These vegan banana blondies are light and cake-like yet also rich, like a cross between banana bread and a healthy blondie! Easy to whip up when you have a couple of overripe bananas on hand, they're also gluten-free and easily made nut-free, if needed. Try them warm with a scoop of vanilla oat milk ice cream!
My oil-free banana brownies are one of the most popular recipes on the blog. The cocoa and bananas come together to create a light brownie that tastes so much better than the sum of its parts!
So I figured why not transform that recipe into a banana blondie, with chocolate chips added to the batter and hand-chopped chunks of chocolate added to the top for glorious, pools of melted chocolate!
The batter for these vegan blondies is also nut-free since we're using tahini instead of the almond butter used in the brownies. Simply omit the walnuts for a nut-free vegan dessert.
What You'll Need
Equipment: You'll need a mixing bowl, one smaller bowl, parchment paper, an 8-inch square baking pan, and the following ingredients:
- 2 large overripe bananas - they should have a lot of dark spots and smell very sweet
- tahini paste - or a smooth, runny nut butter
- non-dairy milk - I used unsweetened oat milk but other types are fine, too.
- coconut sugar - this adds a warm, caramel-y flavor and subtle sweetness
- pure vanilla extract
- apple cider vinegar - this reacts with the baking soda to help the blondies rise and bake evenly
- fine oat flour
- baking powder and soda - for leavening
- walnuts - these are optional but do add nice crunch! Pecans would also taste great.
- dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate - I like to use chopped bar chocolate for the tops because it melts better than chocolate chips
How To Make Vegan Banana Blondies
Prep is easy! Here's a quick summary to give you an overview of the process.
Scroll down to the recipe for full step-by-step instructions.
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl, and add the tahini, milk, vanilla, vinegar, and coconut sugar.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Add dry to wet, and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts, reserving a palmful of nuts for the top.
- Pour batter into a parchment-lined 8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chunks on top, and bake for 23 to 27 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 20 to 30 minutes before slicing into squares.
FAQs and Tips
Blondies are essentially the vanilla version of a brownie. They're usually made with flour, butter, eggs, and brown sugar, and contain nuts like walnuts or pecans. So with the addition of banana, you can already tell these aren't traditional. On top of that, they're vegan and healthy-ish!
Not really, the batter for these banana blondies is actually oil-free and refined sugar-free, so they're on the lighter side. However, they are fairly sweet! Expect a moist, banana-y, gooey-yet-cake-like texture that won't leave you feeling stuffed. But with the chocolate and walnuts they're still a very satisfying dessert.
I haven't tested these blondies with other flours yet but suspect another whole-grain flour will work.
I like to play it safe and store the blondies in the refrigerator. Similar to other moist baked goods, it's best to enjoy them within 4 to 5 days.
Definitely! Just make sure they're cool, then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. They thaw fairly quickly, so move them to the fridge an hour or two before you plan to eat/serve.
Ideas for Serving
After the recommended cooling time, the blondies are still slightly warm in the middle, which means irresistible, melted chocolate chips. Enjoy right away with a glass of homemade oat milk or a scoop of your favorite vegan ice cream!
Leftover banana blondies can be enjoyed straight from the fridge, although they're even better slightly warm. About 15 seconds in the microwave does the trick. Prepare to swoon!
If you're a fan of yogurt, these taste fantastic with a dollop of cool and tangy plain cashew yogurt or your favorite sweetened vanilla yogurt.
You might also like:
- Oat Flour Banana Bread
- Healthy Vegan Chocolate Sauce
- Nut-Free Chocolate Chickpea Ice Cream
- 1-Bowl Sunbutter Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
- Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Recipe
Vegan Banana Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (150 g) - Use certified gluten-free oat flour if needed.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup mashed overripe banana (about 2 large bananas) - Use bananas with a lot of dark spots.
- ⅓ to ½ cup tahini (use ½ cup for richer blondies) - Or sub your favorite nut/seed butter; will alter flavor and color.
- ¼ cup unsweetened plant milk, such as oat or soy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar - Or your favorite granulated sweetener.
Additions:
- ⅓ cup dairy-free chocolate chips - Plus more for the top if not using dark chocolate listed below.
- ⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts, divided - Omit for nut-free.
- 1 ½ ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped, optional - For sprinkling on top.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place peeled bananas in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mash with a fork. Add the tahini, milk, vanilla, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the oat flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Pour dry ingredients into the banana mixture, and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and most of the walnuts, reserving a palmful of nuts for the top.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan, and sprinkle the top with chocolate chunks and reserved walnuts. Bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until the center appears set and gives only slightly when pressed.
- Allow to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out by parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Let the blondies cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
These taste great straight out of the fridge and even better when slightly warm! Warm them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, and serve with whipped coconut cream or vanilla oat milk ice cream. Delicious!Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Anna says
I followed the recipe pretty closely, but added a couple dashes of cinnamon and my stir ins consisted of an entire diced banana (bc I had 3 to use up) and two sizes of chocolate chips. I also increased the salt a bit and added some vanilla crème stevia to balance the flavors. I also didn’t have oat flour on hand so I ground some oats in my food processor. It turned out great. Mine are pretty gooey but I’m not mad at it. I’m sure the extra banana has something to do with it. I’ll them again. A great use of tahini. More complex tasting than banana bread. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Anita says
Hi, can I use oil instead of nut butter (or at least sub half of it)?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Anita - I haven't tried that yet, but yes, it should work well. I would use 1/4 cup plus a couple of Tbsp of any nut butter you like.
Leah says
Loved it. I used 1/2 cup nut butter instead of tahini and less than 1/4 cup coconut sugar and it still turned out amazing. It was a little on the denser side, my guess is because of the 1/2 c. nut butter. Next time I will try with less than 1/2 c. and see if I like the consistency better. This recipe is a keeper.
Helen says
Wonderful recipe, have to force myself to stop eating these :D! Thank you!
M says
Well done...made and didn't use any sugar because the one cup of bananas sweet enough and used 100% unsweetened organic chocolate chips yum yum yum. Many thanks and blessing
Serena Finlayson says
Mine came out pretty dry. And I noticed my batter was a lot thicker than what looks like in your photo. I subbed buckwheat flour for oat but did some research that it is a good 1:1 sub for oat. Any tips?
Thanks!
Kristin Neubauer says
These are soooo good and so easy to make. Miracle of miracles, I had everything on hand. I had to use white sugar because coconut sugar/brown sugar gives my partner migraines, but I used a 1/4 cup instead of a 1/3. Next time, I may try using even less. Great recipe - thanks!