Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Why This is the Best GF Banana Bread

This is the only gluten free banana bread recipe you need, and I stand by this statement! It's moist, tender, infused with all that good banana-y flavor, you can throw in chocolate or not ... like I said, it's the best.

• Make-ahead friendly. Like many quick breads, the flavor of this banana bread improves the longer it rests. It's great to make the day before you plan to serve it - and it will taste even better than when freshly baked.
• Simple ingredients. Take a look at the ingredients list lower down - you'll find a handful of basics you probably have on hand right now. So get baking!
• Not obviously gluten-free. My general philosophy, always, with baking gluten-free is, "make sure no one can tell." As mentioned, I packed slices of this bread in my girls' lunchboxes and not only did they come home to tell me unprompted that they loved it, they shared it with their friends who also loved it. There is no better endorsement!

Ingredients Needed

Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Bananas - Use the ripest bananas you can for the best flavor. Frozen is OK!
• Eggs - Large or medium eggs work.
• Oil - I use vegetable oil or olive oil, but any oil will work here, including avocado oil or coconut oil.
• Gluten free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour, or you can use a single-origin gluten-free flour like brown rice flour or oat flour.
• Granulated sugar - Note! You can adjust the amount of sugar if you wish - especially if your bananas are very sweet, you can get away with reducing the sugar to ½ cup. You can also try light or dark brown sugar.
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon
• Salt - I use fine sea salt, and table salt also works.

All the Add-ins!

Banana bread loves extras. Chocolate is a classic pairing, or try:

• Nuts - Stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter.
• Coconut - Add 1 cup of shredded unsweetened or sweetened coconut.
• Chocolate - Mix in 1 cup milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
• Berries - Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries.
• Fresh ginger - Grate in a bit of peeled fresh ginger for a little kick of spice.

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

• Make sure the bananas are really ripe. The ripest bananas have lots of brown spots, and they will be sweeter and more flavorful, which will create a super delicious baked loaf.
• Puree or mash. Sometimes I will puree my bananas using a blender or food processor so that they are ultra smooth. Otherwise, I mash them well with a fork, which works fine, too.
• Rest the batter. Don't turn the oven on until you have assembled the batter. While the oven is preheating, the flour will have time to hydrate (soak up the moisture in the batter), making for that gorgeously soft crumb.
• Try other spices. Instead of cinnamon, use ground ginger or cardamom. Add a pinch of nutmeg for a slightly different flavor note. Or, add fresh peeled and grated ginger!
• Add vanilla. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste when combining the wet ingredients.
• Make it refined sugar-free. Substitute coconut sugar or maple syrup for the sugar.
• Cool completely. This is a moist loaf, so for the crumb to fully set, make sure to cool the bread for about 1 hour before slicing it.
• Make it richer. If you love the buttery note that comes from using butter, feel free to substitute melted butter for the oil. For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free butter.

Proper Storage

• Counter - Wrap the banana bread in plastic or foil, or place it in a sealable bag, and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
• Fridge - Place the wrapped bread in the fridge or transfer it to an airtight container or sealable bag and store it for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can eat it straight from the fridge, let it warm to room temperature, or give it a little toast in a toaster or oven.
• Freezer - Wrap individual slices of bread in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe, sealable bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread in the fridge before serving.