Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Soft and moist, with a little crunch from the chopped walnuts.
Taste: Rich, nutty notes from the brown butter and perfect sweetness from the bananas!
Ease: Easy to make and great for a crowd!
Recommended GF Flour: Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. My top pick is King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Flour. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour will also work.
Would I make these again? Definitely! These bars are always a crowd-pleaser — and nobody will guess they’re gluten-free!
xoxo erin
Maybe you’ve had banana bars. But have you had banana bars topped with brown butter frosting? If not, these are sure to become your new favorite.
The nutty, rich brown butter is the perfect match for sweet banana bars. Trust me, these are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
Featured Comment
From Jenn: “I made these the other day! Oh my goodness what a hit! They were perfect. The frosting has a great almost toffee like flavor, the cake is moist. I even messed up the mixing order of ingredients for the cake but they were still perfect! Thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Brown Butter Banana Bars
- Storage/Make Ahead/Freezing Instructions
- Can these gluten-free banana bars be made dairy-free?
- Why do I need to frost the bars while warm?
- Can I use regular frosting instead of brown butter frosting?
- More Gluten-Free Banana Desserts
- Gluten-Free Brown Butter Banana Bars Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free brown butter banana bars. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: Be sure to use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour with xantham gum. My top pick is King Arthur Flour, but Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour will also work.
- Banana: Ripe bananas work best here! Use bananas that have plenty of brown speckles for more sweetness and rich banana flavor.
- Milk: Any type of milk works well for these banana bars. For dairy-free bars, use unsweetened dairy-free milk.
- Butter: I like using salted butter for more depth of flavor. You’ll be melting and browning the butter before combining with the other ingredients, so no need to bring it to room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: Real vanilla extract is best! You can also use vanilla bean paste for more intense, rich vanilla flavor.
- Chopped walnuts: I love the added texture that chopped walnuts bring to these bars. If you’re not a fan, feel free to skip this topping!
How to Make Gluten-Free Brown Butter Banana Bars
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together dry ingredients.
- Combine wet ingredients: Mix together wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Beat eggs and sugar: Add eggs and sugars to a separate bowl. Beat until fluffy and pale in color. Add oil.
- Add banana mixture: Slowly add half of the dry ingredients, then half of the banana mixture. Repeat.
- Pour batter into pan: Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Melt butter: Melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir continuously.
- Pour in milk: Once butter changes to golden brown, pour in milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour frosting over cake: Immediately pour warm frosting over the cake and smooth in an even layer.
- Sprinkle with walnuts: Top with chopped walnuts and banana slices if using. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Storage/Make Ahead/Freezing Instructions
- To Store: Store banana bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. These are very moist bars so they won’t last as long as other bars/brownies.
- To Make Ahead: These banana bars can be made one day in advance. Be sure to add the frosting while the bars are still warm, then sprinkle with walnuts if using. (Don’t add banana slices, since they will brown quickly.) Let cool before covering with plastic wrap or a jelly roll pan lid. Slice just before serving.
- To Freeze: Freeze the frosted bars in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Place parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Can these gluten-free banana bars be made dairy-free?
Yes! For dairy-free bars, use your favorite unsweetened dairy-free instead of regular milk. Skip the browning of the butter and simply use melted dairy-free butter. (Dairy-free butter won’t brown.) Whisk the melted butter into the other frosting ingredients and frost as directed.
Why do I need to frost the bars while warm?
Frosting the warm bars helps the frosting spread smoothly and seep slightly into the bars. It makes for ultra-moist bars with amazing texture and flavor!
Can I use regular frosting instead of brown butter frosting?
Yes, you can use any type of frosting for these bars. I think the brown butter flavor makes these really unique, but chocolate, vanilla, or cream cheese frosting would be delicious too! If using a different type of frosting, I recommend waiting until the bars cool down to frost.
More Gluten-Free Banana Desserts
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Banana Cookies
- Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pie
- Gluten-Free Banana Cake
- Gluten-Free Banana Pudding
- Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
- Banana Pancakes
Gluten-Free Brown Butter Banana Bars
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (262g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Other
- 1 cup (230g) mashed ripe banana about 2-3 bananas
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (160ml) neutral oil
Brown Butter Frosting
- ½ cup (113g) butter
- ⅓ cup (80ml) milk
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup (130g) finely chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the mashed banana, milk and vanilla extract.
- Add the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand or hand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and pale in color. With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil. Mix until combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add ½ of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, then add ½ of the banana mixture. Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and banana mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well-combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.
- For the brown butter frosting: You want to frost the cake when it’s still warm, so start making the frosting as soon as the banana bars come out of the oven. The cake should cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the frosting.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once the butter is melted and begins to foam, stir continuously to prevent the milk solids from sticking to the skillet. The butter will change from yellow to golden brown quickly and will have a nutty aroma.
- Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whisk until completely smooth.
- Immediately pour the frosting over the warm cake. Smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
Skip steps 9-11 and simply use melted dairy-free butter. (Note that dairy-free butter will not brown.) Whisk the melted butter into the other frosting ingredients and frost as directed. Nut-Free: Omit the walnuts.
I woke up this morning dreaming of a banana bar that my mother made with browned butter icing and you recipe popped up. I made them this evening and they are fabulous. Thank you.
Hi Deborah, that’s wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for sharing, it means a lot!
Amazing bars. They’re almost too sweet from all the sugar but that keeps them nice and super moist and soft!
I only made a half batch of frosting since I was low on powdered sugar and it ended up working well since the bars are sweet by themselves. I also had a similar problem with another reviewer in that my frosting wasn’t browned enough, but it was still plenty tasty! Next time I will brown the butter longer and save some of the powdered sugar to adjust for consistency.
This is going into my list for potluck desserts. Very easy to make and much fancier than banana bread or muffins.
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us! We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the recipe enough to put it on your go-to potluck dessert list!
Delicious….everyone loved them, no one knew they were gluten free. The frosting is perfection.
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear the recipe was such a hit! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Christina.
This cake turned out sooo good!! Non-GF people had NO idea that the cake was GF and DF free. The texture was amazing and the frosting was sooo good! Even with DF frosting. I think I may add some maple extract the next time I make the frosting 🙂
Yay! We’re so happy to hear it was such a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us, Kayla! Happy baking!
If I make these 3 days ahead, what’s the best storage technique? Or should I not make them ahead of time?
Hi Robin, these bars can be made up to 1 day in advance. Add the frosting while the bars are still warm, then sprinkle with walnuts, if using. (Don’t add banana slices since they will brown too quickly). Let the bars cool, then cover the pan in plastic wrap or a jelly roll pan lid. We hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
I made this recipe and it was delicious! However, the frosting did not come out right. The butter looked to me like it was brown, but the frosting was more white than brown. I guess I did not cook the butter long enough. Also, I added the powdered sugar one cup at a time and by the time I got to 3 cups, I thought it was the perfect consistency. Then when I added the 4th cup, it was so thick, it was all stuck in my whisking tool. When I went to spread it on the warm cake, it stuck to the cake and was extremely difficult to spread without pulling up the cake into the frosting even while using a small spatula. It tasted awesome, but was not pretty. Any tips that you can give me for the next time I make it? Thank you for what you do!
Hi Jan, we’re so glad you loved the flavor! Yes, not browning the butter long enough can mess with the consistency. After the butter foams, continue stirring; you’ll know it’s done when it turns golden brown and there is a distinct nutty aroma. You can always scale back on the powdered sugar too, if you like an even thinner frosting. We hope this helps and your next batch is even better!
YUUUUM! It felt like a labor of love, my butter took forever to brown, but wow, it was worth it. I’ll definitely be making it again. It came out like the perfect light, fluffy, and moist cake and the icing was the perfect topper.
Yay! This makes us so happy, Hannah! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
I made these the other day! Oh my goodness what a hit! They were perfect. The frosting has a great almost toffee like flavor, the cake is moist. I even messed up the mixing order of ingredients for the cake but they were still perfect! Thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear how much you loved the recipe, Jenn! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. Happy baking!
What type of oil do you use? I’m not a fan of seed oils, would avocado or olive oil work?
Hi Melissa, any neutral oil works! Avocado and olive oil are both great options for this recipe. We hope you enjoy!