In my early days of blogging, I didn’t know much about writing recipes. In most cases, my recipes came about simply from my own desire to eat something– for instance, this vegan almond flour banana bread.
My old recipe desperately needed an update, because I’m pretty sure when I originally posted it, I had only tested the recipe once. That’s how it worked when I first started this blog. I would suddenly have a craving to eat something, so I’d try to make a healthier version of it, and if it turned out tasting half-way decent I would post it here on the website.
That formula worked well for me in many cases, because some of my recipes are just too easy to mess up, but with baked goods (and particularly with egg-free paleo recipes) a lot more experimentation is needed to create something that has a taste and texture good enough to serve to the masses. So, while my original recipe still tastes amazing, the texture definitely left something to be desired. It’s pretty moist and gooey in the middle! Which isn’t surprising, since it’s nearly impossible to get an egg-free almond flour bread to rise like a normal loaf. I didn’t have a problem eating it that way myself, but it’s probably not something you’d want to serve to company.
That’s why I recently started playing around with this recipe again, this time using arrowroot starch as the binder instead of chia eggs. It took me eight(!!) attempts to get it right, but I’m so happy with the final result. I actually think it’s easier and tastier than the original.
Tweaking this recipe so many times also gave me the opportunity to make it with FROZEN bananas, once my stash of fresh ripe ones ran out. Umm… why didn’t I ever try this before?! I almost always have overripe bananas stashed in my freezer for smoothies, but they are especially convenient for this banana bread, too. The results are almost identical using fresh banana compared to frozen ones that have been thawed, so feel free to use whichever is most convenient for you. No more waiting days and days for bananas to ripen on the counter if you don’t want to!
This recipe is lower in sugar than traditional banana breads and also happens to be oil-free, while still being super moist and delicious. I can’t stop eating it over here, so I hope you will enjoy it as well.
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Vegan Almond Flour Banana Bread
Makes one 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan
Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas (fresh or thawed from frozen)
2 1/2 cups almond meal/flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas well– you should have a little over 1 cup of mashed banana. (Note: if using bananas that were previously frozen, do not drain the liquid from them when they thaw– that moisture is important to the overall texture of this bread.)
To the mashed bananas, add in the almond meal, arrowroot, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and stir until a relatively smooth batter is formed. Stir in the vinegar last, so that it can react with the baking soda, then immediately pour the batter into the lined pan. Smooth the top with a spatula then bake at 350ºF until the top of the loaf has begun to rise and crack, feeling firm to the touch, about 45 minutes. All the loaf to cool completely before cutting.
As with most eggless bread recipes, it’s not unusual for the center of the loaf to fall or sink a bit, but the entire loaf should be cooked throughout and have a bread-like texture. (Definitely a step up from my previous vegan & paleo banana bread!) Store the leftover bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Vegan Almond Flour Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- 2 1/2 cups almond meal/flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas well-- you should have a little over 1 cup of mashed banana. (Note: if using bananas that were previously frozen, do not drain the liquid from them when they thaw-- that moisture is important to the overall texture of this bread.)
- To the mashed bananas, add in the almond meal, arrowroot, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and stir until a relatively smooth batter is formed.
- Stir in the vinegar last, so that it can react with the baking soda, then immediately pour the batter into the lined pan. Smooth the top with a spatula then bake at 350ºF until the top of the loaf has begun to rise and crack, feeling firm to the touch, about 45 minutes. All the loaf to cool completely before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 212, Fat: 12g, Carbohydrates: 25g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 5g
Note: As always, please let us know if you try any substitutions in the comments below. It took me eight attempts to get it right with these ingredients, so I’m a bit burnt-out on banana bread at the moment and won’t be trying other flours for a while! I do have a nut-free vegan banana bread recipe in my first cookbook, Everyday Detox, if you need a nut-free alternative.
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried using frozen bananas in other baked goods? I feel like this has opened up a whole new world for me!
I can’t have nuts anymore, and there are so many recipes that I love that use almond flour. Seed butter can usually swap out for nut butter in recipes, but wondering if there is a good substitute for nut flour? I also can’t have gluten, corn or rice, so will be thrilled if there’s actually something that will work.
Like I mentioned in the post, I have a nut-free and gluten-free banana bread recipe in my first cookbook, Everyday Detox, so I can’t share that one here. You could try using a finely ground seed in place of the nut flour, but I’d taste the batter to see if you need to make adjustments as you go, since many seeds are naturally more bitter in flavor than almonds.
You can use sesame seed four 1:1 instead. Good luck!
So simple and so good! Can’t wait for the new cookbook I LOVED your first one <3
Thank you, Karlie!
Thank you for this idea I am going to make them right away
This is my favorite banana bread recipe! It’s so easy and tastes amazing! My kids love it too!
Megan, what happened to “what I ate Wednesday?” Those were my favorite posts!
Life has been too crazy the last few weeks, but I do plan to do them more consistently again! Are you a member of our new Facebook community? We’ve been doing some “what I ate” posts over there! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1631479637154180/
If I’m not vegan, what do you think would happen if I added an egg? I sometimes feel eggs make things less crumbly with better texture.
This particular recipe really doesn’t need the eggs for texture– a reader below actually just mentioned that she loved how it didn’t crumble like most gluten-free breads. I tried this recipe using two eggs instead of arrowroot, and I didn’t care for the texture as much, but let us know if you experiment!
I’d like to use egg as well. I’m vegetarian, but sometimes use organic eggs and yogurt, so not quite vegan.
I’m curious if I’d have to alter any of the other ingredients if I made this with eggs? 🙂
I think you can add eggs but why would you? 🙂 Eggs do not bring anything special extra to already a great recipe 🙂
Wow! This is by far the best gluten free banana bread I have ever made. That is saying something because I have made several recipes. Actually this recipe gives regular banana bread competition. I love the fact that when you cut this bread, it does not crumble like some gluten free bread recipes do. The bread was perfectly chewy and had the right amount of sweetness. I need to get rid of my teenagers! I only have 3 pieces left, and there are only 3 pieces left. Great job, Megan!
Thanks; I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I have been using mostly frozen bananas for your two-ingredient toddler pancake! Thank you for your recipes!
I would also like to add egg here, to get my toddler the egg nutrients- is it instead of arrowroot?
My toddler also enjoys your chia pudding and other recipes from your cookbook, which we had shipped to us here in Israel!
He has down syndrome and your recipes are helping us keep him healthy and strong, so a very big thank you.
I tried using 2 eggs instead of arrowroot and baking this as muffins– it worked okay, but the recipe above is still better as far as texture goes. If your toddler isn’t picky, he might go for it, but my son didn’t care for the egg version as much. Let us know if you experiment with it!
Made yesterday……sooooooo amazing!! I was pretty skeptical when I read apple cider vinegar because I’m not a huge fan of vinegar. I thought it was taking a risk to lick the bowl and then I licked it clean haha! You are a genius! I love banana bread so much and I always thought there is no healthy recipe that can replace my Mom’s less than healthy recipe…I’m so glad I was wrong….sorry Mom! Thank you for continuing to share your recipes with the world. I for one truly appreciate it and enjoy each on of them! If I had to pick websites I couldn’t live with out, Detoxinista would be one!
Aww, thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but banana bread is one of those I *had* (past tense needed) never been satisfied with. I love using almond flour, but the banana bread always turned a bit moister than I prefer. This recipe is perfect! Not too sweet and dry enough. I love it. After trying it earlier this morning, I realized I will never need to look for another recipe for healthy banana bread. Thank you! Also love how this recipe is fat-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Amazing! You’ve got a new fan.
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks!!
Megan,
I really enjoyed this post. I am in the (daunting) task of preparing for a vlog site set to open in the summer (finger’s crossed). I am still learning as I go and I loved hearing about how you resisted an old favorite recipe for a makeover, AND that you still have to make several test batches before you find the winner. It’s comforting because since I am still a novice, I like to hear about how a pro still works through recipes and testing.
Your site is the first blog I started following since I was diagnosed with my food allergies roughly 4 years ago. Thank you for making real, affordable, and delicious tasting recipes as well as sharing your journey.
On another note: I love using frozen bananas! When I want to add them to a loaf or cake, I like to let them thaw in a bowl, take the banana “juice” and reduce is to concentrate the flavor, then add it back to the bake, or use it as a banana caramel sauce!
resisted=revisited. Silly autocorrect.
Started mashing my bananas and realized I was short on almond flour. I ended up subbing a scant 1 c sprouted wheat and a scant 1/2 cup buckwheat…the batter seemed a bit dry with these subs so I also added 1/4 c almond milk. Turned out to be a delicious hearty bread!! Thank you for the recipe :).
I use an egg substitute made of seaweed and it works perfectly! Also probably gives some valuable nutrition. I’ve also used guar gum which again works, gives quite a firm texture.
Megan,
Could I substitute tapioca starch for the arrowroot?
Very excited for your cookbook release! Already pre-ordered!
Yes, a reader on Facebook mentioned that it worked for them!
Is corn starch an acceptable replacement for arrowroot starch?
I haven’t tried that, but I would guess so? Let us know if you try it!
Hi, Just to let you know I have tried corn starch, as arrowroot is so hard to find where I live, and it worked just fine. This banana bread recipe is outstanding. Love it!
WOW, I made this last night and it is great. Thought the frozen bananas were a little off-putting once thawed but read your note about not getting rid of the liquid. Was more than 1 1/2 cups but used them anyway. Also had to make almond flour as didn’t have any and there were pieces of nuts left in the meal. Just added to the bread! Used a cup of oatmeal flour as didn’t have enough almonds. I am so impressed with this recipe. Will certainly make this often. Thanks for the great post.
Yes, thawed bananas look SO GROSS with all that liquid! Ha! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
What would be an appropriate amount of eggs to try and sub?
Do you mean instead of the arrowroot? I tried this recipe as muffins using 2 eggs instead of the arrowroot, but it was a little too moist for my taste– I think next time I’d either increase the almond flour or try it with only 1 egg. Please let us know if you have any luck!
My Brad did not turn out like your beautifully photographed version. I followed the recipe exactl as stated, but this one was very dark, small, and half the size as your photo.
I’m sorry to hear that! Did it taste good? It might be difficult to tell in the photos, but if you look closely you’ll see that my bread isn’t very tall– it probably only rises to 1/2 or 3/4 of the way up the pan, so it’s not as big as a traditional loaf. If you were to fill it anymore, I’d be worried about the center not getting cooked through. Other than that, I’d just make sure your baking soda is fresh so that it will react with the vinegar and rise to give it some lift!
Just made this yesterday, it’s absolutely wonderful! Best banana bread I’ve had in 4 years. The only change I made is I left the cinnamon out for personal preference. My oven runs a little cooler I think, so it was a bit under cooked but still most and delish almost like a cake.
Thank you!
Can I substitute rice malt syrup for the coconut sugar and if so is it measure for measure?
Thanks
That’s tricky, because you’d be replacing a liquid sweetener for a dry one– which could affect the overall texture of your bread. I’m sure the flavor will be fine, but you might have to experiment a few times to get the texture right! Please let us know if you try it.
OMG I made this the other day and it really is so good. Like others I subbed tapioca starch for arrowroot which worked perfectly. I also only used 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and I thought it was still sweet enough. I could eat the whole loaf and have made myself have a couple pieces each day. Will be making this again…. it’s a perfect snack, breakfast, or even treat.
Mashed up the bananas and found I only have 1c of almond meal ? So I mixed everything but the almond meal and am storing it in the fridge til I get more tonight. I am a bit a worried when u say “stir ACV in last” and “pour immediately in a pan”. I am hoping it won’t be ruined having to sit about 6 hrs before I can get more almond meal. We shall see.
ok so it didn’t work. I ate the edges and it was the best tasting banana bread I have ever eaten but it didn’t cook inside it came out with being like a nut butter texture inside, really gross. I can’t do vegan baking to save my life especially not GF vegan baking :-(. But again the parts that did cook was DELICIOUS. 🙂
Unfortunately, this recipe really, really didn’t work at 6,000 ft. Taste was good though!
I can’t have banana what do you suggest instead? thanks
I have used grated zucchini, even yellow squash and a combination of both. I just used the grated function on my food processor. It was delicious!
Did not enjoy the cinnamon taste so much.
BUT, amazing recipe and will do again for sure without the spice.
Thank you for your nice work.
I made this yesterday and my kids fought over the last piece, so I made it again today. Thanks for this fantastic recipe. Your hard work really paid off – this is a great banana bread which I will make again and again! Has anyone tried it with oat flour? I was thinking of a flour with a lower glycemic index than arrowroot.
This banana is incredibly delicious! I love it. It tastes like my yummy recipe that I can no longer have because of the regular flour it calls for. I never thought I would find another delicious banana bread that I would enjoy again. Thank you for creating this!
My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi there,
I made double the amount as I have a fairly big loaf tin and got over excited. However I think I may not have cooked it long enough to allow for the extra mixture. It has given me an upset stomach as a result ?. Do you think I need to double the cook time as well? Will uncooked soda and acv give me an upset stomach? It tasted amazing though!!
I made this today, and it is absolutely FABULOUS! I used a heaping 1/4 C of coconut sugar instead of 1/2 cup, and it was perfect for my tastebuds. Everything else I kept the same. Thank you so much! I make one of your recipes just about every week, and our whole family (and all the friends I bake for) raves about each and every one.
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Absolutely! My 5-year-old daughter also had a slice this morning and said it’s her new favorite food. 🙂
I LOVE this recipe! It seriously rivals original banana bread. It’s my perfect ‘dessert’ these days. I make it at least once a week. Thank you, Megan!
We are not vegan and I was not sure what arrowroot starch was, nor could I figure out the cups size in gr, however it came out perfectly fine.
My mashed bananas were 250gr, I used 150 almond powder and 100gr regular cake flour, and 90gr of maple syrup. It came out as one would hope for, great recipe!
I’m glad to hear that; thanks for sharing!
I just made and it is delicious! However I would like to know whether I can substitute almond flour for the coconut flour. Thank you!!!
Finally an almond flour quick bread that isn’t soggy or too moist in the middle. And doesn’t use coconut flour. Thank you! It was delicious. I added 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips just for fun. Sliced it right out of the oven and put butter on top. Fantastic. Your website is fantastic, by the way. So impressed. Wish I discovered it sooner. Just bought both your books. Ingenious recipes, tips and tricks. I look forward to your posts each week.
Thank you so much! Glad you’re enjoying the recipes, and I hope you love the cookbooks. 🙂
Hi Megan! Just tried this as written (no substitutions) except I omitted the coconut sugar. The batter was extremely dry! Consistency was like playdoh, not at all “pourable.” I had to work it with my hands and ended up adding another banana to moisten. The dryness made it was very hard to add the baking soda and eventually the vinegar, which both had to be kneaded in because there’s no way I could have stirred anything. Was almost impossible to evenly distribute them in this manner. I considered adding almond milk but wanted to try and follow the recipe as closely as possible, so I skipped it.
I baked for 50 minutes at 350 f. There was no way for me the gauge the “done-ness” according to the recipe given the consistency of my batter, which never settled the way liquid would have but sort of baked as a hardened loaf of dough-waves. I stuck in a knife and it was still wet in the center with a pasty consistency, took out the bread anyway because I thought it might firm up while cooling.
Results: after cooling, it was very tasty, but unevenly baked and at some interior parts very paste-like. I suspect that perhaps my flour was too finely ground (it’s super powdery) and maybe it ended up being too much because more of such a fine flour can be packed into 2.5 cups. (I did think it was quite a bit of flour as I was adding it to the bowl and got a little worried!) Or maybe it just absorbed too much liquid?
Any idea what went wrong? I definitely want to try again! Thank you 🙂
My guess would be either your bananas were not ripe enough, and therefore didn’t contribute enough “liquid” to the recipe, or that you’re right in guessing that your almond flour was too finely ground. Almond flour based recipes aren’t always pourable like traditional cake batter, but you should be able to stir the batter easily with a spatula. I’m glad it was still tasty for you!
Definitely making this, just need to buy bananas hehe. Wondering if it works with apples instead since I have tons of it right now. Thanks!
Hi Megan! My banana bread came out super gummy and wet inside. The outside was delicious. I sifted my ingredients before measuring. I also wonder how accurate my oven temp is. Do you think either of those things could have affected my results? Any advice? TIA!
Me and a friend of mine made this recipe today with 100 grams of dates instead of coconut sugar, and 50 grams of walnuts added to the batter. It tasted amazing with some peanut butter on top!! Thank you so much for the great recipe! 😀
Love from The Netherlands,
Hi Megan,
My bread came out so good. OMG!! II love it, I have tried many recepies before and this is by far the best. I tweaked it a bit, but overall I love it.
Thank you.
Sorry I forgot to rate it.
I’m looking for a good basic grain free vegan recipe that I can interchange for banana, pumpkin, or zucchini. This one looks promising. Ever try it with the other options? It’s so hard to find grain free recipes that are egg free! Egg allergies are no fun 🙁
I haven’t tried those other options yet, but I want to! Zucchini will probably be next with all of the summer produce available. Let me know if you try it first and how it goes!
Can i substitute corn starch for the arrowroot? I’m not as concerned with corn-based products.
I haven’t tried that modification, so I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine corn starch would work similarly. Let us know if you try it!
This is a great recipe! Even my husband loved it and hes not a fan of banana breads. I substituted the arrowroot starch with corn starch and it was still great. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting us know that corn starch worked, too.
Do you think it would be ok to use coconut flour?
I don’t use apple cider vinegar much. Can i substitute rice vinegar?
If eggs are OK in my diet?
Do you think it would be OK to add 1 or 2 eggs, so this won’t be as dense?
Should I just add with no other change?
or add/subtract/adjust something else?
Thanks!
Followed the direction precisely and it turned out rockhard/almost burnt on the outside and a complete dough ball on the inside, the flavor was delicious though.
Followed the directions as i had frozen overly ripened bananas. What I realized was there wasn’t enough moisture even with the water from the thawed 3 bananas. so i added a few tbs of boiling water + a little bit of maple syrup and it turned out perfect! super moist- fully edible! melted some dark chocolate and drizzled on top with some walnuts for fun 🙂
I made this today w Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour and removed the arrowroot starch. Followed everything else and made 3x mini loaves instead of 1x large one and.. SUCCESS!! Because of the large bananas I used, it acted as the perfect binding agent and gave the loaf the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture!! So happy it worked out!! Thank you!!
Just made this but replaced the arrowroot starch with tapioca starch. SO SO good, my family asked me why I didn’t make a double batch!! <3 🙂
Any suggestions on what would be a good substitute for starch?
Would tapioca flour/powder work same as arrowroot? Ty
I think so!