My vegan 4 ingredient banana bread recipe is easy to make in one bowl with just a few healthy ingredients! Gluten free and fruit-sweetened.
Sometimes I legit get worried I’ll run out of ideas for tasty banana bread flavors, because it’s one of my absolute favorite things to bake.
The other day I started brainstorming up a new banana bread, then realized I’ve never even posted my no frills, basic recipe. Mostly because I usually can’t resist adding fun stuff, like chocolate, chocolate chips, a cinnamon crumb, and almond butter + chocolate chips.
So today, we’re keeping it super simple! Cause honestly, it’s fun to add all the other flavors, but this vegan 4 ingredient banana bread is perfect on its own.
Ingredients for vegan 4 ingredient banana bread
- Rolled oats: you’ll blend the oats to flour consistency, which will hold the banana bread together. Because it’s the only grain in the recipe, the oat flour will give the bread quite a dense, rich texture – it’s not light like a cake, but hearty and satisfying.
- Banana: as always with banana baked goods, make sure your bananas are super ripe and spotty. They’re the only sweetener in this recipe, so they need to be really ripe for optimal banana flavor and sweetness.
- Ground flaxseed: you’ll make flax eggs by putting the ground flax in a bowl with water in the fridge for 20 minutes, until it gels up a bit. This helps hold the banana bread together and provides some great nutrition, too.
- Nondairy milk: a bit of milk brings the batter together. I use unsweetened almond milk for neutral flavor, but any nondairy milk should work.
Tips for making vegan 4 ingredient banana bread
- Measure the rolled oats before blending into flour. I always list the amount of oats used BEFORE they’re blended for flour. So in this case, you’ll measure out 2 cups of whole, rolled oats, then put those 2 cups into your blender to make flour.
- Make sure to use a nonstick or parchment-lined pan. Use a nonstick or parchment-lined pan so that the bread doesn’t stick after baking.
- Let it cool completely. Let the banana bread cool for at least 20 minutes before flipping it out of the pan, then let it sit and cool completely before slicing. It is pretty soft and gooey as is, but will firm up during the cooling process, and if you slice it too early, it may be a gooey mess.
- Add some fun toppings. This vegan 4 ingredient banana bread is great on its own, but even better with whatever toppings you love! My favorites are almond butter, vegan chocolate chips, or vegan yogurt.
This vegan 4 ingredient banana bread is classic, simple, but oh so comforting. The banana flavor is front and center (duh), and the texture is super gooey and rich. It’s the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert treat, and even better with fun toppings.
I just love banana bread.
Xo,
Sara
Vegan 4 Ingredient Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats, blended to flour consistency
- 1 1/2 cups super ripe, mashed banana
- 2 flax eggs – 2 tbsp ground flaxseed in a bowl with 6 tbsp water, set in the fridge at least 20 minutes
- 1/2 cup nondairy milk – I use unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until totally combined into a thick batter.
- Pour the batter into a nonstick or parchment-lined loaf pan, and bake 40 minutes.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for another 20 minutes before removing to cool completely before slicing.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Ok, first of all I just want to say that I love your recipes! Second, since you mentioned running out of banana bread recipes earlier in the post, I was wondering if you could create one that is less dense and has more of a fluffy texture (while still be healthy of course lol). Now I personally don’t mind dense breads (I actually really like them), but my family does not, and I know that using all oat flour yields dense results. I hope you can take this suggestion into consideration:) Thanks for all of your delicious recipes and keep up the amazing work!
Hi, Sophia! Thanks for the kind words, and yes, that’s definitely something I’ll be experimenting with in the future. It can be tricky because a lot of the less dense flours aren’t quite up to my standard in terms of nutrition, but I definitely haven’t tried enough different combinations to give up yet! I love dense breads too, but my family is the same way. I think it can be off putting to people who are used to more decadent, traditional stuff, which I totally get. I’m in the process of moving but once I get settled at our new place this I’ll make this a priority!!! No guarantees but I’ll do my best 🙂 In the meantime, you could try adding a bit of baking powder to oat flour recipes, I haven’t tried it myself because I don’t usually have baking powder but that might help a bit!
I just made this delicious banana ???? ❤️. Was wondering if I could use a different flour instead.
Hi, so happy you liked it!! I haven’t tried this recipe with any other flour, and substitutions would definitely change the texture. I don’t recommend making any swaps just because there are so few ingredients to begin with and I can’t say if any other flour would work! But let me know if you do try out another flour.
I can’t believe I haven’t made this before today! I had so many bananas that needed something. I usually freeze for smoothies, but had more than enough, so started searching your recipes. 🙂 I have meetings at work tomorrow from 7:30am through at least 1pm (UGH) but now I prepped breakfast! Waiting for it to cool before cutting, but it smells so good.
YES what a great fun breakfast to have ready to go for a Monday!! It’s so simple but one of my favs. Hope you love it!!