The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

The BEST gluten-free banana bread recipe made with gluten-free flour blend and sweetened with coconut sugar. Add chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts to level up this already moist and fluffy dream bread.

Confession: I fancy myself a bit of a banana bread aficionado.

After posting my grain-free recipes for Paleo Banana Bread  using almond flour and Coconut Flour Paleo Banana Bread, I have since followed up the two with countless variations on grain-free banana bread. 

Just have a scroll through my Banana Bread  archives to feast your eye sockets on the possibilities.

The Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread is my personal favorite, followed closely by Paleo Cranberry Orange Bread. 

All that said, this is the very first gluten-free banana bread recipe I have posted on this site using a gluten-free flour blend.

I simply use my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and sweeten the bread primarily with ripe bananas and a touch of coconut sugar.

Over the years, I have learned a couple of tricks to make the ultimate moist, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth delicious banana bread. Let us discuss!

Tips For Making THE BEST Moist Banana Bread:

My secret to making insanely moist and incredible banana bread is: LOTS of bananas.

Years and years ago, I discovered using more bananas makes banana bread incredibly moist and delicious.

Not to mention, naturally sweet. Rather than adding a lot of oil or butter, much of the moisture can come from the bananas themselves without sacrificing flavor, moisture, or fluff. 

If anything, the more bananas, the better 😉

For this reason, I usually use a cup and a half of mashed ripe banana in one loaf of banana bread, which usually equates to 4 ripe bananas. 

For my grain-free banana bread recipes, I don’t add any additional fat (oil or butter), as there is plenty sourced from the almond flour and coconut flour. 

Because gluten-free flour blends don’t contain as much fat as almond flour or coconut flour, I use a small amount of melted butter to give the loaf a bit of fat love. Coconut oil and avocado oil work too!

The massive amount of overripe bananas also enables you to cut down on the added sugar, which I see as a bonus.

For the grain-free banana bread recipes, I add a just a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup or coconut sugar to boost the sweetness to absolute perfection.

You can also use cane sugar or just stick with the mashed bananas for sweetness. 

If you’re wondering what makes this recipe the best banana bread recipe, here are the main bullet points:

Recipe Highlights: 

This easy gluten-free banana bread recipe is ULTRA moist, incredibly fluffy, perfectly sweet, delectably soft, beautifully gooey (assuming you add the chocolate chips), and easy to prepare.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this cozy banana bread recipe. You can find them at any grocery store!

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Banana Bread:

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: Taking the place of regular all-purpose flour, we use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.

Ripe Bananas: Be sure to use overripe bananas that have plenty of brown spots. This ensures the bread will turn out very moist, loaded with banana flavor and will be perfectly sweet.

Eggs: Regular eggs at room temperature help the bread rise and make it nice and fluffy.

Butter (or Coconut Oil): Providing moisture and fat content, butter brings beautiful flavor to this amazing banana bread. You can replace it with avocado oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil.

Coconut Sugar (or Cane Sugar): Used to sweeten the bread, we need a granulated sweetener.

I like using coconut sugar because it is lower on the glycemic index than cane sugar, but white sugar or brown sugar work great. For less added sugar, use a sugar-free sweetener.

Ground Cinnamon: For me, lots of ground cinnamon is mandatory! Cinnamon makes banana bread so warm and delicious. Use more or less depending on your taste.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to really entice the taste buds.

Baking Soda: The leavening agent here. Check to be sure it isn’t expired before using it!

Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt enhances all of the flavors. Don’t skip it!

Chocolate Chips (Optional): Bringing pockets of chocolate joy, I love adding chocolate chips. You can skip them or you can also add chopped nuts like chopped walnuts or pecans.

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s bake a loaf (or twelve)!

How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.

Begin by mashing up the bananas in a mixing bowl until they reach desired consistency. I like leaving mine slightly chunky so that as the bread bakes, I get little pockets of rich banana flavor.

Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and cooled melted butter until well-combined (wet ingredients) in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, Stir together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, sea salt, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), and cinnamon until combined (dry ingredients).

Pour the dry mixture into the mixing bowl with the wet mixture and stir until the batter is incorporated.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bread has risen substantially and the bread tests clean. Turn off the oven and allow it to sit in the warm oven an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

If at any time during the baking process the top of the bread becomes too dark, you can cover the loaf pan in aluminum foil.

Baked goods are considered fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can insert an instant read thermometer to the center of the bread to verify whether or not it is cooked through.

Remove bread from the oven and let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

The end result is an amazingly moist and fluffy gluten free banana bread with the best texture and a great recipe to put on repeat any time you need a sweet treat.

Can I Make This Banana Bread Vegan?:

For a vegan banana bread recipe that is gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, follow my Vegan Banana Bread Recipe, which uses a flax egg replacement. 

Recipe Adaptations:

• Want to make muffins out of this recipe? Follow my recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins!
• Replace the butter with ghee, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil.
• If you bake using cane sugar, replace the coconut sugar with granulated cane sugar or brown sugar.
• Looking for a banana bread that is lower in added sugar? Replace the coconut sugar with ½ cup sugar-free sweetener.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans to make banana nut bread.
• Omit the chocolate chips.
• Use regular flour instead of gf flour if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe.
• Fashion up a streusel topping to give the bread a bit of a coffee cake essence.

What Type of Gluten-Free Flour Should I Use?:

I always use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but I have also heard King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure For Measure Flour blend is magnificent as well.

Most gluten-free flour blends are a combination of brown rice flour, xanthan gum, tapioca flour, potato starch and often baking powder.

While I don’t have extensive experience with the King Arthur blend or Pamela’s, I’ve heard enough magnificent feedback over the years to safely recommend it.

If you try this recipe using a different blend, please do share in the comments below and let us all know how it turns out! 

Store any leftovers on the counter top covered in plastic wrap for up to 5 days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

For an extra chocolate version of this bread, be sure to check out my Double Chocolate Gluten-Free Banana Bread!

More Delicious Gluten-Free Quick Breads:

• Paleo Morning Glory Quick Bread
• Chocolate Oatmeal Banana Bread
• Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Bread
• Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Paleo Pumpkin Bread
• Keto Cranberry Orange Bread
• Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin Bread with Streusel Topping
• Paleo Strawberry Banana Bread

Steamy gluten-free chocolate chip banana bread LET’S GO!

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