One Bowl Banana Bread (Gluten Free, Vegan)

An amazing one bowl banana bread that’s gluten free and yields perfectly moist banana bread with a tender crumb and satisfying flavor. The best ever vegan gluten free banana bread!

Introducing the only Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe you’ll ever need. That’s right I said it. It’s Saturday and I can do whatever I dang well please! 😉 Plus, we’re allowed to go a bit bold, a bit adventurous and more than a bit sassy come the weekend! Or else what’s the point of all that hard work we did during the week, right?

Now before I go off on another tangent totally not related to magical one bowl banana bread, let me steer this recipe/ship towards the right location. Today’s the day we revisit one of my most popular banana bread recipes—in fact, the most reader-loved gluten free banana bread I’ve ever shared.

We’re going to chat about how to make vegan gluten free banana bread, how to store it, and why you’d even think about making this one bowl banana bread. Are you game? Let’s bake this!

Banana Bread (gluten free) ingredients pre-measured in mis en place bowls on a kitchen counter

Vegan Gluten Free Ingredients for Beautiful Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread

“Delicious vegan gluten free banana bread isn’t possible,” they said. “There is no such thing as a vegan gluten free banana bread recipe that isn’t gummy, gross and straight up inedible,” they cried. “Secretly gluten free one bowl banana bread might as well be a dream!!”, they ranted. Let’s defy what they all think and make the best friggin’ vegan gf banana bread ever. Wanna see what beautiful vegan gluten free ingredient we’re using? Let’s do it.

  • Bananas: bananas are one of the most wonderful ingredients to work with, ain’t it? I love ripening my bananas as much as possible before mashing them up to make my vegan gluten free banana bread. Bonus? Bananas are naturally gluten free!
  • Coconut oil: we’re trading the dairy (think: butter), and subbing it with vegan-friendly coconut oil. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, melted vegan butter would probably be the closest substitute.
  • Maple syrup: just the perfect amount to enhance the taste of bananas in the perfect vegan gluten free banana bread recipe! 
  • Gluten free oat flour and almond meal: If you’re new to vegan gluten free baking, these are two of my recommended ingredients to get for your pantry. GF oat flour creates a rich and cozy backdrop for nearly any flavor–the best being bananas, while almond meal pairs so beautifully with the sweet fruit. The nuttiness of almond meal truly brings out the flavor of bananas. Bonus? It’s naturally gluten free!
  • Flax egg: my favorite vegan egg substitute. If you’ve never made a flax egg before, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s super easy! You can learn how to make a flax egg here.
  • Add-ins: Try walnuts or whatever you’d like! I love vegan gluten free add-ins such as allergy-friendly chocolate chips, dried fruit, or seeds.
Front view of vegan gluten free banana bread loaf with slices falling forward

How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread

Preheat

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Mash & Whisk

Add peeled bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash until mostly smooth.

Two photos showing how to make Banana Bread Gluten Free – mashing bananas

Prepare the Wet Ingredients

Add the rest of the wet ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup, flax egg and vanilla. Whisk all the ingredients together until it’s well mixed. 

Two photos showing how to make Banana Bread Gluten Free – whisking wet ingredients together

Combine to make Banana Bread Batter

Add all of the dry ingredients to the same bowl (1-bowl, woohoo!!): oat flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Now whisk it all together until no flour patches remain.

Two photos showing how to make Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread – adding dry ingredients to create batter

Now, for the fun part: choosing your favorite add-ins! I love using walnuts for a classic banana bread taste, but feel free to use chocolate chips and more!

Fold in chopped walnuts or your favorite add-ins.

Once the batter is well-mixed, but not over-mixed, it will look like this:

Close up of One Bowl Banana Bread batter in mixing bowl to show thick texture

Pour the Batter into a Loaf Pan

Pour your vegan gluten free banana bread batter into the loaf pan your prepared earlier. Smooth the batter out, then shape it to resemble a loaf—your loaf will bake up very much how it looks raw.

Two photos showing how to make One Bowl Banana Bread – spreading batter into lined loaf pan

For fun, grab a butter knife and cut a slit slightly off center down the loaf. Once done, give the knife a wiggle back and forth in the slit to widen it. Go ahead and sprinkle your vegan gf banana bread with walnuts or your favorite topping.

Two photos showing how to make One Bowl Banana Bread Gluten Free – pressing topping into the top of the loaf

Bake, Cool and Enjoy

Bake for about 65 minutes, cool and enjoy the best vegan gluten free banana bread! 

Banana Recipes You’ll Love >> Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins (Vegan) // Vegan Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter (GF)

Overhead image of stacks of banana bread slices with unsliced loaf above them

How do I know when my bananas are ripened just-right for the best banana bread?

Good question! We’ve all been in the banana boat (couldn’t help it) where we’re trying to use green bananas to make banana bread. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna cut it. Green bananas have what some might call a vegetable-y taste. It’s not what’s intended for today’s perfect vegan gf banana bread. Here are some tips on when to know if a banana is the perfect ripeness for making banana bread:

  • brown spots: when those brown spots start coming in, that’s when you know you’re getting close to perfectly ripe bananas for banana bread. Just–ignore the brown spots if they’re a result of rough handling. Yep, bananas can bruise, too. The brown spots you’re looking for naturally blossom as the bananas ripen.
  • rich yellow color: still not sure, even with the brown spots? Look for a bold yellow color. Sometimes a banana can be green and have brown spots, so that’s not a good indicator. Look for a rich yellow color and brown spots.
  • soft to the touch: lastly, I recommend gently picking one of your bananas up. Is it soft to the touch, or firm? If it’s firm, with a thick skin that feels almost plasticky, it’s not ready. If the skin seems to be getting almost… thinner, press your finger gently into the side of the banana. If it’s soft, it’s ready!

Testimonials

Isabel says, “LOVED this recipe. I did have to make a few modifications due to some allergies, but it was AMAZING!!! This is the first time I’ve ever baked banana bread, but I’ve tried gluten free/vegan bakeries, and nothing has compared to how delicious this recipe is!! I ended up making this twice… My kid who hates bananas LOVED them… Thanks for getting me so excited to bake!”

Maria says, “Second time making this – love it! Bananas and walnuts are just the perfect combination. Thanks.”

Sylvie says, “This was amazing! I baked it in an 8×8 pan as my family has declared war on “loaf” breads…it baked in 45 minutes in case anyone was wondering! I then made a thin glaze with powdered sugar, almond milk and vanilla extract…Fabulous!! thanks so much for this amazing recipe!”

Amanda says, “Just made this and it’s so great! My 4 year old son loved it and ate two pieces! Thank you for creating such a great recipe. I’ll be making this again soon. I modified only by adding a little less than 1/4 cup maple syrup.”

Storing and Freezing One Bowl Banana Bread

Store it at Room Temperature

You can absolutely store your one bowl banana bread at room temperature—just make sure to keep it away from direct sunlight and heat sources which could spoil it. Store vegan gf banana bread in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Some readers like it best on day 1, others on day 3. 😉

Store it in the Freezer

Go ahead and make a double batch so you can conveniently freeze your gluten free banana bread and enjoy it whenever you please! Just throw (okay, fine, gently slide) your vegan gluten free banana bread into a freezer-friendly container and keep it for about 1-2 months.

Just give it about 15-30 minutes to thaw at room temp before enjoying, or heat the banana bread in 10-second increments in the microwave until just warm.

Also try >> Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe // Vegan Banana Brownies Recipe // Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars // Deliciously Healthy Orange Bread

The only vegan gluten free banana bread recipe you’ll ever need—1-bowl & easy, the best deliciously moist banana bread ever.

Overhead image of vegan gluten free banana slices fanned forward on a cloth napkin

Grab just one bowl, a huge appetite, and get ready to bake it like it’s hot. Which it totally will be. Once the oven gets warm. It’s truly a pleasure to bake all the delicious vegan gf treats with you. And joke around, because life’s too short not to have a bunch of good laughs. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe. ‘Til the next baking adventure…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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Vegan gluten free banana bread pin image

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Banana Bread Recipes You’ll Love

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One Bowl Vegan Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread (V, GF, DF): an easy recipe for perfectly moist banana bread packed with walnuts and bursting with banana flavor! #Vegan #GlutenFree #OatFlour #DairyFree | BeamingBaker.com

Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread (GF)


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4.9 from 33 reviews

Description

Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread (GF): an amazing 1-bowl vegan gluten free banana bread recipe that yields perfectly moist banana bread bursting with banana flavor! Vegan, Gluten Free.


Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon golden ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, whisk together, set for 15 mins)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups gluten free oat flour – if using homemade oat flour, make sure it’s very finely ground (not coarse)*
  • ¾ cup almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Add-ins

  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped or your favorite add-in (chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit, etc.)

Optional Topping

  • 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped or favorite add-in

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or greased foil.  Set aside.
  2. Peel bananas and add to a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter (recommended) or sturdy whisk, mash bananas until smooth. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, flax egg and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.
  3. Add oat flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain. Fold in chopped walnuts.
  4. Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth batter into an even layer, with the shape of a rise down the center—just like a loaf. The loaf will bake up very similarly to how it looks raw—now is the time to shape it. Using a butter knife, cut a slit slightly off center down the loaf. Take the butter knife and go back into the slit, gently wiggling the knife back and forth to widen the slit/seam. Optionally, sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Lightly press walnuts into the top.
  5. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Mine took 65 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the center of the loaf. The toothpick will come out clean when the loaf is done. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours. Lift out, slice and enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipes & More

Notes

A Note on Homemade Oat Flour: *If using homemade oat flour, make sure to blend the flour until very fine and sift the flour to remove coarse bits of oats that could create less than ideal results. Store until needed, then measure the amount required for the recipe.

Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature.

Freezing Instructions: This loaf freezes well. Store in a freezer-friendly, airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes, or heat in the microwave in 10-second increments until just warm.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 65 minutes
  • Category: Snack, Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.

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117 Comments

  1. Thanks a lot for this recipe. Any suggestion on how long it will take if I want to do it as muffins ?

  2. I used to make this as is and it was great, but I’ve developed a sensitivity to almonds in the past few months. I couldn’t find any recipes that used just oat flour (without also using reg oats, I don’t like that texture) so I figured I’d try this one modified, using 2 cups of homemade oat flour instead of the oat flour and almond meal (slightly less flour bc I know oat flour is more absorbant). It was delicious!






      1. Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing! I love that you were able to adapt the recipe to what works for your food sensitivities. 🙂 Also, chocolate chips make *everything* better!! Thanks for reporting back and letting me know how it turned out for you. Happy baking, Sarika!

  3. Love this recipe!! I have MS and eat dairy free, egg free, gluten free. This recipe is a savior. I made once as bread and once as muffins (less cooking time). I added a 1/4 coconut sugar to kick up the sweetness. I also covered with bananas sauted in maple syrup, vegan butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nuts. It doesn’t need it, but that was always my signature touch when making banana bread.






  4. I have made this a few times and it is outstanding! Very dense and very flavorful! Everybody always wants the recipe! I always make one with walnuts and then one with chocolate chips! A mainstay for our desserts or snack. 🙏❤️






  5. This recipe was so nice and easy, simple to follow, and very family/children friendly. I work at a cafe where we serve people with different dietary needs, and these sold out within the week! I made 2 batches. My only advice for people is to use more batter, as they don’t rise as much as a regular banana bread does, that is to be expected. Either that, or use a smaller pan so it looks fuller! Overall impressed and will use again.






  6. Demeter, I have made this banana bread twice already and it is such a delicious recipe!!! It is moist and the crunchy walnut with every bite has added such a welcome contrast! People I have served it to can not believe it is gluten free and vegan. Thank you for taking healthy baking to such an excellent level!!






  7. This tastes so good! I can’t believe it’s vegan! My vegan friends are going to love this at our next brunch! Love it!






  8. My husband said this was the “most normal” tasting gluten free baked good I’ve ever made. 😁 He said “It’s so good it doesn’t even need chocolate chips” which is a huge complement from him!! My only problem with it is that I can’t stop eating it!!! I followed the recipe exactly except for using a real egg instead of flax egg, and I baked it in an 8×8 pan so it would be done faster.

    1. “Most normal”: LOL! Tell him that we’ve ALL been there. 🤣 And as a fellow chocolate lover, I’m appalled! J/K. I am blushing over here! It’s so wonderful to hear that you both enjoyed my recipe so much. Can’t wait to see what you two try next!