Holy, moly do I have something super special for you: this one bowl vegan chocolate banana bread is an absolute dream! It's made with sprouted oat flour, coconut sugar and is completely gluten free, vegan and fabulous.
Just wanted to let you know this banana bread recipe is sponsored by my friends at One Degree Organics!
A vegan banana bread recipe that truly shines
I must say that one of the toughest things I have ever done was try to perfect this recipe. I wanted to make sure it was vegan, but I knew it was going to be tough without any excess fat besides the cashew butter and sans the eggs.
There were a couple of throw away batches before this one came out just right. I really wanted an ooey and gooey inside with a firm edge. I had never created a bread with oat flour before, and this certainly won't be my only time. It turned out so freaking fantastic.
In fact, I brought a couple of slices to a few of my favorite blogging ladies and friends. We met for lunch yesterday at a trendy and health oriented cafe in Encinitas called Healthy Creations.
If you live in San Diego county, I highly recommend paying them a visit. They have so many paleo and vegan options, and everything in their cafe is gluten free!
It was so wonderful to see the two of them. We have all spent time with one another 1-on-1 but it was our first time all meeting up together- the 3 of us.
If you're wondering who these two mystery ladies are, let me shed some light: my girl Rachel over at Bakerita, who I've mentioned MANY times before and a newer friend of mine, Lindsay of Weeknight Bite.
Vegan chocolate banana bread is going to rock your world
They are both so warm, friendly, hilarious and brilliant. It's great getting together and bouncing business ideas off one another and sharing our communal trials and tribulations in the blogosphere.
But back to this bread. I brought it for them, and they absolutely loved it. In fact, Lindsay ended up sending me an Instagram video of her polishing off both slices on her way home. I love her.
The two of them told me that the bread was almost fudge-like... wow, can you say slam dunk?! I think you can absolutely serve up this chocolate banana bread for breakfast, especially if you don't load it up with too many dark chocolate chips.
There is only 1/3 of a cup of coconut sugar in addition to the 2 bananas sweetening this recipe. It's not going to send you over the edge, and I can imagine it pairing oh so nicely with a big glass of non-dairy milk... even dare I say oat milk* for breakfast! 🙂
Have you tried it yet? My favorite brand Oatly is gaining more and more distribution at so many different coffee shops around the country. It's really exciting stuff. Oat milk lattes are absolutely life changing, and I dare you to try them.
Have you ever had chocolate banana bread before?
Okay, well enough about my obsession with oat milk. Let's talk about the sprouted rolled oats that were utilized in this fabulous banana bread recipe. One Degree Organics are one of my favorite companies that I have not only ever worked with but have had the pleasure of enjoying their entire product line.
They sell everything from sprouted oat products (and yes, they are all gluten free) to tortillas, granolas and gluten free flours.
All you have to do is throw these sprouted rolled oats into a food processor and wham bam- you've got yourself this fabulous oat flour to work with.
It was a bit of a no brainer to combine the bananas with chocolate for me. It has always been such a winning flavor combination, and I knew the oat flour mixed in was going to be such a game changer.
Don't be shy about ingredient add-ins either. You can use walnuts instead of dark chocolate chips if you'd like.
Or top off a piece of vegan chocolate banana bread with some creamy nut butter. Now that sounds like a real game changer right there.
Alright, alright. Well, let's stop fussing about it. If these photos haven't yet captivated you, then I don't know what else I can do or say.
This vegan chocolate banana bread is going to be made on repeat in your oven... just give it a try.
It's such a quick and easy way to satisfy any sweet cravings you may be having. All of your friends and family members will fall in love, too. Promise! 😉
More like this:
Gluten Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins
This post is sponsored by the lovely folks at One Degree Organics. Thank you for allowing me to continue creating such incredible content by supporting relationships with incredible brands and companies that The Movement Menu enjoys working with! Opinions will always remain 100% my own!
One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic sprouted rolled oats
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 2 large very ripe bananas about 1 cup, mashed
- 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Lightly coat the bottom of a 9x5” loaf pan with oil. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the length of the bottom of the pan and leave some extra parchment hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the loaf out.
- Place rolled oats into a food processor. Process on high until it resembles a flour. This should take about 30 seconds.
- Add in cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and coconut sugar. Pulse again a few times to combine.
- Add in the cashew butter, coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, flax “egg” and mashed bananas.
- Process until smooth and stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a spatula, transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few crumbs is okay, but you don’t want any raw batter. Let the bread cool in the pan before using a knife to loosen it around the edges and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Don't be shy about ingredient add-ins. You can use walnuts instead of dark chocolate chips if you'd like.
- Or top off a piece of vegan chocolate banana bread with some creamy nut butter.
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
Can you use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter instead of cashew butter?? I remember them being more expensive than other nut butters. Thank you in advance:)
Sunflower seed butter may turn it green / a weird brown... you can use peanut but it'll taste a lot like peanut butter. How about almond butter?
Can I use soy milk instead of coconut milk?
Go ahead, that's fine.
Could I use coconut milk from the carton (like alternative dairy milk) rather than canned coconut milk?
You can! Try to find one that is creamy if possible! 🙂
Super easy, delicious and gut friendly!!
Hi! Any suggestions for a nut butter substitution? I can't do nuts, dairy, gluten, soy, or eggs.
I'm honestly not sure... that's a tough one... can you do coconut? Maybe applesauce? I'd trying coconut butter first.
Nut avoidance is complicated! A previous commenter subbed tahini (made from ground sesame seeds) & other sites have suggested sunbutter (made from ground sunflower seeds) in a similar situation. Maybe one of those would work for you. 🙂
I just made this and it is literally the best thing I've ever baked. I substituted the nut butter for tahini and used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar (because it's what I had on hand). I was afraid it was going to turn out gummy, but it came out fudgy and soft and absolutely fantastic! Thank you for this recipe! I'll deifnitely be making it many more times.
Hi!!! This makes me so happy to hear. When people are able to make seamless ingredient substitutions, it's very exciting for me. Enjoy all of that fudgy goodness!!
I would love to know if i can use almond flour since I don't have any oat flour or can i just use rolled oats (my oatmeal) and blend that in my ninja? also, i am going paleo and trying to cut out grains. have you tried this recipe with almond flour or does it not work?
Hi there. Almond flour absorbs liquid much differently than oat flour. You can try using it but I would start out with a little less. You want your batter to be pourable but thick. Let me know how it turns out!
Liz, yes you can use rolled oats and blend them in your Ninja- 100%!
It was sooo good. My husband hates bananas do you think I can substitute with applesauce? What would be the quantity?
Hi there. I'm so glad you liked it... I'm also unsure about substituting with applesauce. I'd try with 1/2 cup of applesauce per banana though!
This banana bread is incredible! So easy and delicious. Will definitely be making this again.
I made this into muffins and they were so good! I added walnuts as well and loved them. I have found gluten free and oil free vegan bread to be so hard to get a good rise and a good texture, but this was so perfect. Soft and super tasty I will for sure be making again!
Hi!! It makes me so happy to hear this recipe can be turned into muffins. You didn't change anything about the ingredient amounts? How long did you bake them for?? I'd love to make a note!
I would also love to know if any modifications were made in order to make them into cupcakes. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, I will get back with you as soon as I hear from Savannah!
My doctor insists that gluten free oats can never truely be gluten free. He says all grains contain gluten from one degree to another...so do you think I can use another kind of flour???
Hi Ana. What kind of doctor? I disagree with him, as the rules and regulations to become certified gluten free are EXTREMELY tedious and difficult. The One Degree Organics sprouted rolled oats are absolutely gluten free. You can try using raw cashew flour instead... I'd start with 1 1/3 cups and see what the batter looks like. You want it to be quite thick but pourable. I hope this is helpful!
Your doc is right that standard growing & processing practices for oats & some other grains (ie millet) lead to massive cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains. Current testing of optically/mechanically sorted oats has many, many problems. It is possible to get truly GF oats if they're grown using the Purity Protocol. I've just now learned about One Degree Organics products and came here partly because I was hoping there'd be more info than is on their website (which neither stipulates Purity Protocol nor details their specific testing conditions), but sadly there isn't. So, it's unclear whether they're using purity protocol oats or not. As for which oats *have* been verified as purity protocol, and why there are so many issues with non-purity protocol oats & other grains (including details of serious problems with optically/mechanically sorted oat products) you can read more at Gluten Free Watchdog. https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/why-mechanically-and-optically-sorted-gluten-free-oats-continue-to-keep-me-up-at-night/
Disclosure: I am a subscriber to the GF Watchdog independent testing site but have no other interests. My hubby has had biopsy-verified celiac for more than 40 years & I eat GF much of the time so he can live safely in our home & I can kiss him without making him sick. 🙂