Vegan Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Bread
Ready to take your plain ol’ banana bread to the next level? Allow me to introduce, Vegan Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Bread. Ohhhhh, yea.
Tomorrow, T and I celebrate 4 years of wedded bliss. That’s 4 years since we made the last-minute decision to stand on the 118th story of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas and promise to stick by each other for life. For the record, I wanted to do the package where you got married and then bungee jumped off the building, but marriage is about compromise, right?
Our story may sound a little crazy, but since that fateful January evening, my gratitude for this decision and our marriage has grown by the day. I couldn’t ask for a better partner to go through this awesome life with. To this day, I don’t know how I got so lucky. Our life together is not perfect, but it’s ours and it’s filled with laughter, random dance parties, good food, and ridiculous adventures. I would not have it any other way.
And speaking of good food, you guys know by now that one of our favorite things to do together is get in the kitchen and cook something delicious! Cooking together helps us connect after a long day, communicate efficiently, and just enjoy ourselves. Plus, while we both love food, we each have very different and specific ways we like things made / seasoned. Cooking together ensures we will both love whatever the result is.
…which brings me to this Vegan Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Bread.
It’s a little of me, a little of T, and a whole lotta yum! The banana bread recipe is T’s go-to. He’s been making this for years. Usually, when he has off from school, he’ll sneak down to the kitchen early in the morning, and I’ll wake to the glorious smell of banana bread filling the house. Ahh, man. Those days rock.
You now understand why I’m so happy I married him, yes?
This Vegan Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Bread is great with or without the filling, but I highly suggest trying the filling because WOW. It’s just a simple mixture of vegan cream cheese and dates, blended into a creamy, lightly sweetened concoction that throws this already awesome banana bread waaaay over the top.
And by the way, this is coming from someone who generally hates all things banana-flavored.
Banana-hater approved. That’s when you know it’s a good recipe.
Make this vegan cream cheese stuffed banana bread for the person (or people) you love.
And when you do, let us know how it goes and what they thought! Tag us in your always awesome photos on Instagram (we’re @theplantpowercouple, with the ‘the’) or Facebook (just Plant Power Couple there). Enjoy, friends!
Vegan Banana Bread with Date Cream Cheese
Ingredients
For the cream cheese filling:
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese We used one full tub of Tofutti.
- 3-4 pitted dates soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp cold water
- 1 Tbsp flour
For the banana bread
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp flaxmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas roughly 2 large bananas
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil melted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- small handful walnuts and/or vegan chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- First, make your cream cheese: Add all the ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and blend, scraping the sides down as needed, until the mixture is smooth and combined. Place in the refrigerator while you make the batter.
- Next, sift your dry ingredients through a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and add the wet ingredients. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until totally combined.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top and top that with the remainder of the batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered. Then, cover the pan and bake another 20-30 minutes. It's ready when you can poke a toothpick through it, and it comes out clean.
- Allow to cool fully. As it cools, the cream cheese filling will harden and be much easier to slice. Then, slice and enjoy!
