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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread

    Last updated - July 11, 2021; Published - May 30, 2020 By Rhian Williams 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    A collage of two gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread photos

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread is moist, fragrant, and covered in a rich peanut butter frosting! It's easily customisable, refined sugar free and great for breakfast, brunch, a snack or dessert!

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread with peanut butter frosting with two slices next to it

    How sweet is this banana bread?

    This is definitely a sweet banana bread - it's similar to a Banana Cake. To make a no added sugar banana bread, you can omit the maple syrup and omit the frosting.

    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 the banana bread

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mash the bananas in a wide-bottomed bowl using a fork.
    Mashed bananas in a bowl with a fork
    • Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl - use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
    Raw gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread batter in a bowl
    • 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.

    Raw gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread batter in a loaf tin
    • Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    A loaf of gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread in a loaf tin
    • Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before frosting.
    A loaf of gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread on a wire rack

    How to make the peanut butter frosting

    • Drain soaked cashews and place in a food processor with the maple syrup and almond milk.
    Cashew nuts, maple syrup and almond milk in a food processor
    • Whizz until completely smooth – you might need to mix it around a few times to make sure it blends evenly.
    Blended up cashew nuts in a food processor
    • Add the peanut butter.

    Tip: The peanut butter needs to be added at this stage not at the beginning, as otherwise the mixture becomes very gloopy and hard to blend.

    Blended up cashew nuts and peanut butter in a food processor
    • Blend briefly until combined.

    Tip: Be careful not to over-blend, as the mixture will become very greasy as the oil will be released from the peanut butter.

    Peanut butter frosting in a food processor

    How to frost and decorate

    • Spread the frosting over the loaf of banana bread.
    Peanut butter frosting spread over a loaf of banana bread on a wire rack
    • Sprinkle over chopped peanuts to decorate, if desired.
    Peanut butter frosting spread over a loaf of banana bread with chopped peanuts on a wire rack

    Basic substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of nut or seed butter: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, tahini, sunflower seed butter.
    • 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.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can omit the sweetener and the frosting for a no added sugar banana bread.
    • 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 the batter

    • You can omit the cinnamon.
    • You can add a handful of chopped walnuts or some desiccated coconut.
    • You can add fresh or frozen fruit like blueberries or raspberries.
    • You can add some dried cranberries.
    • You can swirl in some strawberry or raspberry jam for a peanut butter jelly flavour.
    • You can add chocolate chips.

    How long does this keep for?

    Although this does taste best fresh, it does keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread with peanut butter frosting with two slices next to it

    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

    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.

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan peanut butter banana bread with peanut butter frosting with two slices next to it

    Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread is moist, fragrant, and covered in a rich peanut butter frosting! It's easily customisable, refined sugar free and great for breakfast, brunch, a snack or dessert!
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free vegan banana bread, peanut butter banana bread, vegan gluten-free banana bread
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 10 slices
    Calories: 292kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the banana bread:

    • 3 medium-sized ripe bananas
    • 60 g (¼ cup) smooth peanut butter (or sub any other nut or seed butter)
    • 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • Pinch salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to taste (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)
    • 150 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)

    For the peanut butter frosting:

    • 50 g (⅓ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
    • 60 g (¼ cup) smooth peanut butter (or sub any other nut or seed butter)

    To decorate (optional):

    • Roasted peanuts , roughly chopped

    Instructions

    For the banana bread:

    • 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 peanut butter 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 maple syrup to the same bowl along with the vinegar, 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
    • Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper - I used a one-pound loaf tin
    • Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean
    • Once out the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before frosting

    For the peanut butter frosting:

    • Drain soaked cashews and place in a food processor with the maple syrup and almond milk
    • Whizz until completely smooth – you might need to mix it around a few times to make sure it blends evenly
    • Add the peanut butter – the peanut butter needs to be added at this stage not at the beginning, as otherwise the mixture becomes very gloopy and hard to blend
    • Blend briefly until combined - be careful not to over-blend, as the mixture will become very greasy as the oil will be released from the peanut butter

    To frost and decorate:

    • Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf
    • Sprinkle over chopped peanuts to decorate, if desired

    • Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

    Notes

    *The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the bread fluffy. If you can't get hold of vinegar, substitute it with lemon juice.
    **You can alternatively use almond flour.
    This is definitely a sweet banana bread - it's similar to a Banana Cake. To make a no added sugar banana bread, you can omit the maple syrup and omit the frosting.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 292 Calories from Fat 135
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 15g23%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Sodium 120mg5%
    Potassium 292mg8%
    Carbohydrates 36g12%
    Fiber 5g20%
    Sugar 15g17%
    Protein 9g18%
    Vitamin A 23IU0%
    Vitamin C 3mg4%
    Calcium 97mg10%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    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.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

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    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lynn

      May 30, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      Can I use oat flour in this? Also, can cupcakes be made instead, since you say its cake like? The frosting sounds sooo good!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 30, 2020 at 3:34 pm

        Yes you can use it to make cupcakes, you can use my banana cupcakes recipe for guidance for cooking times etc: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/banana-cupcakes/. You can use oat flour in place of the gluten-free flour, but the texture won't be as fluffy!

      • Mariana Van Wyk

        May 30, 2020 at 6:19 pm

        Can I use regular sugar in this recipe? Or golen syrup diluted till maple syrup texture. Difficult with lockdown to get Maple syrup. Thanks Rhian. You know I am your nr1 bread dan😍

      • Rhian Williams

        May 30, 2020 at 9:08 pm

        You can use regular sugar! Aw thank you so much!

    2. Floranet

      June 01, 2020 at 10:20 am

      Stunning Writing!! Keep up the good work.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        June 01, 2020 at 1:11 pm

        Thank you so much!

    3. Rashmi

      June 01, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      Hi Rhian,
      Lovely clean recipes! Will surely try this one. Could I ask, in the nutrition facts that you have added, how many grams is a single serve?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        June 01, 2020 at 5:18 pm

        Thank you so much! I don't know exactly how many grams it is, but this whole loaf makes 10 slices and 1 slice is a single serving in the nutrition facts. Hope that helps!

    4. Kale Anna

      October 02, 2020 at 4:54 am

      5 stars
      It is information that helps me a lot, because of work I need to learn it.

      Reply

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

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