Gluten Free Banana Bread

Learn how to make the best, moist gluten free banana bread with this easy, one bowl recipe! This tried and true homemade bread is naturally dairy free and can be loaded with nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruits. 

Ingredients Needed

Don’t throw those bananas out just because they’re too ripe! Overripe bananas are perfect for baking and can be used to make gluten free banana waffles, banana muffins, baked banana oatmeal or the very best gluten free banana bread!

All you need are some bananas and some standard kitchen staple ingredients.

• Ripe bananas – The uglier the better when choosing bananas for bread. As they ripen the starches turn to sugar, making your baked goods more flavorful.
• Eggs
• Brown sugar
• Canola oil or coconut oil
• Vanilla extract
• Gluten free all purpose flour – I recommend Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour, but King Arthur Measure-for-Measure also yields good results. 
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt

How To Make the Best Gluten Free Banana Bread

This easy, moist gluten free banana bread recipe can be whipped up in one bowl with no special equipment required. If you don’t have a potato masher to mash bananas, just use a fork.  

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. After greasing, line the bottom of your pan with a piece of cut-to-size wax paper or parchment paper. This helps the bread slide out of the pan easily with no sticking.  
2. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, brown sugar, oil and vanilla.
3. After you are finished whisking those ingredients, add the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir these ingredients until well combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. 
4. Bake your bread for 55 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the gluten free banana bread comes out clean. Be sure to not underbake, or the loaf will fall in the middle. With gluten free baking it is always better to error on the side of slightly overbaking. 
5. Finally, cool the bread in a pan for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges and turn onto a wire rack to cool. 

Can I make this healthier?  

With just a few tweaks, this recipe can easily be made into a healthy gluten free banana bread. This recipe is naturally dairy free, so no adjustments are needed in that department.

 Here are some modifications you may want to try to make a healthy version of the best gluten free banana bread: 

• Sugar Free – To make a no sugar version, all you need to do is replace the brown sugar with your favorite sugar free substitute such as: stevia, agave nectar (for every one cup of sugar, use 2/3 cup agave), maple syrup, honey (for every one cup of sugar, use 3/4 cup honey), or coconut sugar. Low sugar baking blends, agave nectar and coconut sugar are all equal parts one to one cup of sugar. 
• Oil free – In place of the coconut oil, consider using: applesauce, ghee, greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, or avocado puree. For all of these, one cup is equivalent to one cup of oil.  
• Vegan – To make this healthy gluten free banana bread vegan friendly, you will need to replace the eggs. A half cup of applesauce or soy yogurt are great substitutes for two eggs. The recipe may require more baking time since additional liquid is being added.

What Is the Best Gluten Free Flour to Use for Baking?

There is a lot to consider when answering this question, so I dedicated some time to coming up with the answers for myself. To learn more about the best gluten free flours, be sure to check out the guide I created called the Ultimate Guide to the Best Gluten Free Flour .

My number one choice, after running four popular flours through a series of tests, is Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour in terms of both taste and texture.  

Unfortunately, this flour is slightly more expensive than other brands, but in my opinion – is totally worth it. The taste of baked goods made with Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour undetectably replicates traditional baked goods.  For those of you who eat gluten free, you know that makes it worth it! 

The other drawback of Cup 4 Cup is the allergens it contains. If you cannot have dairy or corn, King Arthur Measure-for-Measure is a wonderful runner up.

Gluten Free Banana Bread Mix-Ins

One of the great things about banana bread is its versatility! Consider stirring in one of these mix-ins or a combo to make endless versions. 

• Chocolate chips – 1 cup 
• Chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans – 1/2 cup
• Dried cranberries – 1 cup
• Shredded coconut – 1/2 cup
• Butterscotch chips – 1 cup (read label to make sure they are gluten free)
• Creamy peanut butter – 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
• Nutmeg – 1/2 teaspoon

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do bananas have to be overripe? 

If your bananas get to the point where everyone in your house is saying, “No thank you”- keep ahold of them. They are perfect for this recipe! In fact, overripe bananas give the very best flavor. 

If you don’t have any overripe bananas on hand, place yellow bananas, with their peels on, on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in a 300ºF oven, or until the skin turns black.  

This works great when you need bananas in a hurry for baking for bread, banana cake, banana bars, or muffins. 

Can this recipe be made dairy free, sugar free, or vegan?

Yes! This recipe is naturally dairy free because it doesn’t contain any milk or butter. No adjustments required!

For a sugar free version, replace the brown sugar with your favorite sugar free substitute such as: stevia, agave nectar (for every one cup of sugar, use 2/3 cup agave), maple syrup, honey (for every one cup of sugar, use 3/4 cup honey), or coconut sugar.

And to make a vegan friendly version, simply replace the eggs with your favorite egg substitute, such as a flax eggs, 1/2 cup applesauce or soy yogurt. The recipe may require more baking time since additional liquid is being added.

What size loaf pan is needed?

In order for your gluten free banana bread to have the nice dome shape, use an 8X4 loaf pan. If you don’t have an 8X4 pan, use a 9X5 pan, but set the timer and check your bread 10 minutes sooner.

Can I make gluten free banana muffins with this recipe?

Adapt this banana bread recipe to make gluten free banana muffins that are perfect for snacking or busy mornings. 

The ingredients and the amounts will remain the same. Simply change the type of pan and the cooking time. Either a regular or mini-sized muffin pan may be used. 

Divide the batter evenly into each greased or paper-lined muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

When you fill the liners, be sure to avoid adding too much batter. You don’t want your muffins to overflow. Only fill each liner about 2/3 to 3/4 full, which is roughly 3 tablespoons.

How to store banana bread

Gluten free banana bread may be kept at room temperature, well covered, for up to two days. Gluten free baked goods dry out quicker so I recommend freezing sliced bread if it won’t be eaten in a short period of time. 

I don’t recommend refrigerating the bread because the cool air removes moisture and can leave you with dry, crumbly bread. 

Freeze banana bread up to 3-4 months for best flavor. If you are freezing slices, wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.

To freeze the entire loaf, be sure it has cooled completely and then wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil before placing in a freezer bag. When you are freezing food, it is a good idea to mark the bag with the date so that you know exactly when it went into the freezer. 

Why did my bread sink in the middle?

With gluten free baking it is always better to error on the side of slightly over baking because under baked goods can fall or have a gritty texture. Even if it appears dry on the top, always insert a toothpick in the middle to make sure. 

If the bread hasn’t been given enough time to bake the liquids won’t adequately absorb into the starches. This is especially important when using gluten free flours because they don’t absorb liquids as readily as traditional flour.

An improperly calibrated oven may also be the culprit. If an oven temperature runs too low or high it will affect the leavening ingredients. I use an inexpensive oven temperature gauge so I always know the true temp of my oven. 

More Gluten Free Bread Recipes 

• Gluten Free Zucchini Bread – Outrageously tasty and easy to throw together, this moist, gluten free and dairy free zucchini bread is perfect as is, turned into muffins, or loaded with chocolate chips. 
• Fluffy Gluten Free Banana Muffins – Moist banana bread flavor baked into a light, airy bakery-style muffin. 
• Blueberry Zucchini Bread – Summer flavors of fresh blueberries and zucchini with a cinnamon sugar topping all mixed in a one-bowl quick bread.
• Peanut Butter Bread – Chocolate peanut butter lovers will rejoice over this recipe dotted with chocolate chips and drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate glazes.

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