Name: Banana Bread No Eggs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3-4 medium ripe or overripe bananas (approximately 300 grams with peels); ⅓ to ½ cup sugar (raw, brown, or granulated white sugar); ⅓ to ½ cup neutral-flavored oil (such as sunflower or coconut oil); ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder (optional); ⅛ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg (optional); ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (about 180 grams); 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; A pinch of salt (optional); 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional, or other mix-ins like nuts/chocolate chips)

This vegan banana bread stands out as the finest rendition I’ve ever created, a testament to countless baking attempts. Crafted without eggs and using wholemeal flour, it achieves an exquisite balance of lightness, softness, and ideal sweetness. It’s no wonder this recipe has garnered widespread acclaim and successful results from our readership.

About Eggless Banana Bread

A perennial family favorite, banana bread is my quick solution when time is tight, relying on overripe bananas and everyday pantry items. Unsurprisingly, this vegan banana bread is a top performer on my blog, rivaling the popularity of my Banana and Chocolate Cake recipes.

About nine years ago, I started receiving requests for an egg-free banana bread. This led to extensive experimentation, including at least six unsuccessful attempts to achieve the perfect eggless loaf. Developing eggless or vegan cakes and breads is inherently difficult; the goal is always superior texture and taste. While I managed to create eggless and vegan versions, I was never fully satisfied with the texture of the resulting loaves.

I tried numerous additions – vinegar, plant-based ‘buttermilk,’ cornflour – yet the bread never reached that ideal level of moistness. The outcome was often dry and soft, yet sometimes dense or even crumbly.

My turning point came when I decided to simplify the ingredients, using only items easily found in my kitchen. I discovered that pureeing bananas served as an excellent egg substitute, particularly for banana bread. By incorporating just bananas, oil, and a few other pantry staples, I finally achieved the moist, light, and soft eggless banana bread I had long sought.

Ingredients

Flour: For the base of this bread, I personally opted for organic whole wheat flour, which yielded excellent results. However, you have several flexible alternatives. You can successfully make this bread using all-purpose flour, or even a half-and-half blend of both whole wheat and all-purpose flours. If you’re aiming for a slightly different texture, cake flour or pastry flour are also viable options that will work well in this recipe.
Sugar: When it comes to sweetness, you have a choice of several common sugars, all of which perform admirably in this recipe. Feel free to use brown sugar, organic unrefined cane sugar, or standard granulated white sugar. Each will contribute the necessary sweetness and integrate seamlessly into the batter.
Oil: The key for the oil in this recipe is to select one with a neutral flavor that won’t overpower the other ingredients. I’ve personally tested this bread numerous times, experimenting with a wide range of oils, and all have proven successful. My successful trials include using coconut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, and even olive oil. Choose whichever neutral-flavored oil you have on hand or prefer.
Flavorings: To enhance the taste of this vegan banana bread, I incorporated a blend of aromatic spices: cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. While the vanilla extract is highly recommended for its classic flavor, please note that both the cinnamon and nutmeg are entirely optional. If you’re not a fan of these spices or don’t have them available, you can easily omit them without significantly impacting the bread’s core appeal.
Sunflower Seeds: To boost the nutritional content and add a pleasant texture to the bread, I included sunflower seeds. However, their inclusion is completely at your discretion. You can easily skip adding them if you prefer a smoother texture, or alternatively, feel free to substitute them with your favorite edible seeds or nuts, such as chopped walnuts, pecans, or chia seeds, to personalize the bread to your taste.

How to Make Banana Bread: Prep Oven and Make Banana Puree

1. Preheat Your Oven and Prepare Bananas: Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Allow it to preheat thoroughly for at least 20 minutes to ensure an even baking temperature. While the oven is warming up, take your ripe or overripe bananas – which are ideal for this recipe due to their natural sweetness and soft texture – and slice them into a spacious mixing bowl.

Tip on Banana Quantity: I typically find that about 4 medium-sized bananas or 2 large bananas are perfect for this recipe. If you’re measuring by weight, this translates to approximately 300 grams or 10.5 ounces of bananas (including their peels).

2. Add Sugar to Bananas: Next, add your chosen sugar to the sliced bananas. The amount can vary based on the inherent sweetness of your bananas and your personal preference: use ⅓ to ½ cup of sugar. For this particular recipe, I’ve used raw sugar. However, you have the flexibility to use other sweeteners that work well, such as brown sugar, white granulated sugar, coconut sugar, palm sugar, maple syrup, or jaggery (which is Indian unrefined cane sugar).

Note on Flavor Variation: Be aware that using palm sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or jaggery will impart distinct flavor profiles to your banana bread, differing from the taste achieved with raw or white sugar.

3. Mash the Bananas to a Smooth Puree: Now, it’s time to transform your bananas into a smooth puree. Use a masher or a fork to thoroughly mash the bananas until they reach a consistent, smooth consistency. Alternatively, for an even smoother result, you can puree the bananas along with the sugar in a blender.

Tip on Puree Consistency: The goal is to have no large chunks of banana left in the puree. However, don’t worry if you see fine threads of banana in the mixture; this is perfectly acceptable. As mentioned, a blender can be very effective if you need assistance achieving a completely smooth mash.

5. Incorporate Oil into the Banana Mixture: Once your banana puree is ready, add ½ cup of oil to the mashed banana mixture. It’s crucial to select a neutral-flavored oil for this step. This ensures that no undesirable aftertaste from the oil will be detectable in the finished bread. My personal preference is to use sunflower oil due to its neutral profile.

Important Note on Coconut Oil: I have successfully used coconut oil on various occasions. However, it’s important to be aware that if you refrigerate the banana bread made with coconut oil, its texture can become denser as the coconut oil solidifies at cooler temperatures. Keep this in mind when choosing your oil.

6. Briskly Whisk the Oil and Banana Puree: Now, using a wired whisk or a spatula, stir the mixture briskly for about 2 to 3 minutes. This vigorous stirring is essential to ensure that the oil is evenly and thoroughly mixed with the banana puree, creating a homogenous base for your bread.

7. Add Flavorings to the Mixture: Finally, it’s time to infuse your oil and banana puree mixture with delightful flavorings. Stir in the following:

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder (ground cinnamon)
2 to 3 pinches or ⅛ teaspoon of grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder
½ teaspoon of vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Tip on Optional Spices: While all these flavorings contribute to a rich taste, please note that both the cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder are entirely optional. You can omit them if you prefer a simpler flavor profile or don’t have them on hand.

8. Combine Flavorings Well: After adding the flavoring spices and vanilla, ensure they are fully integrated. Stir and mix well until all the spices and vanilla are evenly distributed throughout the banana oil mixture, preparing it for the next steps of the recipe.

How to Make Banana Bread: Make Banana Bread Batter

9. Sieve Dry Ingredients into the Bowl: To ensure a light and airy texture, it’s crucial to sieve your dry ingredients directly into the bowl containing your wet banana mixture. Carefully sieve in:

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour (approximately 180 grams)
½ teaspoon of baking soda
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
A pinch of salt

10. Ensure Even Distribution of Dry Mixture: After sieving, take a moment to ensure that the dry mixture is evenly distributed and sits uniformly on top of the wet mixture. This visual check helps prepare for proper incorporation.

11. Gently Fold the Ingredients: This step is critical for achieving the right texture. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The key here is to fold, not to mix or stir vigorously.

Tip on Folding: This folding technique is paramount. Your goal is for the entire bread mixture to be combined into one homogenous batter, mixed evenly, but it’s equally important to avoid stirring vigorously. Over-stirring will cause the batter to deflate, leading to a dense bread. The gentle folding motion helps to combine the ingredients without overworking the gluten.

12. Achieve the Correct Batter Consistency: Once folded correctly, the batter should appear fully combined but not flat. It will have a thick, rich consistency, indicative of a well-formed batter with good volume.

Avoid Overworking the Batter: This is a crucial point for successful baking. Ensure that you do not overwork the batter. Excessive mixing will cause gluten strands to develop within the batter, which will result in an undesirable doughy or chewy texture after baking, rather than a tender crumb. The finished batter should maintain its volume and not look flat or stringy.
Adjusting Batter Consistency (if needed): Depending on the specific type of whole wheat flour you use, or even environmental factors, your batter might occasionally appear too thick or dry. If you observe this, you can easily adjust the consistency by adding about ¼ to ⅓ cup of water or your preferred nut milk. Sometimes, more liquid is needed to achieve the ideal consistency for a perfect bake.

13. Add Optional Mix-ins (Enhance Flavor and Texture): This step is entirely optional, but I highly recommend it as I always find that additional ingredients like nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips significantly enhance the flavor and texture of vegan banana bread.

For this specific recipe, I incorporated about 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds.
However, you have complete freedom to customize! You can also add chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, or any other dry fruit or nuts of your choice.

14. Gently Fold in Optional Mix-ins: If you’ve decided to add any optional mix-ins, fold the batter gently once again until your chosen ingredients, such as the sunflower seeds, are fully and evenly incorporated throughout the batter. Remember to maintain the gentle folding motion to preserve the batter’s volume.

How to Make Banana Bread: Bake Eggless Banana Bread

15. Prepare Pan and Bake the Bread: Carefully pour the prepared banana bread batter into your chosen baking pan. You can use either an 8 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pan or an 8 x 2 inch round cake pan. Ensure the pan is either greased thoroughly or lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Once the batter is in the pan, place it into your preheated oven and bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 to 40 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it.

Tip on Baking Time and Oven Variations: It’s important to remember that oven temperatures can vary significantly from one appliance to another. Therefore, it’s crucial to keep a close eye on your banana bread as it bakes. To ensure a good rise and even bake, be careful NOT to open the oven door until the bread is at least ¾ of the way done (around 25-30 minutes into baking).
Testing for Doneness: When in doubt about whether your bread is fully baked, always rely on the skewer or toothpick test. The definitive benchmark is that a bamboo skewer or toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the bread should come out completely clean, indicating that the bread is cooked through and there’s no wet or sticky batter remaining.

16. Cool the Bread: Once baked to perfection, carefully remove the loaf pan from the oven. Place the hot loaf pan directly onto a wired rack to allow the bread to cool down gradually. This helps prevent the bottom from becoming soggy. Wait until the bread has cooled completely or at least significantly before attempting to remove it from the pan. Trying to remove it too soon can cause it to break apart. Once cooled, gently lift the loaf out of the pan.

17. Slice and Serve Your Eggless Banana Bread: Your homemade Eggless Banana Bread is now ready to be enjoyed! Slice it into your desired thickness. It’s delicious served as is, perhaps alongside a warm cup of tea or coffee, or simply as a satisfying sweet snack any time of day.

Storage

If you have any remaining loaf, you can easily store it to maintain its freshness. Wrap it tightly in cling film (plastic wrap) or place it in an air-tight container. Stored this way in the refrigerator, it will keep well for about more than a week. For the best experience, I recommend warming the bread slightly before serving any refrigerated slices, as this will bring back its soft texture and enhance its flavors.

Expert Tips for Perfect Eggless Banana Bread

1. Warm Before Serving (Especially if Using Coconut Oil): This tip is particularly important if you’ve chosen to use coconut oil in your recipe. When refrigerated, coconut oil naturally solidifies, which can cause the entire bread to become quite dense and firm. To restore its wonderful, soft, and moist texture, simply warm up the bread briefly before serving. A quick zap in the microwave or a few minutes in a low oven will bring it back to its natural, delightful consistency.

2. Adjust Sweetness to Your Preference: The beauty of homemade baking is the ability to customize! The sweetness level of this banana bread can be easily adjusted to suit your personal taste. If your bananas are very ripe (and thus naturally sweeter) or if you prefer a less sweet treat, you can slightly reduce the sugar. Conversely, if you have less ripe bananas or a sweeter tooth, you can increase the sugar amount within the suggested range (⅓ to ½ cup, or even a bit more if desired).

3. Keep it Simple: Optional Add-ins: While I love adding extra textures and flavors, remember that many ingredients are optional. You can absolutely skip adding sunflower seeds, or any other nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips, if you prefer a plain banana bread or don’t have these ingredients on hand. The core recipe will still yield a delicious loaf.

4. Flour Options for Versatility: While I’ve developed this recipe using whole wheat flour, which offers a wholesome flavor and texture, you have flexibility with your flour choice. If you prefer, you can successfully make this banana bread with all-purpose flour for a lighter crumb, or even a half-and-half blend of both whole wheat and all-purpose flours to get a balance of both. Experiment to find your favorite!

5. Understand Oven Bake Time Variations: Baking times are always approximate because the temperature can vary significantly from one oven to another, even if set to the same degree. Additionally, the size and material of your loaf pan can influence how quickly the bread bakes. Therefore, while I’ve provided a general baking time in the recipe, please use it as a guideline. Your bread might take slightly less or more time than what is listed. Always rely on the visual cues and the toothpick test (where a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean) to confirm doneness, rather than strictly adhering to a timer.