Vegan chocolate banana bread – this easy to make double chocolate vegan banana bread is perfect for snacking on, or it is great for an indulgent breakfast!
Banana bread is one of my favourite things to bake. It is so simple to make, perfect for snacking on, and great for using up those brown bananas that I always seem to have hanging around (I’ve got a freezer full of them!).
I’ve already posted recipes for vegan chocolate chip banana bread, vegan banana cake with chocolate peanut butter frosting and vegan banana nut muffins, but I was keen to make a double chocolate version of banana bread. My husband is not keen on plain banana bread but if it contains any form of chocolate then he is all for it!
This vegan chocolate banana bread is moist and very chocolatey, with chocolate chips as well as cocoa in the bread itself because more chocolate is never a bad thing!
It is very easy to make and will keep for at least a few days in an airtight container, though it will get a little drier over time.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread:
Start by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 1lb loaf tin and line it with a strip of baking parchment; leave some overhanging on either side so that it is easy to lift the banana bread out when it is done.
Place the bananas in a blender along with some sunflower oil, brown sugar, maple syrup or agave, vanilla extract and non dairy milk and blend until the mixture is very smooth.
If you don’t have a blender then you can mash the bananas by hand before whisking in the rest of the ingredients, but make sure that you mash them really well, you want to get them as smooth as possible.
In a separate bowl, sift together plain flour (you can also use spelt flour), cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in until no pockets of flour remain; make sure that you don’t over-beat the batter though as this can make the banana bread tough. Fold in some chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin. Spread it level and bake for about 45-55 minutes.
It is very, very important that you do not bake this vegan chocolate banana bread until a skewer comes out clean. You want the skewer to come out a bit gunky – not wet batter, but definitely with a bit of thick, sticky batter on it. If you leave it in the oven until the skewer comes out clean then it may well end up being a bit dry so do keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking.
Once the banana bread is done, remove it from the oven and use the overhanging strip of baking parchment to lift it out of the tin on to a wire rack (make sure that you remove the baking parchment too).
Leave to cool then dig in!
Can It Be Frozen?:
Yes, the banana bread can be frozen in individual slices and defrosted at room temperature or in the microwave when needed.
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium very ripe bananas (about 330g peeled weight)
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) sunflower oil (or other flavourless oil)
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 Tbsp non dairy milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 110 g (2/3 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 215 g (1 + 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100 g (3.5oz) chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 1lb loaf tin and line it with a strip of baking parchment; leave some overhanging on either side.
-
Place the bananas in a blender along with the sunflower oil, brown sugar, maple syrup or agave, vanilla extract and non dairy milk and blend until the mixture is very smooth.
-
In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
-
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in until no pockets of flour remain; make sure that you don't over-beat the batter though as this can make the banana bread tough.
-
Fold in the chocolate chips then scrape the batter into the prepared tin. Spread it level and bake for about 45-55 minutes.
-
It is very, very important that you do not bake this vegan chocolate banana bread until a skewer comes out clean. You want the skewer to come out a bit gunky - not wet batter, but definitely with a bit of thick, sticky batter on it. If you leave it in the oven until the skewer comes out clean then it may well end up being a bit dry so do keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking.
-
Once the banana bread is done, remove it from the oven and use the overhanging strip of baking parchment to lift it out of the tin on to a wire rack (make sure that you remove the baking parchment too). Leave to cool.
This is the most moist vegan cake I have baked to date. I think the key is to take it out of the oven when you still get gunk on the skewer, as you say. I did put an extra banana in because I decided mine were on the small side and I needed to use up so many. I was too lazy to blend the banana, but might bother with that next time, as I couldn’t get all the lumps out and there were small chunks in the finished loaf, though some people like that. I am very pleased with the finished bake.
I think I need to try out more of your recipes; it is good to find someone who uses grams and not cups and doesn’t believe in obscure ingredients, much appreciated x