Great Grandma’s Banana Bread (Vegan Friendly)

There is honestly nothing like generational family recipes. They are the recipes and dishes that are part of family moments and memories and can be remembered for years to come. For me, one of those family recipes is this banana bread. Although it is my Great Grandma’s recipe, it is something that my Mom made for my brothers and I time and time again. I fondly remember the smell of it wafting out of the oven as we went about our days anticipating it coming out of the ovem. It isn’t tied to any specific season or time of the year, we just always knew that smell of it baking in the oven and the enjoyment that would follow. By the time it was cooled and ready to be eaten you had to be one of the first people in line or it would be gone (cue my brothers and I stuffing our faces hoping we’d be done faster than the other to steal the last piece or beat Dad to it). It didn’t matter the season or time of the year; it was always something that we looked forward to devouring.

Fast forward to me raising my own kids (it’s crazy how fast time flies). It has now become a staple in our household with the main requestor being my husband quickly followed by the excited cheering of my kids (or more accurately them screaming and jumping up and down) saying “yeah, Mom, can I have some too?!” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the request. Anything to feed their growing bellies and put a little smile on everyone’s face.

Another amazing thing about this recipe is its simplicity! It uses simple ingredients (I hate getting excited about a recipe only to realize I need to go to 3 different grocery stores to get the ingredients to make it happen) and is super easy to make which makes it just as fun to whip up with the help of the kiddos. We may end up eating half the batter and an uncanny amount of chocolate chips, but it’s fun, yummy and is one of our weekly go to recipes. It is also vegan friendly, no eggs, no dairy (just use vegan margarine) and you’re good to go. No fiddling with flax eggs and other vegan alternatives with the exception of vegan chocolate chips if you’re looking to make it chocolatey!

A few things to note about this recipe and that may apply to other recipes you’ve used with bananas and sugar are:

• If I don’t have over-ripe bananas, I just use whatever bananas I have on hand (even if they’re slightly green). I find I need to add 1 or 2 extra bananas if they’re slightly green to ensure there is enough moisture in the batter to incorporate the flour, but I don’t notice much of a difference in taste or texture.
• A fun money saving tip you can use as well is to purchase your bananas in bulk in the Walmart “clearance” section. I’ve purchased huge bags of 30 or more bananas this way at half the price and just freeze them until I’m ready to use them. Who doesn’t love saving money?
• If you’re looking to reduce the amount of sugar, I highly recommend using half the amount of sugar and substituting the other half using unsweetened apple sauce – seriously! My kids don’t notice a difference, and neither does my husband …
• When in doubt, add a little cinnamon. I honestly feel like I add a dash of cinnamon to most things I bake even if it isn’t called for … don’t fear cinnamon, embrace it!

So here it is, our family loved, tried and true recipe from my Great Grandma which has now been enjoyed by 4 generations. We hope you try it out and enjoy it just as much as we do!