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Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Last updated on January 26th, 2022 at 06:38 pm

This vegan chocolate chip banana bread ticks all the comfort food boxes. It’s super easy, completely delicious and like eating a big warm chocolatey hug. If you like your Starbucks banana bread, then this is the vegan banana bread for you.

This recipe was originally published on April 14, 2020 and updated October 9, 2021 with new images, an updated ingredients guide and recipe tips.

A man holding banana bread on a wooden board.

Why We Love This Banana Bread

Before I went vegan, I love, love, loved the Starbucks banana bread. Making a vegan version was always on my priority list. And this is it!

Like my vegan pumpkin cupcakes or my vegan zucchini muffins with chocolate chips, this bread is all things comforting and wonderful. It’s:

simple to make,
uses up all those mushy ‘nanas,
is made from mostly pantry ingredients,
fills the house with intoxicating aromas,
keeps really well and
is great for school lunches being nut-free

What You’ll Need | Ingredients

Bananas: So, first up you are definitely going to need bananas. Use overripe bananas to get the sweetest, most intense flavour.

Soy milk: soy milk is my milk of choice for baking, it it generally thicker and emulsifies in to batters better. Having said that, almond milk, oat milk or cashew milk will work too.

Natural dairy-free yoghurt: yoghurt helps make a tender crumb in baking so we are using a little here. I prefer coconut yoghurt.

Chocolate chips: Do you need chocolate chips in your banana bread? No. Should you put chocolate chips in your banana bread? Yes. Emphatically, yes. You can use small buds or chop a larger block of vegan chocolate in to small chunks. Dark chocolate really works well here giving balance to the sweet banana bread.

Oil: I use sunflower but any neutral tasting oil will work.

Ground cinnamon: If you don’t have it, you can omit it but it is so good here. It’s worth a quick trip to the shops.

Usual suspects: Other than the ingredients above, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder and a touch of salt. Everything tastes better with a touch of salt.

How to Make Vegan Banana Bread From Scratch

You’ll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step 1: Mash the bananas well in mixing bowl.

Step 2: Stir in the wet ingredients and the baking soda. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Two food images showing bananas mashed in a bowl for banana bread.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Don’t over-mix!

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Two food images showing banana bread ingredients mixed in a bowl.

Step 5: Transfer the batter to a lined loaf tin.

Step 6: Top with sliced banana or one of the topping ideas provided below. Bake in the oven at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 50-60 minutes.

Two food images showing banana bread batter in a bread tin.

Voila! A delicious and completely comforting vegan banana bread! Pretty simple, right?

This vegan chocolate chip banana bread delivers the good fuzzies every time. It’s a simple-to-make recipe full of comforting and familiar flavours. Enjoy, x.

A stack of banana bread slices on a wooden table.

Tips to Making the Perfect Banana Bread

Tip #1. Making the perfect banana bread is easy if you stick to a few basic tips.Use over-ripe bananas. Think “speckled” or even “blackened” ‘nanas for the sweetest, most banana-y flavoured bread.

Buy your bananas a few days ahead OR you can bake unpeeled bananas in the oven for 30 minutes at 150°C (302°F). Allow the bananas to cool before slicing them open to use.

Super Tip: You can also thaw frozen overripe bananas to use in your banana bread.

Tip #2. Gently mix your batter and stop when the flour is just combined with wet ingredients. Over-mixing flour will result in rubbery bread – noooooo!

Tip #3. Use foil to cover your banana bread in the oven if the top is browning faster than the middle of the cake is setting. A lower temperature, slower bake is best.

Tip #4. Allow your vegan banana bread to rest in its tin for 15 minutes before turning it out. This gives it time to settle. I know, it smells so good and you want some now! But, it will be better with a little extra rest. Trust me.

Alternative Toppings

Make your vegan banana bread your own by mixing up the toppings. I mix mine up all the time and here are a few of my favourites:

Banana and brown sugar : slice bananas lengthways (see Image 6 above) and place them on top of the banana bread batter followed by a sprinkling of raw or brown sugar
Simple oatmeal cinnamon topping: combine 2 tablespoons of rolled oats and raw sugar with 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil and a half-teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Add chocolate bits if you like (which I do). Sprinkle on top before baking.
Oatmeal crumble: Using your fingers massage 2 tablespoons of flour and raw sugar with 1 and a half tablespoons of rolled oats, one tablespoon of cold vegan butter and a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Massage until the butter binds the mixture in to crumble texture. Sprinkle over the top of your banana bread batter and bake.

Freshly baked banana bread in a loaf pan.

FAQs

Does banana bread freeze?

Yes! Banana bread freezes really well. Allow the loaf to cool completely before wrapping it in foil and placing it in a sealed freezer-proof container. To thaw, leave the loaf on the counter for a few hours.

Can I toast this banana bread?

Sort of. I lightly toast my banana bread slices on a non-stick pan over low-medium heat on both sides. I prefer this method to toasting in a toaster to protect the toaster from melted chocolate.

How long will this bread last without refrigerating?

I wrap our banana bread in foil and leave it out for up to 3 days – it keeps really well. You can store your wrapped bread in the fridge for up to a week.

Can I make this gluten-free?

Yup. Simply swap the flour to a gluten-free variety. I find Bob’s Red Mill Baking 1-to-1 works well in almost all recipes.

Feel like more baking? Try these other vegan baking recipes:

Easy Vegan Lemonade Scones

Sticky date cake with salted caramel frosting

The best vegan chocolate cake recipe

Vegan almond butter raspberry muffins

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If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.

Close up image of hands holding banana bread on a board.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

The only vegan banana bread recipe you’ll need. A proper banana bread – not too cakey – with chocolate chips and an oatmeal crumble.

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Course: Baking | bread/sweet bread

Cuisine: Vegan | Vegan Baking

Diet: Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 492kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 180°C /350°F (convetional) or 160°C / 320°F (fan) and line a 6-cup bread tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas well. Whisk in the milk, sunflower oil, vanilla, yoghurt, and sugar. Stir in the baking soda.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined – don’t overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the banana bread batter in to the lined bread tin.
If adding the oatmeal crumble, combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and using your fingers massage the mixture until the butter binds the mixture in to a crumble texture. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the vegan banana bread batter.
Pop the bread tin in the oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre of the loaf clean.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before turning out.
Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Tips to Making the Perfect Banana Bread:

Use over-ripe bananas. Think “speckled” or even “blackened” ‘nanas for the sweetest, most banana-y flavoured bread. Buy your bananas a few days ahead OR you can bake unpeeled bananas in the oven for 30 minutes at 150°C (302°F). Allow the bananas to cool before slicing them open to use.
Super Tip: You can also thaw frozen overripe bananas to use in your banana bread.
Gently mix your batter and stop when the flour is just combined with wet ingredients. Over-mixing flour will result in rubbery bread – noooooo!
Use foil to cover your banana bread in the oven if the top is browning faster than the middle of the cake is setting. A lower temperature, slower bake is best.
Allow your vegan banana bread to rest in its tin for 15 minutes before turning it out. This gives it time to settle.

Nutrition

Tried This Recipe?I’d love to hear your feedback. Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below. Or you can tag @mygoodnesskitchen or hashtag #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram. Thank you!

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