This soft and fluffy maple banana bread is made with just 8 key ingredients! It’s refined sugar free, and has a similar taste and texture to regular banana bread.
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Maple syrup. I used a Grade A amber color maple syrup for this recipe and it worked well (from Costco/Amazon). However, any maple syrup will work – it doesn’t need to be fancy!
Overripe bananas. The riper your bananas, the sweeter and softer your banana bread will be.
All-purpose flour. I’ve only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. The banana bread will work with whole wheat or spelt flour, but I recommend adding an extra dash of milk as those flours are more absorbent.
Baking powder and soda. We’re using double baking agents to ensure this banana bread is fluffy. Bananas and maple syrup can weigh down baked goods, but the raising agents help prevent this.
Making maple banana bread
First, mash your bananas in a large mixing bowl. You can do this with a fork, potato masher, or an electric mixer. I like using a hand-held mixer as it’s quicker and easier!
Then add all your wet ingredients and mix until combined. We don’t need much milk in this recipe as the maple syrup adds a lot of moisture.
Finally, add all the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Make sure you don’t overmix the batter, otherwise your maple banana bread may be dense.
This banana bread is delicious with mix-ins like chocolate chips and walnuts. When there are just a few streaks of flour in your batter, fold through your mix-ins.
Baking the banana bread
This maple banana bread is tall, so will take 60-70 minutes to bake in the oven.
As it’s taller than most banana breads, I recommend lowering your oven rack to the bottom third. When you place the banana bread on the rack, it’s closer to the middle of the oven, rather than the top. This slows down the browning of the banana bread.
Customizing this recipe
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour. However, readers have successfully made my vegan banana muffins with all-purpose gluten-free flour and 1:1 gluten-free flour so I think it will work with this recipe.
I recommend checking out my banana muffin recipe. You can make it with maple syrup with small adjustments (see the notes in the recipe box).
I have not tested this so I cannot vouch for results. You may be able to substitute the oil with unsweetened applesauce or yogurt but your banana bread will have a different texture.
More recipes sweetened with maple syrup
Or check out my other vegan quick breads.
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Vegan Maple Banana Bread
Servings: 10 servings
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Instructions
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Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of your oven (lower than the middle, but not the far bottom). Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Or use a larger loaf pan. (note 2)
Make the maple banana bread:
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Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and mash until it forms a thick lumpy paste. Add the remaining wet ingredients (maple syrup, milk, oil, optional vinegar and vanilla) and mix until well combined. Add all of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Some lumps are fine, as long as they aren’t lumps of flour.
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Optional: Add any nuts or mix-ins and gently fold them in.
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Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. If desired, top with an additional banana, or sprinkle with chocolate chips or walnuts.
Bake the banana bread:
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Bake the banana bread for around 60-70 minutes. During baking, if your banana bread is browning too quickly on top but isn’t fully baked in the middle, carefully tent the pan with aluminum foil. The banana bread is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
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Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then place it on a cooling rack.
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Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the banana bread into slices and enjoy it warm or at room temperature. For neater slices, allow the bread to cool completely.
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Store leftovers in an airtight container or plastic wrap. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow it to come to room temperature or warm up a slice before serving.
Notes
- Make sure you measure your flour accurately, otherwise your banana bread will be too dry. If you’re using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in its bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. If you use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container, it will add too much flour to the banana bread and make it dry. For the best results, use a kitchen scale and the grams measurements.
- This is a tall loaf. If your pan is shorter than 2 ¾-inch (7 cm) and you’re using mix-ins/toppings, your banana bread may overflow like a muffin. To prevent this, line your loaf pan so the parchment paper sits taller than the sides of the pan (to make the pan taller). Or remove ½ cup of the batter and bake it separately in a muffin pan.
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