Nine years ago, my fourteen-year-old self decided that loving food meant I needed to know how to cook it. Although I am fortunate to have a mother who would have been happy to cook me every meal for the rest of my young life, I craved both independence and an outlet to express my creativity. After skimming through one of my Mom’s recipe books, I decided that I wanted to begin my little cooking journey with banana bread, and I wanted to learn from my Nana (I loved her recipe so much growing up that she used to refer to it as my banana bread when she made it for occasions).
I remember the day I went to her house for my little baking lesson- she had all the ingredients neatly spread out on her counter as she very specifically explained how and why we would be using each one. She let me do all the mixing as she gave me simple instruction, and within a couple of hours a perfectly imperfect banana bread was born. I remember the warm and fuzzy feeling I experienced while holding the freshly-baked loaf in my mitt-covered hands. I had this sense of accomplishment and happiness that something so scrumptious was something that I had made from scratch and could now replicate for any occasion or craving.
Later in the day she taught me how to make pizza, and I just remember how wonderful it felt to share the food that we made with my Papa for dinner (he loved it!). It was a special feeling that somehow set off this spark within me. I’ve made countless banana breads, pizzas, and other recipes since then, but the day that we made that simple banana bread and pizza will forever be in my memory as the event that truly sparked my love of cooking/baking. So thank you, Nana, for the best (and only) hands-on cooking lesson I’ve ever received.
Although my Nana’s original banana bread recipe is wonderful as is, I decided to make it over using some of the staple ingredients in my pantry. The following one-bowl recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option, but I can say with all honesty that it tastes almost identical to the original. I think I fell in love with this banana bread, and I hope you do too!
One-Bowl Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large or 4 medium overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1/2 cup white cane or coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter
- 1 flax egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or macadamia nuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (9x5 also works for a slightly shorter loaf) with parchment paper that hangs over the edges.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then mix in the sugar, coconut oil, flax egg, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and stir everything together, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or nuts, if desired.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (you may choose to cover the top with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking if it is browning too much for your liking). Allow loaf to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove using the parchment overhang to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
