Vegan peanut butter banana bread

Vegan peanut butter banana bread

vegan peanut butter banana bread cross section

After two solid weeks of basking in the Greek sun, we are finally back home for a bit. Arriving on Wednesday night was a bit of a shock to the system, I must admit. We boarded the flight in Heraklion in 29° C heat and arrived in the UK, just past midnight, in a meagre 9° C and drizzle for that extra misery factor.

If not for the fact that we were missing Tina and she was missing us (she is very affectionate and needy now after an obligatory sulk, of course), we would be tempted to hop right back on that plane…Except that we’ve done that already in the past and it didn’t quite work…

This holiday was just what we needed, a lot of rest in the sun and by the sea. We ended up staying in five different locations across the island for a few days, which gave us a chance to explore more and not get bored. We stayed in Heraklion, Sitia, Ierapetra, Matala and Agia Galini. Of all of them, Matala turned out to be our least favourite as we clearly did not research it well enough – while the landscape was stunning, the place was awash with bus tours and therefore not really to our taste, to be honest. All in all, it was only 2 days and there was a good falafel joint in town, which we loved eating at so not a biggie, but not sure we would recommend it to anyone.

Now that I’m back in my own kitchen and the weather isn’t that spectacular anymore, I really felt like baking something cosy, especially that we are off again on Monday and could do with some baked goods for the road. It’s my birthday on Wednesday (a big, scary birthday!! boohoo 🙁 ) so Duncan is whisking me away to a charming little forest cabin in Wales for a romantic getaway. I am such a lucky duck!! We are planning to do a lot of walking (we are hoping the torrential rain forecast will change at the last minute) and so some banana bread in our hiking packs won’t go amiss, for sure.

I was thinking of making this banana bread so when I walked into my local greengrocer on Thursday and saw a pile of very ripe bananas lying on the counter it felt like a sign. Not only were they perfectly ripe but they were also free – the greengrocer lady was happy to be rid of them. I leapt at the chance (you know how much I hate food waste) and decided that it is my cue to share this recipe with you as I’ve been sitting on it since July (it wasn’t really season appropriate to share UNTIL NOW).

This deliciously moist vegan peanut butter banana bread will make any peanut butter lover squeak with joy. It’s sweetened with maple syrup, uses 100% natural peanut butter in the place of oil or vegan butter and can also be made gluten-free if you so wish. It needs a total of 9 ingredients and very little process or skill so I really hope it will feature in your weekend plans, guys! It’s one of these cakes that is really, really hard to mess up, promise!

vegan peanut butter banana bread bananas

vegan peanut butter banana bread wet ingredients

vegan peanut butter banana bread dry ingredients

vegan peanut butter banana bread baked

makes
2 lb / 1 kg
PREP
20 min
COOKING
50 min
makes
2 lb / 1 kg
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
50 min
INGREDIENTS
WET INGREDIENTS

  • 185 g / ¾ cup peanut butter (I used 100% peanuts one)
  • 120 ml / ½ cup maple syrup or agave nectar or brown rice syrup
  • 450 g / 2 cups mashed up overripe bananas (approx. 700 g in skins – depends on size)
  • 2 tsp lemon, lime juice or neutral vinegar

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 180 g / 1½ cups all purpose wheat flour or tested GF flour mix (I use this one)
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
METHOD
  1. Warm up the oven to 175° C / 350° F and line a 900 g / 2 lb cake tin with baking paper. Move the oven rack a notch down from the middle position.
  2. Loosen up peanut butter by gradually mixing it with maple syrup and 30 ml / 2 tbsp of water, using a fork.
  3. Add well mashed up bananas and lemon juice (or alternative) until the mixture looks uniform.
  4. Place a sieve over the wet ingredients and sift in the dry ingredients, folding them in gently just until there are no flour pockets left.
  5. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking tin. Top the cake with more peanut butter if you wish (or a banana sliced in half lengthwise like here).
  6. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairy clean. Remove from the oven and brush with with a little maple syrup while the cake is still hot to give the top a nice shine.
  7. Let the cake cool down completely before slicing. Optionally, if you want to decorate the cake like I did, once cooled down, top it with thick vegan coconut yoghurt, caramelised bananas and peanut caramel from this recipe. Use a serrated knife to slice if you have one – I find that it produces neater looking slices.

NOTES
I used a 2lb / 900 g cake tin of the following dimensions: 18.5cm x 8cm x 6cm. (I used one like this).

This banana bread recipe is adapted from a range of my earlier banana cake recipes like Eggless banana bread and Vegan banana bread and Vegan banana bread muffins.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
205
10%
sugars
13 g
14%
fats
8 g
12%
saturates
2 g
8%
proteins
5 g
11%
carbs
30 g
12%
*per 1 out of 12 slices (without topping)
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5.0
17 reviews, 37 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Julie:
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was a bit hesitant that this was going to come out dry with no oil or butter and how thick the batter was, but it came out great! I also put peanut butter glaze (just using PB, maple syrup, almond milk and splash of vanilla extract) on top and it was amazing! Thank you!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Julie. I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this oil-free banana bread despite your initial worries. A peanut butter glaze on top sounds like a delicious topping! Ania
This was delicious! I was a bit apprehensive about the amount of peanut butter and whether it would dominate, but it went really well with the banana. Have also never done a recipe where the sugar is replace by maple syrup, but all worked well. I made it with gluten free flour and it is still moist which isn't always easy to achieve with gf flour. Would highly recommend.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much for your kind words, YH! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed it. Yes, peanut butter and banana are such good friends that I intentionally went a little crazy with peanut butter flavour - a friend of mine who tested this recipe said they could not taste enough PB, can you believe it? Hahaha! I decided to ignore them (they are clearly a PB addict :) ) Anyway, I am really pleased you enjoyed it and thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely review, it helps me out a lot! x Ania
Kerry:
Hi there,
How many servings do you get from this recipe? Looks delicious btw ;)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Kerry,
    Thank you, I hope you'll give it a try! The calories given assume 12 slices (I used an 18 cm / 7" long tin). Hope this helps! Ania
Lynne:
Made this today, none of us are vegan however, we just wanted a healthier sweet alternative and we used wow butter, a nut free replacement to peanut butter due to allergies and it was absolutely delicious. I'm making another to take for my work colleagues.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yeah, thanks so much Lynne! I am delighted to hear that enjoyed this bake so much and you are not even vegan, that's awesome to hear! And thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Sara:
Made it recently for my boyfriend who loves peanut butter and anything peanut butter flavoured. He was floored with how good this banana bread was and could not believe it had no eggs (he isn't vegan YET ;) ) Thank you for a fab and easy recipe! Sara
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm so happy to hear that it was such a hit with your peanut butter loving boyfriend and yourself, Sara! And thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
    PS: we love PB in this house too so you will find many recipes with it on my blog.
Roksana:
Oh this recipe is so good and so easy to make! Your recipe make my day :) Combination of peanut butter and banana is one of my favorites <3 Thank youu
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank so much, Roksana! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much and thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it! x Ania
Olga:
Thank you very much for a delicious and simple recipe! It turned out yummy and llight. Will bake it repeatedly.
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Olga! Thanks so much! x Ania
Frank:
Could you use honey instead of maple syrup
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Frank,
    I am guessing that so but as I vegan I don't use honey so I have not tested it in any of my recipes. Ania
Blair:
So so good! And perfect for my dairy free son! So moist and we all loved!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Blair! I'm delighted to hear that it went down well with both you and your son - I hear that kids aren't always the easiest to please ;) x Ania
Wendy Rainbow Dann:
Just for a different taste, I used molasses instead of maple syrup.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure, I don't see why not - any liquid sweeter works here. Ania
Lily:
This is THE BEST BANANA bread I've ever tasted. Thank you so much! I can't wait to try some more of your recipes.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, Lily! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania
Joy:
Instead of maple syrup, do you think monkfruit sweetner would work? It has the same texture as refined sugar. If so, how much should I use? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Joy,
    I have never used monkfruit sweetner so I am not in a position to make any useful suggestions, I'm afraid. If you were to use sugar (as you say that it's similar), I would say you'll need to reduce the amount of liquid the recipe uses so maybe 1¾ cups (instead of 2 cups) of bananas would work better, but I haven't tested that so you'll need to take a risk. Ania
Sarah:
Thanks for this great recipe! I made this today and it was delicious and so easy to make. I used golden syrup as I didn’t have maple syrup or the other suggestions.
I make banana bread quite often and this will be my new go-to banana bead recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for your kind words, Sarah! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much and thank you for letting me know! Stay safe! x Ania
Jane:
Love this recipe. Make it most weeks for my vegan son. Can it be frozen?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Jane! I do think so although I have not tried it myself. x Ania
Andrea:
Hi Ania,
I love this recipe, I have made this 3 times already. Just wondering, would this work well if I put the batter in a muffin tin instead of a cake tin?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Andrea,
    That's fantastic, I am delighted to hear that. Yes, it absolutely works - in fact, I have converted that cake into muffins for this recipe. Hope you'll enjoy them! Ania
Bolo:
Delicious recipe, i'm trying to make this
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, I hope you'll enjoy it! x Ania
Lana Berger:
Hi Ania,
Would I be able to use golden syrup instead of maple syrup?
    Ania
    Ania:
    I suspect so although I have never baked with golden syrup so not 100% sure, but 99% sure! x Ania
Alma:
I grew up in a bakery and my family has been baking for decades I refused to even try to bake until today. I missed the smell of fresh bread and cakes and having it around. So today I made this recipe and it was so easy to make and so delicious. Thanks for being so specific with each step. I'll be making your pumpkin bread next and cannot wait to try more of your recipes.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, I am delighted to hear that, Alma! Thank you so much for taking the time to review and rate my recipe - much appreciated. Ania
Abigail:
I made this today and it has become a firm favourite! So easy to make, I had all the ingredients in my kitchen and it worked out perfectly. My kids said it was the best banana bread ever and I’m inclined to agree! Thanks for the recipe 😊
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Abigail! Thanks so much for your kind words! x Ania
Kasia:
Hi Ania
This looks absolutely amazing 😋 I am a big fan of both peanut butter and bananas so thanks for sharing the recipe 😊I just put ready mixture in the oven and I can't wait to try. My boyfriend is working away so every week I bake something delicious for his arrival (last week blueberry and strawberry pie 😋) I share some photos and review it tomorrow when I decorate it and finally try it and he will 😉 I'm sure we'll love it! Best regards Kasia
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, that's so lovely of you! What a lucky guy (hope he realises it!)! I hope you both enjoy the cake. x Ania
Joshua Howard:
Wow! Thank you for the share! Made this today I had never made banana bread before. Absolutely amazing. Apparently It’s the best one ever!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay! That's so lovely to hear! I am chuffed that it went down so well! Thank you and thank you for taking the time to rate this recipe – I really appreciate it! Ania
Nina Simon:
Wow, looks yum. Can I substitute all purpose flour with almond flour?
Thank you for sharing the recipe btw!
Also happy birthday in advance!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks for the b'day wishes, Nina!
    I am not 100% sure, tbh. Almond flour isn't really a flour so it behaves a bit differently, but certainly worth a try. I suspect the cake may come out too wet if you sub directly. Hope that helps! Ania
Sally:
I made this, so easy but then gave it away and so could not try 😢 awaiting verdict.
Happy birthday Ania. Don’t get caught up in the numbers, meaningless stuff.. you’ll look back at this one and think how young you were then 😉 Wales sounds wonderful what ever the weather.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Wow, that's some will power there, Sally. I do give away most of my cakes, but not without some serious sampling first :P . Aw, thanks for your kind words. Yes, on a rational level, I know that it is stupid to worry about age, but it would be a lie if I said that it wasn't making me a bit anxious. x Ania
Heidi:
I stumbled upon this recipe the other day and decided I was definitely going to try it. I like that it is so simple, I basically had everything I needed on hand. My husband has been eating vegan this past year and I am just beginning to experiment with vegan cooking. This was my first baked good. It turned out amazing! Everyone in the house loved it. The only thing I did differently was I added a little almond milk to the batter because mine came out a little dry. I used the agave option. It had just the right amount of sweetness! 100% will make again.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Heidi,
    I am delighted to hear that you and your family enjoyed it. I am curious, did you add to 2 tbsp of water to the batter as specified in step 2 and it still came out a little dry? Hmm, perhaps I need to edit the baking time to 45-50 minutes to alert people to start checking on it earlier. Please let me know. x Ania
Patricia:
I only have all purpose flour right now. What is the ratio adjustment compared to the all purpose wheat flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Patricia,
    You don't say what kind of all purpose flour you have, but if it's the bog standard flour for baking that you can get literally everywhere then it must be wheat flour otherwise it would be stated otherwise. Please let me know if not and I will try to help. Ania
We are low /no sugar, I’m wondering if this would work with another liquid substitution instead of the maple syrup. Plant based milk? What do you think?
    Ania
    Ania:
    You could probably blend up some dates with say 0.3 cup almond milk and add that instead? Would that work for you? Ania
Helen Mead:
Looks delicious- I’m wondering if you’ve tried it using coconut floor?
And also what the conversion rate is to cups (or what size cup ro use!
Thanks for the help!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Helen,
    I haven't tried coconut flour, but from what I know it is more absorbent than other flours so you may need to compensate by adding more moisture. Not sure what you mean as I specified the flour in both grams and cups (I use US cups whereby 1 cup equals 240 ml) although I do recommend using scales for dry ingredients when baking as they are more reliable. Hope that helps! Ania
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