Using bananas instead of oil makes this fat-free banana bread extremely moist and lightly sweet, and the blueberries add a fruity surprise to every bite.
Q: What’s black and yellow and soft all over?
A: The bananas on our kitchen counter when we got home from the beach on Sunday.
Of course, when we left on Thursday, the bananas were firm and yellow, even a little green. I’d meant to take them with me, but in the rush of packing I forgot. By the time we got home, our bananas were so overripe that I could actually smell them as we entered the door.
But you know the old saying: When life gives you mushy bananas, make banana bread! Well, I may have just made that “old saying” up.
Nevertheless, it’s true that the riper the bananas, the better the banana bread, so finding several overripe bananas on my kitchen counter was not a hardship at all but an opportunity to make a treat for the family. And since it’s blueberry season here, I saw it as a double opportunity and filled my banana bread with some of the plumpest, sweetest blueberries I’ve ever tasted.
The result was incredible: The bananas make the bread extremely moist and lightly sweet, and the blueberries add a fruity surprise to every other bite. If you like bananas and blueberries, I think you’ll love them together.
Before I hit you with the recipe, I want to let you know that the Tried & Tasted roundup has been posted over at Holy Cow. I mentioned before that people would be making recipes from this blog and then sharing them on their own blogs. Well, I’m just overwhelmed at the response: I counted 39 different entries, some of them of recipes I’d forgotten I made. It’s going to take me a while to go through them all, but I will! Please visit some of them yourself–and tell them I sent you.
Blueberry-Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large over-ripe bananas
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup vanilla soymilk or apple sauce (80 ml)
- 1/2 cup agave nectar (120 ml) see notes below
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour (240 g)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries (240 ml)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or wipe a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or use a silicon loaf pan.
- Mix the soymilk with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let stand until it curdles. (If using apple sauce, skip this step and add the lemon juice to the bananas.)
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the remaining lemon juice, soymilk, and agave nectar. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined. Fold in the blueberries.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into 12 slices and serving.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share!
Sun
November 28, 2012 at 9:25 pmI tried this recipe today and it came out great!!! I added a lot of chopped walnuts that were already roasted, dried cranberries, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Sprinkled turbinado sugar on the top for some extra sweetness and crunch :)! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
victoriah107
December 2, 2012 at 8:38 pmI could have posted my ? here, but instead, it’s on your facebook page–sorry!
. . . about the blueberry/banana bread, gluten free version. Your comment on another page got cut off so need to know what you were sayin. thanks, Vicki
Susan Voisin
December 2, 2012 at 8:46 pmI’m sorry, but could you be more specific? I haven’t made a gluten-free version, but if you look at the earlier comments, Moonwatcher made one and there may be others in the comments.
Fily
January 6, 2013 at 3:02 pmThanks for this great recipe! I used frozen blueberries and added some spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) and substituted maple syrup as I was out of agave and the bread is absolutely delish! I love bread like this in the morning with my coffee and have been craving a good low fat quick bread. Thanks again for this and all your fab recipes. 🙂
Tamara
February 18, 2013 at 1:00 pmThis looks devine! I have problems consuming gluten, therefore I try my absolute hardes to avoid it. In order to make this recipe gluten-free, what flour should I use? I prefer using brown rice flour, would this work? I don’t mind if the texture is a little differe, as long as it is still somewhat “normal” : ) Thank you!!
Kathleen
February 23, 2013 at 11:49 pmOnly good oil free vegan banana muffin in my opinion. Be careful not to overmix or overcook. I use chocolate chips but only use half a cup and eat them with earth balance. Best hot!
Skye Campbell
March 29, 2013 at 12:51 amCan I use rice flour as a substitute instead of whole wheat flour.
I would like to make this gluten free.
Any advice or help.
Thanks!
Susan Voisin
March 29, 2013 at 8:52 amRice flour on its own is not usually a good replacement for wheat. Use one of the gluten-free baking blends for best results.
Sandi
April 23, 2013 at 3:59 pmSusan, can I use oatmeal instead of flour?
Marian Gleason
June 4, 2013 at 8:52 pmUsed all spelt flour and made 12 regular-sized muffins…baked at 350 for 30 minutes . . . and . . . They are YUMBO!!! Bill loves them!!! Thank you, Susan! 🙂
Tricha Hartman
June 6, 2013 at 3:46 pmoh good idea will try muffins next time
Tricha Hartman
June 6, 2013 at 3:45 pmjust made this! and wow yes is GOOD! 🙂 pretty too
Angie
June 6, 2013 at 7:58 pmSo I just made this again (for about the hundredth time) and I used peaches instead of blueberries, just because. It was really good this way too!
Rhonda
June 6, 2013 at 8:08 pmThis was fabulous!! By far the best banana bread I’ve ever had and a huge hit with the family. Thanks!
Faye
June 10, 2013 at 2:09 pmHi these look great! Just wondering- can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour? Thanks in advance!
Susan Voisin
June 11, 2013 at 6:50 amYes, whole wheat pastry flour will be fine. The blueberries can either be fresh or frozen. If using frozen, measure them first and then thaw before proceeding with the recipe.
Faye
June 12, 2013 at 8:34 pmThank you!!!
Faye
June 11, 2013 at 4:35 amSorry, one more thing. Is the 1c of blue berries frozen or fresh?
lindas5589
July 26, 2013 at 9:13 amMade your blueberry banana bread last night and it is absolutely awesome! So moist and tasty. I had a good banana bread recipe but I saw yours and I had blueberries on hand so I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. I used applesauce instead of milk (too lazy or anxious to wait for it to curdle) and four not so large bananas. Mixed the flour up a little, had some quinoa flour to use up and a smidgeon of white and the rest whole wheat. Threw in a tsp of vanilla extract and sprinkled a little cinnamon and nutmeg. My new staple, thankyou! PS, I went cold “turkey” vegan last August. Lost my husband 2 years ago and my 22 year old son converted last summer, so I figured what the heck? Websites like yours have made it so much easier because I am the type that I won’t make anything unless I’ve read reviews.
Natalie
August 16, 2013 at 4:50 pmGreat recipe, very tasty and so easy to make 🙂
Thanks
Laura
September 12, 2013 at 4:07 pmI made this last night with whole wheat flour and almond milk. It was fantastic. I have a nine month old who thinks that solid food is an abomination. He doesn’t want to eat anything, and he doesn’t want to feed himself. This bread was the first solid he’s ever been willing, let alone excited, to eat. Not only did he eat an entire piece, he even fed it to himself! I was really excited.
Alyssa
January 4, 2014 at 9:08 pmI love you blog and yet this is my first comment :’)
I made this recipe for my mother-in-law visiting my husband and I, without baking soda (not easy to find here in Tokyo..) and with rice milk and carob chip instead of blueberries and the whole loaf was gone in one tea time!
It’s always a pleasure to see people’s face when they tell you “as you are also eating it, I assume this is vegan? And healthy?!”
I put the pictures of it on my tumblr.
Keep the great job!
Cathrine
February 9, 2014 at 4:11 pmAmazing! Made it the first time “as is” and it’s got to be my favorite ever quick loaf! Been playing around with othet fruits and options now. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Holly
March 25, 2014 at 6:28 pmI made this last night using the apple sauce option, with brown sugar syrup in place of the agave nectar, and a cup of frozen mixed berries and… wow. This is AMAZING. Wonderful flavours, moist without being too dense, very easy to make… definitely a keeper!
Alicia
March 28, 2014 at 1:47 amI’ve tried out this recipe but it didn’t turn out we’ll! 🙁 everything was fine, fully risen, moist and not too dense. I just couldn’t are the flavour of banana in it which was what I was hoping for:(
Maggie
April 23, 2014 at 9:27 amI made this last night and it was great! I made them gluten free with Bob’s Redmill flour, xanthan gum, and used unsweetened soy milk (all I had) and added a half tsp of vanilla extract. Put them in a muffin tin and they came out great! Also – another commenter said it would be better to use sugar instead of agave for GF, but I found the agave to work perfectly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Laura
May 1, 2014 at 12:55 pmHi Susan!
Made this cake today, it look beautiful and was cooked through but it tasted salty and sour and wasn’t sweet at all. I substituted the flour for rice flour (gluten free) and used apple sauce instead of Agave syrup, do you think thid could have caused the problem? I wanted to use natural sweetness from fruit so it was a bot of an experiment, I just didn’t expect it to have no sweetness at all. Wondered if this could have had something to do with the baking poweder or bicarbonate of soda also as they were both a couple of months out of date? Hope to hear from you. Thanks
Laura
Susan Voisin
May 1, 2014 at 1:45 pmAgave is super sweet, so substituting it with apple sauce would definitely take away the sweetness. Blueberries can be tart, too, so that might contribute. I’m not sure what could cause the saltiness. Are you sure you didn’t add too much baking powder/soda? Anyway, I’m sorry it didn’t turn out right!
Laura
May 3, 2014 at 5:33 pmHi Susan,
I attempted this bread again today, this time with Agave and I brought new bicarb and baking powder and it turned out delicious! Lovely and moist, texture is more like a pudding than a bread. Thanks so much!
Laura
Denisse
May 4, 2014 at 6:32 pmCan I use parchment paper instead of oil spray?
Susan Voisin
May 5, 2014 at 1:41 pmSure.
Samantha
June 12, 2014 at 5:57 pmOMG this was phenomenal! I didn’t add the blueberries (I didn’t have any) and I used 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of the 1/2 cup agave nectar. It wasn’t quite as sweet as I’d make it for friends who were used to traditional banana bread; if it were for them I’d have done the full 1/2 cup, but my husband and I loved it a little easier on the sugar! I also added a little cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg and cloves just because that’s what I’m used to in my banana bread. It turned out SO good. Thank you so much for providing a vegan AND oil free AND whole wheat recipe!
Becca
June 12, 2014 at 11:48 pmSo great!! And I don’t feel guilty at all eating it! I even shared it with friends at work, and they were shocked to find out that there were no eggs, oil, butter, or sugar! And it’s just as moist and sweet as regular banana bread.
Katie
June 19, 2014 at 8:58 amCan I use regular or brown sugar to replace agave? If so, how much?
Sarah
June 23, 2014 at 8:49 amLooks lovely – I’m going to make this for when some visitors come this weekend! This will be my first attempt at vegan fat-free baking, so I wonder if you can help me out: I’m in the UK where I think apple sauce means something different to in the US. Is it simply stewed apples? If so, does it matter what kind of apples? Do you sweeten them? Thanks.
Sarah
June 23, 2014 at 8:57 amSorry, I just noticed that you have already explained how to make apple sauce earlier in this thread. Boy do I feel silly!
I do have one other question though: as I also have to avoid gluten I need to substitute the wheat flour for something else. Is there one that you would particularly recommend for this recipe?
Susan Voisin
June 23, 2014 at 9:09 amHi Sarah, try a gluten-free baking blend. A blend of gluten-free flours works better than any one will.
Sarah
June 23, 2014 at 10:29 amThanks Susan, I will!
Katie
June 24, 2014 at 2:56 pmHi Susan,
Can I substitute white or brown sugar for Agave and omit blueberries? Will I get same results?
Margarida
September 3, 2014 at 3:44 amHi
I love your recipes, and this one looks amazing. I just want to ask you whether I can replace bananas by apples? Many thanks
Amber
October 3, 2014 at 12:07 amThis may be a strange question. But! Could I sub the banana for pumpkin and the blueberries for cranberries then add some pumpkiny spices? It’s the season for pumpkin and cranberry, I have both on hand and am wanting to make a bread. The reason I don’t try another recipe is because this is the only dessert bread recipe I have found that falls into my whole food plant based life style.
Also, if I did that and it worked could I post that recipe (with idea credit noted to you of course) to my blog?
I would never want to step on any toes!
Thanks!
Leonie
June 9, 2015 at 12:17 pmMade this recipe today and loved it! Feels like comfort food yet, healthy for you!
I. M.
June 29, 2015 at 12:37 pmCan you recommend a recipe for a sweet bread that is as moist and delish as banana bread but without the bananas? This is a huge problem for me because I loooove banana bread for the aforementioned reasons but my boyfriend can’t eat bananas – and I’d love to share something like this with him. I haven’t come across any other bread as sweet, moist and healthy as your banana bread.
Huge thanks from Germany!
Jessica
December 14, 2015 at 8:06 amAwesome recipe my friends and I are all trying I can’t wait to get the ingredients! Thank you so much! But for the record bananas aren’t meant to be consumed before they are brown spotted and very soft, they constipate us if consumed yellow or even brown spotted but not yet VERY soft. They are not only very easy to digest at this soft stage but also have far superior nutrition and anti-cancer properties. We are meant to eat fruit when its scent tells us its ripe. I buy them by the box of 100 for smoothies and eagerly await this stage every time. I usually have a twelve banana smoothie for breakfast. So they are not overripe but simply ripe 🙂 perfect for smoothies AND banana bread.
abc
February 1, 2016 at 9:41 pmHi Susan,
Can I skip blueberries entirely?
Thanks
Susan Voisin
February 1, 2016 at 10:19 pmYes, it should be fine without them.
Laina
April 10, 2016 at 4:43 pmHi Susan,
I can’t remember how to store banana bread. Am I correct that you don’t wrap in plastic wrap for a lunch box, but instead use wax paper? Or can I use a plastic container or glass?
There’s just the two of us so this won’t be eaten right away. Should I refrigerate this?
Thanks!
Susan Voisin
April 10, 2016 at 5:10 pmI hadn’t heard that about wax paper. I wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap, but we eat it within 2 days. Longer than that, and I would refrigerate it. For the lunch box, I would probably go with whatever container, plastic or glass, that fit it tightly, so it doesn’t get bounced around.
Megan
June 10, 2016 at 1:02 pmThis looks absolutely delicious! My daughter and I are making it this afternoon!
Cindy
June 10, 2016 at 9:37 pmI made this, but it came out wet in the middle. I changed it a little. I used3 1/2 cups oatmeal in place of the flour. Use 1/2 and 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce. No milk or sugar. I add about 2 cups of frozen berries. Cook time 1hour and 10 minutes. I love this recipe! Thank you!
Cindy
June 10, 2016 at 10:50 pmI also added 1 TBs of cinnamon, and 1 TBs of vanilla. I’ve been eating this almost everyday for breakfast!
Catia
June 12, 2016 at 11:32 pmMmmm… looks great, I’m definitely going to make this!