This gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip banana bread is soft, moist, and wonderfully rich – filled with dairy-free chocolate chips and packed with flavor. The recipe is simple, eggless, and can be made grain-free!
It’s official that I, along with the rest of the world it seems, am banana bread obsessed. I already have a ‘fancy’ Marbled Banana Bread Recipe up on my site and quite a long list of banana bread inspired treats (check the related recipes section below!). This recipe, though, is a simple and classic vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip banana bread.
With just 10 ingredients and a simple process, this bread is one of my ultimate go-to’s, and after lots of experimentation, I hope you’ll agree that the texture is perfect.
Soft Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Unfortunately, gluten-free and vegan bakes have received the un-fair (in my opinion) reputation of being dry and crumbly. However, as you’ll hopefully see with this recipe – that couldn’t be further from the truth and is something I strive to always avoid. This vegan, gluten-free banana bread is soft and moist and almost ‘fudgy’ in texture.
And, while decadent, this recipe is still healthy-ish (healthier than most banana bread recipes, for sure), making it a wonderful breakfast treat as well as dessert. So next time you’re stuck choosing between oatmeal and toast, why not turn to this vegan banana bread recipe instead? In fact, it contains all the ingredients of oatmeal anyway!
I love to make it at the end of the week, ready to pop in the fridge and remove a slice each morning for breakfast (alongside a big mug of coffee or tea).
The Ingredients & Variations
I’m all for simple, easy bakes regardless of your dietary needs. This is why this dairy-free banana bread contains simple ingredients that you likely already have at home.
- Oat Flour – I usually make my own by grinding oats into a flour consistency with an electric coffee/spice grinder (or blender). Use certified gluten-free, if required.
For a grain-free version, you could try using buckwheat flour or quinoa flour. Regular flour and spelt flour works for a non-gluten-free version. Just note that the amount of liquid needed in the recipe will change dependent on the flour used. I suggest using slightly less than what I’ve stated, to begin with, and adding more, as necessary.
- Sweetener – If using granulated, then organic sugar, Erythritol (for refined sugar-free banana bread), and coconut sugar are all great options. You could use a liquid sweetener instead (such as agave/maple syrup) and use 3 tbsp.
- Almond Flour – Make sure it’s 100% ground almonds. You can substitute this with another nut flour or, for a nut-free version, use 75 g of ground shredded unsweetened coconut. Almond flour (finely ground almonds) is the only source of fat in this bread.
- Baking Powder – Will react with vinegar to help the bread rise a little.
- Salt – Just a pinch is needed.
- Chocolate Chips – You can use dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks. Or simply shred/chop a chocolate bar into pieces. You could also omit these.
- Plant-based milk – Use your favorite milk, such as oat milk or almond.
- Bananas – Make sure they’re wonderfully overripe, so they’re soft and sweet.
- Vinegar or lemon juice – Use white vinegar or ACV. This is an essential ingredient for this vegan/GF bake. The acidity reacts with the baking powder to allow the cake to rise slightly.
- Vanilla Extract – Or use some vanilla bean paste .
The result is a vegan banana bread that is soft, rich, moist, easy to make, healthier than traditional banana bread, but absolutely delicious!
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread
For the full ingredients list, ingredient measurements, and nutritional information, please read the recipe card below.
Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients
Preheat the oven (360F/180C) and line a loaf tin with parchment paper. Place all dry ingredients (apart from the chocolate chips) into a large bowl and mix with a whisk.
You could also process the ingredients in a blender/food processor for a few seconds.
Step 2. Mash the banana
In a separate small bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork, then add them to the dry ingredients.
Step 3. Mix the wet ingredients
Add the plant-based milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract and then mix until just combined (with a whisk or in a processor). Don’t overmix as this can affect the bake.
Step 4. Stir in chocolate chips
Finally, add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon. Then pour the batter into the loaf tin and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
Step 5. Bake the vegan banana bread
Bake in the oven for about 35-45 minutes. The key is to bake the bread just enough to cook it through without drying it out too much. Check the center with a toothpick- if it comes out slightly sticky/crumbly, that’s fine, just not wet.
Step 6. Let cool
Allow it to cool completely (to avoid crumbling), then remove from the tin, cut into slices, and enjoy!
How To Serve
Serve this banana bread alone or with lashings of your favorite dairy-free butter, vegan Nutella, or even a fruit preserve like this Strawberry Compote.
For an even more sumptuous treat, then gently warm the piece in a microwave/toaster before buttering up for a super moist treat.
How To Store Banana Bread
Any leftover can be stored covered at room temperature (in colder climates) for a few days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. This vegan banana bread is also freezer-friendly for up to 1 month; simply slice and then freeze, so you can grab a slice or two at a time. You can place baking paper between the pieces, so they don’t stick as they freeze.
You can reheat a piece in a toaster or microwave.
Recipe Notes
- You can add walnuts alongside, or instead of, chocolate chips. Other options include adding a few blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or shredded coconut.
- Feel free to top the vegan chocolate chip banana bread with a further banana, sliced in half lengthwise.
- I recommend using the ingredient measurements in grams, using a kitchen scale. Cup measurements can vary depending on where you live and give incorrect results.
- You can use this recipe to make mini loaves or muffins, too, though the cooking time will vary.
Related Vegan Bread Recipes/ Desserts
- Healthy Banana Bread (Sugar-Free)
- Banana Blueberry Bread
- Marble Banana Bundt Cake
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins
If you give this vegan chocolate chip banana bread recipe a try, I’d love a comment and recipe rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing them!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups (200 g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sweetener of choice (see notes)
- 3/4 cup (75 g) almond flour (ground almonds)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup (60 g) dairy-free chocolate chips + more for the top
Wet ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) plant-based milk
- 2 medium (200 g) super ripe bananas
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale.Also, watch the video for easy visual instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place all dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into a large bowl and mix with a whisk. You can also process the ingredients in a food processor (that's what I did).
- In a small/medium bowl, mash the bananas really well (e.g. with a fork) and add them to the bowl (or food processor) with the dry ingredients.
- Add the plant-based milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract and whisk again or use the pulse function of your food processor until just combined (don't overmix).
- Finally, add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and add more chocolate chips on top.
- Bake the bread in the oven for about 40 minutes (you don't want to overbake it). Check the center with a toothpick- if it comes out dry or slightly sticky/crumbly, that's fine, just not wet.
- Let the banana bread cool, slice it, and enjoy!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Oat flour: To make your own oat flour, simply process oats in a blender or electric coffee/spice grinder. You can try using buckwheat flour for a grain-free version. Also, regular flour or spelt flour (for a non-gluten-free version) should work well in this recipe.
- Granulated sweetener: You can use regular sugar, coconut sugar, or a sugar-free sweetener like Erythritol, Xylitol (birch sugar), etc. I used a sugar-free sweetener which isn't as sweet a regular sugar. So, if using regular sugar, I would recommend using less.
- Make sure to use almond flour (which consists of 100% ground almonds). Any other ground nuts can be used instead of almond flour. For a nut-free version, you can use 75 grams of ground shredded unsweetened coconut.
- Recipe serves 8. Nutrition facts are for one serving (calculated with Erythritol).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
maple syrup for the sweetener?
Haven’t tried it, but it might work.
Be careful if using ground shredded unsweetened coconut for almond flour, its totally different texture and taste, wouldnt recommend it..
Ella,
I recently went vegan for very similar reasons to yours. I found your website after much research on vegan cooking. Im a seasoned cook so I have to say the transition has been easy for me. But my husband is still a meat eater and he has tried a few of your recipes. Including the lentil shepherds pie and he absolutely loved it! It was gone the very next day!!
This banana bread recipe was so good! And I’ve had a lot of banana breads in my life. I didn’t have almond flour so I just used oat flour and it came out very well. Will purchase almond flour for next time. I was very impatient and cut into while still warm. Goes lovely with some vegan butter!
I just purchased your book. It’s so unique as there aren’t many cooks out there who are vegan, soy free and gluten free. I really am not a fan of the processed vegan meats. So your plant based recipes are refreshing. Can’t wait for your book to come in! Also it doesn’t surprise me your from Germany. I lived in the Netherlands with my husband while he was in the United States military. Germans sure know how to cook! I miss Germany so much.. it’s a beautiful country.
Blessings!
Aww, your comment made my day, Samantha! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I am glad the banana bread turned out yummy and that your hubby loved the shepherd’s pie.
Thanks so much for purchasing my book, means so much!
Greetings to you and your hubby. 🙂
Substituted quinoa for oat flour and pecans for almond flour and it turned out amazing! Looked like it would be too liquify but it wasn’t. I loved this recipe!! I also added cinnamon chips. It’s hard to find vegan bread recipes that don’t turn out gooey. I will make this again, for sure.😀
I am so glad it turned out great with quinoa flour and ground pecans. Thanks for your feedback, Laurie! 🙂
Another fantastic recipe. My go to banana bread from now on.
Awesome! I am so happy you like it, Rachel. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
This banana bread was absolutely delicious as breakfast this morning. It turned out so well, I ate until I almost exploded. Really liked the texture and as I’m not usually a banana bread person, this recipe won my heart. I froze 6 leftover pieces to use for other breakfast(s), but I’m gonna save this recipe for future bakings.
It’s really good! Thank you!
Yay, that’s awesome, Ioana! I am so glad you loved it. 🙂
So delicious! Very fluffy and soft. I used super, super ripe bananas for more flavor. I needed to bake the loaf for a bit longer than the listed time.
Sounds great, Sal! I am so glad you liked it. 🙂
Hello Ela!
What would be a good substitute of oat flour? Can it be made only with almond flour?
Love all your recepies❤
Hi Lucia, I think it won’t work with just almond flour. You could try buckwheat flour or quinoa flour. 🙂
Hi Ela, so delicious banana bread! I want to eat the whole thing at once!! I’ve got a few questions: what role does the almond flour play? Likewise, I noticed that this recipe doesn’t have baking soda, any particular reason? I would like to taste the banana flavour a bit more, can I add more banana without having a weird effect on the final result? What can I do to get a bit more fluffiness? I used Dinkelmehl, does that gave it more “dense” texture? Thanks again for sharing easy and delicious recipe
Hi Claudia, I am glad you liked it! Adding one more (small) banana should be fine. You can add 1/4 tsp baking soda if you like. Sometimes I add both and sometimes just baking powder.
If you want a lighter texture, then you could use wheat flour. 🙂
I made this with half oat flour and half buckwheat flour, with blueberries instead of choc chips. It was light and delicious with exactly the texture you described. I used Erythritol as the sweetener (my first experiment with it) and it worked perfectly. Thank you so much for the recipe! Even my husband liked it and he always turns his nose up at my healthy banana breads. Looking forward to experimenting more with this new ingredient and your recipes. x
That’s awesome, Dawny! I am so glad you loved it. 🙂
Thanks for your great feedback.
hi ela thank u fot sharing ur recipes. Can i replace the baking powder with yeast? or can i just simply skip the baking powder?
Hi Vidy, you could use baking soda (1/2 tsp should be fine). I never tried yeast in this recipe. 🙂
Hi Ela…our family absolutely loved this banana bread! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I used coconut sugar for the granulated sugar part of the recipe and I think it might be sweeter than other sugars. combined with the super ripe bananas and chocolate chips, the level of sweetness increases considerably (truth is I want to just eat more of it at one time!!) Is it possible to reduce the sugar down to 1/4 c without compromising the end result?
Hi Kavita, I am so glad you liked it! Yes, I think that should be totally fine. 🙂
Hi! Tried the recipe, decreasing by 30gr the sweetener, I followed the instruction, I saw the banana bread rising, and it was looking soooo delicious. Unfortunately it fall, during the cool down in the oven; so it got a funny very dense texture. I still eat it with vegan vanilla ice cream and coffee.
Not sure what I did wrong…
but the taste it’s very gnummy!
Hi Carlotta, this does often happen with gluten-free flours, depending on the oven and the pan. I notice this sometimes when I bake something in a loaf pan (it will rise but then deflate), however, when I make the same recipe in a round cake pan or muffin tin, it won’t happen. Also, if you aren’t gluten-free, you could try spelt flour or wheat flour and it definitely also won’t happen because of the gluten. I hope this helps. 🙂
Loveeeee all your recipes! Thank You for all you do. I’m 63 years old and I’m learning so much from you. Holding you in a space of love dear one. Wishing you 1000 fold success in all your do.
Hello Kim! I am so glad you like my recipes! Thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I was wondering if I can use frozen bananas,
Of course after they are unfrozen…
I don’t have chocolate chips, but vegan 100% dark chocolate chunk, can I just cut some pieces and add it to the batter?
Thank you from Colombia
Hi Carlotta, I never tried making the recipe with frozen (thawed) bananas. I would be afraid they contain too much moisture.
Yes, you can definitely use dark chocolate chunks, that’s fine. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Ela,
Chocolate chip banana bread came out delicious .. we had one warm piece as soon as it coolEd down. ???? thanks for your recipe.
So happy it turned out delicious, Roopa. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Hi, do you think monk fruit sweetener will work? Thank you!
Yes, that should work. 🙂
Thank you! It worked splendidly. Wonderful texture and taste.
That’s wonderful! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Hi Ela! I made this a few days ago and it was amazing. I am allergic to almonds so I used the coconut and it tasted so nice. I also used a mini loaf pan and was able to still get 8 mini loaves from this recipe. I have them for breakfast 🙂 Thank you so much for this!
That sounds amazing, Ayesha! So glad it was a success. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Hi Ela! Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it last night with some slight variations and what I had on my pantry. Instead of almond flour, I used dried almond pulp from my homemade almond milk. I also used dehydrated cane juice (which is a very common sweetener in my country) I added a little bit more milk as I felt the batter was too thick. They turned out amazing! Best banana bread I have ever made.
Wow that’s awesome, Natalia! I am so glad it turned out delicious. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂