Vegan Oreo Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Oreo Banana Bread is a thick, rich and dark chocolatey banana bread filled with creamy cheesecake and topped with Oreo buttercream and homemade vegan Oreo cookies.

The ultimate Oreo experience in banana bread form, this loaf is rich, fudgy, chocolatey and packed with cookies and cream goodness. The base for the banana bread comes together in one bowl and it’s moist, tender and very chocolatey, then there’s the creamy and deliciously smooth cheesecake filling. This banana bread is easy to make, so delicious and a real crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t love cookies and cream inspired bakes?

What makes this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread so special?

This banana bread is a real winner, it’s:

• Easy to make in one bowl
• Rich, chocolatey and fudgy
• Filled with a cheesecake filling (like the cream in the sandwich)
• Packed with cookies
• Topped with luscious Oreo buttercream
• Decorated with Vegan Homemade Oreos
• Indulgent yet more wholesome than your average bake
• Naturally vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free

If you already love this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread then skip ahead to the recipe card below. First, let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

Start by preparing the cheesecake filling which is inspired by Tiramisu Banana Bread filling:

• Vegan cream cheese: essential for all cheesecakes. I like the NUSH brand in the UK as it’s thick and creamy
• Thick dairy free yoghurt: any thick, Greek-style yoghurt works well here, as long as it’s not runny. I like Cocos Organic coconut yoghurt, for example.
• Almond butter: or another nut or seed butter but preferably one that is smooth for the smoothest filling. The almond butter has a subtle nutty taste and I also love to use cashew butter here.
• Caster sugar: the finer white sugar is best here, for the filling but you can swap for coconut or golden caster sugar.

The base for this banana bread is inspired by the super fudge Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Banana Bread:

• Vegan Homemade Oreos: make these up ahead of time to use inside the loaf and to decorate on top. Leave some of the cookies un-filled and fill the rest for topping.
• Bananas: ripe bananas are the best for baking with as they are softer and sweeter. Always weigh the bananas rather than just using 3 as they vary a lot in size.
• Plant based milk: any carton of milk is fine here. I like to use oat or almond, but soya or coconut are lovely.
• Sunflower oil: for a really rich, tender and moist loaf I love to use sunflower oil or olive oil as it has a mild flavour as is liquid at room temperature which keeps the banana bread extra tender. You can use melted and cooled coconut oil, too.
• Coconut or caster sugar: coconut sugar will lend a richer flavour and colour but caster sugar is also great. You can also try half caster sugar and half light brown sugar.
• Lemon juice: this helps to curdle the milk and bind the batter. Apple cider vinegar can also be used instead.
• Vanilla essence: for the flavour.
• Plain or GF plain flour: for the best Vegan Oreo Banana Bread, stick to plain flour where you can as the texture is better but you can swap for your preferred 1:1 GF baking flour blend with xanthan gum.
• Black cocoa powder: like for my Homemade Vegan Oreos, black cocoa lends a much richer taste and colour and I use the Cookies and Cream Black Cocoa Hot Chocolate powder from Whittard as the flavour is amazing. That said, regular cocoa or cacao powder will work instead.
• Bicarbonate of soda: for the rise.
• Salt: for the flavour.

As for the frosting, this is slightly addictive:

• Softened vegan butter: allow the butter to sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature to soften. This is important for the best texture in your buttercream.
• Vegan cream cheese: as for the filling, I use the NUSH brand of cream cheese which is so creamy. I love cream cheese in buttercream as the texture is softer, more supple and the taste is less sweet and rich.
• Icing sugar: for the best buttercream.
• Aquafaba or plant-based milk: aquafaba (the water from a tin of chickpeas) is great to use in buttercreams as it makes them really light and airy – reminiscent of an easy Swiss meringue-style buttercream. Or, you can use plant-based milk instead.
• Oreo cookies: either use un-filled Oreo cookies or use shop-bought ones. I recommend using homemade un-filled ones, as the buttercream does not set as hard as shop-bought ones, so the cookies may not crumble down as well.

How do I make this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread?

The method is very easy and the cake comes together in a few steps:

• Make the Homemade Vegan Oreos: and allow to cool, fill and set.
• Prepare the cheesecake filling: by whisking together the ingredients till smooth.
• Mash the bananas and add the wet ingredients: and whisk till smooth.
• Sift in the dry ingredients: and whisk again till no specks of flour remain.
• Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies: and mix in evenly.
• Pour half the batter into the tin: and smooth over.
• Spoon over the cream cheesecake filling: and spread out.
• Top with the remaining banana bread batter: and top with crushed cookies.
• Bake till fluffy, tender and risen: and allow to cool.
• Make the Oreo buttercream: and spread over the loaf.
• Top with Oreo Cookies: and enjoy this loaf.

How long will this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread last?

This bake lasted about 24 hours at home, but it will keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container in the fridge. I like to leave the loaf at room temperature for 20 minutes before eating. The un-frosted loaf will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Is this cake gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, this is gluten-free when using a 1:1 baking blend that is gluten-free with xanthan gum to help bind the batter. Also make sure your Vegan Homemade Oreos or shop-bought cookies are gluten-free. This loaf is easily nut-free, swap the almond butter in the cheesecake filling to seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter and check that your milk, cream cheese and butter are all free from nuts.

I love this creation, what else can I bake?

I hope you are going to love this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread and for more bakes and loaf cakes, how about my:

• Tiramisu Banana Bread
• Snickers Banana Bread
• Orange and Rhubarb Loaf Cake
• Caramel Apple Loaf Cake
• Sticky Orange Banana Bread

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Vegan Oreo Banana Bread so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make this loaf, I’d love to see so please tag me in your bakes, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Oreo BB love x