Vegan Applesauce Banana Bread (sugar-free)

Have some ripe bananas on hand? Well, it is a sign that you should give this vegan applesauce banana bread a try! It is moist and soft, without being overly heavy. You can have it for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert! 

💚Why you will love this recipe 

• Irresistibly delicious and decadent - Nothing beats a fresh loaf of banana bread! This version is perfectly tender and hearty yet subtly sweetened. 
• Quick and easy to make - All you need is a few simple ingredients, and you can make it in an hour. (and baking time makes up a large chunk of it!) 
• Healthy and nutritious  - This applesauce banana bread is refined sugar-free and is made with whole grains instead of regular flour. 
• Stores well and is freezable - Make a loaf on the weekends, and you will have breakfast ready to go on busy workdays! 

🍌What you will need 

📃Ingredients notes and substitutions 

• Bananas - Make sure to use super ripe bananas that are brown and spotty. As they are the primary sweetener in this recipe, you will want them to be ripe and sweet. 
• Oat flour - You can make your own at home by blending rolled or quick oats in a high-speed blender until it turns into flour. Use certified gluten-free ones, if needed.
• Applesauce - To keep this recipe sugar-free, use unsweetened applesauce. You can either use store-bought ones or make your own homemade applesauce. 
• Cashew butter - I love using it in baking as it is relatively mild in flavor. However, you could substitute it with other runny nuts or seeds butter like peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini.
• Plant milk - Any kind of plant-based milk will work here. 
• Apple cider vinegar - Feel free to substitute it with lemon juice. 

🔪How to make 

Here is a quick rundown of the steps involved in making vegan applesauce banana bread. As usual, the full recipe will be in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Start by mashing bananas until smooth. Then, add applesauce, cashew butter, and the rest of the wet ingredients. Stir to mix. 

Now, add oat flour along with baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon powder. Stir until everything is well incorporated. 

Pour your bread batter into a lined loaf pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes at 180C/350F. Let sugar-free banana bread cool down completely before slicing and serving. 

✔Helpful tips 

• Make sure to use super ripe bananas with brown spots. As this recipe is sugar-free, you will want your bananas to be as sweet as possible.
• If possible, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients for the best result. 
  • I am using this inexpensive Ozeri scale and highly recommend it. 
  • If you choose to use measuring cups, follow the spoon and level method. Do not scoop flour directly from the bag. Instead, spoon flour into the cup. Then, using a butter knife, level off excess without packing flour in. 
• Let bread rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes at most, then transfer it to a cooling rack to allow it to cool down further. If you let your bread sit in the pan for too long, water vapor might form, causing the bottom of your bread to turn soggy. 
• Let your applesauce banana bread cool down completely before slicing, for at least an hour.

🍫Optional add-ins 

Here are some fun add-ins ideas that you can use to spice up your vegan applesauce banana bread - 

• Chocolate chips - Pretty self-explanatory, because who doesn’t love chocolate?! Add up to a cup. 
• Chopped nuts - Fold in about 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into your batter for extra flavor and texture. 
• Spices - I am only using cinnamon, but you could add other spices that pair well with banana bread like nutmeg, allspice, or cardamom. A little goes a long way, and I recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon. 
• Berries - To give your sugar-free banana bread some extra color and sweetness, add a cup of blueberries, whether frozen or fresh. 
• Sweetener - If you prefer a sweeter loaf, I recommend adding some granulated sweetener like coconut or cane sugar. To keep this recipe sugar-free, you could use artificial sweeteners like erythritol or stevia. 

❄Storing suggestions 

Refrigerating - Store applesauce banana bread in an airtight container before refrigerating to prevent it from drying out. You can refrigerate it for 4-5 days. 

Freezing - This bread freezes well too! If freezing the entire loaf, wrap it in plastic wrap, then place it in a large freezer bag. However, if you choose to freeze slices of it, simply transfer them to a sealed container, and they are ready to be frozen. Banana bread will stay well in the fridge for up to 3 months. 

Reheating - If reheating from frozen, let them thaw for 10 minutes or so before reheating. You can either reheat it in a microwave at 10-seconds intervals or in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 5-8 minutes. 

❔Commonly asked questions 

🍽More breakfast recipes with applesauce

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