I promise you that this vegan banana bread recipe won’t leave you disappointed. It is incredibly moist, fluffy, and a flavour bomb. Although perfect on its own, you can top it with chocolate, nuts, yoghurt, or berries, and you will create a whole new story.
Oh, banana bread, where to begin? While living in London, I had the chance to try dozens of slices of banana bread since it was on every menu of every brunch place. At first, I was surprised by its popularity, but soon I realised what all that hype was about.
Firstly, it is straightforward to make, quick and requires only essential kitchen equipment. Secondly, there are so many flavour combinations and possible add-ons that it’s almost impossible to run out of ideas. It can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, snacks, or dessert. Basically, its versatility and simplicity are close to unbeatable.
What goes inside this vegan banana bread recipe?
Bananas are the essence of this recipe, and even though you will get the best results with very ripe ones, it is also okay to use not-so-mature ones. I’ve tried it many times and have to say: you really can’t go wrong!
While classic recipes use butter or coconut oil, I chose olive oil for its unique flavour profile and high amount of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids. Surprisingly, it pairs very well with carob.
Maple syrup, when baked, gives it a great caramel nutty flavour.
Both vanilla and cinnamon enhance the sweetness of the other ingredients and add subtle complexity and depth of flavour to this recipe.
Lemon comes in to balance the sweetness, enhance other flavours and give an additional note of freshness.
If you are unfamiliar with carob and have never tried it, this is the perfect recipe for becoming friends with it. It is so easy to use and brings such a toastie flavour to this vegan banana bread.
What is carob?
Did you know that carob is a legume? It is a tree with edible pods, which are brown when ready to harvest. Those edible pods are made of pulp (90%) and seed. Carob powder is produced by roasting and milling deseeded carob pods.
Carob is high in carbohydrates, fibre, minerals, and polyphenols, which show strong antioxidant activity.
Carob is usually an excellent substitute for chocolate or cocoa powder but, in comparison, doesn’t contain caffeine.
Because of its high amount of fibre, it is a good thickener, making it a good substitute for flour.
You can mostly find carob trees in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
It also grows along the Adriatic coast, so it’s no surprise that it is used in various traditional recipes in the south of Croatia.
A famous one is Rogačusa, a carob cake with orange jam originating in Dubrovnik. Yummy!
