I’m not much of a rule follower in the kitchen, often substituting ingredients, not measuring exactly, not reading recipe instructions before I start, or estimating time in the oven! I love this banana bread recipe because even with these bad habits, this banana bread always seems to turn out and is often a crowd-pleaser. Not too sweet, very moist, and all in all pretty healthy!

I have adapted this recipe from Oh She Glows to include a few more common baking ingredients found in most pantries and hey – if you don’t have one of the ingredients, I’m sure even with a quick substitute it will all work out! I often change up the toppings on the loaf, sometimes banana slices, chocolate chips, or nuts and sometimes when I’m feeling extra sweet, I mix in some chocolate chips with the batter.

You can mix all the ingredients in one bowl and it should only take about 15 minutes before it’s ready to pop in the oven. The hardest part is waiting for the loaf to cook and cool before you eat it!

INGREDIENTS:

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cups mashed banana (about 4 medium-sized bananas and best when ripe)
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

  • ¼ cup & 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ cup rolled oats (steel-cut oats also work but results in a bit different texture)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking power
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • Optional chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or sliced banana


STEPS:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and either grease your 9.5x inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl or mix master, mash the bananas.
  • Stir in the other wet ingredients into the same bowl as the mashed banana.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients into the same bowl (one by one in the order listed) until the batter is smooth with no flour patches showing.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the optional toppings on top of the loaf.
  • Bake in the oven, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes until lightly golden and firm on top.
  • Let the loaf cool for about 30 minutes in the pan and then remove from the pan and let cool completely.
  • Slice the loaf once cooled and serve with either vegan butter or coconut oil. Enjoy!

This blog was written by Power To Be‘s Director of Finance, Katie Jackson. Katie has a passion to utilize her finance and business skills to give back to the community.