The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread! EASY to make with perfect texture and delicious flavor! Sure to become your go-to recipe!
This recipe has a few tricks so you get soft, moist, easy-to-slice and completely delicious gluten-free banana bread every time.
Is there anything better than a piece of warm banana bread slathered in butter? Dreamy. Everyone needs a go-to banana bread recipe!
Since going gluten-free I have tried a TON of banana bread recipes. Over the years I’ve decided my Mom’s recipe from growing up – tweaked to be made gluten-free – is my very favorite.
It is moist with the perfect amount of sweetness and banana flavor. Not to mention an ideal texture that is not crumbly, mushy or gummy like gluten-free baked goods can often be. Whenever I have brown bananas on my counter this is hands down my favorite thing to make!
If you love this bread be sure to try this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread. If it’s muffins you’re looking for, try these Gluten-Free Banana Muffins. Both recipes are made with the same gluten-free ingredients!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients for this banana bread:
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. It works best to use a blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe.
- Almond Flour: Helps with texture and browning. A touch of almond flour is also my secret to The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. See the recipe card for nut-free instructions.
- Organic Palm Shortening: Palm shortening gives this banana bread an irresistible crumb and texture. The palm shortening helps this loaf turn out easy-to-slice and cooked all the way through. My Mom used to use Crisco (which you can do too!) but I prefer organic palm shortening.
- A splash of milk: A few tablespoons of milk (or almond milk) help keep this banana bread perfectly moist
- Mix-ins! Add any mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or blueberries that you like! The possibilities are endless. You can use up to ¾ cup of any mix-in.
Note: A tub of palm shortening will keep at room temperature in your pantry for many months. I always keep a tub of it around to make this banana bread when we have brown bananas!
How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Start by whisking together the dry ingredients.
Mash up some very ripe bananas and mesaure out 1 cup. It’s important to use exactly 1 cup of mashed bananas for the right texture.
This recipe also doubles great. The recipe takes about 2 ½ bananas per loaf. So if you have 5 over-ripe bananas sitting around make two loaves! Nobody at my house complains when I do that!
- In a large bowl, add the shortening and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy
- Add the eggs, vanilla and almond milk and beat for 1-2 minutes until light and combined.
- Add the ½ the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Add half the bananas and mix to combine. Repeat with the other ½ dry ingredients and bananas. (Adding them alternately helps the batter hydrate.) Fold in any mix-ins with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Mix-Ins
This banana bread is such a great base recipe! I love it a classic banana bread loaf, but if you want to add in mix-ins go for it! You can add ½ cup of the following:
- chocolate chips
- chopped walnuts
- chopped pecans
- blueberries
- coconut
My kids are a huge fan of making this banana bread an extra special treat with the additional of chocolate chips.
FAQ
Yes! Organic palm shortening is naturally dairy-free. Use almond milk for the milk and this banana bread will be dairy-free.
Yes! Swap the almond flour out for ⅓ cup more of gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Use regular milk or rice milk in place of the almond milk.
Store any leftover fully cooled banana bread tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. It will keep for up to 2 days.
You can freeze the unsliced, whole loaf by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and placing the loaf in a ziploc bag. Thaw the banana bread to room temperature before serving.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try it be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
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The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Other:
- ⅓ cup shortening or butter, I use palm shortening
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons almond milk, or regular milk
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2-3 bananas
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, blueberries or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mash the bananas together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, add the shortening and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and combined. Add the eggs, vanilla and almond milk and beat for 1-2 minutes until light and combined.
- Add the ½ the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add half the bananas and mix to combine. Repeat with the other ½ dry ingredients and bananas. (Adding them alternately helps the batter hydrate.) Fold in any mix-ins with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool for five minutes in the pan. Gently turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Enjoy! Store covered at room temperature.
LReyes says
Best banana bread ever! My GLUTEN eating husband and son love it too!!!
Donna F Bailey says
Wonderful recipe!! have made this and the Zucchini bread and they are light and delicious. My family loved them and could not believe they were gluten free.Thank you for sharing these recipes.
Mel Linn says
Love this! Kept the recipe as written, mostly: subbed room temp coconut oil for shortening, monkfruit sweetener for sugar. Let all the ingredients get to room temp. So great, thank you!
Question: when it comes out of the oven, it looks magazine- worthy, but then flattens and gets dense while cooling. I’m in a high desert and use the suggested gf flour. And tips to keep risen and beautiful please? TIA!
Erin Collins says
I’m glad you enjoyed the banana bread! Using monkfruit sweetener can cause the bread to sink a little as it doesn’t provide as much structure as regular sugar. I hope this helps!
Sue says
Well right off the bat I do not need gluten-free products, but my son-in-law does. I love to try different recipes when he comes for a visit just because I love to give him some homemade baking. Well…let me tell you I have been making banana bread for well over 40 years, and I honestly can say without a doubt that this gluten-free recipe outdoes any recipe I have ever made using regular flour!!!! OMG!!!!!! I will always use this recipe no matter what!!!!! Thank you for your fabulous recipe….PS your chocolate chip cookies are to die for as well!!!!
Erin Collins says
Hooray! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. I’m honored you think it’s even better than any regular flour recipe. Thanks for the comment!