Banana bread is a classic and, still, one of the most forgiving recipes out there because you can honestly custom the flavors to your liking and switch the ingredients around – no matter what you do and how you make it, it will still taste like a good ‘ol homemade classic banana bread as how we know it. You just cannot miss the distinct taste if it. And regardless of where you came from or what kind of foods you grew up with, everyone knows banana bread – it’s a staple in the kitchen and in the world of home baking. Period.
If you are looking for a vegan banana bread recipe that is perfect for coffee breaks or an afternoon tea, well, look no further! This vegan banana bread is sticks to the classic way of making it (minus the eggs and dairy) but adding a little bit of a floral-twist to it. When I mean floral-twist, I mean adding earl grey black tea.
The earl grey tea in this recipe isn’t necessarily over powering at all. So if you are thinking that it will be tasting like perfume (which earl grey tea has a tendency to), don’t you worry. Overall, it just adds a depth of flavor to the bread and it tastes a little, fancier. And we like fancy tasting, easy recipes right?
I’ve also, intentionally, made this recipe to not be overtly sweet or flavored with too much artificial ingredients or sweeteners. One of the main sugary component is adding a raw sugar crust on top – which adds a nice crunch and color as a result. The bread will complement very well if you do decide to add a little bit of non-dairy (vegan) butter, cream cheese or cream cheese frosting, maple syrup, or even ice cream. Overall, I wanted something that you can switch around with and, also, enjoy on its own.
Do you like banana bread? Make this recipe or give me feedback down in the comment section below.
Vegan Earl Grey Banana Bread
Equipment
- 5×10 loaf pan
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls & whisks
Ingredients
- 100 g (7/8 cup) unbleached all purpose flour
- 175 g (1½ cup) organic whole wheat flour
- 3 medium sized overripe spotted bananas mashed
- 78 ml (⅓ cup) strong earl grey black tea see notes
- 97 g (roughly ½ cup) toasted walnuts see notes
- 120 ml (½ cup) maple syrup or sweetener of choice
- 2 large flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxmeal + 6 tbsp water)
- 120 ml (½ cup) melted coconut oil + more to grease pan (I used refined coconut oil)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp raw sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Mash bananas using a fork or potato masher.
- On a separate large mixing bowl, mix in all dry ingredients such as the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- On another mixing bowl, whisk in all the liquid ingredients such as the sweetener, flax egg, coconut oil, earl grey black tea, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Combine liquid ingredients with dry ingredients. Then add in the mashed bananas. Fold batter together. Do not overmix the batter.
- Fold in the walnuts onto the batter until well combined.
- Generously grease loaf pan with oil on all sides. Line a parchment paper on the bottom of the loaf pan so that it is easier to remove after baking.
- Pour in the batter and even out onto the loaf pan. Sprinkle with raw sugar (optional) and cinnamon before baking into the oven.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or simply pierce a toothpick or fork to see if it is dry (or clear). Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
Notes
- Brew earl grey black tea beforehand by adding 1/3 cup of hot boiling water and 3 packets of earl grey tea bags. Let it soak for at least 10-15 minutes before adding to the ingredients.
- Toast walnuts in an oven for 5-7 minutes at 350°F OR you can simply toast them on a stovetop in medium high heat until it is slightly golden brown in color.
- Please kindly note that my unit of measures are primarily in grams and ml. Cups are an estimated amount converted and may vary depending on how you would measure ingredients in cups. I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale to weigh out all ingredients – if possible.
