Vegan Banana Bread With Just 6 Ingredients

Yes, I know what you're thinking. This isn't exactly banana bread. It's more like banana cake.

But this bread (fine, cake) is incredibly easy to make. You don't need a long shopping list or a kitchen full of professional equipment.

If this sounds familiar, it might be because I recently shared another recipe along these lines: some seriously good protein bars. You can read about them here.

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When should you eat it?

A slice of vegan banana bread about 1½ – 2 hours before a long run or a CrossFit workout can help fuel your muscles, so you can get more out of your training and work toward your goals.

Or pack a slice in your gym bag and enjoy it as a snack right after your workout.

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A few recipe notes:

I used quick oats to give the bread body, volume, and fiber, with the goal of keeping its glycemic index relatively low.

In plain English: the fiber in bananas and oats helps slow sugar absorption into the bloodstream, giving you a steadier supply of energy.

You can use oat flour (which is simply ground oats), or another flour you like: teff, whole wheat, or rice flour.

I'd skip chickpea flour and lentil flour here. Their strong flavors aren't a good fit.

Sweetener:

I used a little silan (date syrup, a staple in Israeli kitchens) for sweetness.

If you don't have silan, use another sweetener you like, such as maple syrup or granulated sugar.

You can also leave the silan out altogether. The bread will still be sweet, though a little less indulgent, and you'll save some calories.

Peanut butter:

This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of peanut butter.

You can swap in the same amount of almond butter or plain tahini.

Nutrition information provided by Noam Bachar (an Israeli clinical nutritionist and fitness trainer)

Each slice of vegan banana bread contains:

100 calories

2 grams protein

2.5 grams fat (0.4 grams saturated fat)

17.5 grams carbohydrates

20 mg dietary fiber

Want to dress it up?

One tablespoon of dark chocolate chips, 10 g (0.35 oz), adds:

50 calories, 10 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fat

• To give this vegan banana bread a protein boost, add one or two scoops of protein powder to the batter.

Vegan Banana Bread

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield 10 slices

Ingredients

• 4 bananas ripe (the sweeter, the better!)
• 1/2 cup quick oats or oat flour, teff flour, whole wheat flour, or rice flour. (Chickpea flour and lentil flour aren't a good fit here.)
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter 50 g (1.8 oz)
• 1/4 cup silan or maple syrup or granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips optional

Instructions

1. Mash 3 bananas with a fork. Set the remaining banana aside.
   
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well until the batter is evenly combined.
   
3. Pour the batter into a loaf pan.
4. Slice the reserved banana in half lengthwise. Place both halves on top of the batter. Gently press each half slightly into the batter with your hands. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top, if you like.
   
5. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes.
6. Raise the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F) to caramelize the bananas, and bake for another 5–10 minutes. (You can switch to the broiler instead, if your oven has one.) * Keep a close eye on the bread so it doesn't burn.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.