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If you’re used to the dairy-free option always being the sadder option, then I hope this recipe surprises you! My dairy-free banana bread recipe is not just dairy-free for dietary reasons. All of the dairy-free adjustments actually make it an even better loaf of banana bread than one that’s made with dairy.

So you can let all your dairy-eating friends know that if they’re not making their banana bread dairy-free, they are gonna wanna start.

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on for a list of reasons this dairy-free banana bread is better than a conventional loaf.

What makes this banana bread dairy-free AND very good:

1) Milk, sour cream, and/or yogurt all make for a less flavorful banana bread

One of the biggest mistakes in developing a banana bread recipe is adding anything other than bananas and eggs as the water-containing ingredients. Or at least, that’s my banana bread hot take.

Why? We can only add a certain amount of moisture to the batter. If you add sour cream, yogurt, or milk, then you have to add less banana to achieve the right balance. Since we want a robust banana flavor, this results in a less flavorful loaf.

By skipping the dairy altogether, we can max out our banana budget. This is true even if you like an extra-moist almost pudding-like loaf. If you want maximum banana flavor, don’t water it down with dairy.

2) Butter is good, but oil is better for texture

The other dairy-based ingredient in banana bread is butter. Loaves of banana bread made with butter are good, but I actually prefer loaves made with oil. The flavor of butter is wonderful, but oil gives banana bread a moister texture. I still sometimes swipe some butter on after toasting a slice (all the flavor, none of the texture), but I like to leave butter out of the recipe itself.

This recipe calls for any neutral oil—use whatever you prefer. I used canola to develop it.

3) Dairy-free chocolate is easy-to-find (and delicious!)

If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, then having to use a dairy-free chocolate is not a bug—it’s a feature. Find a vegan chocolate that is just cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and sugar, and you’re good to go.

Or skip the chocolate altogether—it’s totally optional, and this loaf is great with or without it. I photographed it and shot the video without chocolate chips, mostly because I didn’t feel like adding them. But I’ve added them many times before. It can really go either way.

A couple helpful notes:

A silly little note about eggs

If you’re dairy-free, you certainly already know this, but for everyone else: Please note that eggs do not count as dairy. Dairy is very specifically milk and products made from milk like cream, cheese, whey protein, butter, and so on. Thus, this recipe does contain eggs.

If you’re looking for a recipe for dairy-free and egg-free banana bread, I’ve got you covered with my eggless banana bread recipe, which uses 0 additional ingredients in place of the missing eggs (just some extra banana and a tad more flour). There is no need to make a chia egg or buy a vegan egg substitute. Just be really careful not to over-mix that one.

Speaking of over-mixing, that’s my number 1 suggestion here too

With any quick bread recipe, the biggest risk is over-mixing. Mix the wet ingredients together thoroughly, then sift the dry ingredients together thoroughly, but once you bring them together, try to use as few swipes as possible. Stir efficiently, and stop once there are no longer dry pockets of flour.

You’ll find a video for this banana bread recipe at the end of the recipe card below. But before I leave you with the recipe, here’s a quick video that’s specifically about over-mixing. If it doesn’t load, disable ad block and reload the page:

Dairy-Free Banana Bread

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F [180° C].
Grease an 8 x 4 inch [20 x 10 cm] loaf pan.***
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mashed bananas together with the oil until very well combined. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt, and whisk together until completely incorporated.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.****
Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, sprinkle on the chocolate chips, and stir to combine. Do not over-mix (stop mixing as soon as there are no dry pockets of flour).
Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan.
Place the banana halves cut-side-up on top of the loaf (if using).
Bake for about 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. If it comes out with batter, it needs more time, but if it comes out with just some crumbs, it’s ready to take out.
Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

* I used canola oil to develop this recipe, but you can use any neutral oil you’d like. Light olive oil even works well (extra virgin even works with banana bread if you want the flavor).

** See my eggless banana bread for a version that is both dairy-free and egg-free.

*** To make this into muffins instead of a banana bread loaf, place 9 muffin liners in a muffin tin (homemade parchment liners or store bought paper ones). If using parchment ones, drizzle them lightly with oil. Evenly distribute the batter between the 9 liners, then top each with a 1/2 in [13mm] banana slice. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

**** If you want to save on dishes, place a fine mesh sieve over a paper towel and add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the sieve. Sift the dry ingredients directly onto the wet ingredients (and don’t forget the dust that filtered onto the paper towel too).

Video note: If you don’t see the video for this post after scrolling up, please disable ad block and try reloading the page.

Lebanese fried cauliflower shows that you don’t need to bread cauliflower for it to turn out golden brown and delicious. Sure, breading makes just about anything crispy. But when you skip the breading, you get something rich and chewy instead. And it only requires oil and cauliflower (just 2 real ingredients!) which means it works for almost anyone (gluten free, keto, vegan, and so on). Plus, this particular recipe uses pan-frying instead of deep-frying.

Jump to recipe to hit the ground running, or read on to decide whether this recipe is for you.

Is this fried cauliflower recipe the one for you?

Or in other words, here is a list of criticism I will not be accepting 😎

Lebanese fried cauliflower is its own thing, and it’s important to have the right expectations going in. Submitting one of these complaints would be like buying tickets to a bluegrass show and then complaining that there is too much fiddle:

Yes, it’s supposed to be somewhat oily. In reality, it absorbs a very similar amount of oil to breaded fried cauliflower. But you will notice the oil more here, since it’s not being soaked up by a bunch of breadcrumbs or batter. I like to serve fried cauliflower with something light, like lemon roast chicken. It’s also really good with a squeeze of lemon—the oil and lemon act almost like a really good dressing.
No, it’s not supposed to be crispy (but it is supposed to be chewy!). This comes down to making sure your oil is hot enough and letting the cauliflower cook for no longer than 5 minutes total. If it overcooks, it will go from chewy to mushy very quickly. If the heat is too low, the outside of the florets will get soggy instead of chewy. But no matter what you do, it will never get crispy—that’s really not the goal here. We’re going for maximum chew!
Yes it’s supposed to be deeply golden brown and caramelized. Our goal isn’t just for it to turn light golden-brown, but deeply golden brown. There should be a few spots that are even a bit dark brown.

Tips for cauliflower success

1. Your cauliflower absolutely MUST be dry before frying.

Do not give it a quick rinse and then pop it directly into the oil or you will create a very dangerous situation. Oil will splatter everywhere and it will bubble up like crazy.

Instead, you must dry your cauliflower completely—not just a quick pat on the outside, but a full spin in the salad spinner or a real serious shake-out bundled in a kitchen towel. When in doubt, dry it even more than you think.

2. You can deep fry instead of pan frying if you want to. Either way, be very careful!!

I chose pan frying when I started to develop this recipe because it is less intimidating for most home cooks. But don’t be deceived—pan frying can be just as dangerous as deep frying if you are not careful. In either case, follow safe frying protocols. Make sure there is plenty of room in your pan (so it does not bubble over), keep the pan on a back burner, have a lid nearby for emergencies, make sure kids and pets are in another room, and read about pan frying and deep frying to learn more about it if you’ve never done it before.

3. Make sure your florets are the right size.

Not too big, not too small—just right! See the photos and video to get a sense.

4. Don’t crowd the pan—work in batches.

Crowding the pan is a great way to get the temperature of your oil to drop quickly, which will result in greasy, mushy cauliflower. Make sure there is plenty of room between each floret, and work in batches to cook the whole head.

5. Carefully control the heat.

You may need to boost it a bit right after adding the florets, and then gradually reduce it as they sear. If you don’t have a thermometer, pay attention to how quickly they are browning, and make sure it never starts smoking. This will give the food a bad flavor and can become very dangerous if you continue overheating the oil.

Fried Cauliflower (2 ingredients, pan-fried)

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Note: This recipe involves pan frying, which can be dangerous. Please proceed with caution and make sure you know what you’re doing before proceeding.