Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread
Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread- Naturally sweetened and oil-free, this banana bread is the perfect treat to have on hand for a quick breakfast or healthy snack. Each slice contains 6 grams of protein!
When it comes to baking I don’t like to give advice on substitutions unless it’s something I’ve tested myself. Even with a recipe I’ve made a dozen times, there’s still so much room for error. There’s no way I can guarantee results by just guessing.
So even though I have several banana bread recipes already on my site, I decided to develop yet another one because I frequently receive requests on how to bake without oil. My Flourless Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Banana Bread is also oil-free but the texture isn’t quite like a traditional banana bread. This one is somewhere in the middle. Still made with wholesome ingredients that will leave you feeling satisfied for more than 30 minutes yet it resembles more of that classic, gluten-filled texture.
Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread Ingredients
- Spelt Flour- The reason this banana bread has more of a classic texture is because spelt flour is not gluten-free. It is, however, lower in gluten than whole wheat flour which makes it a good alternative for those who are sensitive to gluten but not allergic. That said, you can change it out with whole wheat flour or all purpose if you like. I haven’t tested it with gluten-free all purpose but if you do please let me know how it turned out in the comments!
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder- Both of these act as leavening agents which helps the bread rise and cook properly.
- Bananas- Make sure to use ripe bananas for adequate sweetness. I find that 3 medium size bananas yields about 1 and 1/2 cups mashed.
- Almond Butter- I’ve used almond butter that just has almond butter and salt as well as almond butter with oil and they both work great. I like the flavor of almond butter the best but I know it can be pricey so feel free to substitute with a different nut butter or tahini if you like. If your nut butter contains salt then reduce the 1/2 teaspoon in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Pure Maple Syrup- I like to use maple syrup because I find the thin texture blends really well with baking rather than honey which is much thicker. Agave also tends to have a thinner texture and would work well in place of maple syrup.
- Vanilla Extract- Adding vanilla gives the banana bread depth and a light sweetness.
- Mix Ins- Dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts or pecans are my favorite additions to banana bread but feel free to use whatever you like!
How to Make Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread
This banana bread is fairly simple to make. You whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, blend together the bananas with the wet ingredients then combine them and bake in a loaf pan.
If you don’t have a blender you can combine the wet ingredients by hand in a separate bowl. I just prefer to use a blender to make sure the banana is evenly incorporated.
Whether you follow a vegan and oil-free diet or just want a healthy banana bread, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!
Looking for more ways to use bananas? Check these out!
- Fourless Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Carrot Bread with Cashew Cream Cheese Icing
- Flourless Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Nut Blender Pancakes
- Flourless Vegan Banana Bread Waffles
- The Perfect Banana Bread
- Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Vegan Almond Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, reduce to ¼ tsp if using salted almond butter
- 1½ cups mashed banana, about 3 medium bananas
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup almond butter, see notes
- desired mix ins such as nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, add the mashed banana, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond butter. Stir together until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and fold everthing together until a batter forms. Stir in any desired mix-ins such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts or dried fruit. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown on edges and set in the center. Allow to cool completely before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
excellent!!! I made it exactly as you said and it baked in 40 minutes in my oven.
Hard to wait til it cooled to taste, but fantastic texture. I made half plain for me and half with chocolate chips for others. I ended up eating some from both sides!
Hi, Thanks for the yummy recipe. I sprinkled walnuts on top and they hd a great toasted flavor. It was nice. We thought it was a bit dry and wondered the best way to moisten it up? Can we add more banana? Add egg? Add oil? What do you think?
I’m sorry to hear it turned out dry for you! Did you measure out the bananas to 1 and 1/2 cups? If so then you could try adding another 1/4 cup mashed banana or 1/4 cup of oil if you don’t need it to be oil-free. That would definitely help add moisture!
thanks, I’ll try to add more banana and yes I did measure it out. Also how do you measure your flour. I did the method where you dip the measuring cup in and shake off the excess, I don’t pat it down or level it with a knife.
I use the spoon and level method, using a spoon to scoop out the flour into the measuring cup then leveling the top with a knife. That might have made a difference in the end result.
This was the most delicious bread!! Mine was super moist!! 3 good sized bananas! Loved the addition of almond butter. Never done that! Probably my favorite banana bread recipe! Thx!
So happy you liked it, Diana! Thank you for the review!
Hi, for Hawking soda you forgot to specify on Hawking soda….1/2 what????
Sorry about that! It’s a 1/2 teaspoon.
Amazing texture. I absolutely love the spelt flour. It was difficult to wait until it cooled completely to cut it because I was dying to try it. Next time I’ll go a little heavier on the chocolate chips and nuts. It pairs nicely with a matcha latte or is a great little healthy snack. DELICIOUS
Will using unbleached all purpose flour instead of spelt change the outcome of the consistency of the bread?
It shouldn’t! If anything it will be more moist as spelt is a little more absorbent than all-purpose.
Subbed 1-1 ratio from spelt to GF flour blend and it was DELICIOUS. So impressed!
I’m thrilled to hear that! Thank you for sharing!
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Can I use oat flour for this recipe instead of spelt flour?
You can but the texture will be much different and likely gummy. I haven’t tested it with gluten-free flours but I do have a similar recipe for muffins using oat flour here: https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/vegan-banana-oatmeal-blender-muffins/
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Helloo, today I made this recipe and it turned out great. My family loved it even tho they dont really like banana bread. I was afraid it would be dry because there is no oil but its really moist. Thank you so much for the recipe ♥️
Hello! I tried this recipe and hands down this is the BEST and the most Moist banana bread that I have ever made..! I have tried so many recipes – vegan/with egg but nothing comes close..
Thank you so much for the recipe! Happy Holidays!
I went to bed last night with an urge to make something with my frozen bananas and I made this first thing in the morning. It was so easy and the result is SO delicious! Thanks for putting the metric conversions and enabling us to scale the recipe up or down.
– I used Krusteaz gluten free all purpose flour
– I used 3/4 of the amount of maple syrup called for and replaced the rest of that liquid with lemon juice
– I used Justin’s coconut almond butter
– I added sliced almonds – maybe about 1/2 cup?
– and I accidentally misread the instructions (it was really early lol) and used 1.5 teaspoons each of cinnamon, baking power, and baking soda.
The texture is spot-on – you know that’s a gamble with gluten free breads, especially using recipes not written for GF – and the flavor is wonderful. It’s moist without being oily, and sweet without feeling like a heavy dessert. It IS pretty decadent because the almond butter I used has added sugar. I think my addition of lemon juice helped to round out some of that sweetness.
I’ve already eaten some with Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese – delicious – and just straight out of the pan. It’s great both ways!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m definitely saving it to make it again!
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