Cookie lovers, you must try these chewy, gooey Almond Flour Banana Cookies with walnuts and chocolate chips! With the perfect level of sweetness and incredible texture, these delicious grain-free cookies may just become your new favorite cookie recipe.
Cookie lovers, if you haven’t tried baking cookies with bananas, you’re in for a real treat!
I had some ripe bananas that needed to be used and decided it would be fun to make a banana bread-inspired cookie recipe.
So I took my classic recipe for Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts and swapped out the butter for banana.
I’m so happy I did because the end result was an addictive lump of joy with just a slight banana flavor and plenty of chocolate and crunchy nuts to tag along for the ride.
Just think: regular almond flour chocolate chip cookies with a banana nut twist. Or, banana bread in cookie form!
In addition to yummy banana flavor, the ripe mashed banana replaces butter, so the cookies don’t require additional fat for moisture.
Because there is a decent amount of healthy fats in almond flour, the cookies still taste nice and rich so you don’t feel like you’re sacrificing flavor.
This easy one-bowl cookie recipe doesn’t require any fancy equipment or refrigeration time. We simply mix all of the ingredients up in one bowl, and bake!
Let’s discuss the wholesome ingredients for this healthier treat.
Ingredients for Almond Flour Banana Cookies:
Ripe Banana: We need one large ripe banana to make these grain-free banana almond flour cookies. If your banana isn’t very big, consider using one and a half to two small bananas.
Also be sure to choose overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots, which signifies it will add lots of natural sweetness and moisture to the cookie dough.
I love that there’s no need for butter or coconut oil due to the addition of banana!
Pure Maple Syrup: Although we’re getting a decent amount of sweetness from the banana, I like to add some pure maple syrup to boost the sweetness. We only need a few tablespoons.
Egg: One regular chicken egg helps bring a soft and fluffy texture to the cookies and also helps them hold together.
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla adds warm flavor to the cookies, making them even more enticing. If you don’t have vanilla extract on hand, it’s fine to skip it.
Finely Ground Almond Flour: Taking the place of regular flour flour, we use almond flour as the backbone of the recipe. I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour, which I find produces the absolute best results due to its amazing texture.
Almond meal or a course ground almond flour don’t work as well because they result in a grainy texture.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: The leavening agents here. We use both baking powder and baking soda to help give rise to the cookies and prevent them from spreading.
Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Ground cinnamon completes the banana bread profile and adds warm flavor. Salt is a major flavor enhancer, as it makes baked goods taste sweeter and richer. Be sure to include both!
Chocolate Chips and Walnuts: While both chocolate chips and walnuts are optional, I find they really make for a wildly delicious cookie.
I love the pockets of melted chocolate goo in tandem with the crunchy nuts and that banana undertone. The flavors mix magically!
Recipe Customizations:
- Use chopped pecans instead of chopped walnuts or omit the nuts altogether.
- For lower sugar cookies, use sugar-free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
- I don’t recommend swapping the almond flour for a different flour unless you are willing to experiment. It’s possible that cassava flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour will work, although you may only need 1 ⅓ cups to 1 ½ cups. Coconut flour will not work as a direct replacement.
- The pure maple syrup can be replaced with coconut sugar, sugar-free sweetener (sugar substitute), or brown sugar if you add some melted butter to offset the loss of liquid.
- Experiment with different flavors by using different kinds of chocolate chips, nuts, and/or dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries.
- I haven’t tested the recipe using a flax egg to replace the regular egg. I suspect it will work but that the cookies will be slightly crumbly.
- Love coconut flavor? Add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and use only 1 1/3 cups of almond flour.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients list, let’s bake this healthy cookie recipe!
How to Make Almond Flour Banana Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mash the banana in a mixing bowl until creamy.
Add in the egg, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until all of the wet ingredients are combined.
Transfer the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and mix until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients.
Stir in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. The dough won’t spread much during the baking process and will remain in the same form it went into the oven.
I stick with mounds for rounded cookies but you can form the dough into standard cookie shapes using a spoon if you’d like.
Bake cookies on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cookies have reached your desired doneness. I do 12 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or serving. Note that warm cookies have a tendency to fall apart easily so let them cool completely before moving all of them.
Store cookies in a zip lock bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer term storage, freeze in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
While I prefer the texture of fresh out of the oven cookies, I find these cookies have more depth of flavor after they have sat for a while. You’ll see the next day that the banana flavor is more pronounced.
And that’s it! A butter-free, grain-free cookie recipe that the whole family will surely love.
The next time you’re craving a delicious chocolate chip cookie, make this easy cookie recipe with a banana nut twist!
I love that these healthy banana cookies are made using better for you ingredients and less added sugar but still quench the sweet tooth.
It is a great recipe to keep on hand any time you have overripe bananas on the counter to whip up a healthy snack. They’re the perfect cookies to keep on constant rotation!
If you enjoy mindful cookie recipes like this one, also try out these healthy cookies recipes.
Explore More Cookie Recipes:
- Keto Cowboy Cookies
- Paleo Morning Glory Cookies
- No-Bake Nutty Banana Cookies
- Nutty Blueberry Banana Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies
Banana cookies for life!
Almond Flour Banana Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana mashed
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts optional
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Mash the banana in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add in the egg, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until all of the wet ingredients are combined.
- Transfer the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and mix until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients. Stir in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. The dough won’t spread much during the baking process and will remain in the same form it went into the oven. I stick with mounds for rounded cookies but you can form the dough into standard cookie shapes using a spoon if you’d like.
- Bake cookies on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cookies have reached your desired doneness. I do 12 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or serving. Note that warm cookies have a tendency to fall apart easily so let them cool completely before moving all of them.
Nutrition
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Do you think I could use gluten free measure for measure flour instead of almond flour
The best effing cookies! I love making these for my boys , they absolutely love them!
Aww I love that! It’s always heart-warming to hear when littles enjoy one of my recipes too. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! xo
We followed the recipe and doubled it as suggested. The cookies were easy to make, but very dry. They also did not brown at all, just the bottoms. Would be good with milk or coffee for a breakfast treat.
Hi Brandy!
I’m sorry the cookies didn’t turn out as expected! Because mine turned out so differently from yours, I have to ask – Did you replace the almond flour with coconut flour? Were your bananas very ripe? Let me know and I can try to troubleshoot what may have happened.
Easy and delicious! I’ll also try them with cranberries and nuts or coconut. Very nice gluten-free recipe. Thanks.
I’m happy you enjoy them, Lise! dried cranberries and coconut sound like amazing additions 🙂
I made these cookies and they turned out great! I used a mix of sugar free chocolate chips and sugar free salted caramel chips and the walnuts. I also added about 5 more minutes of baking time. I will definitely make these again and play around with the additions. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Ooh, I love the idea of using salted caramel chips in addition to chocolate chips! Sounds amazing! xo
Do you think I could use gluten free measure for measure flour instead of almond flour
Hi Kay! Ooh, that’s a great question! I’m betting GF flour would work as a replacement, although because it is slightly more absorbent than almond flour, I would start with 1 1/4 cups of flour and add more if needed. Happy baking!
Love this recipe for me and for anybody who wants to try any replacement for regular flour and who can’t have regular flour.
Yaaay, I’m happy you enjoy it, Laura!