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Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Some weeks you just need a good piece of of soft, chocolatey, slightly sweet, and decadent Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread. This week is one of those weeks and this cake bread has filled the Healthy Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread void in my life quite perfectly.
The real reason I need this in my life is because over these past couple weeks I’ve started and fully dove into my latest semester of 8 courses plus a thesis. So according to me, this is reason enough to indulge in some Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread [not that I really needed one anyways ;)]. Is there really any other better way to get the semester off to a great start than a slice of healthy chocolate bread? I’m positive chocolate might just solve all of life’s problems, so no, there is not.
This bread has been swimming around in by subconscious for awhile now. I love Banana Bread but I find that so many of the recipes out there are full of sugar, oil and other ingredients that tend to make us feel weighed down. Which is why, this Sunday, when I went in the kitchen with the best intentions to clean it [really, I did] – I was quite content when this Healthy Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread came out of the oven instead. I eventually did clean the kitchen afterwards, but first sunk my teeth into this loaf of fluffy and scrumptious banana chocolatey goodness. If you are new to baking quick, sweet breads, this recipe is perfect for you. I designed this recipe to use minimal dishes, only one bowl to be precise. Plus, this recipe might just be as easy as they come: add the ingredients into a bowl, mix ’em, pour ’em into a pan and bake. I am pretty sure that bread making could not get much easier than this!
Also, great news. This past week J and I decided to start a Travel Jar where we both put a bit of money into a travel jar, each week, towards a future trip together. The only problem left is deciding where to go when the jar fills up. I can be a bit [and that just might be an understatement] indecisive when it comes to travelling – I simply want to see the entire world and our travel jar is slowly going to take us there. At this moment, I am dreaming of somewhere with lots of sunshine, a beach, and some ice cold cocktails. But for now, I’ll savour this Chocolate Banana Bread over my latest paper instead.
Chocolate Banana Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
Description
This is a super easy and delicious one bowl Chocolate Banana Bread! The results are decadent and delicious 🙂
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 3 large bananas)
- 1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened is preferable)
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil (or other light tasting oil such as canola, peanut, vegetable oil)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk of choice or hot coffee (see note)
- 2 tbsp maples syrup/ agave syrup/ honey
- 1/2 cup cane sugar or unpacked light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional – not used in pictured loaf)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350f / 180c.
- Mash the bananas thoroughly in a large bowl. Add the following eleven ingredients [applesauce through to salt] to the mashed banana. Whisk together until everything is well combined. Then, add the flour and fold it into the “wet” ingredients until the resulting consistency is of a pour-able chocolate cake batter and the flour is fully mixed in [do not over mix to avoid over working the flour which will result in a denser cake]. If using, fold in chocolate chips.
- Grease a loaf pan with a non-sticking cooking spray or coconut oil. Pour chocolate batter into loaf pan. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 38 – 42 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out almost perfectly clean.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool in pan slightly for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool fully on a plate or cooling rack.
Notes
Use very ripe bananas (with lots of brown spots) for maximum sweetness!
Use dark coffee instead of milk for an enhanced chocolate flavour.
Honey is not for strict vegans
Quick Trick: Frozen bananas defrosted for one minute in the microwave work great in this and will save you the time of mashing the bananas!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 2071
- Sugar: 198g
- Sodium: 2573mg
- Fat: 53g
- Saturated Fat: 38g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 383g
- Fiber: 21g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 24mg
There are a couple of very happy chocolate loving vegans over here….thank you!! I baked this last week and plan on another this week, as we snarfed up that first loaf pretty fast. So yummy!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for letting me know, Amy! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!! 🙂 This banana bread never seems to last long around here either! 😀
Is the cocoa in your recipe the same as raw cacao powder? Can I substitute gluten free flour for the flour? Do you think almond flour would work too? I look forward to trying out this recipe! Thanks!
I made your delicious chocolate banana bread, served at a meeting and it was a big hit. Grandma
Yay Grandma! So happy to hear that you made it and it was a hit 😀 <3
Ha! What a relief to learn that my life isn’t the only one with “Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread voids” and I’m not the only one with recipes swimming around in my subconscious – lol! And when you say things like “healthy,” “easy,” and “one bowl” you are speaking my language, for sure! Looks just outstanding … pinning quick-quick! Thanks for another awesome recipe idea, Ceara! 😀
😀 Shelley your comment brought the biggest smile to my face ! So happy that we speak the same language and that there are other people around with random recipes floating around in their head 😉 ! Looking forward to trying your easy Quinoa Mexican Bake this week!!
I love the simplicity of this!! It looks awesome 🙂
Thanks for the compliment Katrina and for stopping by 🙂 I’ve been trying lately to keep my recipes as simple as possible 😀
I love a low fat chocolate bread! I can eat more of it without the guilt! Thanks for the lovely recipe!
haha exactly!! 😉 Your very welcome 😀