This Vegan Almond Banana Bread is cozy, delicious, and made with healthy, whole food ingredients!
I’ve partnered with One Degree Organics to bring you this delicious recipe today. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Well and Full!
You know a recipe you’ve made is good when someone says, “Hey, this actually tastes like real banana bread!” LOL. Well, I guess that’s a job well done, right? But seriously, I don’t understand the continuing stigma with vegan food. I know there are vegan recipes out there that use ingredients a lot of people aren’t familiar with – like jackfruit, seitan, etc – but for the most part, vegan food is just food. For example, this almond banana bread. Bananas, One Degree Organic’s Sprouted Spelt Flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, nuts. Nothing crazy here! So I would imagine that it does, in fact, taste like “real” banana bread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In Nutrition News, a new study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that found a correlation between various dietary factors and the incidence of heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and stroke. The study examined the diets of Americans (as recorded in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999-2002 and 2009-2012), and looked for a correlation between their diets and the various diseases listed above. Essentially, what the researchers found is that those who consumed higher levels of sodium, processed meat, sugary drinks, and red meat had a higher incidence of the listed diseases. The limitations of this study, of course, should be mentioned – as an observational study, this analysis doesn’t tell us anything about the underlying biochemical mechanisms that caused these results. However, does this mean that this study is worthless? Absolutely not.
I read a Yahoo article discussing this new study, and the comments section was extremely disheartening. Comments ranged from “Nobody dies healthy, so enjoy it while you can,” to “My grandfather ate bacon and butter and he lived until 89, etc. etc.” There are two problems with statements like these. First, diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke don’t happen overnight. In most cases, they are a result of many years of a poor diet coupled with genetic factors. Second, knowing one person who continuously ate the unhealthy foods from the study and turned out fine has no statistical significance. Every single person’s physiology, biochemistry, and genetics are different, which is why scientists perform analyses on large populations of people, not just one person. Furthermore, this study speaks in terms of associations, not inevitabilities. It’s simply saying that if you eat high amounts of sodium, processed and red meats, and sugary drinks, you are statistically more likely to have heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and a stroke.
However, I think there is some merit to the “enjoy it while you can” philosophy. While I’m definitely not recommending for anyone to drink sugary drinks every day and have absurdly high sodium levels, will one Coca-Cola kill you? No way. It’s all about moderation. Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation or being miserable. You have to keep your body and soul happy. So if that means breaking out a bag of chips every once in a while, go for it! Above all, do what’s right for you – and it’s going to be different for every one of us. Just remember, as always, to talk to your doctor before you start any dietary changes!

Vegan Almond Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 Cups Spelt Flour
- 1/3 Cup Almonds chopped
- 1/3 Cup Pecans chopped
- 1/3 Cup Shredded Coconut
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- Pinch of Sea Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Cups Mashed Bananas
- 1/4 Cup Strongly Brewed Coffee
- 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil melted
- 1 Tsp Almond Extract
Topping
- Chopped Almonds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Start by mashing the bananas. Usually 5 bananas yields about 2 cups, but this will completely depend on the size of the bananas.
- In a bowl, add mashed bananas and all other wet ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients until everything is evenly combined.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
- Pour batter into a bread loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Top with chopped almonds, if you like.
- Bake banana bread in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. To test if the banana bread is fully cooked, stick a knife or toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. If any batter is still stuck on, continue cooking the bread for 5-10 minute intervals until it comes out clean.
- When the bread is done, let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Quote of the Day:
Everything in moderation, including moderation.
P.S.
If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)
24 Comments
Megan
March 9, 2017 at 10:09 pm“Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation or being miserable. You have to keep your body and soul happy.” Love that <3 also your photos are gorgeous!
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:16 pmThank you so much Megan!! I’m glad my words resonated with you :)
Caroline
March 10, 2017 at 12:52 amMade this tonight and it is hands down one of the best banana breads I’ve ever made!! This will be my go-to recipe from now on!
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:17 pmI’m so glad you liked it Caroline!! :D Reading your comment made my day!! :)
Taylor Filaroski
March 10, 2017 at 8:37 amLooks yum! I have been craving baked goods recently so I will have to try this! I also really appreciate all of your well-informed nutrition insight–while I try to be as “healthy” as possible, it feels like that pendulum is always swinging, so the “everything in moderation, including moderation” mentality is super helpful to me. Plus, who doesn’t like a handful (or two) of chips every now and then?!
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:18 pmYou’re preaching to the choir!! ;) I love a handful of chips ALL the time lol!!
Abby@ Heart of a Baker
March 10, 2017 at 9:19 amGirrrrrrl I HEAR YOU. One of my coworkers thinks it’s funny to say ‘This is good..for being vegan’ when I bring in treats. UGH. Come on people, it’s food! In other news, I think I’m going to faceplant right into this bread and not be sorry about it :)
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:20 pmI knew you’d understand, you’re the vegan baking queen!! Your coworkers sound like they don’t know how good they have it, with you baking for them ;)
Friday Finds - The Secret Ingredient [is love]
March 10, 2017 at 9:39 am[…] never say no to banana bread. […]
annie
March 10, 2017 at 11:08 amthis bread is gorgeous. i like how you threw coffee in there….what a great idea!
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:21 pmThanks Annie!! I’m always looking for ways to add coffee into stuff ;)
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
March 10, 2017 at 12:04 pmWell written, Sarah and thank you for sharing! I’ll keep my eyes out for One Degree’s Spelt – although I typically buy mine in bulk. This banana bread is just fabulous and I love how you squeezed in a bit of strong coffee. Such a great flavor boost! And vegan food.. you’re right, it’s just food. Although some would argue that if a meal doesn’t include some sort of animal protein that you’ll starve or kill over (this is the culture I grew up in :o). I am much happier now with a colorful plate of vegetables than I am a slab of meat any day! Thank you for sharing! xo
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:23 pmI grew up in that culture too, Traci!! My dad doesn’t consider it a meal unless there’s half a cow on the table *rolls eyes*. But he has the high cholesterol that goes with it… I’m trying to get him to eat more vegetables but it’s a challenge lol
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health
March 10, 2017 at 12:22 pmHubba, hubba! Now that is one beautiful loaf of banana bread. I love the addition of coffee too. Sounds so good! This is my idea of the perfect treat. Satisfying and decadent but still nutritious. :)
Sarah
March 10, 2017 at 3:24 pmThanks so much Sarah!! This is my perfect treat too ;)
Sara
March 16, 2017 at 3:03 pmThis looks to die for!! I’m a total banana bread lover any time, and add all that amazing crunchy goodness with the almonds on top, I wouldn’t be able to resist! I couldn’t agree more about how sad/annoying it is that vegan food is considered so alien at times…I always hear people say it’s not “real” food. You’d think food that grow in the ground would be considered more “real” than all the processed, horrible stuff a lot of people eat daily. Keep up the great work and we can spread the word with beautiful recipes like these that this food is DELISH!
Sarah
March 17, 2017 at 3:18 pmYES – whole, vegan food is WAY more “real” than all that processed stuff that’s so ubiquitous in our society. Right on, Sara!
Sophia
May 20, 2017 at 1:21 pmHi Sarah,
Do you by any chance know the nutritional info for this almond banana bread?
Thanks
Sophia
Sarah
May 22, 2017 at 10:45 amHi Sophia! I don’t usually provide the nutritional info for my recipes, but you can calculate it on MyFitnessPal if you’d like! :)
Sharon
September 19, 2018 at 3:32 pmAloha Sarah,
Amen! I was diagnosed with severe congested heart failure November 2016. Was put on some strong meds, a dose for a 400lb man. I’m no way near that description, an overweight female but not that overweight. Had to reevaluate my life or risk surgery or worst death. I first went off red meat, then pork, followed by all meat and then complete plant-based August 2017. Started to meditate at least once a day, walk, yoga and a little swimming. My meds are half what they were and I just received my latest cardiac MRI last week. My heart is back to a normal range, I’ve been in tears, tears of relief, since then.
In my kitchen, the loaf pans seem to have mated and now have several sizes. What size loaf pan are you using? Can’t wait to try this.
Thank you,
Sharon
Sarah
September 19, 2018 at 8:14 pmHi Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your story! That’s awesome that you were able to cut back on your medications, that must feel amazing. A plant-based diet and exercise can do wonders!! :)
For this recipe I used a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. These could also be made into muffins or donuts too, just with a shorter baking time! Donuts would take between 15-20 minutes in a standard donut pan, and muffins would take 25-30 minutes. Hope this helps :) :)
Darla
October 12, 2018 at 8:49 pmWhat could you substitute for the coffee?
Sarah
October 13, 2018 at 12:14 pmYou could sub in almond milk or any other plant-based milk :)
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