This Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread is seriously moist, sweet and fruity and free from added sugar! It's packed with juicy blueberries, healthier than the traditional version and super easy to make! Great for breakfast, brunch, a snack or dessert!
I posted these Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins the other day for people in search of healthy breakfast or snack recipes, and this Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Blueberry Bread is another great candidate!
Tips for what type of bananas to use
Banana bread is always best made using ripe bananas. This is because they're naturally sweeter and they're softer so easier to mash. However, if you don't have any ripe bananas, this recipe will still work with normal bananas too.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mash the bananas in a wide-bottomed bowl using a fork.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl - use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
- Transfer the mixture to a one-pound loaf tin.
Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the banana bread afterwards.
- Scatter over flaked almonds to decorate, if desired.
- Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Tip: Leave the banana bread to cool down on a cooling rack before putting it away to store, to make sure it doesn't get soggy!
Basic substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
Things you can add to this recipe
- If you prefer a sweeter banana bread, you can sweeten it with any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can omit the cinnamon - I wasn't sure how everyone would feel about mixing cinnamon with blueberries, so I've left that as optional.
- You can add a handful of chopped walnuts or some desiccated coconut.
- You can top the banana bread with flaked almonds or coconut flakes before baking.
Should you use fresh or frozen blueberries?
Either fresh or frozen blueberries will work for this recipe. For best results, carefully stir frozen blueberries into the batter at the very last minute, making sure they are still frozen when you mix them in. This will stop the colour of the blueberries 'bleeding' into the batter.
Can you use other fruits?
You can replace the blueberries with any other similar fruit, such as blackberries, raspberries or cherries. You can also use dried fruit instead, such as raisins or chopped dates or dried pineapple, papaya or mango.
Can you omit the fruits altogether?
Yes! Here are some alternative banana bread recipes which you might prefer if you don't want to add fruits:
- Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Walnut Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
How long does this keep for?
Although nothing beats a delicious slice of banana bread fresh out the oven, it keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Unless eaten on the day that it's been made, I would recommend warming up your slice of banana bread in the toaster.
Can you freeze this Banana Bread?
Yes - just slice before storing in the freezer.
More banana recipes
- Banana Overnight Oats
- Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Cake
- Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Banana Oatmeal Bars
More blueberry recipes
- Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Pie
- Vegan Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized ripe bananas
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar *(ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- Pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 100 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
To decorate (optional):
- 3 tablespoons flaked almonds or coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Peel the bananas and place in a wide-bottomed bowl, then use a fork to mash until you get a smooth paste
- Place the coconut oil in a separate large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the vinegar to the same bowl along with the salt (and cinnamon if using) and ground almonds
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Add the mashed bananas, and mix well, adding the milk a small amount at a time until you get a loose batter. You may not need to use it all depending on how liquidy your bananas are - you may also need to add a little more milk if your bananas are dry
- Add the blueberries and fold them in gently to make sure you don’t crush them
- Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin)
- Scatter over flaked almonds or coconut, if desired
- Bake in oven for around 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Once out the oven, leave to cool completely before cutting
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days - best reheated in the toaster!
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Kristina
I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking Flour.
Rhian Williams
It could be your oven - you could try baking at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time. Hope that helps!
Kim
I was surprised not to see an egg substitute in the ingredients. I am considering adding chia eggs for extra fiber and as a binder. Would that drastically affect the finished product? Thank you!
Rhian Williams
You can add chia egg as an extra ingredient if you wish, but an egg replacement is really not necessary for this recipe!
Yasuko
Thank you so much！
It was great! First time feeling successful with your recipe .
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
MaryAnn
I made this recipe today leaving out the cinnamon and it was a little boring. Next time I will add maple syrup or honey and put the cinnamon in it. Otherwise it was tasty.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Hayley
Looking forward to trying this recipe for my little girl. She has a lot of allergies. One question, could I replace the almond flour/ground sunflower seeds with flaxseed? Having problems finding ground sunflower and she can't have almonds? Thanks
Rhian Williams
You can use flaxseed, but I'd recommend only using a third of the amount, and cutting down on the amount of plant-based milk. I hope that helps!
N.S.
Hi— haven’t tried to recipe yet, but soon will. Can fresh cranberries be used in place of blueberries? If yes, a 1:1 sub? Thanks
Rhian Williams
Yes that would work, but it might not be sweet enough as fresh cranberries are very sour. I'd suggest using dried cranberries instead of fresh, or if using fresh cranberries, I'd recommend adding some sweetener or sugar to the batter. Hope that helps!