This Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread is 100% amazing. It's easy to make in one bowl, rich, chocolatey, fudgy and super indulgent!
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Spotty bananas at the ready because we're making Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread! And if you don't have spotty bananas then don't worry because I've got a little trick up my sleeve to fix that!
Ingredients
And a few notes:
- overripe bananas - The spottier the better!
- flour - All purpose, spelt, wholewheat or gluten-free all purpose are all fine to use.
- maple syrup - For extra fudginess. You can use sugar instead but it will change the texture of the cake and it won't be as moist or fudgy.
- nut/seed butter or oil - I prefer making this with nut butter as the fat because it adds more flavour but any liquid oil is fine to use instead.
- baking powder and baking soda - When you don’t use eggs you need to make up for the leavening they would otherwise provide by adding both of these. The baking soda reacts with an acid (in this case cocoa) and creates extra lift to make up for the no egg situation.
You'll also be needing a loaf pan to cook it in. For baking, I recommend metal bake-ware. Silicone does not conduct heat well and you won't get such good results.
No loaf pan? Make my Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins instead
How to make Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
This healthy chocolate banana bread is really easy to make and is mixed up all in one bowl. Here's how it's done:
- Puree the bananas.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat together.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently.
- Add the chocolate chips, spoon into a pan, more choccy chips on top, then bake.
You cannot imagine just how good this loaf of chocolatey goodness smells when it is baking. That chocolate and those bananas mingling in the air is perfection.
Success Tips
- Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. Precision is key to excellent results when baking and cup measurements are not accurate enough for optimum and consistent results. This kitchen scale is cheap and works brilliantly.
- Use really ripe spotty bananas
- Don't over-mix the batter.
- Be sure you don't over-bake this banana bread. It's beauty is the fudginess and we don't want to lose it! It's better to very slightly under-bake it than it is to go over.
- Add some extra chocolate chips to the top before baking to make it look extra pretty (or as an excuse to eat more chocolate).
No Overripe Bananas?
If none of your bananas are super ripe and spotty, simply place 3 of them on a baking tray with their skins still intact (i.e not peeled) and bake them on 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. They will be black. Allow them to cool before scraping the mushy banana out and going ahead with the recipe.
How to Store & Freeze
- To store - Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack prior to stashing it away. Then, keep it in an airtight container with a layer of kitchen paper on the bottom and on top to suck up any moisture. Or alternatively, wrap it well in plastic wrap or foil. It should keep well and perfectly moist for up to 5 days.
- To freeze - Cool the banana bread thoroughly on a cooling rack then wrap really well (either in a freezer-safe storage container or a freezer bag) and place in the freezer. You can keep it whole or slice it prior to freezing. Slicing it enables you to pull out a piece or two as needed rather than defrosting the entire loaf. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
This Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread can be breakfast, snack or dessert. It's kind of healthy enough for breakfast and starting a day with chocolate is always a good idea. Eat it as it is or spread with vegan butter, nut butter or date caramel.
It's also rich and fudgy enough to be dessert. Try warming a slice gently and topping with a dollop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream and vegan caramel sauce!
Variations
I recommend following the basic recipe as closely as possible for best results but it is perfectly ok to make it your own by adding some mix-ins. How about:
- using broken up chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips
- chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans would be great)
- dried fruit (cherries would be great! )
- shredded coconut
- a few chopped dates for extra fudginess
- make it extra decadent by frosting with chocolate or vegan cream cheese frosting
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 3 medium 7 - 8 inch long ripe & spotty bananas , (weighing approx 375 grams or 13 oz in total when peeled)
- 6 tablespoons natural nut/seed butter or oil of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ packed cup (115 grams) sugar , any type (white, cane, coconut, brown)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cup (215 grams) flour , spelt, all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK), wholewheat or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ½ cup (50 grams) cocoa powder
- ½ cup (85 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips plus a few more for sprinkling on top
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line a 9 x 5 or 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper down the middle with some extra overhanging at each end to act as handles for lifting the cooked cake out.
- Puree the bananas until smooth. You can do this by hand with a fork or in a mixer.
- Add the nut/seed butter or oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, sugar and salt to the bananas and beat until smooth and light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder and mix gently until everything is just combined. Do not over mix because it will affect the texture and rise.
- Then add the chocolate chips and stir just enough to distribute evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, even out the top and sprinkle with an extra handful of chocolate chips.
- Bake for around 45 - 50 minutes until the loaf is coming away from the sides of the pan and is firm with a bit of bounce when you poke the centre of it. This bread is best when very slightly under-cooked as it has maximum fudginess then. If you insert a toothpick, instead of it coming out clean like with most cakes, you want a bit of fudgy cake clinging to it. If it feels liquidy put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes then check again.
- Remove from the tin immediately once done using the parchment paper as handles and place on a cooling rack. Be sure to remove the strip of paper from it's bottom by gently turning it on its side and peeling it away.
NOTES
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NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on February 2nd 2018. I've tweaked the post a bit, added a video and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Patricia says
What size of a loaf pan did you use?
A Virtual Vegan says
9 x 5 inch.
Janine Miller says
Didn't follow the recipe completely, BUT still turned out fantastic
Colleen N says
I've been wanting to make this for weeks and finally had time to do it today. Well, it was definitely worth the wait. I made a gluten-free version (using Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour) and it was excellent. Usually, GF baked goods fall just after coming out of the oven, but this was maintained a nice height. My husband, not typically a banana bread fan, ate multiple pieces and says he'll be asking me to make it again. It's a winner - thanks, Mel!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! Glad to know it worked out well with the GF flour. Thanks for stopping by to leave a review Colleen!
Mia says
Hi mine was super dry - it was only in the oven for 44 minutes
Not sure what has gone wrong
It it pretty unedible now on day 2 even with heating it up
Any advice
A Virtual Vegan says
I've never had this recipe turn out dry even when I've accidentally over-baked it. It's got so much moisture from the bananas and nut butter. It's hard to give advice without knowing your process. Did you sub any ingredients? That's almost always the reason thing don't go as planned. Did you weigh the flour? Is your oven running too hot? Did you use nut butter with load of additives in it instead of a natural one? Just some suggestions. It's impossible to say for sure without knowing exactly what you did and what ingredients you used.
Mapusa says
Can I use agave syrup instead of maple?
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried it. I think it should technically work ok, but maple syrup has a much better flavour.
Mapusa says
Just an update, in case anyone had the same question as me, I tried it with agave nectar, and it tasted great.
The only question I have is that my batter wasn't like a cake batter, it was much thicker and gloopier. Is that normal? If not, how do you fix it? Thanks! Xx
A Virtual Vegan says
The cake batter is a thick one.
M says
Loved this cake bread. Again and again.
Patricia says
OMG!! The absolute BEST Banana (Chocolate) Bread I have ever had, hands down! Feel so good knowing that it turns out this amazing without eggs/milk/white sugar/white flour/oil. Totally agree with Cathy Buchman above - so moist and fudgy. This proves every dairy eatin', meat eatin' lover SOOOO wrong. Love eating Vegan. Feels so good eating this way.
Thanks so much for the recipe. Can't wait to try a whole bunch more of your recipes.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much. Thanks too for stopping by to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
Debbie says
Do you use vegan white sugar or brown sugar? Can something else be used in place of the sugar?
A Virtual Vegan says
Any sugar is fine in this recipe which is why it's not specified. Just use whatever you have. White, brown, coconut etc. Sugar isn't just for sweetness, it provides structure in cake/muffins etc so I wouldn't recommend omitting it. As for using something else, I assume you mean sweeteners of some kind? I don't bake with them and this recipe has not been tested with them so I don't know what results would be like. Hope that help!
Patricia says
Coconut sugar is wonderful. I was a super white sugar addict (serious one) until I started eating Vegan Sept/2019.
I absolutely love Coconut sugar for baking, coffee and anything else that requires sugar.
Mandy says
oh my goodness - this is a little piece of yummy heaven! I made this today to take to a family birthday gathering - the compliments were flying around the room! Honestly, this was so tasty, a little fudgy and oh so chocolate. Mixed opinions as to who could/could not taste the banana in it. Definitely a hit all round and a recipe to keep!
Thank you so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's so good to hear Mandy. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it!
Cathy Buchman says
I love this vegan chocolate banana recipe made without oil /butter! It was so moist & fudgy. Absolutely delicious!
Thank You!!!
JOSIE says
I've had this tagged for over a year & finally got round to making it. It was well worth the wait - delish! For the record I only used 50g of sugar.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Josie!
Eleni says
Really good banana bread - I’ve made the original recipe above and it was perfect! Family loved it!
Then I’ve made it again as a last minute treat to take to a friend. Used peanut butter with coconut oil instead of cashew butter and I didn’t think it was as good. But I’m not a peanut butter lover. So it may work for some.
Kelsang Lamshe says
I just tried this tonight but the top cracked wrote badly and it's very crumbly to cut. I used a silicon loaf tin and it spread out sideways quite a lot, could this have caused it? It tastes good though.
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't advise using silicone bakeware. It will be why you haven't had such a good result. It doesn't have enough structure to support cake-y recipes as they rise, hence the reason it spread out sideways and probably also why it cracked. Silicone also doesn't conduct heat like a metal pan does and they don't bake as evenly or as well. I've tried silicone pans myself and ended up giving them to the thrift store. Use a metal loaf pan and you will be fine.
Dan says
Any substitute for the sugar in this recipe? Super keen to try it looks great, but trying to cut down on sugar....
A Virtual Vegan says
Sugar is important for the structure in cakes and muffins. If you remove it they likely won't have the same texture or rise. You might get away with reducing it by a 1/3 though, although I can't guarantee they will turn out quite so well. And I can't recommend a substitute without testing it, as it would completely change the recipe and other things would need to be altered too.
Andrea Körn says
Hi Mel, I made this banana bread many times and I love it! I always use peanut butter because cashew butter is so expensive. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm thrilled that you are enjoying the recipe Andrea. I think I need to do a peanut butter version for the blog one day soon!
Andrea says
Yummy! I actually used tahini as I had no cashew butter.I baked them for 20 minutes in my silicon muffin pan.They came out fabulous.Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
Ooo I bet tahini was lovely. It works so well with chocolate. I need to try that!