This gluten free banana bread is super moist and delicious, and insanely healthy with no processed sugar. A sweet and guilt-free breakfast or dessert!
I'm so excited to share this recipe with you--it's been a work in progress for several weeks, and now after many, many banana breads baked, it's perfect. 🙂
My mission with this recipe was simple: develop an easy gluten-free banana bread recipe that's both moist and delicious, and breakfast-worthy with no processed sugar. As a bonus, you would never know this recipe is gluten free!
Looking for other gluten free favorites? You'll love these fluffy gluten free pancakes, this gluten free apple crisp or these naturally gluten free flourless peanut butter cookies. 🙂
Almond flour banana bread for the win
I chose almond flour for this banana bread recipe because it's light and airy when baked, and creates the perfect moist banana bread.
You'll want to be a bit picky with the exact kind of almond flour you choose, though. I like "blanched" almond flour because it creates a more consistently light, silky texture when baking.
This banana bread is dairy free and paleo, too!
And I love being able to use natural sweeteners instead of processed sugar whenever possible. In this case, the sweetness comes naturally from the bananas as well as from a little added honey. You definitely won't notice the lack of white sugar either--honey is the perfect complement to this recipe.
The ingredients
If it's not obvious yet, I'm super stoked about the ingredients in this banana bread. 😉 Here they are altogether:
- bananas (the riper the better!)
- almond flour
- baking soda
- sea salt
- cinnamon
- eggs
- coconut oil or butter
- honey
- vanilla
The equipment
- 8 ½" by 4 ½" loaf pan*
- parchment paper (or you can use coconut oil to grease the pan)
- potato masher (or just use a fork to mach the bananas)
*Note that this size is just slightly smaller than a traditional 9" by 5" loaf pan. I prefer the smaller size for gluten-free and nut flour based recipes which are more prone to collapse in a larger pan. However--the standard size will still work if necessary; the bread will just be a little shorter than in the smaller pan.
The method
This recipe really comes together quickly--the majority of the time will be spent just waiting for it to come out of the oven!
For the loaf pan, you can grease it with coconut oil (or butter) if you'd like, but I prefer to line it with parchment paper instead for easy removal of the bread, and easier cleanup.
The trick is to cut two strips of parchment paper: one thin one to line the length of the pan, and another thicker one to line the width.
Once that's done, go ahead and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the batter, I start by mashing the bananas in a separate bowl with a potato masher. You don't need to mash them into a totally smooth consistency, either; I actually prefer some chunky banana pieces in my bread so I only mash for a minute or so.
And as mentioned above--do make sure your bananas a very ripe as in brown-spots-on-them ripe. It'll make the bread much sweeter and the mashing much easier!
You can combine the dry ingredients next and set aside, and then use a big bowl for the wet ingredients. If your coconut oil is in solid form as is usually the case unless your kitchen is very warm, just make sure to pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or just until it liquefies.
And lastly, add the dry ingredients to the wet and incorporate, and then add the bananas and mix once more.
Slowly pour the batter into your lined loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes.
Try a toothpick test to make sure it comes out clean in the middle of the loaf (if not, cook a little longer and test again.) Using both hands, grab the larger parchment paper piece to lift out your loaf once the bread is out of the oven, and cool for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack.
Enjoy your banana bread!
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🍳 Recipe
The Best Gluten Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large ripe bananas about 1 ½ cup mashed
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 ½" by 4 ½" loaf pan with parchment paper by cutting on thin piece for the pan's length and one thicker piece laid on top of the first for the pan's width. Make sure they extend a few inches past the pan's edges for easy removal of the finished bread.
- Mash: Peel the bananas and mach them in a mixing bowl using either a potato masher or a large fork. It's fine to leave them a bit chunky if you're like me and like larger bits of banana in the final bread. Set aside.
- Make the batter: Combine the almond flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate. Then in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, melted oil and honey and whisk to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a silicone spatula, and then add the mashed bananas and fold once more.
- Bake: Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 48-52 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting it into the thickest part of the bread.
- Cool: Once out of the oven, use both hands to hold the larger parchment paper piece and pull the bread up and out from the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
- Enjoy: Enjoy immediately, or store your bread in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
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