As Summer turns into Fall, this becomes the perfect time to turn our attention to some comfy foods that are all round favorites. Favorites that you can pack into school lunches, work lunches, enjoy as an afternoon snack or even as an after-dinner dessert. A good example would be…banana bread! Who doesn’t like banana bread? And if you looking for an added-sugar-free version, then you have come to the right place. This vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free Golden Delicious Vegan Banana Bread is not only naturally sweet yet filling, it is delicious and good for you! Jump to Recipe
One secret trick to making naturally sweet banana bread is to use SUPER ripe bananas. I’m talking about the kind that has been sitting on your counter top ripe and ready for at least a week or more…the kind that has developed spots, blackened skin and is super soft to the touch. The riper the bananas are, the less additional sweetening agents you would need to add into the batter. If you are willing to let two of your bananas get that ripe, then you’re ready to make this Golden Delicious Vegan Banana Bread.
Secondly, you can use pitted dates for a bit of delicious naturally added sweetness. However, if you don’t have pitted dates on hand and are not fussed about using a bit of refined sugar, then the dates in this recipe can be substituted with a mere ¼ cup [50 grams] of brown sugar. Make a double batch, because you will want to freeze slices or pack-able portions of this banana bread for easy defrosting and enjoying in coming weeks!
Serve this easy ‘can’t get enough’ vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free banana bread at a party function, for snack or lunchbox treats to hungry little fingers to nibble on or enjoy the slices yourself as a post meal dessert!
- 1 ½ cups plain flour (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Medjool dates [90g] (soaked and minced/mashed up)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons fortified soy milk (alternatively, use water or another fortified plant-based milk)
- 2 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce [120 mL]
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (optional)
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Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C.
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Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil, wax or parchment paper.
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Prepare the flax egg: mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of soy milk (or other fortified plant-based milk or water). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before whisking it quickly for about 2-3 minutes.
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Meanwhile, place half a cup's worth of pitted dates in a bowl of very hot water (i.e., just boiled) covering the dates by at least 2 inches of water to soak for 5 minutes.
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In a large bowl, mix together the group 1 dry ingredients (sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt).
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After 5 minutes, remove the soaked dates and place them on a chopping board. The dates should now be soft enough for you to remove the outer skin of the dates easily. Use a knife to dice and then a fork to mash up the dates until a fine puree is formed. (If after soaking, the skins are still too difficult to remove, you can use a small spoon to scoop out the flesh from each date instead.)
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Squeeze out the ripe banana contents into a separate large mixing bowl.
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To this mixing bow, mix together the other group 2 wet ingredients (bananas, dates, flax egg, applesauce) until well combined. Mix in the tablespoon of oil if desired (optional).
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Mix the group 1 dry ingredients into the bowl with the group 2 wet ingredients and stir till all combined. If the combined mixture is looking a bit dry after mixing, just let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, then stir the contents in the measuring bowl again. Usually, the perfect consistency batter will result.
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Cook 25-30 minutes in the oven, or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out almost clean.
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Take the loaf pan out of the oven and let it sit on the stovetop to cool down for 10 minutes. If you are using a foil lined loaf pan, you can pull out the bread using the foil sides and set the bread on a cooling rack to cool down faster. As the bread cools down, it will become more firm and solid.
If you are using chia seeds as the egg replacement, you would need to bake the bread longer e.g. 50 min at 425 degrees F, or 40-45 min at 450 F. (Don’t worry, you won’t see the chia seeds in the final bread.) To make a chia egg replacer, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water (or fortified plant-based milk). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it into the group 2 wet ingredients.
If you don’t have any pitted dates on hand, you can substitute with a ¼ cup [50 g] of packed brown sugar. If the batter mixture still looks dry even after you have let the batter sit for 5 minutes and then mixed it again, you can add an additional tablespoon or two of a fortified plant-based milk, until the final mixture is of just a barely moist consistency.
Feel free to make this recipe into little banana bread muffins for bite-sized goodness to pack to school or work! If using a muffin pan or muffin cups, less baking time may be needed so first check the batter to see if it is done at the 15 – 20 minute mark. This recipe can be made soy-free and gluten-free by substituting the plain flour with an equivalent amount of gluten-free specialty mix flour, and using water or a non-soy fortified plant-based milk in the recipe. To make this recipe oil-free, simply omit the tablespoon of canola oil listed in the ingredients. Happy Baking!
As a Nutritionist i can say this food is 100% healthy and nutritious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I will must try to home.
Hello Selina, thank you for your comment and support. I hope you do try this recipe & enjoy it! 🙂