The Best Vegan and Gluten-free Banana Bread
The Best Vegan and Gluten-free Banana Bread- made with a combination of oat and almond flour, this healthier banana bread is as wholesome as it is delicious!
This recipe has been a long time coming. Even though I already have a vegan and gluten-free banana bread on my site, I knew I could make a better version. Not that the old one isn’t good, I just wanted something with more of a classic texture. So over the past year, every time I had a few ripe bananas, I would test different variations of this recipe. I had to make so many little tweaks here and there that I eventually lost count of how many times I made it, BUT…it finally turned out PERFECT.
If you’ve baked vegan and gluten-free recipes that don’t involve starches then you know things often turn out dense and gummy. I find myself running into that texture all of the time. UGH. Let’s just say my goal in life is to avoid that outcome. When it finally happens I feel like screaming from the mountain tops.
What You Need To Make It and Possible Substitutions
In all seriousness, it’s very hard to get the ratios and ingredients just right in order to avoid gumminess. With that in mind it’s hard for me to recommend substitutions but I know I will get a lot of questions regarding this so I might as well address it up front…
- Ripe Bananas- The spottier the bananas, the better! You want them super ripe so that they blend easily and offer up plenty of natural sweetness. Obviously we won’t be subbing these for anything.
- Dairy-free Milk- I’ve tested it with soy milk, an almond/cashew blend with pea protein and oat milk. All of these have a decent amount of protein so I’m not sure if using plain almond or coconut milk would have a different outcome. I’ll have to try it that way and update the post accordingly.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- This is my go-to for vegan baking because it reacts with the leavening agents and creates air bubbles in the batter to allow for some lift. Very important when you’re trying to avoid a dense and gummy texture. Lemon juice or white vinegar will have a similar effect.
- Vanilla Extract- I use this solely for flavor so while it’s technically optional, I highly recommend including it.
- Melted Coconut Oil- I always have coconut oil on hand because it blends seamlessly in baked goods and provides the best moisture. However, olive oil or any other neutral flavored oil would likely work. If you wanted to make it oil-free you could try using equal amounts of runny tahini, cashew or almond butter. I haven’t tested it oil-free and my suspicion is that the result would be denser but it’s worth a try if you’re determined to make it oil-free.
- Coconut Sugar- The first several times I made this recipe I tested it with maple syrup and it consistently led to a dense texture. I found that coconut sugar lightens up the texture while still adding a subtle sweetness. That said, you can easily substitute equal amounts organic cane sugar or brown sugar. If you’d like to go the maple syrup route just keep in mind you will have to adjust the liquid (using less milk) and it will change the texture.
- Oat and Almond Flour- My go-to blend for gluten-free baking is oat and almond flour because they’re usually easy to find and work so well together. Oat flour can typically be substituted with brown rice flour but almond flour is unique in that it adds a source of fat and moisture to the recipe. Because of that I don’t recommend substituting the almond flour.
- Baking Powder and Soda- I use both to balance out the acid in the recipe, create a golden brown color and add extra lift.
Why I Like to Use a Blender
Technically you don’t need a blender to make this banana bread but it really helps incorporate air into the recipe which provides lift and reduces that dreaded dense and gummy texture. It doesn’t have to be a high speed blender. A NutriBullet would work just fine.
Also, this is my all-time favorite baking pan to use. Every loaf comes out perfect!
Possible Mix-Ins
I included dark chocolate chips in the recipe because that’s what goes over best in my house but feel free to switch things up with chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans), raisins, or whatever you prefer!
Looking for more ways to use ripe bananas? Check out these recipes!
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Blender Muffins
- Vegan Spinach Blender Muffins
- Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread
- Flourless Vegan Banana Bread Waffles
- Flourless Double Chocolate Banana Bread
The Best Vegan and Gluten-free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas, (at least 1 cup when mashed) make sure they are very ripe!
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 1½ cups oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease a standard size loaf pan.
- In the bowl of a blender, combine the bananas, milk, vinegar, coconut sugar and vanilla extract. Blend on high for 15-20 seconds until a smooth frothy liquid forms. Alternatively you can use an immersion blender or mash everything together by hand. I recommend using a blender for best results. Pour the liquid into a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure to whisk or sift any lumps of flour.
- To the bowl with the liquid ingredients, add the dry in 4 separate parts, stirring in between. This will assure the flour is incorporated as evenly as possible. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to your greased loaf pan and arrange a few more chocolate chips on top. Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. The bread should be firm and golden brown. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. I know it's tempting to eat it right away but the texture will improve as it cools.
How long should I leave baked bread to cool in the loaf pan before transferring to rack? Thanks, huge fan of your site!
Until it’s cool enough to handle! Probably 20 mins or so. :)
Lovely but totally crumbled on me when I took it out of the pan, inside was way too soft..
That’s very unusual! Did you change any of the ingredients?
WOW!!!! I will be making this often!!! Your promise for a non-gummy banana bread was right on!!!
So good!!!!!
Thank you for your persistence! You rock!!’
Delicious! Best banana bread I’ve had since going vegan three years ago! I’ve tried lots of different recipes but they have all had that gummy texture that you mentioned, but this one was fluffy and light, perfectly sweet and absolutely delicious. My new go to banana bread recipe.
This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for the review!
Finally a vegan, healthy banana bread that’s NOT gummy! It’s actually… well, BREAD. Thank you!
I used a gf flour mix in place of oat flour since I was out and it worked great too.
I’m so glad that worked for you! Thank you for the review.
I will never make another banana bread recipe again! This banana bread is seriously so scrumptious and perfect. I even left the oil out on accident (I left it in the microwave after I melted it) and it still came out amazing. Thank you thank you thank you!
Wow! So glad to hear it was good without the oil. Thank you for the review!
Wowwww this was fantastic. I doubled the recipe and did one loaf pan without choc chips, and mini muffins with mini choc chips. When I make this again I’ll probably skip the sugar especially if I’m adding choc chips, and probably do a touch less salt. I can’t get over how good this is, I’ve been sending the recipe to all my friends!
Hi Sarah, i want to say thank you for this amazing recipe!! I just made it and it turned out great, I used blueberries instead of chocolate chips and walnuts on top and it amazing! Thank you a lot for this awesome recipe!!! I must to be gluten, egg and dairy free because health problems and this recipe is just perfect! Simple ingredients, no flour mixes, no gums. Just amazing! Thank you! God bless you!
I’ve tried to make vegan banana loaf cake multiple times. Either it was too gummy or too dry. Today I tried your recipe! I’m happy to say it turned out delicious! Usually with vegan loaf cake recipes, my cakes don’t rise as much. That’s not the case with your recipe. It did rise perfectly. I l love that it’s gluten free. Thank you so much for your delicious recipe. I’ll be making more banana loaf cake again.
Your last recipe for vegan gf banana bread was already my favorite! I can’t wait to try this one now! Thank you :)
Thanks Tanya! I prefer the texture of this one but the other one is a little easier to make since you don’t have to measure out flour. :)
Best I’ve had. I only used almond flour, added 3 tbsp maple syrup instead of coconut sugar, a dash of almond essence and only 3 tbsp coconut oil as I didn’t have enough. It crumbled on me out of the pan but the taste!! Absolutely amazing. What can I do better to make it hold stronger?
It’s not holding together because you used all almond flour. If you follow the recipe as written it will hold together much better, I promise! :)
This is a weekly staple in my house! I honestly make it once a week and it comes out perfectly each and every time. The texture is probably the best texture of GF bread I’ve ever had – it definitely does not taste GF or vegan for that matter. I love how easy it is to make with a blender and how versatile it is with options to add different add-ins like chocolate chips, cranberries, nuts, etc. Another big plus for me is that it makes a super breastfeeding snack and the oat flour helps with milk supply. I’ve made it so many times, I have the recipe memorized :) Thanks for sharing!
If l can’t use baking powder can l only use baking soda. And it is necessary to use chocolate chips?
I recommend following the recipe as written for best results. You could technically use just baking powder but it will change the texture. As far as forgoing the chocolate chips, you can definitely do that. The bread might not be as sweet but still delicious! :)
I can’t speak about the baking powder only, but I substituted an equal amount of chopped walnuts for the chocolate chips and it was delicious! Plenty sweet enough for me without being too sweet. I also used unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil (same amount as called for), so that may have added a touch of sweetness. Hope that helps!
Hello. Can I ommit the coconut sugar and make it sugar free?
I haven’t tested it like that so I’m not sure. Let us know if you give it a try!
Such a great tasting easy banana cake.
Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have oat flour on hand.
Can I substitute with coconut or cassava flour?
Thank you !
No unfortunately they are much more absorbent and are too different from oat flour. Brown rice flour is the only sub I would feel comfortable recommending.
So good! Has great texture and of course wonderful healthy ingredients, so that’s a win!
I didn’t use ripe enough bananas like the recipe said so the banana flavour didn’t come through as much as I’d like, may even add more to the recipe next time!☺️
This was literally the best banana bread I’ve ever made! The texture is fluffier than any other baked good I’ve attempted while still being moist. I’m obsessed!! ( I also used Swerve brown sugar replacement as a 1:1 replacement of coconut sugar to cut down slightly more on the carbs and it still worked great!!)
Wow. This banana bread is awesome. My non-vegan/GF friends love it. I get to enjoy bread like I did before I was gluten free. The texture really is astounding. Thank you!
We CAN’T have ANY NUTS due to ALLERGY,
What can I substitute the almond flour with please?
I’m sorry but the almond flour is key to the recipe. I explain why in the body of the post.
This is THE best vegan gf bread, hands down!! Thank you for this recipe!!
This is the best flavored banana bread I have made … so I used organic brown sugar I didn’t have coconut palm I am sure it’s a tad less sweet with the palm sugar . I had 3 very ripped bananas so I slightly 1dded more bananas maybe 1/3 of a cup more si I had to add some oat not flour just a few more rolled oats . I made 3 small loaves it took longer to bake but this is because I added more liquid . This banana bread is so tasty and yummy so good and healthy …great recipe thanks !
This was the recipe i have been searching for so long now.It was perfect absolutely awesomeness!though i use raisons and walnut.thank you
Would this work with Bobs Red Mill 1-for-1 GF flour mix? Also, what do you think about baking in paper loaf pans vs. metal?
You could probably replace the oat flour with the GF mix but the almond flour cannot be substituted. A paper loaf pan should be fine!
My daughter and I tried baking for the first time and since she loves Banana Bread we decided to go try your recipe since I can’t gluten nor dairy. It was so good! She kept on saying it’s better than her favorite from Starbucks. Definitely making these again. Thank you!
This is awesome bread I won’t have to look for another recipe ! The only changed I made is no sugar substituted 1 table spoon maple syrup and I added 1/4 cup raisin and walnuts , 1 tsp pumpkin spice grated nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ginger just perfect the texture is unbelievable!! Thanks
Hi! It came out so so gummy. The only thing I changed is I used bob’s gluten free baking flour to replace the oats. I kept everything else exactly the same including the almond flour. I’m so sad :( I really am tired of gummy breads.
Sorry you had bad results, Sarah! I recommend sticking with the recipe as it’s written and reading all of the tips I suggest for best results. :)
Best banana bread I have ever made! My husband said so too. Thank you very much and the notes you gave were very helpful.
I did not have enough oat flour so I used a little oat flour and buckwheat flour instead in the same measure as the recipe above. I had almond flour, phew!
My bananas were not spotted but I risked anyway;.)
I also had about a teaspoon of coconut oil so I filled up the rest with tahini and applesauce so as to fill a 1/4 cup. Realized I have run out of vanilla extract so I used vanilla powder. Used almond milk.
everything else stayed the same.
The bread was moist, tasty, and fluffy.
Thank you! Excellent recipe!
Can i omit the coconut sugar to make sugar free?
You could but it will alter the texture and flavor. Just be prepared to experiment with the outcome!
I’ve made it with no sugar. It’s great!
What do you consider a standard size loaf pan? 8.5” by 4.5”? Or 9” by 5”? Many thanks.
9×5 but either will work!
Thank you!
I made it in an 8.5 x 4.5 and it worked perfectly. I made this for a vegan/gluten free friend and she raved about it. I liked it, too.
INCREDIBLE! I only use this recipe for banana bread now! My friend is gf & vegan and we both love it! So light and not dense like some gf desserts can be! Even though I’m not gf/vegan this is always my go-to banana bread recipe! Never going back! :)
Yay! Thanks for leaving a review, Hana!
Hi, love your recipe! Can i also use the same recipe to make muffins. How long would I have to bake it for muffins?
I think that would work well! I would check them around 20-25 mins. You have to be careful not to open the oven too early though or that could affect how well they rise. I can usually smell when baked goods are close to being done and then double check by peeking through the window of the oven to make sure the edges appear firm and golden. I hope that helps! :)