The Best Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

This is the best low-fat vegan banana bread recipe, made using no oil, but still completely delicious. It's incredibly moist, but sliceable, and made with common pantry ingredients with one special kick- chia seeds to replace the oil.

Vegan Banana Bread Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2-3 bananas, very ripe, and mashed well
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (1/4 cup nondairy milk and 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup chia seed gel* (or use 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1 Tbsp. molasses (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped and toasted pecans (optional)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil and flour a loaf pan. (great idea: coat with cinnamon and sugar)

In a measuring cup, add the curdling ingredient (either lemon juice or vinegar) to the nondairy milk and let sit for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and stir in the applesauce, curdled milk mixture, vanilla, sugar, molasses, and chia gel.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pecans or chocolate (if adding.)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

You're going to love this vegan banana bread recipe!

*Note on Chia Seed Gel

Don't be scared! I know this sounds weird, but it's easy to explain...

This recipe uses chia gel (from chia seeds) in place of any added vegetable oils. Chia seeds are amazing-- they're packed with soluble fiber and omega fatty acids, and they provide incredible energy. They're often known as "runner's food" as they are great for endurance events and have been used for thousands of years in ancient Aztec cultures.

I buy chia seeds in bulk from Amazon to save money, often without having to pay shipping. I like to look for chia seeds that are chemical-free.

When you get your seeds, they will look just like the ones you used as a kid to feed your Chia pet-- kind of like a small, black sesame seed. The way I use it for this recipe is to mix a 9 to 1 ratio of water to seeds in a container, shake it, and let sit for 10 minutes. I use 1/3 cup seeds and 3 cups water and that gel lasts us for about 2 weeks. I add it into cereal and oatmeal in the morning and use it in smoothies and baked goods in place of added oil.

If you don't have chia seeds on hand, you can substitute in 1/4 cup canola oil, as chia gel works in a 1 to 1 ratio for fats in recipes. The recipe is just as delicious with canola oil!

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