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
PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER:
This bread was delicious! I added about 2tbls of mini chocolate chips and then sliced a banana lengthwise to put on top (before baking). It came out beautiful and so delicious. This is my new favorite! I make a lot of banana breads too. I was excited to see one with hemp seeds. So moist and flavorful.
I’m so glad you like it! The addition of mini chocolate chips and sliced banana sounds deeeeelish! I’ll have to try it.