Easy Dairy-Free Banana Bread made with fresh bananas, whole grain flour, and less sugar in just one bowl! Perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack!
I updated this recipe post with new photos and an improved layout for a better user experience. The recipe has not changed 🙂
I don't know about you, but I intentionally buy more bananas than we can eat just so I can be sure I'll have some extra ripe bananas to make quick breads, muffins, and smoothies with, lol! 🙋♀️
In fact, I've heard that some people actually hide bananas in a cupboard just so they know they'll have bananas that are too ripe to eat as is. There are just so many delicious ways to use up overripe bananas!
Personally, I enjoy this banana bread most when it's topped with a few chocolate chips and served with milk... or a cup of coffee. 😍
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy There is no need to separate the dry ingredients from wet ingredients or use a kitchen scale. Simply measure and mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a prepared loaf pan and bake.
- Simple Ingredients Bananas, flour, maple syrup, water, olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.
- Dairy-Free Made without milk, butter, or sour cream like many classic banana bread recipes call for.
- Less Sugar Instead of being made with one or two cups of refined sugar like many banana bread recipes are, this banana bread recipe is naturally sweetened with overripe bananas and maple syrup.
- High in Fiber which will help you feel full longer and keep things moving through your digestive tract (can't help that I'm a dietitian ;).
Dietitian Tip
Most quick bread recipes are low in fiber and loaded with sugar, but they don't have to be.
Using whole grain flour in place of some or all of the flour in a recipe is an easy way to increase the amount of fiber in a recipe. And adding a sweet and smooth fruit like mashed bananas or applesauce is an easy way to increase the amount of sweetness without having to add loads of sugar.
Ingredient Notes
This whole dairy-free banana bread is made with basic ingredients that can be found in most pantries. Here are a few notes about some of the key ingredients.
- Bananas Use very ripe or overripe bananas to add natural sweetness and to give the bread extra moisture. Do not use bananas that are not ripe.
- White Whole Wheat Flour Also known as Golden Wheat Flour. It's light in texture, mild in flavor. It has a similar nutrition profile to traditional whole wheat flour, so it's higher in fiber and protein than all-purpose flour. Can use all-purpose flour instead.
- Maple Syrup Used in place of refined sugar to give this quick bread the sweetness everyone expects from 'regular' banana bread.
- Olive Oil I use extra-virgin olive oil because of the health benefits. Avocado oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil can be used instead.
How to Make Dairy-Free Banana Bread
Here is a summary of the steps for making this Dairy-Free Banana Bread recipe. For the complete list of ingredients and detailed instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card.
- In a medium or large bowl, mash the overripe banana with a fork or food masher.
- Add all other ingredients to the mashed banana and mix well, ending with the flour.
- Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan or a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Optional: top with walnut pieces and/or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cost Savings Tip
Check out the discount produce section in your grocery store first. Oftentimes ripe bananas are placed with outdated produce at a discounted price.
Also, Trader Joe's charges the same for large bananas as they do for small bananas. So, if you shop there, be sure to grab the large bananas.
Helpful Tips
- Use the 'scoop and sweep' method for measuring flour. To do this, use a spoon to place flour into the measuring cup and then level it with a knife.
- If you use a convection oven, either reduce the baking time by 25% (so, check it at 42 minutes) or bake it at 300 degrees (instead of 325).
- Use baking soda, not baking powder.
- To make this a vegan recipe, just leave the egg out. The banana bread won't rise as much, but it will still form a nice loaf and taste just as good (I've tried it:).
Questions You May Have
No, this recipe is not vegan as written because it contains egg.
Still, I have accidentally left egg out of this and my whole wheat pumpkin bread recipe, and they both still turned out great.
You could also use chia or flax eggs in place of the eggs to turn this into a vegan banana bread recipe.
That's a great question. I have not tried making this with a gluten-free flour. If you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out!
You may have mismeasured one of the ingredients or, perhaps you packed the measuring cups with flour instead of using the 'scoop and sweep' method as described in the note section.
Once cooled, this banana bread can be stored at room temperature in a resealable bag or airtight container for up to three days or refrigerated for up to five days.
It can also be stored in the freezer. Let it cool completely and place it in a freezer-safe and air-tight resealable bag before freezing.
If you don't have a problem using plastic wrap, feel free to wrap an entire loaf or individual slices with plastic wrap before freezing.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Pancake Mix
- The BEST Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
- Easy Protein Pancakes without Protein Powder
- Easy Pitaya Bowl
Did you make this easy banana bread recipe and love it? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below to let me know. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more easy recipes and nutrition tips!
📖 Recipe
Easy Dairy-Free Banana Bread
Equipment
- 1 Loaf pan
Ingredients
- 3 Bananas Very ripe and medium in size.
- 1¾ cup white whole wheat flour Also known as Golden Wheat Flour. I use King Arthur flour.
- ½ cup maple syrup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 eggs lightly whisked.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly coat it with oil.
- Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl, using a fork or food masher.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the mashed bananas. Mix well. The batter will be lumpy.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan.
- Optional: top with walnut pieces and / or chocolate chips.
- Bake in the oven at 325°F for one hour. This bread may need an additional five minutes in the oven. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before slicing to serve.
Notes
- Use the back side of a fork or food masher to mash the bananas well. There will still be some lumps when you are done mashing.
- For best results, sift the baking soda first.
- You do not have to add the ingredients in any particular order in order for the recipe to turn out well. However, adding the wet ingredients first makes mixing in the dry ingredients easier.
- Use the 'scoop and sweep' method for measuring flour for this recipe. Use a spoon to put flour in a measuring cup then level it off with the flat side of a knife.
- If some of your family members like nuts and or chocolate in their banana bread, but others do not, just top half of the loaf with walnut pieces and / or chocolate chips and either press them into the batter or leave them on top and bake it as is.
- All-purpose flour or whole wheat flour (traditional or einkorn) can be used in place of white whole wheat flour (golden wheat flour). The texture of the bread will change if the flour is substituted, but the flavor will still be great.
- To make this vegan (egg-free), just leave the eggs out. I've made it this way, and although it didn't rise as much, it still tasted fantastic!
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