This deliciously moist vegan banana cake with pecan nuts is so good no one will guess it is vegan! No weird ingredients - find everything in your local supermarket.
🍴Why you will love this recipe
Hands up if you're secretly delighted when a bunch of bananas tip over the edge of ripeness in your fruit bowl, so they are good only for making cake? Oh good, I'm glad its not just me.
A slice of freshly baked vegan banana cake must be at least in my top three favourite things to eat with a nice cup of tea, (alongside my vegan victoria sponge and vegan blueberry muffins!).
Deliciously sweet and studded with pecan nuts, this lovely cake was so easy to vegan-ise. I used my usual substitution of soya yoghurt in place of eggs, and dairy-free margarine in place of butter. Bananas make a great egg-replacer in themselves too, so there's no need for any binding agent, this has a superb texture.
No one will ever guess it is 'free-from' anything, and there are no weird ingredients - everything can be found in your local supermarket.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Bananas These are best if they are very ripe - soft flesh with skins turning brown, rather than still slightly green.
Dairy-free yoghurt I use soya yoghurt as it has the highest protein content of all the plant yoghurts, so it is the closest egg-replacer. But any other plant yoghurt will also work well - the bananas help with the egg-replacing too so it isn't as important as in my other cake recipes.
Vegan butter Do use a good quality block margarine, rather than a tub of spread. Block margarine has a much lower water content so it makes quite a difference to the finished cake.
Self-raising flour Did you know that you can make your own self-raising flour if you don't have any to hand? Simply use the same quantity of plain flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder. (You will still need the bicarbonate of soda specified in the recipe too).
Equipment
You will need a 2lb loaf tin (roughly 21 x 9cm).
- Loaf Tin Mine is this super-sturdy tin from by Jamie Oliver which I really like.
- Mini Loaves this cute Lakeland tin would be perfect for making mini banana cakes!
- Best for Batch Baking Sometimes I use my nifty adjustable cake tin to batch-bake two or even three banana cakes at once!
👩🏽🍳 How to make your vegan banana cake
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.
Mash three of the bananas, and finely chop the pecan nuts.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Melt the vegan butter and mix it into the yoghurt and mashed banana. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until completely smooth.
Stir the chopped pecans into the cake mix, and pour into the lined loaf tin. Slice the remaining banana in half lengthways and push the two halves into the cake batter. Cover with foil and bake for an hour, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking time.
🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
This cake is even better after being left overnight in an airtight container, so do make it a day ahead if you can. The moisture works through the cake and the crust softens, so it becomes even more deliciously soft and moist.
If you only have three ripe bananas to use up, just leave off the banana on the top of the cake - it will still be delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can freeze it whole, or slice it and put a piece of greaseproof paper in between each slice. Wrap it up tightly in foil or freeze it in an airtight container.
This is so quick and easy to make that you can easily make two at the same time - one to eat and one to freeze!
If kept in an airtight tin or container this will keep for 4-5 days - it is very moist and so keeps well. If you still have some left over after that, (unlikely!), you can freeze it in slices as above.
How about trying one of these recipes from blogging friends:
Helen’s Easy Banana Scones from Family Friends Food
My Banana Pancakes with pecans
Jac’s Vegan Banana Pancakes from The Vegan Lunchbox
…or try my Vegan Banana Muffins – deliciously light and moist.
⭐️ Reader Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I’ve been making vegan banana bread recipes for months now and haven’t been happy with the texture/density so thought I would try a cake recipe. Stumbled across your gorgeous site and made your banana cake yesterday and it is divine. I’m off to the market today for more bananas to make a few more loaves to freeze." Q
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I made a big double quantity of this cake to take out on a soup run that I volunteer on. I also made an apple cake but everyone chose the banana cake and were really disappointed when it was all gone! Next month I’ll just make 2 double sized banana cakes. Thank you for an excellent recipe; really easy for a not-usually-very-successful baker! 🙂" Rona
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Love this recipe. It’s easy to follow and doesn’t take ages to prep and cook. The cake is yummy and moist. Will definitely be making again." Emma
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This turned out so well I’ll be making it again tonight, a week later. I am not the most confident cook/baker, and I hate seeing recipes with too many ingredients, this one caught my eye as it is simple. My boyfriend was very complimentary about this, when normally he is very fussy 😉" Shadow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This recipe made the most amazing cake. I bake every ten years or so, so this is definitely a no fail recipe. Thanks for posting it 🙂" Sarah
🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas
- 50 g pecan nuts or hazelnuts or walnuts if you prefer
- 220 g self-raising flour
- 160 g soft light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g vegan butter / block margarine
- 125 g dairy-free yoghurt unsweetened - I used soya
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease a loaf tin (a 2lb tin is ideal - roughly 21cm x 9cm).
- Mash 3 of the bananas with a fork until smooth.
- Chop the pecan nuts.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Melt the vegan butter/block margarine in the microwave or a small saucepan, and stir it into the vegan yoghurt and mashed banana.
- Add the yoghurt and vegan butter into the dry ingredients, and mix until completely smooth.
- Pour the mixture into your loaf tin, then peel the remaining banana and slice it in half lengthways. Press the two halves into the cake mix. Cover with foil, leaving room for the cake to expand in the oven.
- Bake for an hour or until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean, removing the foil around 10 minutes before the end of cooking time. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
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RJ says
Amazing recipe! I'm not a very skilled baker, but this turned out fantastic, light, fluffy but with loads of flavour. Thanks so much. 🙂
Kate Ford says
Oh lovely, so great to hear - thanks! X
Shadow says
Agree with another reviewer, I wish people wouldn't rate recipes before trying the actual recipe. That doesn't make any sense to me... I was halfway through the recipe before I actually read the 5 star reviews, it made me panic a little.
However! Thankfully, this turned out amazing. I did have to cook it for much longer than expected, but I suspect that is my oven (I've moved into a new apartment, so I'm still getting the hang of it).
Despite the extra cook time, this turned out so well I'll be making it again tonight, a week later. I am not the most confident cook/baker, and it's not something I particularly enjoy. I hate seeing recipes with too many ingredients, this one caught my eye as it is simple. My boyfriend was very complimentary about this, when normally he is very fussy and gives an honest opinion on my cooking 😉
T says
Loved making your Victoria Sponge cake , was delicious and so easy to follow. Infact all your recipes are so good.
Can you please share recipes on how to make egg free Danish pastries or croissants.
Love your recipes , do you have a recipe book out.
From T
Emma Tickner says
Love this recipe. It’s easy to follow and doesn’t take ages to prep and cook. The cake is yummy and moist. Will definitely be making again.
Sarah says
This recipe made the most amazing cake. I bake every ten years or so, so this is definitely a no fail recipe. A bit too sweet for my taste but I will use the same recipe with a lot less sugar. Thanks for posting it 🙂
JOSIE says
EXCELLENT! I used peanut butter instead of margarine, sunflower seeds instead of nuts. I also added chocolate chipes & used a lot less sugar.
Rona says
I made a big double quantity of this cake to take out on a soup run that I volunteer on about once a month. I also made an apple cake but everyone chose the banana cake and were really disappointed when it was all gone! Next month I'll just make 2 double sized banana cakes. Thank you for an excellent recipe; really easy for a not-usually-very-successful baker! 🙂
Q says
Hi Kate
I've been making vegan banana bread recipes for months now and haven't been happy with the texture/density so thought I would try a cake recipe. Stumbled across your gorgeous site and made your banana cake yesterday and it is divine. I'm off to the market today for more bananas to make a few more loaves to freeze.
I'm not a competent or confident cook so was wondering if you could help me out? Can I substitute the sugar with anything or decrease the amount? While I find your recipe near perfect, it's just too sweet. Any help would be appreciated.
Great site.
Thanks
Q
Mama Panya says
Hi,
I baked this banana cake today and reduced the sugar to 90g light muscovado sugar. It worked really well and tastes delicious - the bananas add sweetness to the recipe so not much sugar is needed. I always reduce the sugar content of baked goods or substitute with a syrup like maple or coconut nectar to find the right balance and taste for my family.
Hope this works for you.
Andrea says
I just wish readers wouldn’t rate a recipe until they have actually made it. It’s not helpful at all.
I have made this cake, and it is amazing. Thank you Kate.
Kay says
Looking forward to making this tomorrow. My firs Vegan January and I'm really enjoying it so far - actually makes me so much more interested in great ingredients and different flavours! Will let you know how I get on!
Kate Ford says
Brilliant! Hope it turns out well and good luck for Veganuary, you will love it!
Myra says
Just wanted to take a moment and thank you for listing everything in gram included things like banana (or grated carrots in another recipe). All these cup based recipes are doing my head in and it is so much easier to work with a scale. So thanks for being awesome <3
Kate Ford says
Ha! I couldn't agree more - glad you're enjoying the recipes x
Schilly Construction Inc says
The texture looks nice compared to normal ol' vegan banana loaf bread recipes. Yum!
Eb Gargano says
I love love the idea of adding Pecans - oh yes please!! Send a slice my way, will you? Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Eb 🙂
Corina Blum says
This sounds amazing! I always have leftover bananas at this time of year when it's warm and they don't last quite as long. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Natanja || Home Baked Bliss says
Nope, it's not just you. I also have a weakness for letting bananas get too ripe. I can't even remember the last time I actually ate a banana...they all seem to be ending up in various baked goods. No complaints there though. 🙂 This looks lovely!
Lauren @ Delicious Little Bites says
This recipe looks amazing! My little guy has a bunch of allergies, but loves bananas! I'm going to try this for him, but maybe replace or omit the nuts for him. ..and steal a piece or two for myself!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
You can't beat a thick slice of banana bread with a cuppa coffee! Love that you made this one vegan. Look so good!
Sonal says
Super! I was looking for a vegan banana recipe and hereit is! Totally drooling over it.
Madi says
Banana bread is my favorite! I love making it but I always eat all of my bananas before they are mushy! I can't wait to try this recipe!
camila hurst says
I keep seeing all these delicious banana bread posts today!! Makes me want to make some!!