Easy vegan banana bread

Banana bread is a great way to use up any ripe bananas you have lying around - in fact the riper they are, the better. That’s because as bananas ripen, the starch gets broken down into simple sugars, so they help to naturally sweeten your banana bread. It also means they’re easier to mash so you won’t end up with any lumps in your loaf.

This vegan banana bread recipe results in a lovely, moist, rich loaf which really is incredibly easy to make, even for baking novices like me! Here are my favourite ways to enjoy this vegan banana bread:

• Eaten as a cake in the afternoon with a good cup of tea

• Toasted under the grill and spread with peanut butter for a fancy breakfast

• Warm out of the oven (or re-warmed) with a dollop of vegan cream, yoghurt, or ice cream for an easy dessert

And of course, this vegan banana bread has just a fraction of the saturated fat of traditional banana breads made with eggs and butter, with all the flavour and texture (check out the full nutrition info at the end of the post).

Easy vegan banana bread recipe

Ingredients (makes one loaf, 10 servings):

• 225g plain flour

• 100g light brown sugar

• 4 level tsp baking powder

• 3 tsp cinnamon

• 75g chopped walnuts

• 3 large (or 4 medium sized) very ripe bananas

• 75g vegetable oil

Method:

Heat your oven to 180C (360F).

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and walnuts) together in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, mash the peeled ripe bananas with a fork. Mix in the vegetable oil, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly to combine well.

Line a small, greased, loaf tin with baking paper and tip in the banana bread batter. Bake for 40 minutes, checking half way through baking (use tin foil to cover if the banana bread is browning too much on top).

Use a skewer to check the banana bread is cooked - it should come out clean (no sticky batter) when poked into the middle of the cake.

Allow to cool a little then serve - a slice of this vegan banana bread goes brilliantly with vegan cream, yoghurt, or ice cream!

Nutrition (per serving):

• Protein: 3.9g (Women: 7.8% / Men: 7.1%)

• Iron: 1.5mg (Women: 10.1% / Men: 17.2%)

• Calories: 271 (Women: 13.6% / Men: 10.8%)

• Sugars: 15g (Women: 16.7% / Men: 12.5%)

• Total Fats: 12.7g (Women: 18.1% / Men: 13.3%)

• Saturated Fat: 1.3g (Women: 6.5% / Men: 4.3%)

• Salt: 0.1g (Women: 1.7% / Men: 1.7%)

• Fibre: 2.2g (Women: 7.3% / Men: 7.3%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

Warming Autumn Apple Loaf Cake

It's the time of the year where there are apples everywhere. I'm lucky enough to have an apple tree in my parent's garden that produces loads of delicious but hardy cooking apples (no idea what variety they are!), and they bring me bags full of them every autumn. But even at the supermarkets and local grocers they are often seasonal and local at this time of year, so go and buy a bag and try this warming apple loaf, which can be made with any variety of apple. Best enjoyed with a cuppa and a good book. 

This recipe calls for apple sauce which acts as a binder instead of eggs. Find the easiest quick recipe for sweet and tangy apple sauce here (you can make a big batch and freeze portions ready for when baking requires it, or just keep it in the fridge to stir into porridge, dollop on pancakes, or serve with nut roast!). 

Vegan Autumn Apple Loaf Cake

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf / 10 slices):

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup apple sauce

• 1 cup vegan butter

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• 2 apples, peeled and finely diced

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Beat the butter with 3/4 of the sugar until creamy. Next add the apple sauce, almond milk, and vanilla, and mix until completely combined and smooth. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder, then add this to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Then mix in 2/3 of the apples, and pour mixture into a lightly oiled 9x5 inch loaf tin. Stir the remaining apples with the remaining sugar, then sprinkle on top of the batter. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Nutrition per slice:

• Protein: 2.3g (Women - 4.6% / Men - 4.2%)

• Iron: 1.2mg (Woman - 8.1% / Men - 10.6%)

• Calories: 257 (Women - 12.9% / Men - 10.3%)

• Sugars: 25.5g (Women - 28.3% / Men - 21.3%)

• Total Fat: 7.5g (Women - 10.7% / Men - 7.9%)

• Saturated Fat: 1.4g (Women - 7.0% / Men - 4.7%)

• Salt: 0.3g (Women - 5.0% / Men - 5.0%)

• Fibre: 1.5g (Women - 5.0% / Men 5.0%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.