What do Britney Spears, Back to the Future, and banana bread have in common? They’re all undeniable National Treasures. And not to be dramatic, but this gluten-free banana bread might be the be-all, end-all of banana bread: tender, moist, perfectly sweet, and undetectably gluten-free (seriously!).
It requires simple ingredients and methods, and all the magic happens in just 1 bowl. What are you waiting for?! Let’s bake!
How to Make the BEST Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Bread
For a moist, fluffy, and delightfully banana-filled result, this banana bread starts off with a combination of mashed ripe bananas and eggs. Then cane sugar, coconut yogurt, melted dairy-free butter, and vanilla extract join in for sweetness and added moisture.
The dry ingredients come next, and we keep it simple! Almond flour and our 1:1 gluten-free flour blend combine to create a loaf that could fool even the most astute gluten-lover. Wondering about our original DIY blend? It also works in this recipe, but the loaf is just a bit more moist and not quite as fluffy. Still very good!
The remaining ingredients include baking powder + baking soda for lift, sea salt for flavor, and chopped raw walnuts for a classic, nutty loaf. After transferring the batter to a prepared loaf pan, an (optional) topping of sugar and finely chopped walnuts adds a sweet and sparkly touch. Why not!?
FAQs
How Ripe Should Bananas be for Banana Bread?
The perfect balance of sweetness and banana flavor comes from a very spotty, semi-soft banana. The peel shouldn’t have any green left, but it’s best if it’s not bruised or blackened either. Too ripe can add too much sweetness, while underripe means the banana flavor won’t be strong enough.
How to Store Banana Bread
Once fully cooled, banana bread keeps best in a sealed container or plastic bag stored at room temperature.
How Long Does it Last?
Depending on humidity, banana bread will keep at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. After that, we recommend transferring to the refrigerator for up to another 2-3 days.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Banana bread can be frozen as a whole loaf, thawed in the refrigerator, and then sliced when ready to enjoy. It can also be sliced before freezing, and if you want to enjoy one slice at a time, you can place parchment or wax paper between the slices for effortless enjoyment!
How to Reheat Banana Bread
Banana bread can be reheated in the oven (3-5 minutes at 350 F) or in the microwave, toaster oven, or toaster (our favorite!).
We think you’ll LOVE this banana bread! It’s:
Tender
Moist
Snack-able
Perfectly sweet
Undetectably gluten-free
& SO classic!
Banana bread is the perfect way to use up any quickly ripening bananas on your counter and makes a delicious treat for brunch, dessert, or snacking.
More Gluten-Free Quick Breads
- 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Snack Bread (V + GF)
- The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Bread (V + GF)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
The Ultimate Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Bakery Worthy!)
Ingredients
BANANA BREAD
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- 3 large eggs*
- 1/2 cup dairy-free butter, melted (we like Miyoko’s)
- 1/3 cup coconut yogurt (for store-bought, we like Culina or CocoJune)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup organic cane sugar (or sub coconut sugar*)
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend (MB 1:1 works best // see notes for DIY or store-bought* // all-purpose flour would also work if not GF)
- 1 ½ cup almond flour (we like Wellbee's)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup raw walnuts, finely chopped
TOPPING optional
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts, very finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp cane sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- TOPPING (optional): In a small bowl, combine the very finely chopped walnuts and 2 Tbsp cane sugar. Set aside.
- Mash the ripe bananas in a medium mixing bowl (we like to leave some larger lumps of banana for added texture). Add the eggs and mix well, then add the melted butter, coconut yogurt, vanilla, and cane sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add the gluten-free flour blend and almond flour and mix well. Finally, add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chopped walnuts and mix once more.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the optional topping over the batter evenly. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick (or skewer) inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the bread may crack, which is fine!
- Let the bread cool completely (2-3 hours, or overnight) before slicing and serving. Serve with butter and honey or as is. Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven or toaster.
Video
Notes
*Coconut sugar works in place of cane sugar, but it’s a bit more moist and not as sweet.
*Our 1:1 MB GF Blend works best in this recipe. Our DIY GF Blend and similar store-bought blends also work, but create a loaf that’s slightly more moist.
*This recipe can be made into muffins (~14-16 muffins) and baked for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick (or skewer) inserted into the center comes out clean.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with CocoJune coconut yogurt and without optional ingredients.
Georgina Upton says
Hello hello! Absolutely adore your recipes they’re magical. I was just wondering if you don’t have vegan butter what would you recommend?
Also, aside from being ‘vegan’ what would the difference be in texture and taste from this recipe compared to your 1 bowl banana vegan recipe?
Aw, we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Georgina! If not vegan, you can use dairy butter in this recipe. Compared to our vegan banana bread, this one is going to be a little fluffier and richer. Hope that helps!
Pearly says
This recipe is really good. I waited the minimum of a couple of hrs as suggested to eat it, but waiting overnight does make a difference. Thanks for creating this delicious recipe. I used Bob’s GF flour since that is what I had.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Pearly! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Sarah Guay-Tremblay says
Ultime? Yes it is ! Made this during the Holidays… This is clearly bakery worthy…extra worthy! Never had the chance to taste something like this at home. 2 days after doing it nothing left but crumbs. Since I’ve made your recipe, this is the one I’ll go from now on. Merci minimalist baker!
Whoop! Thank you for the lovely review, Sarah! xo
Kathryn says
My Goodness! Delicious! This is such a wonderful recipe and quick/easy to make.
I made muffins. Moist, non-crumbly, and the paper muffin cups come off easily.
I generally use organic almond flour and it’s gotten so expensive. Do you have any ideas for gluten-free (non oats) substitutes to replace some of the 1 1/2 cups of almond flour?
I made these with ghee I’d made from unsalted butter. I didn’t notice any difference in flavour, but my husband said he liked the very slightly caramel flavour from the ghee.
Thanks for your great recipes! :-)
Kathryn
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Kathryn! Thank you for sharing your experience and modification! You could play around with some sunflower seed meal or more GF blend for a lower cost option, though it may not be quite the same. Let us know if you try it!
Kootenay says
Sooo good!!! I made them as muffins and baked them for 25 minutes. They came out perfect. I also used dairy butter and dairy yoghurt as well as gluten flour. I used sunflower seeds due to a nut allergy in my household. They were an excellent swap out for the walnuts and cheaper ;). Oh and I added dark chocolate chips because I love them😊 I will definitely be making these again! I’m excited to try the gluten free version for a celiac friend and the vegan for a vegan friend!
Amazing! Thank you so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Leah says
can I use applesauce instead of butter?
Hi Leah, we think it would turn out more dense and not as rich in flavor, but might be okay!
Sandra says
This banana bread is my favorite. I have made it numerous times. I think I know this recipe by heart. My oven runs a little hot, so I bake the bread for 50 minutes. It is never droopy or raw in the center. Recently I made this for muffins, and again…fantastic. Light but with substance. Warm, happy flavor. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Sandra! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kelsey says
Ok so I have officially found my go to banana bread recipe! This is legit bakery qualify. It has the perfect moistness and is light and buttery. Delishhhh. I used coconut oil and Greek yogurt as subs for butter and coconut yogurt.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kelsey! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Laura says
Hi Dana! I saw your YouTube short about this banana bread and knew I needed to try it. I made it this morning and it was so so good! I followed the recipe exactly except I added cinnamon to the topping. YUM!! It seriously tasted like it was from a bakery. My mom kept going back for more! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Laura, so glad you both enjoyed!
Emily says
Turned out great!! I used cashew yogurt instead of coconut and chocolate chips instead of walnuts, and it is *perfection*. The recipe didn’t specify the loaf pan size used, but my 8″x5″ was a tad too small, fyi
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Emily!
Lindsay says
Hi there! Is it possible to substitute anything for the almond flour? I’d love to make this for colleagues at school, but our school is nut-free.
Thank you!!
Hi Lindsay, we haven’t tried this without almond flour and we aren’t sure if it would work. You could possibly try it with some more gluten-free blend and some oats + oat flour, but we think it might turn out too dense. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Lindy says
this recipe miraculously came out right as I was craving banana bread! I tried it and brought it to work and the postpartum house where our new baby was just born and it was gobbled up in one day. all the gluten lovers even loved it! and I didn’t even have coconut yogurt so I just used ~half the amount it called for of full fat canned coconut milk! I also did half cane sugar half coconut sugar and that combo was the perfect amount of sweet for me.
Aw, YAY! We’re so glad to hear it, Lindy! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Karen says
The best part about the loaf was the texture- just perfect. I followed your recipe exactly. It just didn’t taste that much like bananas? In fact, if I didn’t know it was banana bread I wouldn’t know? My bananas were not at their absolute speckled best for banana bread, but the same stage of ripeness as I’ve used for your version with nutella- and of the two I much prefer the nutella version.
I look forward to your 1-1 flour being available again!
Thank you
Hi Karen, the nutella banana bread does have 3 bananas vs. 2, so that makes sense that you can taste more banana flavor in it! In this recipe, there’s less banana for a better texture, but that does require using ripe, spotty bananas. See the FAQs section of the post for more info on that!
Cindy says
This is hands down the BEST gluten-free banana bread I’ve ever had! It is undetectably gluten-free, bouncy and light yet satisfying, perfectly sweet, and the optimal amount of nuts. AND it’s incredibly easy to make – 1 bowl, no fuss! I’m in love!
Thanks so much for the glowing review, Cindy! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xo
Evie says
I made this into muffins and it turned out great! I didn’t have yogurt so I used extra mashed banana, and I didn’t have any walnuts so left them out. I baked them for 35 minutes and they were delicious and moist!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Evie! xo
Linsey says
Yum! I’m always on the hunt for another banana bread recipe to add to the mix and this one did not disappoint! I followed the recipe with a few mods:
I only used about 1 C almond flour. I can only seem to find superfine almond flour and it’s made things super dense in the past, and since my batter was getting really thick and I am not a big fan of almond flour in baked goods I went easy on it. I’m happy to report this recipe does not have a strong almond flour flavor or texture, at least with the reduced almond flour amount I used – can’t say for the full amount.
I also left out the baking soda and added in an extra teaspoon of baking powder – I was shocked to find I was completely out of baking soda. The loaf still turned out moist and the perfect fluff/dense a good banana bread should be in my opinion.
Lastly I used real butter.
I added the topping but will leave off next time. The sugar was too much for me, and most of it just fell off anyways.
Overall a total winner in my book.
(on an unrelated to the recipe note – I don’t mind the ads on the pages and appreciate that they keep the content free, but they slow my computer down SO MUCH that it’s become extremely frustrating to use your website, even though its my favorite and my go-to. Not sure if there’s anything to be done about this, but wanted to mention it since it’s only this website that does it =[ )
Thank you so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Linsey! Regarding the ads – if you haven’t already, maybe try clearing your cache to see if that helps. Let us know if it continues after that!
Chloe LaGrand says
Delicious! And so simple & fast to make – took me only 30 minutes from beginning to putting the loaf in the oven.
Only variations were I used three smaller bananas, cashew yogurt and gf flour blend from Trader Joe’s.
Stay close to the recipe on this one – it’s fantastic. Especially love the cane sugar & walnut topping. I’ll continue to make this one!
Chloe LaGrand says
Oh! Also, I let mine continue to cook for almost 10 minutes past the 65 minute mark. My knife kept coming out with wet batter. Definitely let it take time to cook all the way through.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Chloe. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Linda says
Can you substitute Cassava Flour for the almond flour?
Hi Linda, we don’t think cassava flour will work here, it is more absorbent than almond flour. You could try using something like cashew flour!
Sara D Dugan says
Looking forward to trying this recipe. When will the MB GF flour be back in stock?
Hi Sara, as soon as possible! We’re having trouble sourcing some of the ingredients at our standards. In the meantime, it’s still very good with DIY!
Jac says
Can you substitute all purpose for both the gluten free and almond flour?
Hi Jac, we haven’t tried it and can’t guarantee results. However, we think it should work, we suggest starting with less!
Lydia says
Subbed what I had one hand: flour combo (almond & gluten-free with a little oat flour), 2 large bananas, nonfat Greek yogurt, grass-fed butter, hazelnuts. Cut sugar in half. Rose well during baking. Absolutely delicious! Thank you, Dana!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Lydia!
Satsuki says
Hello! I love your recipes. :) I was wondering if it would be possible to swap out the almond flour for something else? I’m unable to have almonds/peanuts and wondering if something else might work.
Thank you!
Hi Satsuki! Thank you so much for the kind words and support! You could try using cashew flour if you can have it.
Ru says
Just purchased another GF flour blend hoping this is a good substitute? King Arthur blend thank you
We haven’t tested it with King Arthur’s blend, but we think it should work well!
Whitney says
Could you also use regular yogurt here instead of the coconut? like a vanilla greek yogurt? Thanks so much! Adding to my list to make. :)
Hi Whitney! Greek yogurt should work well!