Banana Bread: The Classic Recipe + 4 Variations, Including a Vegan One

The bananas on your counter went from freckled to brown to nearly black, and you were about to toss them. Don’t. That’s exactly when banana bread works best: the starch has turned to sugar, and the sugar gives the crumb its moisture and sweetness. Here are five loaves that rescue them, from the classic to a vegan version.

Banana Bread is the classic loaf. Soft butter is creamed with sugar, then two eggs, mashed bananas, flour, and cinnamon go in. The batter is poured into a greased and floured pan and bakes at 350°F for about 60 minutes. It’s Very easy, and it keeps for two days.

Pro tip: score the top lengthwise with a knife dipped in melted butter before baking. It gives the loaf a clean split down the middle.

Chocolate Banana Bread swaps part of the flour for cocoa and adds peanut butter to the batter. Mashed bananas, eggs, and brown sugar go in first, with chocolate chips folded in at the end. It bakes at 350°F for about 30 minutes, then gets a drizzle of melted milk chocolate and more chips.

Pro tip: thin the batter with a little milk if it turns out too thick, as the recipe says, before adding the chocolate chips.

Coconut Banana Bread has neither butter nor eggs. Coconut milk and coconut oil keep it moist, shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips go into the batter, and coconut flakes and chopped nuts finish the top. It bakes in an 8 x 4-inch pan at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes.

Pro tip: swap the coconut oil for vegetable oil if you prefer, and flavor the batter with cinnamon or ginger, as the recipe suggests.

Light Banana Bread is sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. Coconut oil and rice milk stand in for butter and milk, and only two egg yolks hold it together. Chopped pecans go on top, and it bakes at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes.

Pro tip: for a more intense flavor, use the same amount of hazelnut oil in place of the coconut oil.

Vegan Banana Bread: no butter, no eggs, no dairy. Mashed bananas are mixed with soy milk, sugar, cinnamon, rice flour, and baking powder. Two banana halves go on top, and it bakes at 350°F for about 40 minutes, then gets a dusting of powdered sugar.

Pro tip: soy milk can be replaced with another plant-based milk.

There’s a particular quiet in a kitchen after a banana loaf comes out of the oven: caramelized sugar and cinnamon still in the air, a golden loaf cooling on the counter, and someone already hovering nearby with a knife. Whichever version you bake, it won’t stay whole for long.