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Almond Flour Banana Bread is naturally gluten-free and tastes just as delicious as a traditional recipe! It’s the perfect way to use up any ripe bananas you have on hand.
This gluten-free banana bread has the perfect banana flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s dairy-free, Paleo-friendly, and makes a delicious snack or breakfast on the go.
If you need a nut-free option, try my Oat Flour Banana Bread or Buckwheat Banana Bread, instead.
Ingredients You’ll Need
It’s best to use finely ground blanched almond flour for this banana bread recipe, rather than almond meal (which has brown specks in it), for the fluffiest results. Fine almond flour already creates a very moist, dense quick bread, so using almond meal will potentially make the loaf a little too wet in the middle.
Maple syrup adds a light sweetness to this bread, but you can also use honey instead. Make sure your bananas are ripe with plenty of brown spots, so they will have a natural sweetness.
If you prefer to use butter instead of oil, you can replace the olive oil with melted butter, or try using melted coconut oil, instead. Add in some chocolate chips for extra sweetness, or chopped walnuts or pecans, for added texture.
Note: Baking powder adds extra lift to gluten-free baking, but you can swap this for 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda instead.
How to Make Almond Flour Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan by spraying it with cooking spray, then press a piece of parchment paper into the pan. The oil will hold the paper in place, so it won’t wiggle when you add the batter later.
Next, peel 3 large ripe bananas and mash with a fork until they look relatively smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana with almond flour, eggs, maple syrup, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and olive oil. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or extra spices, like a pinch of nutmeg or ginger if you like, too.
Stir well, until no lumps remain. You can fold in any extras you like, such as chocolate chips or chopped walnuts.
Note: There’s no need to separate wet ingredients from dry ingredients in gluten-free baking since there’s no risk of over-mixing. However, you can whisk the almond flour, salt, and baking powder together first, if you’d like to break up any clumps that way.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle on any toppings you like. (This is optional; I added a few chocolate chips.)
Bake until the loaf is golden on top and feels firm in the center, about 55 to 60 minutes. You can test the center with a toothpick, to make sure the bread isn’t wet in the middle. Because this grain-free bread is so moist, it takes a little longer to cook than a traditional recipe.
Let the bread cool completely in the pan, or use the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Once it’s reached room temperature, it’s ready to slice.
Storage Tip: Because it’s so moist, be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze individual slices tightly wrapped in the freezer if you’d like to save it longer. Thawing it overnight in the fridge will help it soften up again before you’re ready to enjoy it again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almond flour requires more eggs than all-purpose flour, and you must use a recipe that calls for almond flour. (Don’t make substitutions and assume they will work!) For example, coconut flour is NOT a swap for almond flour. If you’d like to bake with coconut flour, try my coconut flour banana bread instead.
Oddly enough, using granulated sugar in this recipe makes it more mushy. When you use 3/4 cup coconut sugar the texture will be softer and more mushy, but the flavor is great!
If you need egg-free banana bread try my Vegan Almond Flour Banana Bread instead. I don’t recommend using flaxseed meal (or flax eggs) as a replacement, because the eggs provide structure in this recipe. In general, beware of making substitutions with gluten-free baking, because it’s not as forgiving as using all-purpose flour.
If your bread sinks in the center, it could be because your baking powder isn’t fresh enough, or because the center didn’t cook quite long enough. Almond flour is quite dense, and as a result, this loaf won’t puff up as much as a traditional banana bread made with white flour would.
Need more almond flour recipes? Be sure to try my Almond Flour Chocolate Cake, Almond Flour Muffins, and Almond Flour Brownies or Almond Flour Pancakes.
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 ¼ cups mashed)
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- handful of chocolate chips or walnuts (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly spray a loaf pan with oil. I also like to line it with parchment paper, so the bread will easily lift out later. Peel the bananas and mash them on a plate.
- Add the mashed banana to a large mixing bowl, along with the almond flour, eggs, maple syrup, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and olive oil. Stir well, until no lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle any optional toppings you like over the loaf, then bake until the top starts to crack and feels firm to the touch in the very center, about 55 to 60 minutes.
- Let the bread cool completely in the pan, then slice and serve. Because this bread is so moist, I recommend storing it in the fridge for the best shelf life, up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this healthy banana bread recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it!
Hands down to the best banana bread recipe. Best banana bread in earth! Can you share the nutritional value? I want it to fit in my macros. Thanks
Why is this recipe listed as nut free? I know it doesn’t have peanuts but some people may actually be confused about almond flour. I have a family member that is highly allergic and we are very cautious. The nut free should be removed.
Hi Melanie! I don’t see this recipe listed as nut-free. Could you let me know where you see that label so I can correct it?
I am very sorry. I think I read this wrong and got another recipe mixed up. I am so sorry I was snarky
I’ve made so many of your recipes and have loved them all but this one just did not work out… is it really supposed to be two cups of almond flour? The batter looks more like cookie dough…
Sorry to hear this one didn’t work out for you! I’ve noticed that other almond flour banana bread recipes call for MORE almond flour, but if yours is looking like cookie dough, it sounds like maybe the bananas weren’t large enough? With 3 eggs, mashed banana, and liquid sweetener, this recipe turns out pretty moist for me. I hope you enjoyed the flavor, at least!
Came out great
☺️ thx
Came out great 😊 thx
Another winner recipe! I made them as muffins and cooked for about 20 minutes and they are so moist and yummy!
Gf and easy, put carob chips on top
A total disaster!!! I followed the recipe and instructions EXACTLY. I would like to send you a photo of the result. A complete waste of money
Hi, I absolutely love this banana bread. I made it and enjoyed it several times and I keep it as my favourite recipe. You cannot tell it is gluten free – it is better than the regular banana bread. Thank you Megan!
Great recipe! Trying to stay away from sugar and these did the trick. I’ve been using a lot of almond flour lately and I made muffins instead of a loaf. The only tweak I made was using toddler food bananas. (Just bananas and citric acid.) Great when you don’t have ripe bananas. I used 2 cartons but 3 would have been better. I also added walnuts. Will definitely make again.