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 ⅓ cups bananas, mashed - very ripe - about 2 large
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas, canned - drained
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil
- ½ cup maple syrup, or agave
- ⅓ cup soy milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Dry Bowl:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon corn starch, optional
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Fold in:
- 1 banana, chopped
- ½ - 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
Inken says
Looks delish! What size of bread loaf pan did you use? I have 2 different sizes. Cheers xx
Kathy Patalsky says
I would add a few more minutes (5-15) to the cook time for sure! Toothpick test should go in the center, all the way down to the bottom. The corn starch does help bind and fluff a bit, so that could be the issue too. But if any part is uncooked, longer cooking time is needed for sure. I wrestle with the bake time on my loaves, because mine go from 50-70 minutes on average. Really depending on the bakeware, preheat time, batter temp and so many more tiny factors.
Canadian Baker says
Tasty but mine didn't fluff up and I'm wondering what I did wrong? Used vegetable oil and increased the cinnamon. did not add the cornstarch. Beat it with egg beaters but the bottom part was not cooked. Baked it for 55 minutes at 350. (F) Suggestions for when I try it again please?
ClookPook says
Looks really yummy, I want to make it.
Sue says
This made for a very good dinner. 😋
Kathy Patalsky says
Hooray! So glad to hear that Sue.
Nikki says
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?
Kathy Patalsky says
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!! 🙂
Nikki says
Thanks!
Bart says
Have you tried this recipe with other types of beans, even red or black beans (ala Asian cakes that have red beans in them)?
Kathy Patalsky says
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.
Beth says
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour?