Loaded Harvest Banana Bread (Easy Vegan Recipe)

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I apologize in advance for you and everyone you love getting hooked on harvest banana bread this fall and beyond. This banana bread is perfectly moist, lightly sweet, and full of delicious mix-ins that provides bursts of fruity, crunchy, and nutty goodness that make it the best harvest banana bread you've ever tasted. And it's, wait for it, vegan. Yes, girl. There are no dairy or animal products of any kind in this banana bread and the best part is you won't even notice! Honestly, just writing this post is making me crave a thick slice of harvest banana bread right now. It's that good. Keep reading to find out why.

To make my harvest banana bread, I picked up PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter from HEB--which y'all likely know is my go-to grocery store. PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter is certified vegan, which challenged me to make this entire banana bread recipe vegan. That wasn't too difficult seeing as I primarily cook and bake with plant-based milks already. But what about the eggs? Well, bananas pretty much eliminate the need. I typically use two bananas when making my spiced banana bread but threw in an extra banana to make this vegan harvest banana bread.

What is Harvest Banana Bread?

Harvest banana bread is like banana bread meets carrot cake plus fall flavor favorites like apple, maple, and cranberry. The result is better than any other banana bread I've ever had. And I'm not just speaking for my own taste buds. I shared this with a friend who lives for banana bread without providing any details (like the fact that it's vegan) or what else is in it. When she hit me with a text that started with "Listen..." I knew it was a winner. The little mix-ins like walnuts, apple chips, and matchstick carrots provide perfectly complementary bursts of flavor and texture that keep each bite interesting. Speaking of texture: crunchy. brown sugar. topping. It takes the harvest banana bread over the top and is so easy to make. You'll definitely be bringing better to the table with this loaf of deliciousness.

Tips for Making the Best Harvest Banana Bread

• Apple chips are a secret flavor and texture weapon in this banana bread. Fresh apples release a little too much liquid while baking to work in this recipe. There's already quite enough moisture from the fresh bananas and other ingredients. So, to capture that autumnal apple-y flavor, use apple chips. They'll kind of re-hydrate in the batter and come out tender without getting mushy!
• Use your fingers to shape and place the crunchy brown sugar topping over the banana bread batter. It's sticky so won't work well with a spoon or spatula. Just scoop some up, press it flat with your fingers, and lay it on top of the batter. Repeat til it's all done!
• Because every oven is different, checking your harvest banana bread for doneness is crucial to avoid over-baking. This is a very dense batter with lots of mix-ins so it will take a little while to bake but don't forget about it. If your brown sugar topping starts to burn before the loaf is baked, place a foil tent over top.
• Thoroughly coat your mix-ins in the flour mixture. This step keeps them from all sinking to the bottom and burning. Peep how well distributed the dried cranberries, apple chips, walnuts, and carrots are through the harvest banana bread slices below.

Fall Baking Favorites and Ideas

This recipe is proof that eating "better" isn't about making sacrifices but opening up deliciously creamy and unexpectedly wondrous possibilities. Because of how well this harvest banana bread has turned out (I tested it a few times, to be sure), I'm confident in using PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter in all my favorite fall baking recipes. Summer ends this coming Sunday and, though the temperatures won't drop for quite a while, I'm looking forward to warming up my oven to make these pumpkin donuts, a loaf of applesauce quick bread, and definitely a batch of salted caramel sweet potato bars. Once I work my way through them, I might even update the recipes with vegan options for those interested. Let me know if that's you.

PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter is also gluten-free and has zero grams of trans fat per serving. Check your Valpak envelope (comes in the mail) for a $1.50 off coupon for Pure Blends, redeemable at HEB stores. Sorry to my non-Texas friends, this one's only for my neighbors.

Raise your hand if you have ever thought that "eating green" meant only eating rabbit food. After you make this harvest banana bread, you'll know better and likely want more ways to use PURE BLENDS™. Check out their delicious plant based recipes using here. Also, sharing is caring. Pin this recipe to Pinterest. 🙂 Lastly, thanks for reading!

P.S. More vegan and veggie recipes:

• Lemon Alfredo Roasted Whole Cauliflower
• Piña Colada Oatmeal Muffins
• Tropical Nice Cream
• Vegetarian Pasta Skillet Dinner

5 from 8 votes

Print

Loaded Harvest Banana Bread

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

Moist banana bread filled with seasonal fall flavors--so good you won't believe it's vegan!

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana bread loaf recipe, harvest loaf, quick bread recipe, vegan banana bread, vegan dessert ideas

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Jazzmine from Dash of Jazz

Ingredients

Harvest Banana Bread Batter

• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup matchstick carrots
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup apple chips broken into pieces
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅛ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup almond milk
• ⅓ cup PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter melted

Crunchy Brown Sugar Topping

• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2-3 tablespoon PURE BLENDS™ avocado oil plant-based butter melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add in apple chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, and carrots and stir to dredge (cover in flour) to coat. This step prevents the walnuts, carrots, and cranberries sinking to the bottom of the batter and burning while baking.

3. Peel bananas then add them to a bowl and mash. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, almond milk, and Pure Blends avocado oil plant-based butter then stir until uniform.

4. Add wet banana mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined (about 35 stirs), scraping sides of bowl as you go. Do not over mix as this will result in tough banana bread. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

5. Combine all brown sugar topping ingredients until uniform and chunky. Spread over top of banana bread batter in an even layer (best to use your hands for this part).

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for about 30 minutes in pan then remove to finish cooling.