This low fat and vegan banana bread was inspired by several different sources in order to make it low fat and retain that moist banana bread feel we remember from youth. I am not a baker, so this recipe is courtesy of mom! I was so lucky to be the taste tester – a real treat, indeed.
It turned out that the ripeness of the bananas and how they are whipped up make a big difference in how much the banana bread rises. We played around with this and the ingredients for several different tries (thanks mom!) and it is slightly different each time – we suspect the banana difference is probably why. So play around with it yourself. The outcome is always delicious tasting, just a slightly different shape and consistency. We added the flax seed in our final recipe test for some healthy omega 3s.
And as with most or all baking, make sure you place it in the middle of the oven so there is proper air circulation around what you are baking. Different sized ovens (and whether you have convection or not) and what type of pan you use will make a difference – so like mentioned above – you may need to play around a bit, or adjust to how you typically bake in your set-up.
Without further ado, the recipe!
Moist walnut banana bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups bananas overripe and mashed/whipped well
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped - or sub vegan chocolate chips for a treat!
- 1/3 cup plant-based milk cashew, almond, rice, etc
- 1/2 cup maple syrup* see notes
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or alternative flour
- 1/2 cup ground flax seed
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice or mix of 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Optional toppings
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts chopped fine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the bananas, plant milk, syrup, vinegar, and maple extract in a large bowl.
- Combine the flour, ground flax, baking soda, salt and spice in a separate bowl, and then add them to the wet ingredients and stir or fold until they are well mixed together.
- Fold in the toasted walnuts or vegan chocolate chips.
- Add the mixture to a non-stick loaf pan (standard 9x5 loaf pan or equivalent smaller pans), add the toppings if desired, and bake for about an hour. You will want to closely watch the loaf after about 45 minutes. You can test it with a fork or toothpick.
- Cool on a baking rack, and enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions and adjustments
Another way to make this banana bread is to substitute the walnuts for vegan (dark chocolate) chocolate chips. This is actually a lower fat option than the walnuts. I recommend the Enjoy Life brand, as there are very few ingredients, so they are minimally processed. This turns the banana bread into a delicious dessert, and every piece is extra moist and gooey. Impress your friends! They will never believe it is low fat, oil free and vegan!
The topping is optional, and depends how much of the nuts or sugar you are comfortable with. It is, frankly, my favorite part – so ends up that this is a bit of a caloric and sugar splurge and I have to be careful how much I eat! However, you can leave off the topping if you plan to eat it a bit more often or if you are focusing on weight loss (note that if you have a lot of weight to lose, you may also want to omit the walnuts altogether).
I have not yet tested this recipe using dates or granulated stevia. This is on deck and will be a future recipe. Have you tried this version, or something with a different sweetener, yourself? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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Carol-Lynn
Hi, what size pan did you use?
Jen deHaan
Hi Carol-Lynn — It’s a standard 9×5 loaf pan. Thanks for the message, I’ll make sure to add the note above!
Jen.
Meghan
Just made this yesterday — so delicious, dense, and (dare I say it) moist!! I used raw sugar instead of maple syrup, included dark chocolate chips in the bread itself, and topped the loaf with walnuts. Yummo!! Thanks for the recipe.
Brandon Peace
I made the recipe exactly as you listed in described in the article, and both of my two loaf burned on the top before the middle was even close to being done. Won’t try this one again.
Brandon Peace
I jumped the gun on posting my comment yesterday. I threw the loaves back in the oven after I turned off the heating element to allow them to cook a little more in the center without the tops cooking too much more. They both turned out fantastic and they’re probably the best banana bread I’ve eaten in decades. You’re welcome to delete my original comment if you want. Sorry I was a douche.
Jen @ PlantBasedRecipe
Hi Brandon — No worries at all! Totally understandable frustration – this one was a real tough one to get working properly because the bananas seem to throw so much off (ripeness, how they’re whipped, etc etc etc)…. so I do hear that! But thanks so much for popping back to let us know what did end up working in the end. Really appreciate the comments 🙂
-Jen.
Andrea
My family loved this recipe! I omitted the walnuts because my husband is on a vegan, no oil, no sugar diet, and everyone thought this was “as good as regular banana bread”! The color is dark due to the flax and whole wheat flour, but the flavor is very good. I had to use about 4 bananas to get 1.5 cups of purred banana.
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Fantastic Andrea! That’s so great to hear! (Just a side note that walnuts are fine on a oil/sugar free and even low fat vegan diet, and quantity made sure to be low fat per serving here, but are often not part of weight loss plans – such as the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss plan – and should be omitted for that).
Anna
Hello,
Looks good! Can you freeze the banana bread?
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Yep you can freeze the bread.
Robin
This turned out amazing! I substituted chick pea flour and lakanto monk fruit sweetened maple syrup. I was a little worried but it turned out perfect! I also added the lakanto chocolate chips and walnuts. There was no added sugar and it was gluten free besides being much higher in protein from the chic pea flour. Healthiest banana bread on the planet and you would never know! 😉❤️❤️❤️
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your substitutions — I will try it like that in the future, sounds so good!
Tami
This is my go-to banana bread recipe. I’ve made it 20+ times, and the only obstacle is that some times it comes out a little “flat”- we do live at 9200’ feet, and oddly, it’s just been this past spring/summer that it’s been coming out flat. Do you think I should up the baking soda? Or add some baking powder?
That said, my comment with this bread is always about it being how hard to believe there’s no oil in it!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Hi Tami! We have noticed this too for sure. One thing we’ve noticed that causes a variation (we think anyway) is how ripe and whipped the bananas are. Another thing we’ve been playing with is adding a little bit of vinegar with the baking soda for rise. Still working on figuring out the best amounts (as you know… consistency is a challenge!), but it might be something to play with in the meantime. I am so happy to hear that this is in your regular rotation!! Made my day 🙂
-Jen.
Kathy
This was so delicious
Joanna Banana
Hey, wondering if anybody has done this as muffins rather than as a loaf? If so, I’m wondering if I could get a guesstimate on the timing. (If not I will report back with my findings lol) xo
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Hi Joanna! This should make about 10-12 muffins. Try baking at 350F for about 20 to 25 min. for muffins. Good luck! -Jen.
Bhavika
Is it necessary to add the flax seeds?
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
No, you can omit them if you wish.
Hannah Banana
Made 2 mini loaves.
Used some substitutes with what I had on hand: soy milk, pecans, vanilla, and no flax. Experimented even further by whipping the wets..not sure it did anything, but it rose well and turned out wonderful! Not too sweet, nice chew, very moist.
I’ve tried a lot of recipes and this has been my favorite, thank you.