I’ve tried a lot of Vegan Banana Bread in my life, but this Classic Vegan Banana Bread had the whole family raving! Made with ripe bananas, creamy cashew butter, and pure maple syrup, this loaf is super moist inside with a tender crumb and the slightest delicate crunch on the outside. It’s vegan, dairy-free, naturally sweetened, and comes together in just one bowl in under 60 minutes, start to finish. Need it faster, make muffins instead! Prepare yourself for the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need, vegan or not!
This one-bowl classic vegan banana bread is oil-free, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and honestly the best banana bread I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you!
If you love a good quick bread for any time of day, my Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are another family favorite! For another delicious way to use up ripe bananas, try my Vegan Banana Oat & Buckwheat Waffles — crispy on the outside, fluffy inside, and perfect with a generous drizzle of pure maple syrup.
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💗 Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread
- One bowl, zero fuss: Everything mixes up in one bowl. Less cleanup, yes please.
- Oil-free and naturally sweetened: Cashew butter adds richness and keeps this bread moist while pure maple syrup brings that gentle sweetness.
- Super moist with a delicate crunch: Tender inside and just lightly crisp on the edges.
- Versatile perfection: The batter also makes delightfully soft muffins that are perfect for a cozy morning or to compliment a brunch spread.
- Classic flavor, vegan magic: You’d never guess this banana bread is dairy-free, egg-free, and refined sugar-free — just old-fashioned comfort made plant-based.
- Family-approved favorite: My family devoured this loaf before it even fully cooled, so I can confirm it passes every taste test.
🍌Ingredients & Helpful Substitutions
For the full list and measurements, see the recipe card below. Here are the main ingredients and easy swaps.
- Bananas: The riper, the better! Spotty bananas add natural sweetness and moisture. If yours aren’t ripe enough, bake them (unpeeled) at 300°F for 10–12 minutes to soften and sweeten them up.
- Cashew Butter: Adds richness without oil. FFF is a peanut free space but if you're not allergic you can totally use peanut butter — just note peanut butter will give it a more distinct flavor. But hey, Elvis would say, "Thank you, thank you very much" to a peanut butter and banana combo!
- Pure Maple Syrup: Keeps the loaf refined sugar-free. I do not recommend subbing this.
- Flours: A mix of All-Purpose and Whole Wheat flour gives this bread structure with a soft, tender crumb. You can use all All-Purpose if preferred, or swap the whole wheat with spelt flour for a wholesome twist.
- Cinnamon: Adds cozy warmth. Try pumpkin pie spice in fall for a seasonal flavor boost.
🥣 How to Make Classic Vegan Banana Bread
Gather up your ingredients and line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mash 3 ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are totally fine — they add texture and flavor.
To the same bowl, stir in ½ cup cashew butter, ½ cup pure maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Mix until creamy and well combined. (It’ll smell amazing already!)
Sprinkle in 1½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Stir until everything is just combined — no need to overmix.
Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over for easy lifting.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be golden and slightly crisp.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out and transfer to a wire rack. Slice once it’s mostly cooled (if you can wait that long!).
Pro tip: This batter also makes incredible banana muffins! Bake at 350°F for 18–20 minutes, or if filling larger muffin liners like these, they make take 28-30 minutes. When in doubt just make sure the toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 8 large (or about 10 regular size) delightfully soft, golden muffins perfect for breakfast or brunch.
And, honestly, these are just one slather of frosting away from qualifying as a cupcake, they are THAT GOOD!
🔄 Variations
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Stir in ¼ cup mini vegan chocolate chips for a hint of sweetness in every bite.
- Go nutty: Mix in ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts for added crunch and cozy flavor.
- Mix it up: Try combining both for a banana bread that tastes like dessert but still feels wholesome.
🧊 Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- Refrigerator: Store your banana bread in an airtight container or a ziplock bag for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices in an airtight ziplock bag for up to 2 months.
- Thawing: For best texture, thaw the loaf in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: Warm individual muffins for 30–40 seconds in the microwave or 7–8 minutes in a 300°F oven until soft and fragrant.
💭 Pro tip: Slice before freezing so you can grab just what you need for a quick breakfast or snack — no need to thaw the whole loaf!
❓FAQ's
Yes! The batter works beautifully for muffins — perfect for meal prep or brunch. See the “How to Make” section above for muffin baking times and details.
Insert a toothpick in the center — it should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs. The top should look golden with tiny cracks and feel slightly firm when pressed.
No problem! Bake them (unpeeled) on a baking sheet at 300°F for 10–12 minutes until the skins darken. Let them cool slightly before mashing — instant ripe bananas!
Yes, any smooth nut butter will work — just keep in mind each one adds its own unique flavor. When I tested this recipe I found cashew butter added just the right amount of moistness and a subtle flavor that lets those bananas really be the star. I love Artisana brand.
We don't use peanut butter here at FFF, however, if you're not managing nut allergies PB could also be a delicious option (maybe with some mini vegan chips tossed in)!
I would not recommend replacing with SunButter, I tested this and Sunbutter has a compound that when exposed to an alkaline ingredient, like baking soda, it oxidizes and creates a blue-green, sometimes black coloring. That is exactly what I ended up with in my test batch, muffins that tasted fine but turned black inside and looked quite unappealing to a potential muffin suiter.
You do not have to use both, you can use 2 cups All-Purpose flour in place of the 1 ½ cups AP flour and ½ cup whole wheat.
👩🏻🍳 Want to see some behind-the-scenes fun (and maybe a little kitchen chaos)? Keep scrollin’ — it’s all happening below the recipe card!
Print
One Bowl Classic Vegan Banana Bread (Oil Free)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 loaf (about 8 thick slices) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
I’ve tried a lot of Vegan Banana Bread in my life, but this one had the whole family raving. Super moist and fluffy inside with just the slightest delicate crunch on the outside. Prepare yourself for the only banana bread recipe you'll ever need, vegan or not!
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas (about 1 to 1 ¼ cup mashed, 340 g)
½ cup cashew butter (120 g)
½ cup pure maple syrup (160 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 g)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (190 g)
½ cup whole wheat flour (60 g)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (3 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
½ teaspoon baking soda (3 g)
¼ teaspoon salt (1 g)
(optional) ¼ cup mini vegan chocolate chips or ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a bread loaf pan with parchment.
- Mash 3 ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine.
- Add ½ cup cashew butter, ½ cup pure maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the same bowl and stir until creamy and well combined.
- Sprinkle in 1½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix until everything is just combined—don’t overmix.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over for easy lifting.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Optional: To make muffins see Notes below.
Notes
Muffins: This batter also makes incredible banana muffins! Bake at 350°F for 18–20 minutes, or if filling larger muffin liners, they make take 28-30 minutes. When in doubt just make sure the toothpick comes out clean. This batter makes about 8 large (or about 10 regular size) delightfully soft, golden muffins perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze slices or the whole loaf in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw slices in the fridge overnight or warm from frozen in the microwave for 30–40 seconds. Warm muffins in a 300°F oven for 7–8 minutes to refresh the texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
⭐Did you enjoy this One Bowl Classic Vegan Banana Bread recipe?
If you give this Vegan Banana Bread a try please leave a comment and rating below! Justin and I read every one! Your feedback helps more people find my recipes and keeps the delicious messy chaos going in the Fresh Fun Flavor kitchen. Plus, we just love hearing from you!
👩🏻🍳Creating the shot: A behind the scenes look
I told Charlie No to sniffing the ingredients behind the cardboard wall.
He was like, What about this set up, can I sniff this? Again, he was told No.
Then he snuck over there to spite me when I wasn't looking and pretended to insult me by acting like he was spitting out the crumbs he just tasted. I wasn't sure how to take this. 😂
What Really Happened
(SIGH). So here’s the lowdown. It’s Fall, and the fruit flies have declared war on my kitchen, swooping in like tiny sugar-seeking ninjas. To protect the precious banana bread and muffins I’d just spent two hours baking and photographing, I slid them into the toaster oven to cool safely behind closed doors. Genius, right?
Fast-forward to snack time. I open the toaster oven, visions of warm banana-y perfection dancing in my head… and there it is: a full-blown Fruit Fly Convention. Evidently, I was the caterer. 😒
Into the trash it all went. Feel free to shed a tear in my honor. 😅 Don’t worry, the flies have since met their dramatic end.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided for Classic Vegan Banana Bread is an estimate calculated using Nutrifox, an online tool. Please note that this information is for general guidance only and should not replace advice from a qualified professional. Additionally, this page may include affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase through those links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Fresh Fun Flavor!
Sally Hanrahan says
I made this Banana bread and followed the recipe except for changing out the cashew butter (I forgot to buy some) for sun butter. I added some walnuts too. It turned out delicious. I live at 4200 ' elevation so I had to bake for an extra 10 minutes.
Now... I use to make banana bread the old fashioned way with oil and sugar and butter. I will never go back to that. This was a sturdy banana bread, moist, with a crunchy crust, and don't forget to toast it and add some sun butter! YUM!
Rhonda Jones @ Fresh Fun Flavor says
Sally, thank you for sharing all those details! I love that you used sun butter and added walnuts (that sounds amazing!). And wow, good call on adjusting the bake time for your elevation. I’m especially thrilled you don’t miss the old-fashioned butter-and-oil versions. 😊 Toasted with a little extra sun butter sounds incredible, I might have to steal that idea! 💛