A dense, moist bread with the undeniable flavor of bananas, and totally vegan. You can make it in the Instant Pot or in the oven.
Many, many years ago, when I was a small kid, my mother put an ad in Country Woman magazine for her “Blue Ribbon Banana Bread. Send $2 to get the recipe.” She actually did get a few replies to the ad and made a few bucks.
Well, I think they would have found their money well spent. Many times my mom would give out her banana bread loaves as gifts, only to hear later that the recipient families had been fighting over the last pieces.
Bottom line: my mom makes the best banana bread.
Vegan Banana Bread
While the original recipe called for using crisco or lard, she eventually started using coconut oil, which I think tastes much better anyway.
Want to bake banana bread in the oven? Use this recipe:
The Right Bananas For Banana Bread
This is what you need your bananas to look like in order to make a proper banana flavor in banana bread:
Yep, you need to have very dark, almost black bananas. The best way to achieve this is to allow your bananas to ripen naturally on the counter until they are mostly brown. They should feel really soft and “past the point” of eating them.
Then, what I do is put these very overripe bananas in the freezer. I just carefully set them in the freezer in their peels. They’ll freeze up perfectly.
Later, when I need them for a recipe, I’ll take them out and let them thaw on the counter. You can also defrost them in the microwave without any issues.
Once thawed, they will be very delicate. I simply puncture the peel and pull it open, and the entire banana will fall out easily into a bowl. It will be a dull brown color and somewhat transparent, this is the normal result of the starches breaking down and becoming sweeter.
Ingredients
- 3 over ripe bananas they should be black*
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup aquafaba
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together thoroughly using a whisk, making sure the bananas are mashed up well and the coconut oil isn’t in big clumps larger than a pea.
- Grease the sides of an 8" spring pan with coconut oil and dust with flour. Lay the bottom of the pan on parchment paper to trace a circle. Cut it out and insert it into the bottom of the assembled cake pan.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan.
- Insert a steaming rack into the inner pot of the Instant Pot and pour in one cup of water. Then carefully lower the springform pan into the pot.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, seal up the vent, and cook on high pressure (press Manual or Pressure Cook) and set the timer on the Instant Pot for 60 minutes.
- Once the cake has finished baking after 60 minutes, manually release the steam by turning the steam valve. Open the lid, remove the cake, and allow it to cool for another 30 minutes before removing the outer side of the springform pan.
- Cool completely (if you can wait!) before eating. It’s okay to cut it while it’s warm, too. Pairs well with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
Notes
- I always use bananas that have over-ripened until they are very, very dark. They will not look appetizing but will have a much more intense banana flavor, fragrance, and sweetness. I keep these "black bananas" in my freezer (you don’t need to put them in anything) and keep them frozen until I’m ready to make this banana cake or banana bread. Never waste a good banana, I say!
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can bake this in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 70 minutes.
Nutrition
Try more vegan dessert recipes or check out some of my vegan recipes for the Instant Pot!
