Best Vegan Banana Bread

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Vegan Banana Bread
• Banana Loaf
• Banana Bread with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries
• Whole Wheat Flour Banana Loaf

The Best Vegan Banana Bread Recipe Notes

​This recipe is exactly what you'd hope for in a classic banana bread. Banana-y and super moist. You can add in nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips if you'd like. My fav combo is walnut and dried cranberry. This recipe uses 100% whole wheat flour, and it's delicious. I use whole grains in baking when it works, and in this recipe it really does. 

History of Banana Bread
I learned that there are two theories about how the introduction of banana bread happened in the 1930's. Wiki says it is probably a combination of both, and I would probably agree with that sentiment. Banana bread was potentially a byproduct of the great depression. Home makers not wanting to waste anything, would turn too ripe bananas into a quick bread. Seems logical to me. The other idea points towards the corporate world developing the concept of this bread to promote their products, as baking powder and baking soda became popularized around this time. Either way it's interesting to consider the origins of this ubiquitous staple loved by so many of us. I certainly can conjure up childhood memories of my mothers banana bread. I'd like to point out that this recipe really tastes just like I remember banana bread always tasting (it wasn't vegan). So that is a win in my books. 

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup solid coconut oil or earth balance buttery spread, room temp 
  
• 3/4 cup organic cane or brown sugar
  
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream
  
• 2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
  
• 2 cups all purpose whole wheat flour 
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
  
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tbsp flax meal + 2 tbsp water. (stir, let sit 10 minutes)
  
• 3/4 cup toasted walnut halves, roughly chopped
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. 
2. Cream together coconut oil and sugar for a couple minutes.
3. Mix in one at a time the banana, vanilla, coconut yogurt and soy milk. 
4. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl except for walnuts and cranberries. 
5. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix until just combined, then fold in walnuts and cranberries.  Pour into prepared pan. 
6. Bake for approximately 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean / or the top springs back when touched.