Wait, hold up. Why? Why put chickpeas in banana bread? Well this Chickpea Vegan Banana Bread is crazy good and bakes up fluffy yet dense in real banana flavor. I love that every bite includes a healthy secret ingredient… beans! Don’t tell the kids. Or the bean-phobes in your house…
Vegan Banana Bread
It’s no secret that everyone is baking banana bread right now. In fact, there is a whole article on just WHY people are obsessed with baking banana bread during the coronavirus pandemic: Banana Bread is Having a Moment – CNN.
For me, it really ends up happening when the bananas in my fruit bowl start to turn overripe. I have two options. Peel and freeze them for the best creamy banana-shake smoothies. Or, wait a few more days until the peel really blackens, and use them in banana bread.
But a food blogger can only have so many vegan banana bread recipes….
My Vegan Banana Bread Recipes
Yup, like most bloggers, I have a few. Here they are..
- Basic Vegan Banana Bread with chocolate chips
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Carrot-Walnut Banana Bread
- Apple Banana Bread
- Holiday Banana Bread with spices + festive flavor
- Banana French Toast – which is kinda like banana bread…
- Peanut Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
- Citrus Spice “Tea-infused” Banana Bread
But this one is unique because of those lovely chickpeas that add texture, nutrition and body.
Vegan Egg Wash for Banana Bread?
One of my fave things about this bread is the pretty shiny top I achieved by simply using a vegan egg wash on top before baking. the ‘egg wash’ I used was JUST Egg. It worked really well! I love the darker browning and shine. An ‘egg wash’ is totally optional though.
Chickpea Banana Bread
Ingredients
Blended Wet Mixture:
- 1 1/3 cups bananas, mashed – very ripe – about 2 large
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, canned – drained
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, or agave
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Dry Bowl:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp corn starch, optional
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Fold in:
- 1 banana, chopped
- 1/2 – 1 cup vegan chocolate chips, optional
On Top:
- vegan egg wash, JUST egg used – optional
- sprinkle of chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your baking loaf pan – or use parchment paper.
- Add all the blended wet ingredients to a blender and blend from low to high until smooth.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the wet blended mixture into the dry bowl while stirring briskly – or use a hand or stand mixer on a low speed. Batter should be in the thick side, nice and fluffy.
- Fold in the chopped banana (chunks) and optional chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the bread loaf pan.
- Optional: Brush the top of the loaf with vegan egg (JUST Egg used) for a glossy finish.
- Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Pull from oven and let cool in pan for at least ten minutes before removing, slicing and serving. Store leftovers on the counter for up to a day- lover storage: in the fridge or freezer.
Equipment
- bread loaf pan
- blender
- large mixing bowl + spoon or mixer
nutrition estimate | per serving
Looks really yummy, I want to make it.
This made for a very good dinner. 😋
Hooray! So glad to hear that Sue.
Looks delicious! Do you think I could use something else in place of the oil? And, what makes sunflower oil a good choice as compared to others?
Thanks ! I’m just not a huge fan of canola oil and coconut oil has some tricky properties to it like getting rock hard in the fridge. I just like sunflower oil as my go-to baking oil. Nothing super special about it. As for an oil replacer, yes! You could just replace with milk or even something classic like apple sauce. The bread will not be as rich and decadent, but still delicious. I just love a rich oil-infused bread when I make dessert-y loaves. Hope that helps!! 🙂
Thanks!
Have you tried this recipe with other types of beans, even red or black beans (ala Asian cakes that have red beans in them)?
I have not, but I would imagine a bean with a semi-similar texture and moisture level would work. Chickpeas tend to be on the drier side, so that is why they bind really well. Black beans tend to be a bit drier too. White beans a bit softer. Next time I will experiment with a different bean! Tofu is also another option to play with.
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour?