• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Plantiful Cooking
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Breakfast
  • Mains
  • Desserts
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Breakfast

    Vegan Applesauce Banana Bread (sugar-free)

    Published: Jun 20, 2022 by Meesha · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    2 images of a partially sliced loaf of applesauce banana bread with text between the images.
    A partially sliced loaf of banana bread on a wooden board with milk and spoonful of cinnamon beside.
    Taking out a slice from a stack of banana bread with text overlay.

    Moist, fluffy, yet filling, you will love this amazing vegan applesauce banana bread! This sugar-free banana bread is healthy, wholesome, and free from refined sugar. An easy one-bowl recipe that is fuss-free and oh so easy to make!

    A partially sliced applesauce banana bread on a wooden board lined with parchment paper.

    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! 

    Jump to:
    • 💚Why you will love this recipe 
    • 🍌What you will need 
    • 📃Ingredients notes and substitutions 
    • 🔪How to make 
    • ✔Helpful tips 
    • 🍫Optional add-ins 
    • ❄Storing suggestions 
    • ❔Commonly asked questions 
    • 🍽More breakfast recipes with applesauce
    • 📖 Recipe

    💚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 needed like flour, banana, applesauce, milk and baking powder.

    📃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. 

    Collage showing mashed banana, then wet ingredients in a mixing bowl with a fork.

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

    Batter of applesauce banana bread in a white mixing bowl with a fork on a blue teacloth.

    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. 

    Collage showing before and after baking bread on a blue teacloth.

    ✔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. 
    Taking out a slice of bread from a stack of applesauce banana bread on a wooden board.

    ❄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 

    Can I use frozen bananas?

    You can use frozen bananas to make banana bread. Let them thaw completely, then drain off excess water before using.

    Why my banana bread did not rise?

    If your applesauce banana bread does not rise much or does not rise at all, you might have used stale baking powder and/or baking soda. 

    To test if they are still good to use, place a small amount into some hot water. Bubbles should form immediately. If not, it is time to buy some fresh ones.

    Why did my bread sink in the middle?

    First of all, you might have underbaked it. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick down the middle. If it comes out clean, your bread has done baking. 

    Other than that, you might have inaccurately measured the ingredients, throwing off the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. Hence, I highly recommend weighing out your ingredients with a kitchen scale.

    A partially sliced loaf of bread on a lined wooden board with spoonful of cinnamon beside.

    🍽More breakfast recipes with applesauce

    • Moist Vegan Carrot Applesauce Muffins
    • Vegan Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes
    • Vegan Banana Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
    • Baked Oatmeal with Applesauce

    If you did make this recipe, do leave a rating and comment down below, we love hearing from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉

    📖 Recipe

    A partially sliced loaf of banana bread on a wooden board lined with parchment paper.

    Vegan Applesauce Banana Bread (Sugar-free)

    Meesha
    Moist, fluffy, yet filling, you will love this amazing vegan applesauce banana bread! It is healthy and wholesome and is free from refined sugar. An easy one-bowl recipe that is fuss-free and oh so easy to make!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 slices
    Calories 177 kcal

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowl
    • 8.5 x 4.5 x 2 inch loaf pan
    • parchment paper

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 large ripe bananas about 300g/10.5oz
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • ¼ cup cashew butter or other nut/seed butters
    • 2 tablespoon plant based milk
    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups oat flour use gluten-free ones if needed (180g)*
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 8.5x4.5 loaf pan with parchment paper, as shown in the process shots above.
    • Add bananas into a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash until bananas are relatively smooth.
      2 large ripe bananas
    • Next, add in the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl. Stir to mix.
      ½ cup applesauce, ¼ cup cashew butter, 2 tablespoon plant based milk, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Now, add your dry ingredients in and mix until everything is well incorporated.
      2 cups oat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • Pour your batter into the lined loaf pan, and optionally, top with banana halves.
    • Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted down the middle.
    • Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack. Let your bread cool down completely before slicing and serving.

    Notes

    *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. 
     
    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.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 254mgPotassium: 262mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 26IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 2mg

    Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.

    Did you make this recipe ?Tag @myplantifulcooking on Instagram !

    More Healthy Vegan Breakfast Recipes

    • Creamy Peanut Butter Powder Smoothie
    • Healthy Banana Flapjacks
    • Silken Tofu Scramble
    • Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amelia

      January 30, 2023 at 7:08 am

      Would reconstituted pb2 work in place of the nut butter?

      Reply
      • Meesha

        January 30, 2023 at 8:47 am

        I have yet to try it, but I do think it will work.The bread might be slightly drier due to the lower fat content.

        Reply
    2. Shellie

      September 14, 2022 at 5:43 am

      5 stars
      This came out great. I tried some unsweetened chocolate chips in there. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Meesha

        September 14, 2022 at 9:05 am

        Really happy to hear that.😁

        Reply

    Join the discussion ! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Meesha standing at a port with a cruise in the background.

    Hi, I am Meesha, the human behind My Plantiful Cooking! Expect to find plant-powered recipes that are easy to make and wholesome without compromising on taste.

    More about me →

    🥗Healthy Vegan Recipes

    • Almond Milk French Toast
    • Vegan Yakisoba with Tofu
    • Creamy Chickpea Pasta Sauce
    • Thai Vegan Yellow Curry with Vegetables
    • Oatmeal Protein Bars
    • Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies

    💚Reader's favorites

    • Healthy PB2 Peanut Butter Powder Cookies
    • Creamy Pumpkin Potato Soup
    • Chinese Napa Cabbage Soup
    • Flavorsome Soya Chunks Dry Masala
    • Korean Gochujang Stir-fry Vegetables
    • Shirataki Noodles Stir-fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 My Plantiful Cooking