This vegan banana bread is loaded with ripe bananas, nutty hemp hearts and nutritious chia seeds. It’s nut and egg allergy friendly and makes a great on-the-go breakfast.
When it comes to baking, some people are just naturally gifted. I am not one of those individuals. My rhythm in the kitchen has always been geared towards savory dishes where you can throw-in a little bit of this and a smidgen of that… while baking is the complete opposite.
If I’m in the mood to dust off my baker’s hat, banana bread is usually what I gravitate towards. It’s typically a very forgiving recipe and allows me to be creative with what I have on hand. I hate seeing things go to waste, so it’s the perfect sweet treat for those over-ripened bananas on the counter.
VEGAN BANANA BREAD SWAPS:
The recipe below is a base recipe that you can customize to your own taste preferences. The hemp hearts and chia seeds are my preferred mix-ins, but that’s simply because I always have them in my pantry for smoothie bowls and oatmeal. If you’d like to utilize more traditional ingredients (chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins), go for it! I like the ratio of 1 cup (or less) mix-ins total for this recipe.
- Substitute with whole wheat flour (or use half and half) for a healthy alternative.
- Add one or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed, if desired. It will give it an extra depth of nutty richness.
- Feel free to reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup if you’re using very ripe bananas.
- I’ve replaced the vegetable oil with 4 tbsp. of melted butter on many occasions. This isn’t 100% vegan, but it’s tasty.
While this vegan banana bread is perfect on it’s own, I’m big fan of getting fancy with toppings.
Below are a few suggestions for those of you who are looking for that instagram-worthy food photo.
- VEGAN OPTION (pictured in this post): Cashew Yogurt + Nut Butter + Blueberries.
- CHOCOLATE SUMMER: Strawberries + Nutella + Bee Pollen.
- GONE BANANAS: Sliced Bananas + Cacao Nibs + Nut Butter Drizzle + Coconut Flakes
- 1.5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 Large Ripe Bananas
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice (optional)
- ½ cup Hemp Hearts
- ⅓ cup Chia Seeds
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grab two large mixing bowls - combine all wet ingredients in one and dry ingredients in the second one.
- Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Add desired mix-ins and gently fold together.
- Pour banana bread mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake for roughly an hour, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Serve with desired toppings and wrap any bread leftovers tightly in foil.
Want more banana inspiration?
Triple Berry Cobbler with Banana Bread Crust
Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers: Cocoa Banana Pancakes
Cashew-Strawberry Banana Bread
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