One-bowl Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread (w/ gluten-free option)

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With juicy strawberries tugged inside every slice, this vegan strawberry banana bread is full of texture and spring flavour with the spot-on sweetness that make it a perfect breakfast or snack!

As a Taiwanese growing up in a medium-low income family, having strawberries and watching movies in the theatre are both deemed as luxury. Fresh strawberries are on the expensive side in terms of fruits in Taiwan. That’s why when I first came to the UK, the price of fresh strawberries here is quite surprising and amazing to me.

And as the season of strawberries comes from late December till March in Taiwan, I wanted to make something that can make me feel connected to my hometown in a way. And also, I really love my Vegan Banana Bread (Gluten-free).

So after seeing some strawberry desserts on many friends’ posts, I decided to make create some strawberry recipes, including this super easy, yummy Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread.

Watch How to Make It

Ingredients You Need

• Ripe bananas: I think you see where I put my emphasis on. Yes, ripe. Ideally, the one has many spots on it.
• Maple syrup: I use both sugar and maple syrup in this recipe because they give out different sweetness and textures.
• Plant-based milk: Any non-dairy milk should work. I usually use soy milk because it’s one of my staples.
• Extra-virgin coconut oil: I love the rich flavour and texture coconut oil gives to this banana bread.
• Applesauce: It’s basically purée cooked apples. You can make it yourself, but sometimes I just use store-bought ones to save time.
• Vanilla extract: A hint of vanilla extract will do more than you think, trust me (wink wink).
• Organic cane sugar: Because I want to make this cake look “pure” and light inside, I use organic sugar for its sweetness while not affecting the colour.
• White spelt flour: You can also use all-purpose flour (plain flour) or gluten-free plain flour for substitutions.
• Almond flour: It adds texture and a bit of nutty flavour to this banana bread.
• Baking powder & Baking soda: They are both essential to make this bread rise and not too dense.
• Salt: As usual, just a pinch of salt is all we need.
• Fresh strawberries: It’s better to use fresh strawberries because we’re going to cut them into chunks to add to the batter.
• Lemon: We’re going to use both the zest and some juice. So make sure it’s fresh and fragrant.

How to Make Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread

It’s very simple because it’s a ONE-BOWL recipe! Here’s a quick go-through:

• Mash bananas: First, in a big bowl, mash the ripe banana with a potato masher or a fork.
• Mix in wet ingredients:Then add applesauce, maple syrup, plant-based milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and sugar. Mix them together.
• Stir in dry ingredients: To the same bowl, add flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Mix to incorporate all ingredients together evenly.
• Add strawberries: Stir in chopped strawberries. Save a few slices for decoration on top if you like. And squeeze a little lemon juice as well.
• Prepare to bake: Pour the batter into a lined 8″ loaf tin. Spread the batter out evenly. Place some strawberry slices on top if you want.
• Bake: Bake it in the preheated oven for 35~40 minutes until it a knife or a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Cool down: Transfer the cake in the tin to a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Remove from the tin, slice, and EAT!

How to Store Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread

Store this banana bread in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days, or 2 weeks in the freezer. If you decide to put it in the freezer, I’ll suggest slicing them before putting them away, so when you want a slice or two, you can just defrost the amount you need.

Questions You Might Have

I don’t have white spelt flour, can I use other flour?

Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead.

How can I make it gluten-free?

It’s fairly simple. Just substitute gluten-free plain flour for white spelt flour and you got gluten-free banana bread! This gluten-free flour should work nicely. Just make sure to pay attention to cross-contamination when purchasing ingredients if you’re allergic to gluten.

Are there other substitutions for coconut oil?

You can use vegan butter instead of coconut oil if you don’t have coconut oil at hand. But I personally think the coconut oil version is better.

Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones?

Because frozen strawberries tend to be bigger in size, and they are not the easiest thing to cut, I’ll say use fresh ones if you can. Plus, frozen berries tend to release more juice than fresh ones, which would make the bread denser.

Final Words

This strawberry banana bread is super moist, not so sweet, which is what I like. I hope you will like it as much as I do. If you make it, welcome to let me know by commenting down below or tagging me on Instagram (@barrelleaf).