Vegan, gluten-free and high in protein - this simple marbled banana bread provides over 6 grams of protein per serving!
I love banana bread! Whether it's one with blueberries or this vegan gluten-free marbled banana bread - for me, banana bread is the ultimate sweet snack. As soon as the bananas in our fruit basket have reached the right degree of ripeness, the oven is on - or I put them in the freezer for banana ice cream or smoothies.
Unlike the American classic, this vegan marble banana bread recipe does not require any oil, butter or margarine and contains no eggs or refined sugar. Instead, it's loaded with wholesome ingredients such as rolled oats, buckwheat and nut butter plus bananas, of course.
It took me a few trials to get exactly where I wanted to be for this healthy banana bread recipe. But luckily I had plenty of ripe bananas on hand each week, as well as a diligent banana bread tester by my side.
The end result was this moist, gluten-free marble banana bread. It is a bit more on the denser side compared to other recipes. But - thanks to the buckwheat and chickpea flour - it is high in protein. Cut into 12 slices (prepared with peanut butter), this banana bread recipe packs a whopping 6.4 g of protein per slice - with no added protein powder.
The Ingredients
- GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS: The triple combination of oat flour, buckwheat flour and chickpea flour ensures a great consistency and a good protein boost! Chickpea flour consists of over 20% protein and buckwheat also comes close to this value. The protein contained in buckwheat also has a high biological value. I added oat flour because it gives the banana bread a great juiciness.
- BANANAS: You will need 3 to 4 bananas - and they should be super ripe. Bananas that are still yellow on the outside are unfortunately not suitable for this recipe, as they are not sweet enough on the inside.
- PLANT MILK: The choice is yours. I recommend a high-protein variety such as pea or soy milk.
- MAPLE SYRUP: Maple syrup gives the banana bread a little more sweetness and moisture. Feel free to swap for another liquid sweetener.
- NUT BUTTER: You can choose freely here. Natural and unsweetened peanut butter or almond butter are my favorites. Nut allergy? No problem, replace the nut butter with tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- COCOA POWDER: … for the marbled look. Not a fan of chocolate flavoured treats? Simply leave out the cocoa.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Optional, but recommended.
How to Make Vegan Marbled Banana Bread
Mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the maple syrup and nut butter and stir in the plant-based drink. Mix the dry ingredients - except for the cocoa powder - in a second bowl. Then add to the wet ingredients and fold in.
Transfer a third of the batter to another bowl and mix with a little vegetable drink and the cocoa powder. Pour both batters alternately into a baking tin and bake.
Let cool completely, slice and nibble away or enjoy it with your favorite toppings. I love my banana bread with a thick layer of peanut or cashew butter topped withfresh berries. The vegan marble banana bread can also be frozen after being sliced.
A little tip at this point: you should keep the banana bread in the fridge. It will become a little drier over time. Simply reheat the slices in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before seeving - this will make them moist again.
I hope you’ll give this high protein vegan marbled banana bread a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.
FAQ
Absolutely! Make sure to use a liquid sweetener like coconut nectar or date syrup so the banana bread doesn't become dry.
Nut butter can easily be replaced by tahini, i.e. sesame butter, for example.
More Banana Recipes
Recipe
High-Protein Vegan Marbled Banana Bread (Gluten-free)
Vegan, gluten-free and high in protein - this simple marbled banana bread provides over 6 grams of protein per serving!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chickpea flour (100 g)
- 1 cup oat flour (100 g)
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoon buckwheat flour (70 g)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 3-4 bananas, very ripe (360 g or 1 ¾ - 2 cups, mashed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup (80 g)
- ½ cup + ¼ cup plant milk
- 4 tablespoon nut butter (80 g), unsweetened (e.g. peanut butter)
- 3-4 tablespoon cocoa powder (30 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, smash the bananas with a fork, add ½ cup plant milk and the other wet ingredients and mix well.
- Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Transfer ⅓ of the dough to another bowl, add ¼ cup plant milk and the cocoa powder and mix.
- Pour the batter into a greased bread tin (or use a silicon cake mold) alternating between the bright and the dark batter to create a marbled pattern. Keep in mind that you have more of the bright dough.
- Bake the banana bread in the preheated oven for about 40 min till golden brown on top.
- Let it cool completely before slicing.
Notes
You should keep the banana bread in the fridge. It may become a little dry over time. Simply reheat the slices in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before seeving - this will make them moist again.
This post is also available in German (Deutsch).
olga says
ciao! It looks OMNOMOMNOOOOOM!!!!
but here where I live, no way to get oat flour or (even less!) buckwheat flour. I would stick on chickpea flour and hope for the best 🙂
Melanie J says
Thanks a lot, Olga! You could also try using other flours like spelt or wheat flour. I am not sure if using only chickpea flour would work - texture and taste wise. Keep in mind that you might have to adjust the amount of plant milk when using other types of flour. Just start with a little less milk than in the recipe and add more until you reach the consistency of a not too runny batter. Let me know how it turns out if you try it ;)!
Olga says
Cool! I’ll give it a try with what I have available ... I’ll let you know how it comes out 🙂
Philia says
Hi! Is there any way to sub the nut butter? Fruit purée, more liquid, simply omit....? Same with the the liquid sweeteners- I don’t have any on hand and I also prefer not to use refined sugars. I absolutely love the addition of chickpea flour though! I’ve been searching high and low for more legume flour recipes, particularly red lentil, but I can never find any baking recipes including them! Thank you 🙂
Melanie J says
Hi Philia,
I've made this recipe without nut butter and the result wasn't too great. But if you sub it with unsweetened apple sauce and use coconut sugar for the liquid sweetener it might work better. You should maybe go with 1/3-1/2 cup of coconut sugar, otherwise it might not be sweet enough. Let me know how it works out in case you try it;)!!