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The Best Gluten Free Banana Bread

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walnut banana bread sliced on a wood board with white mug of coffee and slices on a plate

This banana bread is dense and fluffy at the same time, has all the flavor, and made with simple, nutrient-dense ingredients.

walnut banana bread sliced on a wood board with white mug of coffee

I think one of my all time favorite small things in life is something sweet alongside my coffee. Just makes my morning! I love this banana bread with my morning cup, smothered in seed or nut butter, yogurt, fruit, or any toppings i’m feeling.

The flours used are almond flour, buckwheat flour or oat flour, and tapioca starch. These are all some of my favorite gluten free flours. It’s also refined sugar free, and seriously tastes like the real deal!!

walnut banana bread sliced on a wood board with white mug of coffee

This version above has some chocolate chips added, plus a sliced banana pressed into the top before getting sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar topping. It’s my new favorite way to enjoy it 🙂

The smells in your house while this is baking are another huge bonus- i want my house to smell like this banana bread always!

walnut banana bread sliced on a wood board

I can’t wait for you guys to try this one! Enjoy xx

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The Best Gluten Free Banana Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 31 reviews
  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8–12 slices 1x
  • Category: Snacks
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Description

Thick and fluffy gluten free banana bread. Free of any refined sugars and flours, and full of flavor! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe, spotty bananas
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil OR butter, melted and cooled 
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 1 + 1/3 cup almond flour 
  • 1/3 cup oat flour (can sub buckwheat flour)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour/starch 
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp sea salt 
  • 1 tsp baking soda 
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • Optional: Chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. For muffins, line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. 
  2. In a large bowl, mash the banana —some chunks left are good!
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir mixture into mashed bananas.
  4. Pour in remaining dry ingredients, and stir until everything is well combined. Stir in walnuts and/or chocolate chips.
  5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan (or cupcake liners).
  6. Bake loaf for 50-55 minutes (for muffins, only bake for 23-24 minutes!), or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then lift by the parchment paper to continue cooling on a cooling rack. Important: allow to completely cool before slicing. 

Notes

I have recently made some minor updates to the recipe to make it even better, and to leave out a couple ingredients that ended up not being necessary (ex: the hemp seeds). This is the best version yet 🙂

All of the substitutions I have listed in the recipe are ones I have tested my self. I cannot guarantee results if any other substitutions are made! xo

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Love! Truly is hearty + fluffy. Now one of my favorite banana bread recipes— will be making again soon!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  3. I made this, this weekend for a sweet treat post-breakfast … it is phenomenal! One of the best banana breads I’ve taste .. and I’ve tasted a lot! Further, it’s packed with healthy ingredients that are so good for you; honestly guilt-free! The hemp seeds and buckwheat are great in this recipe!

    ★★★★★

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  5. This is seriously so incredibly good. My picky 6 year old loves it, so it’s for sure becoming a staple in my house and will replace my previous recipe that called for all the sugar, butter, and white flour. Stoked!!

    ★★★★★

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    • Wow this truly makes me sooo happy! Thank you for the sweet note Betsy- so happy you and your little one love it 🙂

      Reply

  6. THE BEST BANANA BREAD EVER usually i’m afraid healthier banana breads will turn out dense, but this one was not! it turned out amazing and i will be making this again many more times!

    ★★★★★

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  7. Can’t stop eating this. So, so good! Made the following modifications and it’s still amazing.
    *flag eggs
    *pure maple syrup instead of honey
    *didn’t make the topping but sounds delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • So glad you loved the banana bread!! Thanks for the notes on the subs that worked for you- always helpful 🙂

      Reply

  8. Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you recommend any substitutions for the buckwheat flour? Just realized I don’t have any around but would love to try out this recipe :))

    Reply

  9. I’m not a huge banana bread fan, but this recipe is incredible! The flavors are excellent. It’s very moist and not too sweet. My whole family loved it! I will definitely be making this again! 🙂

    Reply

  10. I made these into muffins and they were so perfect! Hearty, thick, and moist just like you want banana bread to be. Super satisfying. Best banana bread ever!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Hi Mia! I am so excited to bake this during this upcoming week once my bananas become ripe enough! I was just wondering if the recipe would still work without the hemp seeds? If not, would something else substitute just fine like chia or flax seeds since I don’t have any around the house? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  12. Hi! I would love to try this banana bread recipe :)) It looks absolutely delicious! I did notice I do not have any tapioca or arrowroot starch unfortunately. Do you know if corn starch would work in place of it?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • I haven’t tried it so its hard for me to say what results you will get! Let me know if you give it a try!

      Reply

  14. This is INCREDIBLE! My family ate the entire loaf in less than 1 day 🙂 Thank you once again Mia, your recipes are always a huge hit.

    I didn’t have arrowroot / tapioca so I subbed for oat flour. I also had run out of salt, so omitted. It turned out fantastic with these modifications.

    Reply

  15. So good!! The best gluten free banana bread I’ve ever made. Really tastes like the real thing! Used the oat flour instead of the buckwheat and it was perfect!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. If the only flours on hand are almond flour and Bob’s Red Mill paleo baking flour, would I still be able to make this? What portions of the flours should I use?

    Reply

  18. This is THE most delicious banana bread! It’s so moist and flavorful, & I don’t feel guilty eating it since it’s all good-for-you ingredients. I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan and it took about 18 to 20 minutes. Added in some collagen, too, for the added health benefits. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

  22. I’ve made so many banana breads and this is quickly one of my absolute favorites! I used coconut oil, arrowroot, and oat flour and added chocolate chips. Will be making this again as soon as my bananas ripen!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  24. it tastes delicious, but was still gooey after 50 min. (the toothpick was clean, though). Putting it back in for a bit and hoping for the best.

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Halle! Make sure you allow it to completely cool before you slice into it, as it continues to bake a little while sitting on the counter and cooling!

      Reply

  25. I’ve commented on this recipe before, as this is absolutely my FAVORITE banana recipe! In spirit of Fall, I replaced the bananas with a cup of pumpkin purée, a tbsp of pumpkin pie spice and topped with chopped pecans. It was amazing!! 🤤🤤

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  26. I Made this with 2 bananas and subbed 1/4 cup pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, and chocolate obv and it was AMAZING. best banana bread ever

    Reply

  27. This REALLY is the best banana bread/muffin recipe I’ve ever made (even better than recipes with gluten and refined sugar). The middles come out light and fluffy but the top still has that nice crispy muffin top — something I feel like is often missing from GF/refined sugar free recipes. I realized after I started that I didn’t have enough almond flour, so I ended up using 3/4 cup almond flour and a bit over 2/3 cup GF oat flour. It still came out great. Thank you for this one!

    ★★★★★

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  29. Truly the best banana bread recipe out there! Thank you for this gem 🙏🏻❤️! Our family adores it! The deep flavours, hearty texture – just the yummiest!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. The best banana bread recipe! My whole family loves it and they are picky when it comes to “healthy” recipes! So yummy!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  33. This is my go-to banana bread recipe!! I probably made like 15 loafs last year using this with slight variations for toppings and they all turned out superbly delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  34. The best banana bread recipe by far. It’s honestly better than any of the recipes that call for loads of sugar/butter/etc. By far my fave!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  35. Loved this banana bread! So yummy and good ingredients! Except all the chocolate chips sunk to the bottom of the loaf 🙁 tips for next time??

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  36. My dad is celiac and we both try to eat anti-inflammatory when possible. I made this today for his birthday! Everyone LOVED IT! Soooo good. The best banana bread I’ve ever made. 12/10. Will definitely make again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  37. I am eating this as I write this review. I am pregnant and have been craving banana muffins for a while but was looking for a healthy option. What a delicious recipe!

    I didn’t have almond flour, so I added 1 1/3 cup of oat flour and 1/3 buckwheat flour. I also used almond extract (1/2 as much) instead of vanilla extract.

    Hubby is very impressed, baby and mama are satisfied! Thank you!

    Reply

  38. I am eating a muffin as I write this review. I am pregnant and have been craving banana muffins for a while but was looking for a healthy option. What a delicious recipe!

    I didn’t have almond flour, so I added 1 1/3 cup of oat flour and 1/3 buckwheat flour. I also used almond extract (1/2 as much) instead of vanilla extract.

    Hubby is very impressed, baby and mama are satisfied! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  39. Literally the BEST gluten-free banana bread recipe that tastes like the real deal (and I’ve tried a loooot of different recipes!). Hubby even agrees that this needs to become a weekly staple in our house & he can be a tough critic on gluten-free recipes. Great plain, but also love to warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds and top with some yogurt.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  40. The best banana nut muffins ever! So easy and delicious! I had to substitute arrowroot for the tapioca starch and it worked well.

    I love making yummy treats that nourish my family.

    Thank you for sharing your gift with others!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  43. This recipe has become a staple in our house, I make these muffins regularly and my husband and I love them! The recipe is very easy and the muffins are delicious. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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