RECIPE: Vegan Banana Bread
for Environment911.org
September 17, 2021
This classic loaf is easy to adapt to a vegan version!
I came home after a weekend away and the bananas in my house were extremely ripe. Sure, I could have tossed them in a smoothie, but it had been a while since I made a loaf of banana bread.
This is my mom’s banana bread recipe that I’ve used for years, but I tweaked it a tiny bit (mainly replacing the two eggs with two flax eggs) to make it vegan. Plus, I added vegan chocolate mini-chips for fun.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of sugar (make sure it’s vegan, coconut sugar works well)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup, mashed/puréed, over-ripe bananas, approximately 3
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
5 tbsp water
1/4 cup of mini vegan chocolate chips, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan with a small amount of the vegetable shortening. (You can also flour it, but I’ve always skipped that step.)
In a small bowl, whisk the flaxseed and the water together to create 2 flax eggs. Set this aside for at least 5 minutes while you mix the rest of the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Either with two knives in a cutting motion or with your hands (my preference), crumble the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs and feels like sand.
Stir in the banana and flax eggs, (add chocolate chips here too, if using) until just combined, and no dry spots are left.
Pour into the pan and spread evenly.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes and then check the loaf—every oven is different, so you don’t want to overdo it. My oven takes about an hour to get it to the nice golden brown I like. Stick either a toothpick or a knife into the centre of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it should be done.
Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely.
I store it wrapped in tinfoil and it lasts several days.
ENJOY!