Vegan Banana Bread with Applesauce

Try this easy and delicious vegan banana bread with applesauce that I've been making for over 10 years! The recipe calls for no eggs, no oil and no dairy. The applesauce replaces the oil/butter that most other banana bread recipes include.

sliced loaf of banana bread on cutting board with tea in background

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This easy vegan banana bread is moist, not too sweet, dense, hearty and packed with flavor. Enjoy it hot out of the oven, reheated or cold straight out of the fridge for midnight snacks.

Make it over the top with your favorite add-ins, like chocolate chips and walnuts.

Love to bake and looking for alternatives to banana bread? Try these banana coconut cookies!

🎙 What people say about this recipe

"Awesome! We love it."
- Julie

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients for vegan banana bread with applesauce measured out on counter: white whole wheat flour, ripe bananas, cane sugar, brown sugar, apple sauce, almond milk, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice

White whole-wheat flour - If you can find white whole-wheat flour, use it. I can usually find it at Trader Joe's. What's the difference? Whole-wheat flour is made from hard red spring or winter wheat, which has a nutty, hearty taste. White whole-wheat flour is made from hard white spring or winter wheat, which has the exact same nutritional value of whole-wheat flour, but because of the variety used, has a milder flavor and paler color. You could also use any combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour.
Baking soda and apple cider vinegar - These are the answer to: How does it rise without eggs? The combo of vegan buttermilk (the ACV + almond milk) and baking soda. The banana bread rises without eggs because of the reaction between the apple cider vinegar (an acid) plus the baking soda (a base). Don't worry, even though apple cider vinegar smells strong in the container, you do not taste it at all in the bread.
Very ripe bananas - Use bananas that are very ripe. You can tell they're ripe by all the black spots on the skin.
Unsweetened applesauce - this is a substitute for oil. Pro tip: each individually packaged applesauce cup with the foil top is ½ cup, so if you use one of those for this recipe, there's no need to dirty a measuring spoon.

Still have extra overripe bananas? Try making these 3-ingredient banana oatmeal cookies instead! Or, these healthy 5-ingredient banana oat bars!

📋 Substitutions and variations

Sugar - While this recipe does include cane sugar and brown sugar, you can use coconut sugar instead. Coconut sugar is a good option if you're trying to cut back on your refined sugar. I've also reduced the sugar in this recipe successfully by up to half what the recipe calls for. So, you can certainly test that with your own loaf, if you'd like it to be less sweet.
White whole-wheat flour - You can also use straight whole wheat flour or white all-purpose flour. Or, use any combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour to make this recipe. If you use all whole-wheat flour the bread will be more dense and darker in color. I've successfully substituted up to ¼ of the flour for almond meal or almond flour, which gives it a more tender crumb.
Almond milk - you can use soy milk, oat milk or any other plant-based milk (for nut-free, dairy-free banana bread, use soy milk or oat milk)

Here are some delicious variations you can try!

Vegan banana nut bread
Vegan chocolate banana bread
Vegan banana bread with pecans - (add ½ cup chopped pecans to the batter before baking)
Vegan pumpkin banana bread - (substitute 1 of the bananas and all of the applesauce for pumpkin puree in the recipe to make a banana bread with pumpkin)
3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Healthy Banana Oat Bars with just 5 Ingredients

baked loaf of banana bread on cooling rack

🔪 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Use a non-stick 8×4 inch bread pan or line a bread pan with parchment paper. (I use the pampered chef stoneware bread pans and the bread always comes out glorious and does not stick. No need to grease the pan.)

mashing bananas with potato masher in metal bowl

Step 1: Mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork.

whisking flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt together in metal bowl

Step 2: Sift or whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

pouring apple cider vinegar into almond milk to make vegan dairy-free buttermilk

Step 3: In a small cup, mix together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 2 minutes to curdle. (this is your vegan buttermilk)

whisking mashed banana, brown sugar, cane sugar, apple sauce, vanilla extract and almond milk together in metal bowl

Step 4: In the bowl with the mashed bananas, whisk in the apple sauce, brown sugar, cane sugar, curdled almond milk and vanilla.

mixing wet and dry ingredients together to form banana bread batter

Step 5: Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Add in walnuts, if using. Pour batter into bread pan.

Step 6: Bake at 350℉ for an hour to an hour and 10 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Expert tips

If you've never made vegan baked goods, be aware that they take longer to bake than their traditional counterparts. So, don't be surprised when it takes well over an hour for your bread to bake and be done in the center. This is normal. Just keep an eye on it and keeping checking for doneness by inserting a clean, dry butter knife into the center of the loaf.

❓ FAQ

How can I keep banana bread from sticking to the pan?

Be sure to use a non-stick loaf pan when baking banana bread made of silicone, stoneware or metal with a non-stick coating. If your loaf tin is no longer non-stick or you just don't trust it, then line the inside of your loaf pan with parchment paper! This is a guarantee for your banana bread to turn out without sticking!

Does banana bread freeze well?

Yes, banana bread freezes really well. To defrost, remove from freezer and warm it up in the microwave, toaster or 325 degree oven, until center is warm.

How long does banana bread last?

Banana bread lasts up to a week in the refrigerator. Or, it can last months if frozen.

Can I use frozen bananas to make banana bread?

Yes! Just make sure they are completely thawed before using them. Also, include the liquid that forms when they thaw when mashing your bananas for the recipe. Keep in mind that sometimes frozen bananas are darker, so this may affect the color of your baked banana bread.

☕️ Tea pairing

Recommended tea to pair with banana bread: almond oolong, like what's pictured below.

Or, hot black tea with milk. Assam, Nilgiri, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast with or without oat milk would all be delicious.

cut slice of banana bread on a plate with light tea in a tea cup

💜 More recipes you'll love

Like this vegan banana bread recipe? We all know banana bread is really a cake, in loaf form. So, maybe you'll like some of these vegan dessert recipes with bananas as an ingredient: