The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread! EASY to make with perfect texture and delicious flavor! Sure to become your go-to recipe!
This banana bread is a long-time reader and family favorite! 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 favorite tried-and-true banana bread recipe.
It is moist with the perfect amount of sweetness and banana flavor like traditional banana bread. Not to mention an ideal texture that is not crumbly, mushy or gummy like gluten-free baked goods can often be. This banana bread has moist crumbs
Whenever I have brown bananas on my counter this is hands down my favorite thing to make! (Close 2nd is this gluten-free banana cake!)
Table of Contents
Why You’ll LOVE This Recipe!
- Amazing crumb and texture
- Soft and moist – but not crumbly or gummy
- Stays delicious for up to 3 days
- Naturally dairy-free
- Easy to make!
VIDEO: How to Make It
This easy recipe is one of my favorite gluten-free breads of all time! If you love this bread be sure to try this gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread and this gluten-free zucchini bread. You also might like these banana pancakes or 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 gluten free banana bread recipe:
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free flour blend like 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 ingredient in my famous gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. See the recipe card for nut-free instructions.
- Shortening: shortening gives this banana bread an irresistible crumb and texture. It also makes if so no dairy-free option is needed! I use organic palm shortening. My Mom used to use Crisco. Butter will work as well!
- A splash of milk: A few tablespoons of milk (or almond milk) help make this moist banana bread.
- Mix-ins! Add any mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or blueberries that you like! The possibilities are endless. You can use up to 3/4 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 It
Start by whisking together the the gluten free all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, mash up some overripe bananas and measure 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 1/2 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 mixing bowl, add the shortening and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy
- Add the eggs, a teaspoon vanilla extract and almond milk and beat for 1-2 minutes until light and combined.
- Add the 1/2 the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Add half the bananas and mix to combine. Repeat with the other 1/2 dry ingredients and bananas. (Adding them alternately helps the batter hydrate.) Fold in any mix-ins with a spatula.
- Pour batter and smooth batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan then on a wire rack until fully cooled.
Mix-Ins
This gluten-free 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 1/2 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. You also might like this gluten-free pumpkin bread.
Substititions
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: Yes! Organic palm shortening is naturally dairy-free. Use almond milk for the milk and this banana bread will be dairy-free.
MAKE IT NUT-FREE: 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.How should I store this?
Storing Gluten-Free Banana Bread
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.
Gluten-Free Banana Bread FAQs
The secret to making delicious gluten-free banana bread is to use the right amount of bananas and shortening for the fat. Too much banana can destabilize the crumb and result in gummy banana bread. Butterfat also cause the crumb to clump up, so shortening works best!
Gluten-free banana bread is moist from using very overripe bananas and a combination of gluten-free 1:1 baking flour and almond flour for the dry ingredients. Almond flour adds moisture and flavor to the loaf so you have moist crumbs in the final product!
Yes! Baking powder is important to use with gluten-free flour when baking to give gluten-free baked goods the proper rise. Baking powder makes gluten-free banana bread have a lighter crumb and texture.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
Happy Baking! I hope you love this gluten-free banana bread 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!
The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Other:
- 1/3 cup shortening or butter I use palm shortening
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons almond milk or regular milk
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana about 2-3 bananas
- 1/2 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 1/2 the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add half the bananas and mix to combine. Repeat with the other 1/2 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.
Oh. My. Gosh.
You would literally NEVER know that this is gluten-free. It’s so moist, flavorful, and perfect in every way. Pleaaaaase make a cookbook, Erin. I will buy one million copies. Approximately.
SO GOOD!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for the comment!
Yummy! I decreased the sugar by half because my friend insisted on using three bananas. Not overly sweet but soft and dreamy.
When Erin says it’s the best gluten free banana bread, she is not joking or exaggerating! Finally, finally a gluten free banana bread that tastes like banana bread. We all love it and I am making it constantly! The consistency and taste are exactly what banana bread should be. Sorry, sounds like I’m going on and on, but really…..blown away!
This is so great ha! 🙂 So glad you like the recipe!
This is really good banana bread. My kids like it and they are used to regular banana bread. We add chocolate chips. I followed the recipe to the T except I added 2 tbs of plain yogurt instead of milk.
This recipe is my go to. I highly recommend it to everybody. It got us through covid and lightened our spirits.
Can i replace the shortening with something dairy free
You can use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks!
I just found your recipes for chocolate cookies and banana bread. I am so thankful to find these by what sounds like someone who’s tested and also needs this diet. My new boyfriend has celeatic deseace and I am now learning about this. I have digestive problems too so this might be good for me too. I hope to be getting a recipe book created by you. Thank you Monica Allen
I’m so glad you like the recipes! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I used butter flavor Crisco and cashew, not almond, milk because that’s what I keep in my fridge. I got distracted and left out the sugar. I put a little non dairy butter and a little cinnamon sugar mix on a slice and it was good. It must be great with the sugar actually in it!
So going into this I had really low expectations because I’m a skeptic when it comes to finding good recipes. I feel like the recipes always over-promise and under-deliver and I end up left feeling disappointed that I wasted ingredients and time and energy. In this case my three-year-old who is gluten and dairy free has never had banana bread so I was looking for a simple recipe to introduce her to something I have always enjoyed but mostly I was also looking for an activity to do with her. I justified the likeky waist of ingredients by saying well at least we will be spending some quality time together baking. I I’m happy to say this is one of the few instances where the recipe under-promised and over-delivered! You all know that almost never happens! The only change I made in the recipe is I
(out of necessity) substituted the butter for coconut oil. When it baked something amazing happened. The banana bread ended up tasting like I got transported to the tropics–between the coconut oil, the toasted almond flavor from the freshly ground almond flour I made (also out of necessity, as I had nothing else) , and the ripe bananas! All of those flavors worked beautifully together and played off of each other! The bread was perfectly moist and surprisingly better than any other banana bread I have tasted, gluten free or otherwise! I didn’t think that was possible. I rarely write reviews, usually because there is rarely anything to rave about. But in this case I have to just to say thank you so much for this recipe!
THIS IS THE BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! Need I say more?!!! My tongue jumped out and smacked me AND my mama in the head and she’s 18 1/2 hours away!
PS
I think I’m gonna just love off this
Sincerely,
New
Newest member to the ULTRA sensation Celiac’s club
Hi there. I’ve seen a few comments regarding the specified amounts for baking powder and soda. Am I correct in reading, that it’s 1 1/4 teaspoons powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of soda?
This was delicious! Saving the recipe ❤️
Yum!
This was an easy recipe and delicious, the only change I made was using Buttermilk instead of the listed milk. Very moist and good flavor!
My 15 year old son said, this recipe is phenomenal! We loved it!!