Vegan Maple Banana Bread with Toasted Walnuts

Why this loaf earns a permanent spot in the tin

Banana bread is one of the most forgiving things you can bake, and it happens to be one of the easiest to make without eggs or dairy. Ripe bananas bring moisture and their own soft sweetness, maple syrup does the work that sugar and butter would normally do, and ground flaxseed binds the crumb so it still slices cleanly. The result is a dark, tender loaf with a caramel edge, and nobody who eats it will guess it is vegan.

It is also a genuinely practical bake for a British kitchen. It uses up the blackening bananas at the bottom of the fruit bowl, it keeps well for several days, and it is as good with a mug of tea on a wet Tuesday as it is warmed and served with something more celebratory. Make it once and it tends to become a regular.

Start with the right bananas and a proper maple syrup

The single biggest upgrade you can make is patience with your bananas. You want them heavily speckled, soft, and smelling sweet — the sort of fruit nobody wants to eat raw. If yours are still firm and yellow, they will give you a pale, bland loaf. Speed things up by baking them unpeeled on a tray at 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) for 15–20 minutes until the skins are black and collapsing, then let them cool before scooping out the flesh.

Over-ripe bananas also freeze beautifully. Peel them, break into chunks, freeze in a bag, and defrost overnight in a bowl when you want to bake. They release a surprising amount of liquid, which is exactly what you want here.

For the syrup, buy real maple syrup rather than maple-flavoured syrup, which is usually golden syrup with a hint of flavouring and will taste thin in a bake. An amber or dark grade gives the deepest flavour and stands up well against the banana and walnuts. A lighter, delicate grade works too, but the loaf will be gentler and less complex.

Flax eggs: the small step that holds it all together

Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed whisked with six tablespoons of cold water will replace two eggs. Leave it for ten minutes and it turns into a pale, slightly thick gel — that gel is what stops the loaf from crumbling. Grinding whole flaxseed fresh gives the best results, but ready-ground is fine if you keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks, as it turns stale and bitter quickly at room temperature.

If you have chia seeds to hand, they work just as well: two tablespoons of chia seeds with six tablespoons of water, rested for fifteen minutes. Don't skip this step or reduce the water. It looks like a lot of liquid, but the flour and bananas need it.

The recipe

Makes one 900g (2lb) loaf. You will need a 23cm x 13cm loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper.

• 3 very ripe bananas, about 300g peeled weight
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 6 tbsp cold water
• 150ml maple syrup
• 80ml mild olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour (or 100g plain plus 100g wholemeal)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon and a good grating of nutmeg
• 80g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

• Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4). Whisk the flaxseed and water together and set aside for ten minutes.
• Mash the bananas in a large bowl until nearly smooth — a few lumps are good for texture.
• Stir in the maple syrup, oil, vanilla and the flax gel until evenly combined.
• Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Fold gently until just combined, then fold through two-thirds of the walnuts. Over-mixing makes a tough loaf, so stop as soon as the flour disappears.
• Scrape into the lined tin, level the top and scatter over the remaining walnuts.
• Bake for 50–60 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out with a few damp crumbs rather than wet batter. Cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
• Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Slicing it warm will give you a crumbly edge, so try to wait.

Toasted walnuts, and a few seasonal variations

Toasting the walnuts takes four minutes and transforms them from slightly bitter to rich and buttery. Spread them on a dry baking tray and give them 8–10 minutes in the oven, or toss them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant. Cool completely before folding them into the batter.

Once you are confident with the base recipe, it takes kindly to changes through the year:

• Autumn: swap the cinnamon for a teaspoon of mixed spice and add a chopped, peeled pear.
• Winter: fold in 60g chopped dark chocolate and a teaspoon of ground ginger.
• Late summer: replace 50g of the walnuts with fresh raspberries, tossed in a little flour first so they don't sink.
• Lighter crumb: swap 50g of the flour for porridge oats and add two extra tablespoons of oat milk.

Storing, freezing and getting the best from every slice

Cool the loaf completely, then wrap it in greaseproof paper and keep it in a tin or a sealed container. It will stay moist for four to five days and actually improves on the second day, once the crumb has settled. A fridge will firm it up and dry it out, so keep it at room temperature unless the weather is very warm.

It freezes exceptionally well. Slice the whole loaf, lay the slices flat with a square of baking paper between each one, and freeze in a bag for up to three months. You can toast a slice straight from frozen, which is one of the better arguments for always having a batch on the go.

Serving-wise, a slice warmed briefly under the grill with a little maple syrup drizzled over it, or spread with a vegan butter mixed with a spoonful of maple and a pinch of salt, is hard to beat. It also makes a fine pudding, warmed and served with custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wrap it in a clean tea towel and take it to a friend's kitchen, and you will be asked for the recipe before the kettle has boiled.