I can’t shake the fact that banana bread is still my favorite baked good (probably of all time), even after all these years.
Nothing quite beats a thick slice of banana bread with a little nut butter and a cup of tea or coffee.
Since creating our 1-Bowl Gluten-Free Banana Bread several years ago, I’ve wanted to perfect an egg-free version. You guys seem to LOVE that recipe, and dare I say this vegan version is even better? I know — bold claim. But so true. Let me show you how it’s done!
This 1 bowl recipe starts with a flax egg and mashed ripe banana — 3 ripe bananas to be exact.
Then it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar, moistened with a small amount of avocado or coconut oil, and gets a boost of healthy fats and protein from almond butter!
For the dry ingredients I stuck with our tried and true Gluten-Free Flour Blend, almond meal, and rolled oats. This combo just seems to work in quick breads.
Walnuts add a nice crunch (and a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids). Plus, they take the aesthetic up a notch.
After about 1 hour in the oven, your house will smell like heaven in a loaf pan. Behold: The Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread of my dreams.
We hope you LOVE this bread. It’s:
Tender on the inside
Golden brown on the outside
Naturally sweet
Incredibly hearty
Satisfying
& So, so delicious
This would make the perfect breakfast on the go, hearty snack, or healthier treat. Banana bread is just versatile like that. Enjoy as is or pair with a bit of almond butter or peanut butter and you’re living the good life.
Into this banana bread? Try our Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, Banana Bread Granola, Vegan Banana Crumble Muffins, Vegan Nutella Banana Bread, and Vegan Banana Nut Muffins for 2!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 batch flax egg* (1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp / 7g flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp /37 ml water)
- 3 medium ripe bananas (3 bananas yield ~1.5 cups or 425 g)
- 1/4 heaping cup unsalted almond butter (or sub other nut or seed butter)
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or sub organic brown sugar)
- 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub agave nectar or coconut nectar)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other dairy-free milk, such as rice or hemp)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 ¾ cup almond meal (ground from raw almonds)
- 1 ¼ cup gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 ⅓ cup gluten-free oats
- 1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Prepare flax egg in a large mixing bowl and let rest for 5 minutes. Then add ripe, peeled banana and mash well with a fork. You want it pretty smooth.
- Add almond butter, avocado oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, and almond milk and whisk to combine. Add baking powder, almond meal, gluten-free flour blend, and gluten-free oats and stir well to combine. Lastly, add half of the walnuts and stir to combine.
- Pour into the pan and smooth with a spoon. Top with remaining walnuts. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. When done, the loaf should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top (see photo). A toothpick or knife should come out clean (or with very few crumbs).
- Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen sides with a knife or pull up on the parchment paper to transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before cutting or it will be tender and tend to crumble. It’s even better the next day!
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Slice and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven until tender and warmed through.
Video
Notes
*If not gluten-free, use unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour in place of the gluten-free blend.
Alit says
Can I subtitute the gf flour with home made gf oatmeal flour? I dont have the ingredients for gf flour blend
Hi Alit, we wouldn’t recommend that because the bread will be quite dense and gummy if using only oat flour. Do you have some of the flours in the blend? We think a mix of ~2 parts homemade buckwheat flour to 1 part potato starch could work here in place of the GF blend, though we haven’t tested it this way.
Alit says
Thanks so much for the quick response. I dont have the potato starch but i do have rice flour, almonds flour, tapioca flour and have raw buckwheat….can we do something with those?
Hi Alit, the potato starch is really key for giving it a light and fluffy texture! But if you don’t mind a more dense loaf, then a blend of tapioca flour, rice flour, and raw buckwheat (ground into a flour using a blender) would be okay as a substitute for the GF blend. Hope that helps!
Lula says
This came out beautifully. I subbed water for the milk and didn’t have oats so just used more of the flours. And used pecans instead of walnuts. Really nice loaf, not crumbly or mushy!
Wonderful! That sounds like a great swap :) We’re so glad it turned out well! Thank you for sharing, Lula! xo
Nicole says
Can oats be substituted for oat flour?
That should work! Oat flour is more absorbent though, so you might not need quite as much of it. Let us know if you give it a try!
Aifric Ryan says
Lovely recipe. I didn’t have gluten free oats or almond meal so used 400g gf flour. I also substituted tahini for a nut butter. It came out really well and didn’t last the day it was so tasty.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
Judith Bryson says
I made this, and I am now enjoying every bite that I take. It came out really good and light. I made it with peanut butter in place of Almond butter. This is really good and I will definitely make it again. Thank you.
Judith
Yay! We’re so glad to hear it, Judith. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Katie Shul says
I haven’t made this yet but love all of your recipes! I’m wondering if I can sub the gluten-free flour blend for sprouted whole wheat flour.
Aw, we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Katie! We think whole wheat flour might make it a bit too dense (the GF blend is more similar to all-purpose flour). If you’re up for doing some experimenting, it might be a good idea to try half all-purpose and half whole wheat. Additionally, AP/WW flours will be more absorbent than the GF blend, so you may not need as much flour. Let us know if you try it out!
M N says
Hi – I’d like to make these into muffins. Can you recommend a baking time?
Yes! We’d suggest 28-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let us know how it goes!
Tricia says
Any substitute for oats?
Hi Tricia, we would recommend replacing the quantity of oats with a half and half mixture of almond meal and our gluten-free flour blend. Hope that helps!
Kiesha says
This is the best vegan/gluten free banana bread I have made. Thank you so much for this recipe. I tweaked a few things, but it was still delicious!
Whoop! We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Kiesha. Thank you for sharing! xo
Katarina says
Any suggestions for an almond meal substitute for someone with a nut allergy? Thanks!
Hi Katarina, possibly more oats + GF blend, but it will be more dense. Or maybe a seed meal or something that isn’t a flour consistency to keep the bread light in texture. Hope that helps!
Sheryl says
Ok seriously the most delish, moist and yet fluffy gf banana muffins I have ever had the joy of making! I reduced a tiny bit the coconut sugar and the oats. And I added frozen blueberries! No nuts. Made them in a silicon muffin tray – and wow!! Thank you heaps – this will be my go-to muffin recipe – next I will try substituting apple sauce for some of the nut butter or oil. But then again, why play with perfection right? 😍💕🤟
YAY! We’re so glad you enjoyed the banana bread muffins, Sheryl. Love your creativity with it, too! Thank you for sharing! xo