If you’re curious to try bananas in baking, then look no further than these scrumptious vegan banana brownies. Appropriately rich and wonderfully decadent, banana and chocolate marry to create delectable dark chocolate squares of utter deliciousness, well suited to indulge a craving for something sweet and freshly baked.
How To Make: Vegan Banana Brownies
Bananas in Baking
If you’ve taken a glance at this recipe, you may have noticed that there are no eggs in these brownies. If you’re new to vegan baking, you might be wondering what binds the chocolatey squares together.
The answer is bananas.
They are quite the miraculous ingredient, particularly in regards to baking egglessly (just made up that word but you get what it means). Because bananas are quite naturally sticky when mashed, they can often be used as a binder to bring all the ingredients together. And due to this, it’s an effective substitute for eggs, in many cases.
An added bonus in favor of the banana in baked good is that the bananas natural sweetness tends to be a healthier replacement for processed sugars, and a super ripe banana will also impart a sweet and flowery aroma as pungent and pleasant as vanilla extract.
Some of the downsides of bananas in baking is that they tend to be very moist, especially when mashed, and too much moisture in a bake can result in a compact, dense and poorly risen baked goodie. Therefore, you have to be mindful about what you add them to and how much. However, that’s why I’m here: to make the mistake of adding too much banana for you, so you don’t have to! I found that 2 very ripe bananas yields about a heap 1/2 cup, which is just about perfect for an 8×8 tray bake of brownies.
Make sure that if you are going to use bananas in baking, you use overly ripe bananas. Extremely ripe bananas are sweeter tasting, break down fully when mashed, and also ensure that your bake has a stronger banana-y flavor. Using very ripe bananas in baking is also a great way to get rid of bruised bananas that you may have forgotten about in the fruit bowl.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
Such a thing does indeed exist.
You may have to search around for them in the store, but chocolate chips without milk are there!
My favorite brand of vegan chocolate chip is Enjoy Life. They have a variety of products, but the Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips have consistently performed well in baking, and work wonders in most baked goods.
In this recipe, I employ the lil’ Enjoy Life choco-chips in a two-fold way: both as the melted chocolate and the chocolate chip on the inside of the brownie batter.
To discover another use of vegan chocolate chips, check out my Double Dark Chocolate Muffins!
Vegan Banana Brownies
I highly encourage you to make these succulent squares of chocolatey goodness. Not only are they fun to make, but they’re a great snack to share with others, and a delicious way to get rid of bruised bananas.
Break out the chocolate chips bags, and prepare yourself for a scrumptious brownie!
I sincerely hope that you enjoyed these vegan banana brownies. If you did, leave a comment and recipe rating before you go.
Also, if you loved this recipe, check out the category, Vegan Baking, for more super delicious and plant-based baked good recipes.
Banana Brownies
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas, about a heaping ½ cup mashed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the vegan butter along with the cocoa powder and 1/4 cup of the vegan chocolate chips, until it is silky smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Let this cool for 5 minutes.
- Mash 2 ripe bananas with a fork (about ½ cup) and add that along with the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and the other ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips to a large mixing bowl.
- After cooling a bit, add the melted butter mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until everything is incorporated.
- Spread the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish evenly. Bake in the oven for 26 – 28 minutes, until the brownies spring back upon touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the brownies cool, and then divide into 9 equal squares with a knife.
Video
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
These look delicious!
Thank you – they are quite delicious!