those overripe bananas for a future baking session, here’s how you can make the most out of every last one.

A photo showing banana bread, biscoff, bananas and chocolate.

Photo credits: Blandine Joannic on Pixabay.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas (if you’re using frozen bananas, simply defrost them in the microwave until soft)

• 75g coconut oil or vegan butter

• 110g brown sugar

• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk

• 210g all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 90g vegan chocolate broken up (optional but recommended!)

• 4 tablespoons Biscoff spread to drizzle on top (optional but recommended – add more if you’d like!)

A photo showing the process of mixing the ingredients.

Photo credits: Freya Coombes.

Method

1)        Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2)       Line a pan (whichever shape you’d like your banana bread to be) with baking paper and grease the inside of the pan to prevent sticking.

3)      In a large bowl mix together the: mashed banana, brown sugar, coconut oil or vegan butter, vanilla extract and milk until well combined.

4)        In another large bowl, whisk together the: flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

5)      Combine the two bowls and mix until just combined. Do not overmix! There will be some lumps of banana that remain.

6)        Fold in the chocolate chips.

7)        Add the batter to the pan.

8)        Bake for 40 to 50 minutes (or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached).

9)        Cool for 10 minutes.

10)   Melt the Biscoff spread in the microwave for about 20 seconds (keep an eye on this so it does not burn) and drizzle on top.

About the author: Freya Coombes is a Politics and International Relations student at the University of Sheffield. She is currently the Food and Drink Editor here at Wild Magazine. Her main interest is in food security and sustainability.