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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!
Love this recipe, absolute keeper.
The best banana bread! The most well-rounded flavour and texture with the added benefit of being nutrient dense. Thank you!
Hello,
Love your recipes.
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe in your website says 1 1/4 cup of mash banana, but in the video says 1 1/2 cup of mash banana. Wondering which one is the correct one. Thanks. Yari 🙂
Go with the written version! 1 1/4 cups is perfect.
Love this recipe! It is our go-to, and we make it anytime we have overripe bananas!
I prefer this recipe without the chocolate but it is definitely a favorite staple as a snack or breakfast.
New to gluten, wheats and dairy free do I am incredibly grateful for all your hard work.
Thank you!!!