Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

Name: The Best Ever Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 125 g unsalted butter softened (organic if possible); 100 g 3/4 cup organic raw sugar; 4 VERY ripe bananas (about 300-400 grams. At room temperature.); 2 eggs (organic or free-range if possible. At room temperature.); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 150 g all-purpose gluten-free flour blend; 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

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The best gluten-free banana bread recipe I have ever made!

Moist, soft, warm banana bread on a cold winter morning. The smell and the taste are so comforting and satisfying. Just scrumptious!

Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread

I don't say this about myself very often, but I can make REALLY good banana bread. I can! But ever since I started following a gluten-free diet I was avoiding making it. I just couldn't imagine that gluten-free banana bread can taste good. But today I did it! I baked gluten-free banana bread and guess what? I was right! It didn't taste good... It tasted amazing! 🙂 Let me share with you this easy gluten-free banana bread recipe.

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This banana bread is absolutely delicious and is all you want banana bread to be, gluten-free or not. It is very soft, moist and full of banana flavor. My whole family agrees that we don't have to bake regular banana bread anymore since this gluten-free banana bread recipe is absolutely perfect!

Why should you make it?

This banana bread is gluten-free and is as delicious as a classic banana bread recipe.
It is healthy and satisfying and makes a great snack.
It is family- and budget-friendly. Only inexpensive ingredients are needed.
One-bowl recipe, no mixer or kitchen blender is required.
Very easy to make.

This is the ultimate go-to banana bread recipe.

Ingredients for gluten-free banana bread

Only a few simple ingredients are needed:

Unsalted butter softened, organic if possible.
Sugar, just enough to help the bread to caramelise.
4 VERY ripe bananas, about 300-400 grams. At room temperature.
Eggs, organic or free-range if possible. At room temperature.
All-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Gluten-free baking powder.
Vanilla extract

ingredients for gluten-free banana bread

See the recipe card below for quantities.

How to make gluten-free banana bread

This is a super easy recipe to make:

Preheat the oven to 180'C (360'F)
Prepare the loaf pan. Grease the sides and the bottom of the tin with a little bit of butter and line it with baking paper. The butter will help the paper to stick so it doesn't slip when you pour the batter into the tin. Or use a silicone loaf tin like this one.
Mash the bananas using a fork.
In a large mixing bowl mix together eggs, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, add mashed bananas. It is best to mix it with a wooden spoon or a whisk until everything is well combined. You don't need to beat butter for this recipe.
Now add the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.

step by step how to make gluten-free banana bread

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 180'C (360'F) for one hour.
Leave your banana bread to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 180'C (360'F) for one hour.
Leave your banana bread to cool down completely on a wire rack before slicing it.

The full recipe is in a recipe card below.

uncooked loaf of gluten-free banana bread in bread loaf pan

What Banana to use to make gluten-free banana bread - the secret ingredient 🙂

The secret to this gluten-free banana bread recipe is clearly the bananas! They HAVE TO BE overripe. Brown and spotty. I leave my bananas to ripen until their skin is nearly all black. That is when the flesh starts to soften and bananas get incredibly aromatic and sweet. But of course, you don't want your bananas to be black inside 😉

The other important part of this recipe is how you mash your bananas. Do not use a mixer or kitchen blender! I used to use Thermomix and while it worked really well, it makes bananas into a mousse. In this recipe, I just mashed the bananas with a fork leaving small chunks intact. This will add a moister and nearly pudding-like consistency to the bread. Yum!

The bigger banana pieces might turn pink when baked. This is due to potassium oxidation and is totally normal.

What is the best flour for gluten-free banana bread?

How your gluten-free banana bread turns out depends a lot on the gluten-free flour mix you use. I used HAS NO gluten-free plain flour from Aldi and it worked really well. You also can use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Whatever mix you use, make sure your gluten-free flour contains xanthan gum or guar gum. Without those, you will have dry and crumbly bread. Not good.

If your mix doesn't contain any xanthan or guar gum, add ½ teaspoon to the gluten-free four you are using. Mix flour and the gum well before adding them to the other ingredients.

How to serve

The choice is yours! You can have it for breakfast, morning tea, brunch or just anytime during the day when you feel like a little snack. I personally can't imagine having a warm slice of banana bread without some butter. Yum!

How to store gluten-free banana bread

Have some leftovers? Not to worry. This delicious gluten-free banana bread keeps really well. Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days. Simply cut a slice, toast it and spread a little butter or top it with a drizzle of honey for the sweet tooth.

How to freeze it

Want to freeze it for later? Easy as pie. Make sure your banana bread has cooled down completely before freezing it.

You can freeze the whole loaf if you plan to serve it to a crowd. However, I would recommend slicing it first and freezing it in a zip-top bag or a freezer-safe container.

Some might suggest wrapping each piece in aluminium foil or a glad wrap, but I found, that just a small piece of baking paper in between the slices works really well. I don't like using cling wraps or aluminium foil unless I really have to. We produce enough rubbish for the planet as it is.

Banana Bread Swaps and Substitutions

Sugar. You can use coconut or brown sugar. My favourite sugar is organic raw sugar because is it the least processed variety.

Butter. Use coconut or extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.

Variations

Make it Vegan Banana Bread.

Make this gluten-free banana bread vegan by swapping butter for coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Use chia eggs instead of chicken eggs. You can learn how to make chia eggs in my GLUTEN-FREE BREAD RECIPE (YEAST-FREE).

Make it dairy-free banana bread.

Following a dairy-free diet? You can make this dairy-free banana bread. Just like above, use coconut oil or olive oil instead of butter for a dairy-free option.

Sugar-free banana bread.

This recipe works without sugar too. It might not have that caramelised optic and feel, because that is what sugar does in baking, but it will be nevertheless delicious. Bananas have enough sweetness on their own.

Chocolate chip banana bread.

Add some chocolate chips to make chocolate gluten-free banana bread.

Feel free to experiment by adding nuts, seeds, raisins and berries.

Pro Top Tips:

When you take your gluten-free banana bread out of the oven you will be tempted to cut a slice and munch it away, but PLEASE, wait! It needs to cool completely before you can cut it, otherwise, it might just fall apart.
For the best result, all ingredients have to be at room temperature before you start. Cold eggs and butter don't incorporate well with bananas.

Frequently asked question

Can I use almond flour instead of the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend?

No, this recipe won't work with almond flour.

Why is my banana bread not cooked in the middle?

Your oven temperature was set too high or you didn't bake it long enough. This banana bread needs full 60 minutes to bake. Make sure to only place the banana bread batter in the preheated oven.

How do I know if my banana bread is fully cooked?

Use a toothpick technique. Once the baking time is over, carefully take the banana bread out of the oven. Push a toothpick or a screwer into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If some scrubs get stuck to the stick, you need to bake it for a little longer.

Can I use green bananas?

No, for this recipe to work you need to have overripe bananas.

How do I make bananas ripen faster?

Place the bananas in a paper bag with some ripe fruit such as apple, pear or avocado and leave it on the kitchen bench for a day or two.

More Gluten-Free Baking Ideas

Watch how to make it

The Best Ever Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

Elena Elliott

This gluten-free banana bread is all you want a banana bread to be, gluten-free or not. It is soft, moist, and absolutely delicious. It is super easy to make and no one would ever guess it is gluten-free.

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

125 g unsalted butter softened organic if possible
100 g ¾ cup organic raw sugar
4 VERY ripe bananas about 300-400 grams. At room temperature.
2 eggs organic or free-range if possible. At room temperature.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150 g all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180'C (360'F)
Prepare the loaf tin. Grease the sides and the bottom of the tin with a little bit of butter and line it with baking paper. Or use a silicone loaf tin like this one.
In a large mixing bowl mix eggs, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, add mashed bananas. It is best to mix it with a wooden spoon or a whisk until everything is well combined. You don't need to beat butter for this recipe.
Add the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour and baking powder and mix to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake at 180'C (360'F) for one hour.
Check with a toothpick if it is cooked.
Leave the banana bread to cool down completely before slicing it.

Notes

Pro Tips

Butter and eggs have to be a room temperature.
Only place banana bread batter into a preheated oven.
Use the toothpick technique to check if the bread is cooked.
Don't cut the banana bread while it is still hot.