Miso Banana Bread (Vegan)

This easy miso banana bread is sweetened with dates and has a subtle hint of salty umami flavor from miso paste! Sweet, moist banana bread gets a twist in this Asian fusion recipe.

Soft, brown overripe bananas are perfect for making banana bread. The bananas shouldn't be moldy, but they should be mostly brown or even black.
In fact, overripe bananas are sweeter and are easier to mash than underripe or just barely ripe bananas.

Since 2020, I’ve been in my kitchen developing foolproof recipes for beginner bakers. This recipe is easy to make, and it's wildly flavorful. Each slice is moist and soft, with an ever-so-slightly crunchy exterior. Dates and mashed banana sweeten the loaf naturally, while miso paste adds a salty, umami flavor. The miso flavor is not overpowering, but it adds a subtle hint of extra yumminess.

Miso banana bread tastes amazing just on its own. Or slather a slice with homemade vegan butter, peanut butter or Nutella. Serve it with a warm mug of tea, coffee or homemade chai, and now you have a whole morning vibe.

I love baking banana bread because the smell brings back memories of home.
Plus this easy quick bread is super versatile. You can make it extra sweet by adding chocolate chips and sprinkles. Or keep it healthy by mixing in chopped nuts, flax seed meal and wheat bran.

In this Post

• Ingredients
• How to Make Miso Banana Bread
• Recipe Tips and Variations
• Storing
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• More Quick Bread Recipes

Ingredients

• Dates - add a natural sweetness without any processed sugar
• Overripe bananas - use bananas with lots of brown spots on them for a sweeter flavor
• All-purpose flour - to make gluten free banana bread, just substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten free baking flour blend.
• Baking powder - leavens the bread so it rises in the oven
• Salt - brings out the flavors of the other ingredients
• Vegetable oil - provides a smoother batter and more moist bread than butter
• Vanilla extract - brings out the flavors of the other ingredients
• White miso paste - Use white miso paste for a more mild, less pungent flavor
• Creamy peanut butter - adds another layer of salty flavor to balance the sweetness and adds a little extra creamy texture to the batter
• Walnuts - nuts or chocolate chips are optional additions to add more texture to your banana bread loaf

How to Make this Recipe

1. Prepare the oven and baking pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 5-inch by 9-inch loaf pan.
2. Chop and soak the dates: Remove the pits and chop the dates into small pieces. Place them in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let them soak for 10 minutes to soften. Then drain well and set aside.
3. Mash the bananas: Peel then mash the overripe bananas in a bowl with a fork. Set aside.
4. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the oil, vanilla, soaked and drained dates, white miso paste, peanut butter and mashed bananas. Use a large spoon to mix until everything is well combined.
6. Mix the batter and fold in the nuts: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently mix the batter just until there is no more dry flour visible.
   Fold in the chopped walnuts (or other nuts or chocolate chips, depending on your preference).
7. Pour into the baking pan and bake: Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
   Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean. Enjoy!!

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots. Don't use bananas with green on the peel. Overripe bananas are sweeter and mash more evenly.
• To ripen bananas faster, put them in a paper bag with an apple for 1-2 days. Apples release a lot of ethylene gas, which helps ripen food.
• If you don't have miso paste, you can leave it out and add a few more tablespoons of creamy peanut butter.
• Lightly grease your baking pan, even if it's nonstick, with oil or cooking spray.
• Use white miso since it's less salty and pungent compared to brown or red miso.
• For decoration, slice a yellow, ripe banana lengthwise and gently place the pieces on top of the loaf before baking.
• Mix in any kind of chopped nuts or chocolate chips to the batter, depending on your preference. Or raisins, if you're one of those.

Storing

Storing Baked Bread

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Fridge: Allow your loaf to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Freezer: Allow your loaf to cool completely, then store wrapped in plastic cling wrap then aluminum foil in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Storing Bananas

Ripen bananas faster: To ripen bananas faster, put them in a paper bag with an apple for 1-2 days.

Freeze overripe bananas: Freeze peeled overripe bananas so they're ready whenever you feel like making banana bread. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge and drain the juice before mashing.

FAQ

More Quick Bread Recipes

Banana bread is a "quick bread" meaning it doesn't need any time to rise before being baked in the oven. For more delicious quick bread recipes, try these!

• Streusel Topped Banana Bread
• Best Cornbread Recipe
• Irish Soda Bread
• Zucchini Banana Bread
• Chocolate Zucchini Bread

And if you try this fun spin on a classic banana bread recipe, let me know in the comments below!