Meet your new favorite cookie! These lightly spiced ONE-BOWL gluten-free banana cookies have the most amazing buttery texture and golden edges. Plus they’re so easy to make!
You might like these recipes for gluten-free banana cake, gluten-free banana muffins and gluten-free banana bread.
I love banana bread. I love chocolate chip cookies. So it only made sense to combine them into one amazing creation — these gluten-free banana cookies!
These soft cookies are lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. They have a classic banana flavor but also taste a lot like my favorite brown butter gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
Plus, they come together in minutes and only require one bowl. What’s not to love?
Next time you’re in the mood for banana bread, try these cookies instead!
Why I Love This Recipe
- One-bowl recipe – This fast and easy recipe won’t dirty up a bunch of dishes. Whip it up in minutes with one bowl!
- Delicious banana flavor – If you love gluten-free banana bread, these cookies are a fun twist on the classic snack. I’m sure they’ll become one of your new favorite banana recipes!
- Simple ingredients – These gluten-free banana chocolate chip cookies call for pantry staple ingredients, so you can whip them up anytime you want to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients for these gluten-free banana cookies.
- Overripe banana: You’ll want to measure the amount of banana for these cookies. Measure out 1/4 cup of ripe banana for the perfect consistency!
- Gluten-free flour: Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for this great recipe. It makes all the difference! I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour blend.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter for these gluten free banana bread cookies, since it has more depth of flavor than unsalted butter.
- Cinnamon + nutmeg: A little bit of spice is just so nice in these cookies! It makes brings out the banana flavor and makes them taste like banana bread!
How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Cookies
Combine wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the banana. (Measure to be sure it’s about ¼ cup.) Add the melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until evenly combined. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats. (This allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate.)
Scoop and bake cookie dough. Use a cookie scoop to make 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough. Place them a few inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. (I bake 6 cookies at a time.) Bake for 11-13 minutes until set and golden brown. Let cool on a wire cooling rack.
Tip: Let gluten-free banana cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue baking a bit and will firm up over these five minutes!
Storage Instructions
Store gluten-free banana cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Recipe Tips
- Rest the dough. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats. (This allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate.)
- Measure the amount of banana. You only need 1/4 cup banana for this recipe! Don’t be tempted to use more or it could make the cookies spread too much.
- Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. The best gluten-free flour blends include xanthan gum, which will help achieve a texture similar to cookies made with regular flour (all purpose flour). It makes all the difference! I like King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour blend or Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour blend.
- Top with flaky salt! Top these cookies with some flaky salt and press a few more chocolate chips on top after baking for a professional look. The salt really makes them!
More Gluten-Free Banana Recipes
Easy, Gluten-Free Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3-1/2 small (55g) overripe banana, about ¼ cup
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (210g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (185g) gluten-free measure-for-measure baking flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (113g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the banana. (Measure to be sure it’s about ¼ cup.)
- Add the melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until evenly combined.
- Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.
- Add the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats. (This allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate.)
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough a few inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. (I bake 6 cookies at a time.)
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until set and golden brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Top with flaky salt if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Rest the dough. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats. (This allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate.)
- Measure the amount of banana. You only need 1/4 cup banana for this recipe! Don’t be tempted to use more or it could make the cookies spread too much.
- Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. The best gluten-free flour blends include xanthan gum, which will help achieve a texture similar to cookies made with regular flour (all purpose flour). It makes all the difference! I like King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour blend or Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour blend.
- Top with flaky salt! Top these cookies with some flaky salt and press a few more chocolate chips on top after baking for a professional look. The salt really makes them!
I followed the recipe exactly then added some pecans. They turned out fabulous! Even my husband liked them and is quite picky about trying out gluten free recipes I make for myself.
Yay! We’re so glad both you and your husband enjoyed the cookies, Mari! Thank you for sharing your kind review with us!
AMAZING, perfect to make with the family and kid friendly.
Yay! We’re happy to hear it, Luna! Thank you for the positive feedback!
Hey there! Excited to make these. Is it possible to sub brown sugar with coconut sugar?
Hi Stephanie, we haven’t tried coconut sugar in this recipe. Using coconut sugar make result in drier cookies as it doesn’t hold moisture like brown sugar. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
These look great and I have them in mind for a friend who likes bananas.
Since I don’t keep salted butter on habdt, could you please recommend how much extra salt to add?
Hi Stephanie, good question! A general guideline is that for every 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Can I use regular all purpose flour instead? Don’t have gluten free for atm
Hi Jen, yes you can use regular flour in place of the measure-for-measure gf flour. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
These are the best cookies I have ever made. I make them whenever I’m happy or sad. Greetings from Argentina
Thank you for the kind feedback, Lola! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just ordered your cookbook, but I’m very excited about this recipe while I wait! I’m going to sub rum for the vanilla and roll the dough balls in rum-soaked walnut pieces.
My plan is to make mini Bananas Foster ice cream sandwiches for my 20-something son’s Superbowl party. His foodie friends will love them.
And if I’m being overly ambitious, we’ll have your wonderful gluten-free cookies that no one will suspect of being GF.
Thank you for supporting Meaningful Eats by buying the cookbook, Laura! We hope you enjoy it. Those plans sound delicious! We hope all turned out well.
Erin,
This is the best recipe ever. So simple and tastes great! I made it for my office a few weeks ago & have gotten requests to make them again. My son-in-law said these are even better than his mom’s cookies which are glutenous. His mom is an excellent baker so that was an award winning compliment.
Sooooooo yummy! Tastes like banana bread and a chocolate chip cookie had a baby. We ate them up so fast. Even my gluten loving husband called them a winner.
I can’t believe how amazing these were! So moist and yummy. Great recipe.
This is a dream come true! So simple and SO MUCH FLAVOR! Love it!
Yummy!! These turned out so good and were super easy to make. My kiddos said that they’re their new favorite!
Not overly sweet, perfect amount of banana flavor, the recipe is easy and very quick to make. When scooping the dough onto the baking sheet, it’s very important for them to be balls and not be squished down. They spread a lot while baking.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Yes they do spread during baking – thanks for the tip!
Hi. These cookies are yummy.
Have you tried freezing the cookies? If so, how did they taste?
Thank you
Yes they freeze great! You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls and bake them straight from the freezer.
If I would like to make this cookie without the gluten-free flour, is that possible? I will also make them with the gluten-free flour for my girlfriend. I am really enjoying your recipes
Hi Laura, you can replace the gf flour with all-purpose flour if you don’t need them to be gluten-free. We hope you both enjoy the cookies!
What can I use instead of butter?
Hi Jennilyn, we like Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for a non-dairy substitute for the butter. We hope you enjoy the cookies!