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 am so impressed by this gluten free and vegan banana bread. I made it for my friend who can’t have dairy or eggs and she said it is the best! It is really tasty and actually has good texture. Also approved by my husband and toddler!
OMG!!!!! 💕💜❤️😓 There just isn’t enough positivity or excitement to tell you about how much I love this recipe. I have made it countless times over the past few my upon finding it. I made a few changes for my preferences. I let my bananas get solid black. I have used un-refined granulated sugar, zero calorie all natural allulose sweetner and I might try maple syrup next batch. I add raw or roasted (which ever my store has stocked) and ground walnuts. After I put it in my pan I put a generous amount of ground cloves on top and spread it across with a rubber spatula. (I like a strong clove flavor, you could always put just a little) This is the way I make it every single time. Only difference is the sweetner sometimes is different. A friend of mine with severe intolerances has me making this regularly. I just can’t tell you enough how much I love it!!!
My doctor has put me on a diet of only meat and vegetables for three weeks… No fruit or eggs or grains… I am wondering if I could try substituting zucchini for the bananas in this recipe.?? I cannot figure out what I’m going to eat for breakfast!
This is my go to banana bread! Such have rated sooner!
Do you know how many grams of almond flour? I have a scale and would love to get the right amount of almond flour in this recipe. Thanks!
Please can I use flax meal instead of arrow root as I can’t find that in my country? Thanks.
Can I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot starch? If yes would
It be equal replacement? I don’t have arrowroot starch.
Yes, I think cornstarch could be swapped 1:1 for the arrowroot in this recipe. Hope you love it!
Absolutely incredible!!! I omitted the coconut sugar and added one extra banana for sweetness and this is honestly the best banana bread I’ve ever had.
This is so delicious! I made it this morning. It’s not even fully cooled yet, and it’s already half gone. I made it just as the recipe suggested, except for one minor change. Since we’re trying to eat fruit sweetened as much as possible, I used date powder instead of the coconut sugar. It still came out great. Thank you for another great recipe.
So good! I used regular cornstarch and this turned out fantastic!
I substituted corn starch for arrowroot starch and it’s perfect, Thank you so much.
Can this recipe be made with coconut flour? I need a vegan recipe with coconut flour as I have an abundance of it. Will give it a shot and see…may replace apple cider vinegar with applesauce to keep it moist or perhaps add in the applesauce rather than substitute the vinegar. Will see how it turns out. Thanks for any response!
Coconut flour can’t be swapped 1:1 with almond flour because they are so different… so it will require some experimenting! Let me know if you figure out a good ratio with a vegan version.
I just made this and it’s so delicious! I made two loaves; one with maple and one with honey. They turned out very similarly. Hard to even tell a difference! thank you for all of your wonderful creations!! Merry Christmas!! ❤️
I made this bread today & IT’S ALL GONE! I guess we liked it. 😉
I love this recipe bc there’s not a laundry list of ingredients which means less chance of me messing up!
Can’t wait to make it again!
This is my favorite banana bread recipe by far! It’s so easy, so delicious, and easy to add yummy additions. My current favorite is adding fresh blueberries and walnuts, it turns out so delicious! I make this almost weekly. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
I posted a comment awhile back 😃 HOWEVER I just had to come back and say to you how truly grate not only I am but everyone that I have made this for with restrictions!!!
I have made it COUNTLESS times and do something new every time. This last time I made it I used walnuts, and bake believe no sugar added dark chocolate chips. I guess they have several varieties I’m dying to try. I made them in a cupcake pan with paper liners and baked for 20 minutes. Sweetness I have used so far are swerve granulated, volupta, and allulose.Mostly everyone is sugar free and LOVES these. I made a very large batch awhile ago and subbed zucchini for banana. Big success!! 💕 💜 ❤️
I’ve made this SO many times. It’s a staple around our house. SO delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Can this be made into muffins the way it is written?
As someone else mentioned before, I used one cup oat flour and the rest almond flour. This bread is absolutely delicious. I’d love for someone to comment if they have subbed lemon juice for the vinegar successfully (or unsuccessfully)… or if Detoxinista knows if it might work!!
Delicious! Subbed tapioca starch for the arrowroot and it worked great!
On repeat in our home. Great recipe.