Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts. A classic, super-moist banana bread made with toasted nuts and shredded coconut. Palm-oil free, vegan, and made in one bowl or a blender.
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There are never too many banana bread recipes. I love a loaf that’s moist, banana-forward and lightly sweet. This version borrows tips from many bakery-style recipes and adds toasted coconut, coconut oil and toasted walnuts for depth of flavor. The result is a caramelized, nutty, banana-scented loaf perfect for breakfast, snack time, or a cozy dessert.
The method is simple: blend the wet ingredients until smooth, whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl, combine the two, pour into a prepared pan, sprinkle with extra walnuts and bake. The batter comes together easily and bakes into a loaf with tender crumb and good structure. Toasting the walnuts and coconut gives the bread a richer, more complex flavor, and the spices—cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg—bring warmth without overpowering the banana. If your bananas are very ripe you can reduce the added sugar or swap in chopped dates or currants for natural sweetness.
Make this coconut-scented, one-bowl vegan banana bread and enjoy warm slices with a drizzle of maple or a smear of nut butter.
More breakfast bakes from the blog
- Banana Walnut Breakfast Loaf. Gluten-free
- Banana Oat Quinoa Quick Bread bar
- One bowl Pumpkin Bread
- Turmeric Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Loaf
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Is this the best banana bread? Taste is personal, but this loaf strikes a great balance: reduced sugar, a touch of coconut oil to keep it tender, and plenty of banana flavor. If you try it, leave a comment or tag the creator on social media.
Briefly: whisk dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in toasted nuts, blend the wet ingredients until smooth, combine wet and dry into a thick batter, pour into a parchment-lined loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool completely before slicing.
Mix into a stiff batter, pour into the prepared pan and top with extra chopped nuts or chocolate if desired.
Bake, cool briefly in the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool completely before slicing.
Vegan Banana Bread with Coconut and toasted Walnuts 1 Bowl
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1¾ cup flour, I use 1 cup spelt/white whole wheat + ¾ cup unbleached white flour
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup oats
- 2¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp ground spices or spice blend of choice, I use 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a big pinch of ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- A few tablespoons of toasted walnuts or pecans, plus more for garnish
- A few tablespoons vegan chocolate chunks, dried fruit like currants, chopped dates or other additions
Wet:
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup non dairy milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 large ripe bananas or 3 medium, 1 cup if well mashed, heaping 1 cup if sliced
- 3 to 4 tbsp coconut sugar or other sugar, depends on the sweetness of the bananas
- 3 tbsp coconut oil melted, or other oil or use smooth nut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 365°F / 180°C. Line an 8.5 x 4.5 or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment.
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Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in shredded coconut for the last 30 seconds to lightly toast, then set aside. (Optional but recommended.)
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In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients from flour through salt. Fold in the toasted nuts and any add-ins like chocolate or dried fruit.
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In a blender, combine the wet ingredients—maple syrup, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, bananas, sugar, melted coconut oil and vanilla—blend until smooth. Alternatively, mash the bananas well in a bowl and whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.
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Pour the blended wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined into a somewhat muffin-like batter.
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Transfer the batter to the parchment-lined loaf pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts or chocolate on top if you like.
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Bake at 365°F / 180°C for 40 minutes.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 170°C and bake an additional 10–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean.
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Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and cool completely before slicing. Store at room temperature for a day, refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze tightly wrapped for up to a month.
Video
Notes
To make this oil-free: use smooth nut butter instead of oil.
To make muffins: divide batter into a lined muffin pan, top as desired and bake at 365°F for 27–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nutrition values are based on one serving and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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