Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

The verdicts

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or use regular sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil of choice (I use grapeseed oil)
• 1/3 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or use all-purpose flour) (measure by scooping)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp hot water divided
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, oil, and non-dairy milk. Whisk together until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir together just until combined (lumps are OK).
3. Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a second mixing bowl. Stir together the cocoa powder with 3 tablespoons of the hot water until smooth, and add it into the second bowl of batter, stirring just until combined. Stir the other 3 tablespoons of hot water into the first bowl of batter, also until just combined.
4. Grab your prepared loaf pan. Alternate scooping scant 1/2 cup scoops of the chocolate and regular batter into the pan until all of it is used. Then, take a toothpick, a wooden skewer or a knife, stick it into the batter, and swirl it around a few times to marble the different batter together.
5. Bake the vegan chocolate banana bread uncovered for approximately 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out crumby rather than gooey. Let the bread cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing into it (at least 30 minutes).

Diet-by-diet