Classic Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread

If you’re looking for a classic, fluffy, moist, and all around amazing banana bread, look no further than this vegan gluten free banana bread! It tastes just like a classic loaf from your neighborhood bakery.

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I’ve eaten enough banana bread in the past few weeks to last me a lifetime. Not really because this vegan gluten free banana bread is DELICIOUS and I will be making it on repeat, but wow, I’ve had a lot of banana bread.

Gluten free baking can be tough as is, but gluten free and vegan baking poses all sorts of challenges. By the second try, the flavor of this vegan banana bread was perfect, but it took 5, yes 5, more tries to get the texture right.

My recipe for chocolate chip banana bread has been such a hit, but I felt like it was time to make things a bit more classic (and appropriate for breakfast!).

This recipe features two types of flours: oat flour and gluten free all purpose flour. If you aren’t GF, just use regular all purpose flour in place of the GF one. Plus, we’ll be using some whole rolled oats which really help prevent a dense, gummy loaf.

How to make this recipe

Combine the ground flax with 2 1/2 tbsp water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken. 

Add the bananas and blend until smooth. Usually, you just mash bananas for banana bread, but with this gluten free recipe, I have the best results when blending. Once pureed, check to see that you have 1 3/4 cup worth. A little bit more is ok too, but you don’t want any less.

Once pureed, add all remaining wet ingredients, including the flax egg once it has thickened, to a large mixing bowl.

Add in the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix well. 

Add in the both flours using the ” pour and level” method. Pour the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top and add what’s in the cup to the bowl. Avoid measuring the flour right out of the bag since you will end up with more flour than the recipe really calls for and the bread will be a bit too dense. This is really important with gluten free baking! 

Once all of the flour has been added, stir in the oats and use a wooden spoon to make sure everything is well combined. 

Add to a 9×5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. A 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 works too.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350, then decrease the temperature to 325 for 15-20 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing to allow the bread to set. Otherwise, it will be more crumbly if you do not let it cool. I like to let it cool overnight before slicing for best results, but just a couple of hours will work too.

How to get the perfect crack on top of bread

There are a few factors that go into getting that perfect crack on the top of bread and one little hack I’ve been using to force the bread into giving it to you (in the sweetest way possible of course).

Baking time, temperature, loaf moistness (is that a real word?!) etc. If a loaf is too dry (which this one certainly is not) it can cause the crust to form and crack before the inside of the bread has cooked.

The goal is to get a nice crack on the top. BUT, we want it to happen toward the end of baking and we don’t want it to be too big. This is a goldilocks situation here.

I have a trick for you! Once you put the batter in the pan, take a knife and make a slit down the long side of the loaf about 2/3 of the way over from one of the sides. This will encourage the loaf to spread slightly as it bakes, giving that beautiful crack you see pictured above.

Measuring tip

Ok, this is important!! When measuring gluten free flours, you want to use the “pour and level” method. Gluten free baking can be tricky, and using the right amount of flour is essential to getting the right texture.

To use this method, pour the flour into your dry measuring cup (don’t use a wet measuring cup) and then take a knife to level off the top. You do not want to pack the flour into the measuring cup or you will end up with more flour than what the recipe calls for, leading to a dry and crumbly loaf.

A few final tips

• Once prepared, this vegan banana bread will store on the counter for 3-5 days. Keep it covered or in an air tight container to prevent it from drying out. Store it in the fridge and it will keep for 5-7 days.

• Your bananas should be nice and spotty/brown before making banana bread. The uglier the better! You don’t want to use bananas that have any green on them since they won’t be as sweet or as soft. Super spotty and with lots of brown is ideal!

• To keep vegan gluten free banana bread moist, make sure to keep it covered or in an air tight container once it has been sliced. This way it won’t dry out too quickly. This recipe stays pretty moist on its own thanks to the almond butter and oil, but keeping it covered is your best bet!

• If desired, you can reduce the sugar in this bread to 1/2 cup but it will obviously not be as sweet! To make this recipe refined sugar free, you can sub the sugar for coconut sugar.

• For a lower fat option, you can sub the oil for apple sauce, or use half oil, half applesauce. Keep in mind that using applesauce will yield a slightly denser loaf with not as much rise, but still delicious!

Try these recipes next!

• Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Banana Bread Granola
• Gluten Free Banana Pancakes
• Caramelized Banana Pudding

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