Variations Of Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
This vegan banana bread can not only be made with peanut butter but also works with almond butter and sunflower seed butter. This is especially great news if you are allergic to peanuts.
If you like, you can add vegan chocolate chips to your vegan banana bread. Or chopped-up nuts. For a very indulgent treat, you could even add some chopped-up peanut butter cups to the banana bread batter before baking.
Banana Bread Flour Options
This recipe is flexible! Any of the following flours will work well. I love to use white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flourthey offer all the whole wheat nutrients, without the characteristically nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- White whole wheat flour
*To substitute oat flour, youll need to use 2 1/2 cups, for reasons elaborated in my guide to oat flour.
Want to make your banana bread with almond flour? You sure can, but its not a simple substitute, so follow my almond flour-based banana bread recipe instead.
How To Store And Freeze
- You can store leftover banana bread at room temperature in a closed container for 4 days. Store it longer when placed in the fridge for about 7-10 days when wrapped loosely with a paper towel and closed container or plastic bag.
- You can freeze gingerbread banana bread by first slicing the loaf, wrapping, and freezing each slice individually or together tightly with foil, and then placed in a plastic freezer bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Frozen quick bread will be best if used within 4-5 months.
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Using Frozen Bananas Dont Forget This Tip
Yes, you can use frozen bananas to make this vegan banana bread! If you want to use frozen bananas, follow these steps:
- Step 1: thaw frozen bananas at room temperature in a large bowl or on a deep plate until they are completely defrosted.
- Step 2: after the bananas are at room temp and no longer frozen, drain the excess liquid thats produced from thawing them. If you dont do this, the bread will end up with too much moisture.
- Step 3: use in the recipe as directed.
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread
Start by making the flax egg. I used to be so intimidated by flax eggs, but its actually such a simple thing to make. You just mix together your flax meal and water, and then just let it sit for about ten minutes. Here is a great tutorial if youre interested in learning more!
While the flax egg is setting, mash your bananas. Using a potato masher for this is one of my favorite tricks it totally mashes up the bananas perfectly!
Mix together your mashed bananas, almond butter, coconut sugar, oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
In a separate bowl, mix together your oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir till combined. Youll then add in your flax eggs and any other mix-ins that you want! I love to use chocolate chips or nuts.
Pour into greased or parchment-lined loaf pan and top with banana slices if desired. Then bake and voila, youve got yourself an easy vegan banana bread ready for eating.
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Can I Make It Gluten
No, Iâm afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you.
It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.
Xanthan Gum And Raising Agents
The xanthan gum is a necessary binder to the bake. Even with the ground almonds and carefully structured flour blend, it honestly makes a difference. If you are unable to tolerate xanthan gum, substitute with 2 teaspoons of psyllium husk or use an alternative binder of choice.
Gluten Free Banana Bread uses a combination of both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda for best raising. However, if you prefer not to use bicarb, sub with baking powder at twice the quantity of the bicarb.
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How To Make This Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Recipe:
Ingredients For This Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Ripe Bananas- You want them ripe so that they blend easily and offer up plenty of natural sweetness.
- Ground Flaxseed- combined with water it creates a flax egg
- Dairy-free Milk- any milk you prefer like almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk or even water
- Vanilla Extract- It adds delicious flavour to all baked goods, while its technically optional, I highly recommend including it.
- Vegan Butter- softened use any brand you prefer
- Coconut Sugar- or you can substitute equal amounts organic cane sugar or brown sugar.
- Maple Syrup- it adds moisture, plus a little sweetness and also some delicious maple flavour
- Gluten Free Baking Flour blend- feel free to use any brand you like
- Buckwheat Flour- adds moistness to cakes and texture to the bread
- Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats- the oats are blended into fine oat flour which I love to bake with it gives baked goods a super tender crumb. You can also just use oat flour if you have it available
- Baking Powder and Soda- I use both to balance out the acid in the recipe, create a golden brown color and add extra lift.
- Cinnamon + Salt- for flavour feel free to vary the spices you add like nutmeg or all spice or more variations below
- Chocolate Chips- I used dark chocolate chips but feel free to use any vegan chocolate chips you prefer
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Simple Yet So Healthy
I love making whole food vegan recipes because every ingredient I add is packed with nutrition.
Most breads have added sugar, oil, and all kinds of processed flour that add a lot of calories but little in terms of nutrition. In this case, however, its just nutritious red lentils together with baking soda, apple cider vinegar and psyllium husk.
Red lentils, like all whole legumes, are rich in healthy plant protein, satiating complex carbohydrates, and a lot of fiber. They are known to boost the immune system, fight degenerative diseases, lower cholesterol, and stabilize blood sugar levels.
In the last decade, numerous studies have shown that fiber alone is one of the most important nutrients for the human body. Psyllium husk arent simply instrumental to the incredible texture of this bread but are also pure fiber.
Lastly, apple cider vinegar and baking soda have an alkalizing effect on the body . Eating alkalizing food is especially important in todays modern world since most environmental pollutants and toxins we are exposed to daily are acidic in nature.
All-in-all, this might be simple, 4 ingredient bread recipe but it actually improves your health while being so incredibly tasty! Enjoy it.
Easy Banana Bread Mix
If you want to upgrade your classic vegan banana bread to have a bit more excitement, try some of these fun banana bread mix-ins and toppings!
- Chopped walnuts or other nuts, such as pecans, almonds, even peanuts!
- Chocolate chips
- Spices, such as pumpkin pie spice, chai spice blend, cardamom, etc.
- Lemon or orange zest
- Dried fruit, such as cranberries or chopped apricots
- Maple syrup: you can add just a tablespoon of maple syrup for a bit more of a maple-y taste without messing up the texture!
If youd like even more vegan banana bread variations that have gluten free options, check out my cookbook and head to the breads and loaves section!
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What Are The Best Bananas For Making Gluten Free Banana Bread
Which brings us to the use of over-ripe bananas. Does baking banana bread NEED the bananas to be over-ripe? Most banana bread recipes specify that the bananas should be either ripe or over-ripe. And yes it helps. But it is not essential.
The riper the banana the sweeter it will taste and the easier it will be to mash into a blended cake batter. Even bananas with black skin are mostly still good on the inside.
But Ive made banana bread with less ripe, yellow bananas too. They may be harder to mash and break down, but they still translate into delicious banana sponge when baked.
However Theres one amazing trick to guarantee the most incredible banana bread ever. Are you ready for a game-changer? Its using ROASTED bananas. Whether the bananas are just ripening, or on the turn, roasting them before peeling and mashing creates the most intensely divine banana flavour and sumptuously rich texture. Simply roast them in their skins on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes until the skins turn black. Leave to cool in the skins before you peel and use.
Can You Use Unripe Bananas For Gluten Free Banana Bread
No, you cannot use unripened bananas to make banana bread. As bananas ripen, they develop natural sugars.
Those natural sugars first make the bananas tender. Then, when theyre baked into it, they tenderize, sweeten, and flavor your banana bread, too.
Despite lots of claims on the Internet, you cannot ripen bananas by baking them in their skins in the oven. Youll just cook them, but they wont ripen.
To speed the ripening of your bananas, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple. The gases from the apple will speed up the ripening of the bananas.
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Storing Freezing And Thawing Tips
- To store: You have two options with storing the banana bread- room temperature or the fridge. Personally, I go through an entire loaf of banana bread within 2 days, so keep it at room temperature, covered. However, if you prefer to enjoy the bread over a week, you MUST refrigerate it. Place it on a place and cover it with plastic wrap. This will keep the bread fresh for one week.
- To freeze: This banana bread is freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer to enjoy at a later time. Frozen vegan banana bread will keep for 6 months.
- To thaw: Thaw banana bread at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight. If you prefer a warm slice of banana bread, I recommend either microwaving it for around 45 seconds, or in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes .
Why Will I Love This Loaf
This banana bread loaf is a real winner, it is:
- Chocolatey, rich and indulgent
- Naturally vegan and easily gluten-free and nut-free
- A showstopper with two batters swirled together
- Topped with a luscious and healthy chocolate yoghurt frosting
- A source of protein and fibre
- Great to make ahead of time and decorate before serving
- Delicious all year round
If you already love the sound of this chocolate orange bake, skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first lets discuss the recipe in more detail.
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Note About The Egg Temperature
You’ll notice that this recipe calls for room-temperature eggs. It can be all too easy to skip this step, but it really makes a difference in the finished product. At room temperature, egg yolks break more easily, so they mix more evenly with egg whites and other ingredients. They also whip up to a greater volume, providing a lighter, fluffier texture to the bread. This can be a huge help when using whole wheat flour, which tends to produce dense loaves because it has less gluten than all-purpose flour.
Try to take the eggs out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours before baking. Just be sure they don’t sit out for longer than two hours. Or, if you want a quicker option, you can also choose to set them in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. It will be worth it, I promise!
This Vegan Salted Caramel Banana Bread Is The Ultimate Healthy Gluten
When anyone asks me if I froze things for when the baby comes I literally just think of the amounts of banana bread I have in there.
And this salted caramel one is hands down one of my favorites to date. It is made with all vegan and gluten-free ingredients. And it has a delicious homemade caramel sauce in the center and on top. It is absolutely to die for.
This is definitely one of those banana breads that is on the sweeter side compared to a lot of my other banana bread recipes. Thanks to the caramel sauce and it has a little sprinkle of sea salt in it, making this banana bread even more flavorful. This is the type of recipe you can bake and enjoy for breakfast, brunch, snack, dessert pretty much anything.
I love warming up a slice and adding some coconut ice cream on top it is too die for!
If you guys make this recipe let me know what you think in the comments below. I love hearing from you guys!!
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How Do I Know When My Bananas Are Ripened Just
Good question! Weve all been in the banana boat where were trying to use green bananas to make banana bread. Unfortunately, thats not gonna cut it. Green bananas have what some might call a vegetable-y taste. Its not whats intended for todays perfect vegan gf banana bread. Here are some tips on when to know if a banana is the perfect ripeness for making banana bread:
- brown spots: when those brown spots start coming in, thats when you know youre getting close to perfectly ripe bananas for banana bread. Justignore the brown spots if theyre a result of rough handling. Yep, bananas can bruise, too. The brown spots youre looking for naturally blossom as the bananas ripen.
- rich yellow color: still not sure, even with the brown spots? Look for a bold yellow color. Sometimes a banana can be green and have brown spots, so thats not a good indicator. Look for a rich yellow color and brown spots.
- soft to the touch: lastly, I recommend gently picking one of your bananas up. Is it soft to the touch, or firm? If its firm, with a thick skin that feels almost plasticky, its not ready. If the skin seems to be getting almost thinner, press your finger gently into the side of the banana. If its soft, its ready!
Mix The Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, mix the rice flour, potato flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda with a whisk until well combined and there are no lumps of flour left. Mixing the dry ingredients well at this stage is important it will make sure that the flavour and texture are the same throughout the bread!
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What Do I Need For This Banana Bread Recipe
Theres a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list youll need the following ingredients:
- 80ml gluten free oat milk
- 200g self-raising gluten free flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 65g chopped walnuts
I use the FREEE by Doves Farm self-raising gluten free flour, which already has xanthan gum in the mixture.
This is a really useful ingredient for gluten free baking and Id recommend if youre flour mix doesnt contain this, that you add around ¼ tsp to the recipe.
I used a gluten free oat milk in this recipe but you could use any dairy free milk almond or soy milk would probably work best.
Of course the riper the bananas the better did you know if your bananas arent ripe enough you can microwave them in the skins to ripen them faster?
Nice little recipe hack there for you!
How To Tell When The Bread Is Baked:
The best way to tell if bread is baked properly is to check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. It should reach at least 90°C/194°F.
Overbaked bread will be dry and if it is under-baked then you will be eating raw dough, yuck! It is impossible to give a one-size-fits-all baking time as all ovens vary.
I really do recommend investing in a probe thermometer, it is an incredibly handy kitchen tool!
If you don’t have a probe thermometer, then the monkey bread should be well-risen and browned. A skewer inserted into the centre should go in and out smoothly with little resistance and come out with no dough on it .
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