5 most frequently asked questions about Vegan Banana Bread

Let’s take a look at vegan banana bread and how to make it the best, without sacrificing on the flavour, nutrition or texture. It’s going to get exciting and maybe even make you a bit hungry...perhaps for some vegan banana bread.

What is Vegan Banana Bread?

No surprises here, vegan banana bread is banana bread without the inclusion of animal products. In traditional healthy banana bread recipes, this includes eggs, butter and dairy milk.

With the rise in vegan foods, one of the biggest concerns is understanding what is in the foods and what goes into our bodies. There are often doubts that vegan recipes can replicate the same deliciousness, but we’re here to prove you wrong. We know that vegan banana bread can taste great and still produce the same level of moisture and melt-in-mouth texture that you would be aiming for. 

Is Vegan Banana Bread healthy?

Absolutely!! We know banana bread often has a bad rap for being ‘unhealthy’ due to its high sugar and calories content but if you’ve read our article on ‘How Many Calories are in a Banana?’, you’ll know that bananas are low in kilojoules, an excellent source of quality carbs and super nutritious. 

With a low glycemic index, its natural sugar content does not raise blood sugar levels and actually works to keep you feeling full for longer. Say goodbye to those snack binges!

Similarly, vegan banana bread only differs from regular banana bread in the replacement of animal by-products, and plant-based ingredient substitutions contain their own nutritional value. For example, coconut oil is naturally high in saturated fats which benefit your heart health and cholesterol levels. Dairy-free milk alternatives such as almond milk can also provide the calcium, vitamin D and magnesium needed for strong bone health. So, why not give vegan banana bread a try? We’ve added in some tips in this blog to get you started. 

What do you need to make Vegan Banana Bread? 

Like all banana bread recipes, vegan banana bread needs overripe (spotty) mashed bananas, Spotty Banana Bread dry ingredients mix and a bread tin. Simply swap out the animal products namely eggs, butter and dairy milk. 

To cater for a vegan diet, butter can be easily switched for vegan butter or other plant-based oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil or coconut oil. Coconut oil is a particular favourite of ours as it has a very simple 1:1 ratio with butter. Keep in mind that milk is not always found in banana bread recipes but if so, it can also be replaced with unsweetened non-dairy milk options such as almond, soy or oat milk. 

When it comes to substituting eggs, this can be a slightly tricky matter because there are heaps of different ways, but we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading to find out the best way to replace eggs in baking the best vegan banana bread!

What can I use instead of eggs in Banana Bread? 

Eggs are a common ingredient found in savoury and sweet dishes. But if you want to go eggless for whatever reason, it’s not the end of the world. Spotty has some great egg alternatives for you to start making your vegan banana bread!

1. Unsweetened applesauce

Applesauce is a puree made from cooked apples which is often spiced or sweetened. When substituting for eggs, it’s best to use (whether homemade or purchased) unsweetened applesauce to keep the sugar level at a minimum. A good vegan banana bread will bring out the natural sweetness of spotty and overripe bananas. A ¼ cup or 65g of applesauce is used to replace 1 egg. 

2. Silken tofu

Are you surprised that tofu could be used to replace eggs?! Well, not only is tofu a great source of protein, the texture and water content of silken tofu imitates the moisture that eggs create in baking. Don’t worry about your vegan banana bread tasting weird, because lucky for us, tofu has a neutral flavour and won’t affect the final taste. A ¼ cup or 60g of pureed, silken tofu is used to replace 1 egg. 

3. Vinegar and baking soda

Now this combination feels a bit like a science experiment, because mixing vinegar and baking soda actually forms a chemical reaction that makes your baked goods airy and light. Rest assured, your banana bread won’t come out of the oven sour as long as you’ve measured correctly. For the vinegar, we recommend using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to create the best egg replacement. To substitute 1 egg, mix together 1 tablespoon or 15g of vinegar and 1 teaspoon or 7g of baking soda. 

4. Flax ‘Egg’

Flax ‘egg’ is a vegan and allergen free egg substitute, after all, who doesn’t love the simplicity using only two ingredients - flaxseeds and water?! The combination of the flaxseed and water create a sticky gel-like texture similar to that of an egg. Not to mention that flaxseeds contain dietary fibre which is beneficial for digestive health. With binding qualities, flax ‘eggs’ are perfect for recipes that don’t call for too many eggs, like these vegan banana muffins. To substitute 1 egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds (known as flaxmeal) and 3 tablespoons of water, letting rest for 15 minutes. 

5. Spotty’s Vegan Egg Replacer 

We can’t possibly miss out on a little humble plug opportunity for our Vegan Egg Replacer. Made from premium natural and certified organic ingredients such as organic chia flour, faba plant protein and aluminium free baking powder, this isn’t your average commercial egg replacer. It has all the right things to take your baked goods to the next level, and dare we say it’s the hidden gem to making the best vegan banana bread. Combine 1 tablespoon or 7g of egg replacer with 2 tablespoons or 30ml of warm water to substitute for 1 egg. 

Is Vegan Banana Bread and Egg Free Banana Bread the same thing? 

No, they are not the same thing. We’ve run through how to replace eggs in vegan banana bread and how to make it, but you can also make banana bread egg free or ‘eggless’. There is a slight difference here as egg free banana bread can still use animal by-products such as butter and dairy milk, so it can not be called vegan either. 

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Can I leave eggs out of banana bread?”, the answer is yes. An Egg free banana bread loaf is usually made to cater for egg allergies or cholesterol intake. Infants and young children often have egg allergies, and because eggs are such a versatile ingredient found in almost all recipes, baking without eggs can be particularly hard. However, the different ways to replace eggs that we’ve listed above can also be used to make a delicious, moist egg free banana bread. Of course, you can also turn your eggless banana bread into vegan by substituting the butter and milk for non-dairy options! 

If you’re getting a bit sick of making banana bread, why not try baking banana muffins? They’re small, compact, and easy for on-the-go munching. Have a read of our ‘How to make delicious Vegan Banana Muffins’ blog for all the best baking tips on scrumptious banana muffins. 

Whether you opt for vegan banana bread or eggless banana bread, we can guarantee that Spotty Banana Bread will be able to suit your dietary requirement. Enjoy! 

Making the perfect Vegan Banana Bread - Recipe Ideas

1. Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

I’m sure we can all agree that chocolate is a guilty pleasure, and you can create the best of both worlds. Just add 3 tablespoons of sifted cocoa powder to your Spotty Banana Bread dry ingredients to create the most indulgent chocolatey flavour. Keep in mind that cocoa tends to dry out your mix so you may need to add some additional liquid before baking. 

2. Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Delicious. Do we really need to say anything else? Add ⅔ cup of your favourite choc chips to your banana bread mix and combine well. Want more good news? You can still indulge in chocolate but keep your sugar intake down, by using our 98% Sugar Free Choc Chips. Vegan friendly and gluten free, we won’t tell if you munch on some while you’re baking ;) 

3. Vegan Nutty Banana Bread

If you’re looking for some extra crunch with each bite, you’ve come to the right place. Nuts may be small in size, but they are jam packed with healthy fats, fibre and protein. Add ½ cup of your favourite nut or nut mix to your Spotty banana bread mix and one slice is bound to keep you full till your next meal. Perfect for brekkie or afternoon tea, and you know it’s healthy too. 

Our favourite nuts to add are walnuts, which give that perfect nutty taste to create a delicious Walnut Banana Bread.

4. Healthy Vegan Banana Bread

Whatever ‘healthy’ means to you, we want to make sure your vegan banana bread is tasty and the baking process is fun and easy. For the health conscious people out there, vegan banana bread recipes retain their deliciousness even when reducing sugar levels to a minimum or using gluten-free ingredients. Of course, this also accommodates those who are diabetic or celiac. 

If you’re conscious of your sugar intake, we recommend using natural sweeteners such as stevia or erythritol. You may have heard of erythritol before, which is a sugar alcohol commonly used in sugar free baking as it replicates a fine texture and has approximately 70% sweetness of regular sugar. Depending on the recipe, use 1⅓ cup of erythritol to replace 1 cup of sugar. However, you can always save the hassle and try out Spotty’s 95% Sugar Free Banana Bread which contains organic erythritol and monk fruit (another natural sweetener).

For a gluten free vegan banana bread, replace wheat flour with non-gluten flours such as oat flour or rice flour. Keep in mind that depending on the flour chosen, the ratio with wheat flour will differ. For example, the amount of oat flour is 1.42 times the original amount as stated in the recipe. We understand how confusing this can be, so we have our very own Spotty Gluten Free Banana Bread, which uses a mix of organic rice and tapioca flour blend. 

Baking vegan sugar free banana bread or vegan gluten free banana bread won’t compromise on the tasty and nutritious benefits of bananas. The texture will still be light, fluffy and you might find yourself having more than one slice. We’ve said this before but we really mean it when we say no one should miss out on this nutritious and delicious treat. 

5. Moist Vegan Banana Bread

You might worry about the moisture consistency when making your banana bread vegan. With the removal of the animal products, there is also a removal of the fats that come from those products. While this can be a problem in some cooking, we don’t think this will happen with your Spotty banana bread mix because the vegan banana bread recipe still calls for a healthy oil in place of the butter. The additional oil will retain that moisture you are looking for in a really good banana bread recipe.

Ideas inspired from our ‘5 easy and delicious Banana Muffin ideas’ blog. Read for baking tips and more flavour combinations.

Where can I buy my Spotty banana bread mix?

If you’ve read this far, we must have got you mouthwatering for some Spotty banana bread mix. Simply head over to our online shop to grab your banana bread mixes and indulge in a slice or two (or maybe more).

And why not invite a few friends around while you’re at it and share the deliciousness? Tag us on @spottybananabread, and we might even repost it!