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Guilt-Free Banana Bread! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined-sugar free and SO DANG GOOD!
There’s always a sense of comfort that comes along with enjoying thick a slice of banana bread and a tall glass of {non-dairy} milk. It’s to me like sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold winter’s night (if you would even consider there to be a ‘winter’ here in LA).
The problem with most other banana bread recipes is that they contain dairy, eggs, refined sugar, and oil — things that I do not consume or include in what I consider a healthy diet. So, I decided not only to veganize this nostalgic recipe but to also be sure it is a healthy version that I could guiltlessly consume and enjoy.
So here it is, a healthy banana bread that is vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, oil-free and yet still comforting & delicious. The ingredient list on this recipe is also relatively simple, I promise!It brings me back to my childhood and my mom’s big clunky bread maker.
For a few years, it seemed that almost every Saturday night my mom would have my brother and I with her on the kitchen counter tossing ingredients into the bread maker for our Sunday morning, after-church breakfasts. Waking up to the smell of my mom’s baked bread in the morning was always the best feeling. And when she made banana bread, oh boy was it going to be a good day.
In order to avoid greasing the pan with oil, I lined it with parchment paper and it worked perfectly. All I did was line the pan with a piece of parchment the size of the width to line the bottom and two smaller ends, then I used a large piece to line it lengthwise and up the long sides.
The morning I made this bread, my family was off to Las Vegas with my aunts and uncles in the afternoon for a wedding, and I was trying to get the bread done prior to their departure in order to have multiple tasters to guarantee this recipe was perfect for you all. Well, the fact that there was only 1 slice of bread left (the one that I had set aside for myself) made me confident that it was a winner. It would have been perfect if I had added in crushed walnuts, in my opinion, but not all that were trying the bread were fans of nuts, so I leave that option to you in your own kitchen.
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Vegan Date-Sweetened Banana Bread (gluten, oil- and refined sugar-free)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
A healthy and guilt-free banana bread that is date-sweetened, vegan, oil-free AND gluten-free, but definitely not lacking in flavor or decadence! It is super moist, flavorful and jam packed with only the good stuff.
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons water)*
- 2 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 1/2 cup crushed nuts (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large ripe & spotty bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- + 1 banana to top, sliced it in half lengthwise (optional)
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates, packed
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 1/2–2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used 2)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×5″ bread pan with parchment paper or lightly coat it with oil. Mix the flaxseed meal with the water and stir well. Set aside to thicken, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuts if using. Mix well until uniform and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the dates, almond milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Process until smooth, and then mix in the mashed banana and flax egg with a spoon until combined. Add the date and banana mixture to the dry mixture and stir until a batter forms.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and if desired top with the optional banana, cut side facing up (refer to photos in post).
- Place into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick runs clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting.*
Notes
- Chia seeds work well in place of flaxseed meal — use 2 tablespoons in its place.
- We recommend cutting the bread with a serrated knife or a very sharp knife — we use this one.
- Nutrition facts do not take into account the addition of nuts.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
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This was honestly one the easiest & BEST banana bread recipes I’ve ever tried!! I will purposely buy extra bananas to keep this in stock 🙂 Any idea what the nutrition facts would be?
Thank you for sharing!!!
Aw yay I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I actually do not have the nutritional data for this recipe, sorry for that!
I love your blog! I have a question.. How many dates is one cup? Is that one cup before or after they are chopped?
Thanks! Sorry if this is a silly question!
Pit the dates and shove them whole into 1 cup 🙂 I can’t really say how many, they vary in size!
Nopt silly at all 🙂
Does this maker a denser banana bread (using dates) or does it come out light and fluffy?
Yes it is a bit more dense, more so moist than anything. I hope that helps!
I tried this recipe this morning and I love it!!! I added orange zest and dark choc chunks… amazing!
GENIUS!! I need to do that the next time I make it 🙂 Thanks for sharing xo
Just tried this recipe for my husband today and he loved it!!! He ate half of it as soon as he got home from work. 🙂 I can’t eat bananas so I couldn’t try it but it smelled and looked amazing! 🙂 Is there anyway I could make this into a pumpkin bread by just replacing the banana with pumpkin, if so how much do you think I would need? Or some other kind of flavor? Thanks so much. I am making another batch of the banana bread tonight. 🙂
Hi Ashley! Haha, that sounds like something Chris would do. I am not a hundred percent certain as I have not tried that out, but I have in fact read from other blogs of different substitutions and pumpkin and banana mashes are often used for the same purposes so I think it will work!! Play around with it, and let me know if you ever get around to making it because that sounds AMAZING!!
Hey, love your blog! Do you think it would turn out ok if I just added a zucchini too or would i need to change any of the ingredients? x
Aw thank you Angie! Zucchini would add a bit of moisture into it so I suggest before adding in the shredded zucchini, squeeze out the moisture with a paper towel or towel 🙂
Hi, how you prepare yout own oats flour?
Love your site!!
Aw thank you so much!! I just put the amount I need into a high speed blender and run it until a powder is formed 🙂
Hi! Excited to try this recipe!
To the previous commenter: I would recommend toasting the oats first – it really adds to the flavor!
This sounds like what I’ve been looking for! Can you please tell me if you soak the dates first?
YAY!! I hope you get to trying it 🙂 If your dates are fresh, no soaking will be required. If your dates are very dry, however, soaking would be ideal for blending!
the dates i used were a bit dry but they blended just fine without soaking them:) this was the best vegan banana bread i have ever tried and i will definitely make this again!! thanks for sharing this amazing receipt.
★★★★★
Great to know that tip about the dates, thank you for sharing! 🙂
Could I replace the milk with water?
Hi Tiana! I am sure that will be fine, you just need a liquid for it 🙂
As a new banana bread lover, I am definitely going to try this one.