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My vegan gluten free banana bread recipe yields the most sweet, moist, and fluffy loaf! It’s made in one bowl, uses simple ingredients, and tastes like ANY good banana bread out there.
Want more vegan and gluten-free desserts? Try my vegan gluten free cupcakes, vegan blondies, and vegan cookie dough next.
Sometimes, I’m craving banana bread but just ran out of flour or eggs. Other times, I need an allergy-friendly recipe to share with friends or my sister (who has celiac’s disease). Either way, it’s good to have a few secret recipes in my arsenal.
My vegan AND gluten-free banana bread recipe is just as light, fluffy, and sweet as classic banana bread, just made with diet-friendly ingredients. It’s also comes in a clutch whenever I have to bring something to a gathering or coffee date and there are a few dietary restrictions within the mix.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Made in one bowl. So clean-up can be kept to a minimum.
- The perfect texture. Golden and firm on the outside, yet tender and soft on the inside, this banana bread recipe ticks all the boxes. Trust me, no one will know it’s GF and vegan.
- No quirky ingredients. No flax eggs or complicated egg replacements are needed. If you bake often, I’m willing to bet you have everything you’ll need already!
Ingredients needed
- Bananas. Mashed, overripe bananas are best, as they will yield a sweeter loaf.
- Vegan butter. Gives the banana bread a rich, buttery texture without needing oil. I’ve tested a bunch of vegan butter, and the Miyokos brand is my favorite (I found it at Whole Foods and Target). It bakes and tastes like real butter.
- Vanilla extract. A must for delicious baked goods!
- Milk. I prefer unsweetened almond milk, but soy milk or any dairy-free milk will work.
- Apple cider vinegar. Helps the bread rise without eggs.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour. Don’t bother buying fancy gluten-free flour blends. Look for a short ingredient list that includes xanthan gum (or add ½ teaspoon to it).
- Sugar. I’ve tried this recipe with white sugar, brown sugar, coconut palm sugar, and sugar-free sweeteners, and they all turned out great, so use whichever you prefer.
- Baking soda. Helps the bread rise.
- Salt. Brings out the natural sweetness.
How to make vegan gluten free banana bread
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Step 2- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Once smooth, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 4- Cool. Allow bread to cool in the pan completely before slicing.
What if I’m all out of ripe bananas?
If you only have unripened bananas, I have a hack that’ll soften them up in no time! Simply preheat the oven to 300F and place the unripened bananas (still in their peels) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes and peel once they’ve cooled.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make it oil-free. Swap the melted vegan butter for applesauce, or if not strictly vegan, use regular butter.
- Avoid over-baking. The banana bread will continue to cook as it cools. As soon as a toothpick comes out clean, the bread is ready!
- Let the bread cool completely. If you try to slice it before it’s fully cooled, you’ll notice the bread is gummy and won’t hold its shape well.
- Add mix-ins. Elevate the texture and flavor of the banana bread by folding in chocolate chips, chopped pecans, nut butter, or a heavy dash of cinnamon.
Storage instructions
To store: If you intend to enjoy your banana bread within 2 days, it can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container. If you want to keep it fresher longer, keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Wrap the leftover slices in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 6 months. Let the bread thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
I haven’t tested this recipe with other types of flour, so I can’t vouch for their quality. If you want to use other types of flour, try my almond flour banana bread or oat flour banana bread instead!
More banana bread recipes to try
Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups bananas mashed, approximately 4
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk any dairy free milk will work
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups gluten free flour Gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum added in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed bananas, sugar, softened butter, and vanilla and whisk until combined and smooth. Add the milk, apple cider vinegar, salt, and gluten free flour and mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out the center clean.
- Allow banana bread to cool in the pan completely, before slicing up.
I make this recipe regularly. I use gluten free baking flour and vegan butter. It’s perfect! Everyone loves this recipe. It is hard to not eat the entire loaf in one sitting!
I will be making this today, vegan and gluten-free. For those of you that had a dense loaf and used gluten-free flour, you must weigh the flour, not eyeball the amount in a measuring cup. It is very different than using regular flour, it is sort of like a science experiment. The recipe looks amazing and I will be adding vegan chocolate chips and some cinnamon sugar streusel to it. I am sure it will be yummy!
I just baked the banana bread it came out perfect, really good, you can not tell is gluten free and vegan!!only thing I add was a couple of grated carrots 👌🏻Thank you for the recipe, I’d try a few before no one was good enough.
Ha ha it’s funny to read all this comments of people complaining about the results but they completely changed the recipe 🤷🏻♀️If you have your own version why to bother in looking for recipes, anyway I just have to let it out,
I’ll try your banana bread for my daughter that is vegan, thank you!
This was super yummy! I used applesauce instead of the vegan butter and it came out wonderfully.
Absolutely delicious and flop proof! I make it weekly as a tea-time treat.
Thank you!
Very excited to try this! Can I bake it with olive oil instead?
Heather you say you followed Lisas subs. Did she/you use half the sugar? I could quite understand what she said
I followed Lisa’s substitutions and can honestly say this is the BEST gf/df banana bread recipe! Even my doubting husband loves it! Thank you for the recipe!!
This recipe is just the best. So delicious,spongey and moist. You would never guess it was vegan or gluten free. I like to add a quarter of a tsp of cardamon powder and a quarter of a tsp of cinnamon powder. Everyone who has tasted it asks me for the recipe
Best banana bread ever!
Absolutely beautiful banana bread. Thanks so much for this recipe! Amazing spread with vegan butter and crumbled walnuts.
I followed the recipe to the tee. It can out so good! Kiddos and husband loved it. Thank you Arman!
You are so welcome! 🙂
Made this the other day cause I forgot to get groceries and needed a quick birthday cake. Everyone, including me, loved it! And I basically always have all the ingredients on hand. Will definitely make this one more often
Thanks, Isa!
Yum!!!!! Easy, quick, delicious. I know it says to wait until cooled, but I simply could not wait! I cut off a chunk and plopped on a dollop of vegan butter. I’m assuming this can be toasted too right? Thanks so much:)
LOVE 🙂 Yes definitely toast it 🙂