Spiced Orange Banana Bread (Vegan)
This spiced orange banana bread is the ultimate fall bake. It features a moist and tender crumb infused with cozy fall spices and bright, citrusy orange and filled with homemade citrus candied peel. Every bite delivers warm spices, sweet orange and tart candied peel pieces with lovely banana undertones. This aromatic loaf is perfect for brunch, a weekend baking project, or as a thoughtful gift. Plus, it’s an easy, dairy- and egg-free recipe that deserves a spot on your fall baking list.
What you will need:
This banana bread recipe gets a delightful twist with orange juice, orange zest, and warm spices. For an extra burst of flavor, I included homemade candied peel. The recipe for the candied peel is available on the website, but if you prefer, you can buy it at some grocery stores or online. All the other ingredients are simple pantry staples.
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- navel orange – juice and zest
- vanilla extract
- plant based butter with salt – Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
- ground flax seed
- cane sugar – Zulka Pure Cane Sugar
- brown sugar – Zulka Brown Pure Cane Sugar
- bananas
- ground cinnamon, all spice and cloves
- mixed citrus candied peel
How to:
If you are making your own candied peel, it needs to be prepared ahead of time. The candied peel can be prepared days ahead of time and stored in a cool, dry place until you are ready to use it. There is a recipe for mixed citrus candied peel on the website.
Zest and juice a navel orange for the recipe. A medium-sized orange should provide enough juice and zest for this recipe. If you’d like some extra zest for garnish, consider using a second orange. Roughly chop enough candied peel to equal 2/3 of a cup. Set the chopped candied peel aside for later.
Combine the ground flaxseed and orange juice to create an egg replacement. Place them in a small container, stir well to ensure they’re fully mixed, and let the mixture sit to thicken. Allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
While the flax mixture thickens, preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8×4 loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper. I typically use a single piece of parchment wide enough to cover the bottom and let the sides hang over the long edges of the pan. These overhanging sides make it easy to lift the loaf out of the pan.
To prepare the batter, begin by combining all the dry ingredients in a small bowl—flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Whisk them together until they’re well mixed, then set the bowl aside.
To a medium bowl, add the room temperature butter, mashed bananas, cane sugar and brown sugar. With a handheld mixer, blend the ingredients together at medium-high speed until well combined – about 2 minutes. Add the thickened flax mixture, vanilla extract and orange zest to the bowl and continue blending at medium-high speed for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending at medium-low speed until almost all of the flour is absorbed. Add the roughly chopped candied peel to the batter, folding it in until all of the pieces are well distributed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake the loaf for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow it to rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Once the loaf has cooled to room temperature, slice and serve. Add a touch of orange zest or candied peel pieces for decoration. Store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Spice Orange Banana Bread (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp / 113 grams plant based butter with salt – room temperature
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 4 tbsp orange juice
- ½ cup / 100 grams cane sugar
- ¼ cup / 50 grams brown sugar
- 2¼ cups / 270 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 300 grams mashed banana (2 to 3 bananas)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp orange zest (zest from 1 medium navel orange)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground all spice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅔ cup roughly chopped candied peel -please see my recipe for candied peel if you are interested in making your own
Instructions
- Zest and juice your orange. One medium navel orange should provide the 4 tablespoons of juice and the 2 tablespoons of zest that are needed. If you would like extra zest to decorate the top of the loaf, you will need a second orange.
- Add the ground flax seed and orange juice to a small container. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare an 8×4 loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground all spice, and ground cloves to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set the bowl aside.
- Add the room temperature butter, mashed banana, cane sugar and brown sugar to a medium bowl. Using a handheld mixer, blend the ingredients together at medium-high speed until well combined – about 2 minutes.
- Add the thickened flax mixture, vanilla extract, and orange zest to the banana mixture. Using the handheld mixer, blend the ingredients together at medium-high speed until well combined – about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using the handheld mixer, blend at medium-low speed until almost no more flour can be seen. Toss in the roughly chopped candied peel and fold it in until well incorporated. Try not to over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, make sure it is evenly spread out. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaf rest in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
- Decorate the loaf with a little orange zest or extra candied peel. Slice and serve once it has cooled to room temperature.Store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature.
