Banana Bread - Top 8 Allergy-Free (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

I grew up eating banana bread pretty frequently. My mom has a cake stand that holds all the delicious breakfast treats she bakes - breads, muffins, scones - all the things that make breakfast especially exciting. I still scope out that cake stand when I go over to my parent’s house to see if there's anything good.

I remember coming downstairs for breakfast in the morning and if I saw an Entenmann’s (remember those stores?!) box of donuts or a baked good on that cake stand I knew it was going to be a good morning. If, however, I spotted cereal boxes set out on the kitchen table for breakfast it immediately put me in a bad mood. I hated cereal growing up even though, ironically, a bowl of cheerios was my main craving during both of my pregnancies. Go figure.

Banana bread was one of those breakfasts on the cake stand that put me in a good mood for the day. My love for it hasn’t faded as I’ve gotten older. I can still easily work my way through my own loaf in an alarmingly short period of time. Hudson has never had it. We found out about his wheat allergy before I ever had the chance to make some for him and all the other recipes for gluten-free and vegan loaves I’ve tried never turn out well. They are usually wet or gummy inside and the top sinks in, or it’s a tiny, short loaf. I decided to try out my childhood recipe that my mom passed along to all of us kids when we moved out, but make some swaps and additions to help it hold up without the eggs and gluten. I was so pleasantly surprised that it worked out perfectly on the first try - and that almost never happens in the kitchen! The bread tastes exactly like the original and the texture is spot-on. It’s a winner that we’ve already made a couple times and Hudson asks for daily. Thank goodness for my freezer stash!

I’ve personally never been a girl who likes adding nuts to sweets and treats, but if you love them and can tolerate them, throw some in when you make it. We never make a loaf without adding chocolate chips - it’s a must for us that you should try!

Prep: 15 minutes Bake Time: 60-70 minutes Yields: 1 9"x 5" loaf

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ c mashed bananas (3 large)

¼ c canola/avocado/grapeseed oil

2 flax eggs

3 Tbsp aquafaba (chickpea liquid)

2 c gluten free flour (I use King Arthur brand)

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Grease and line 9" x 5" pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mash bananas and beat with sugar, vanilla, oil, aquafaba, and flax eggs.

2. Add baking soda, salt, and gluten-free flour and stir to combine well.

3. Stir chocolate chips into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 60 to 70 minutes. Cover top with foil after 45 minutes to prevent top from burning. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.

5. Turn bread out of pan 5-10 minutes after removing from oven to fully cool.

Recipe Notes:

1. The chickpea liquid should not be whipped prior to adding to batter.

2. The loaf can be frozen, either whole or sliced, with parchment paper in between each slice.