The BEST Gluten-Free Banana Recipe (2024)

Jun 23, 2020 · 35 Comments

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Moist, sweet, and delicious. This easy recipe makes the best gluten-free banana bread you’ve ever tasted. (Dairy-free option included!)

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Banana Bread

easy to make
flavorful and dense (without being heavy or gummy)
Perfect as is or with nuts, chocolate chips, or spices.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread: Important Ingredients

Ripe Bananas. Do you want a gluten-free banana bread that’s got an intense banana flavor? Then start with really ripe bananas. Use bananas that are dark brown or almost black. The darker the bananas, the sweeter the banana bread.
Gluten-Free Flour Blend. I developed this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking flour. It makes a gluten-free banana bread that’s moist but not gummy. (You know how I feel about gummy gluten-free baked goods!) All gluten-free flours and blends behave differently. So if you use a different flour (or several different gluten-free flours), you might get a different texture.
Sugar. This recipe uses granulated sugar. It adds sweetness while allowing the banana flavor to take center stage. If you prefer to make your banana bread with brown sugar, go ahead and use it. There’s a note in the recipe below on how to swap the granulated sugar for brown sugar.
Butter. I make my gluten-free banana bread with butter because I prefer the flavor. If you’re dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter replacement. The recipe works great when made dairy-free!
Eggs. The two eggs in the recipe add structure and help give the banana bread a delicate texture. If you’re egg-free, you can try to use a flax egg in this recipe.

How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread: Four Easy Steps for Success

Use two bowls. I wish this was a “one-bowl gluten-free banana bread.” Because that would mean you only have one bowl to clean. It’s not–but for a good reason. You want the baking powder and baking soda evenly mixed through the flour. This ensures that your banana bread rises evenly. So you’ll need to whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl before adding them to the banana mixture.
Mix with a wooden spoon. Or not!There’s no need to use an electric mixer for this recipe unless you prefer to use one. I mash the bananas with a fork, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk, and then stir everything together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Bake gluten-free banana bread in a metal pan. The best pan for banana bread is a metal pan. (see below for more information on this.)
Cover the bread, if needed. Banana bread takes a long time to bake. This means that the top can get a little too dark in some ovens. If you notice that the top dark but the center still needs a little more baking time, cover the bread with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread: FAQs

Can I use this recipe to make banana muffins?

You can but I have a recipe for gluten-free banana muffins that works perfectly. You should probably just use that one.

Why was my gluten-free banana bread raw in the center?

Argh. This is the most frustrating thing about baking banana bread. Because the batter is thick and contains a lot of moisture, there’s a risk that the bread can look done, only to have a raw center.

Here are a few ways to prevent this from happening:

Check your oven temperature. Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven isn’t running too hot or too cool.
Check your oven rack. You don’t want the pan too far from the heating element. Adjust your rack so that the pan is about 8 inches from the heating element.
Take the temperature. Check the banana bread in a few spots. Taking care to place the thermometer in the middle of the loaf. The very top and very bottom bake faster than the middle. You want the temperature to between 205 and 210 degrees F.
Use a metal pan. Glass pans tend to bake the outside of the bread too fast, giving you a raw center. If you only have a glass pan, you can try reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

Baker’s Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Banana Bread

You’ll need three medium bananas for this bread. That’s about one cup of mashed bananas or 12 ounces of peeled bananas.

Want to use less sugar? This bread can handle it. (That’s not true for a lot of baking recipes.) Reduce the sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. You can go as low as 1/3 cup.

For an intense banana flavor: use deep brown, almost black bananas.

Other Gluten-Free Recipes You’ll LOVE

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Gluten-Free Pancakes

5 from 15 votes

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread. This recipe makes a moist and classic banana bread.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

3mediumbananas, peeled(about 12 ounces; 340 grams)
2cupsBob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour(10 ounces/ 280 grams)
3/4cupgranulated sugar(5 1/4 ounces; 150 grams)
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonsalt
1/2cup (1 stick)butter, melted(4 ounces; 115 grams)
2largeeggs(out of the shell: about 4 ounces/113 grams
1teaspoonvanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the batter. Mash bananas until almost smooth in a medium mixing bowl with a fork. Set aside. Whisk together gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until a batter forms. Spread batter evenly into greased loaf pan.
Bake the banana bread. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Also check the very top of the loaf for doneness. If the top browns too quickly and the center isn't done, cover the loaf a lightly greased piece of foil. (If the center is baked and top of the loaf is raw, cover with a greased piece of foil and reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Bake until done.)
Cool. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. After ten minutes, turn bread directly onto the rack.
Store on the counter. Store, wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days or freeze, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Baking Flour. Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. If your mix does not contain xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon to the recipe.

Dairy-Free Option

For a gluten-free and dairy-free banana bread, replace the butter with a dairy-free butter spread.

Brown Sugar Option

Replace the granulated sugar with an equal amount of light or dark brown sugar. When adding the brown sugar to the gluten-free flour mixture, rub the sugar to remove any lumps.

Reduced Sugar Option

For a gluten-free banana bread that contains less sugar, reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. You can use as little as 1/3 cup sugar. Please note that breads made with less sugar won't be as sweet or as moist as a bread made with 3/4 cup sugar.

Honey or Molasses

I do not recommend a liquid sweetener for this recipe.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Lara says
March 17, 2017 at 1:36 pm

For what it’s worth: I have a child who doesn’t like the taste of cornstarch, and it’s kind of a princess and the pea thing. Long story short, I make your fabulous recipe with 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour. I’ve also been known to (cover your eyes) put 1 cup of Ghiradeli 60% chips AND 1 c toasted and chopped walnuts in the batter. I bake it in a muffin tin (makes 1 dozen). I also substitute Smart Balance, by weight, for the butter, and reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. Everybody (many gluten eaters) I’ve ever fed these to love them, plain or fully loaded. I think it’s a sign of a great recipe to be able to adapt it to family needs/preferences and it still works. This is thing I bake most often, and we all thank you for our favorite treat!
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  March 27, 2017 at 10:19 am
  I love this! Great cornstarch sub!
  See Also
  Healthy Spiced Chai Banana Muffins | Fluffy Muffins Recipe 15 Super Easy Homemade Popsicle Recipes (Most Have Only 2 Ingredients!)Recipes to Seduce Your Man Dr. Sheila Kilbane's Natural Alternative Recipe For PediaSure®
  As for those chocolate chips and walnuts, I’ll just pretend that didn’t happen. 😉
  Reply
- Lisa Roberts says
  April 02, 2020 at 2:20 pm
  I also subbed arrowroot for cornstarch. It turned out great. I also added nuts and a handful of ground flax seed for a hearty flavor.
  Reply
  - Diane says
    October 12, 2021 at 6:35 pm
    Where is the cornstarch???‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️I don’t see it in the recipe!!
    Reply
    - Elizabeth says
      October 12, 2021 at 8:19 pm
      There is no cornstarch in the recipe. Some readers make ingredient substations to suit their dietary needs and tastes.
      Reply
Lizzy says
September 02, 2017 at 8:13 pm

My 3.5 yr old baking assistant thinks bread is boring and muffins are exciting because they’re more like cupcakes, so we used the recipe but in muffin tins instead. It made the full 12 plus four additional in a second tin and turned out great! We did put nuts and chocolate chips in ? because again, baking with a three year old must involve chocolate…
We also decided to add some cinnamon, but has a mishap when I realized we were sprinkling CURRY POWDER in!!!! Thankfully we stopped shy of actually being able to taste it!
Thanks for your awesome recipe!
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  September 07, 2017 at 3:31 pm
  Oh my! Curry! Glad you caught it.
  And I just made a banana cake with chocolate chips. I really (REALLY) liked it!
  Reply
- brett says
  December 30, 2022 at 3:14 am
  
  made this 3 times. nailed it each one. i use the ‘well and good’ self raising flour (in Australia) but thats the only change…oh..and a handfull of chocolate chips makes it pop as well. thanks lizzy great work
  Reply
Victoria says
May 13, 2019 at 4:20 pm

I have never been able to find a gluten free equivalent of one of my favorites on a store shelf before. Banana bread is just impossible to purchase for someone with my intolerances (gluten, dairy)! I made this recipe last night and it was fast, fun and easy. The ingredients list is not complicated and the final product is delicious. I’m so happy I found this website and this is the first recipe I make but I will be making many more.
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  May 18, 2019 at 9:07 am
  Woot! So happy you enjoyed it!
  Reply
V says
July 02, 2019 at 2:36 pm
Would there be a way to make this recipe without rice or corn? I’m trying to find some good recipes that are gluten free but can’t have rice, corn, or potatoes. I’m still navigating flours (I currently have some millet, cassava, green banana, quinoa, and garbanzo). Any thoughts which I should attempt this recipe with? Thanks.
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  July 02, 2019 at 2:50 pm
  Oh! Yes. For this recipe, it should be fairly easy. I’d replace the white rice flour with either millet or sorghum and the cornstarch with tapioca flour.
  I hope this helps!
  Reply
  See Also
  I've Made Dozens of Banana Bread Recipes and This Is the Best One
Cynthia Forbes says
November 16, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Can i use canola oil instead of butter?
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  November 16, 2019 at 4:00 pm
  Yes! That would work.
  Reply
Brenda says
April 01, 2020 at 9:59 am
What’s the baking time?
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  April 01, 2020 at 11:59 am
  About one hour.
  Reply
Catherine says
May 09, 2020 at 3:02 pm
Wow, your recipe is perfect! Photos omg I want to bake this!
I’ve got to really limit fats, what can I replace the butter with?, and how much?
Applesauce?
Homemade buttermilk (I use 1T lemon juice to 1c soya milk)
1/2 applesauce 1/2 buttermilk?
Either/or with just maybe 2T olive oil?
Can you reply by tomorrow Mother’s Day
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  May 09, 2020 at 3:11 pm
  Hello! Banana bread is a pretty forgiving bread. I’d try increasing the banana by one. (So four bananas in total). And then use 3 tablespoons of butter or oil. I wouldn’t add buttermilk, applesauce, or olive oil.
  Reply
  - Catherine says
    May 09, 2020 at 3:15 pm
    Thank you!! For quick reply, really, thanks!
    Stay safe ?
    Reply
    - Ann says
      November 28, 2020 at 10:50 am
      Great recipe. I used pure rice flour used for weaning babies. My baby refused to eat rice porridge I had to find a use for the flour. Instead of vanilla ( had non) I used some drinking chocolate powder to mask the rice taste.
      Reply
Deb says
June 06, 2020 at 9:55 am

Great recipe! I used 1 cup of All Purpose Gluten free flour (alll I had) and 1 cup of brown rice flour, margarine (dairy free), and did use xanthum gum. Also added 2 more bananas. Made almost 2 dozen muffins. Everyone loved these. They are so moist and delicious. Thank you!
Reply
Marj Bowes says
June 20, 2020 at 2:30 am

Hi!
This is a fantastic recipe! I have made it 4 times (once a week!) for the last month, Firstly I stirred in walnuts and sultana’s. Very nice! Next time I was going to add chocolate chips but forgot to get some, so stirred through some raspberry jam which was really too runny for spreading, This was so moist and lovely! 3rd time added crystallised ginger. This one turned out a bit dry but was nice toasted with butter. So last week I returned to the jam (finishing it off). This has been such a treat as so many gluten-free recipes require a long list of ingredients I don’t have to hand. Or apple juice or sauce. Which I can’t have. Thank you again. Xxx
Reply
nicky fisher says
September 17, 2020 at 5:38 am
can i use coconut oil instead of butter
in your banana bread recipe?
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  October 07, 2020 at 11:45 am
  Yes! That will work. You might notice that the loaf is a bit denser than one made with butter. Other than that, it works great.
  Reply
SIRG says
May 04, 2021 at 10:14 am
Question: All I have is Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Can I use this instead? And if so, same measurements?
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  May 04, 2021 at 11:04 am
  I haven’t tested this recipe with Bob’s but I believe it will work. And yes, replace it 1:1.
  Let me know how it goes!
  Reply
Shelly says
July 20, 2021 at 12:22 am

Hi, I really liked this recipe. I made it because we had bananas. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup and added dutch unsweetened cocoa and an extra tsp of vanilla, since I had bananas but personally I usually don’t like them in baked goods, and don’t like things sweet. It was yummy! It was still banana bread but less strong and more to my liking. I did it again with semisweet chocolate chips mixed in after the unsweetened cocoa and it was really loved especially by my kids. I think the dark chocolate with pecans will be my favorite. It’s a great recipe. Thank you.
Reply
Gillian says
July 29, 2021 at 10:25 pm

I made this for a 9 year old male and a 39 year old boy. Both agreed this is the best banana bread they’ve ever had! I made it with 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup pecans. Excellent recipe, thank you!! 🙂
Reply
Gillian says
July 29, 2021 at 10:30 pm

I made this for a 9 year old boy and a 39 year old boy, haha. Both agreed this is the best banana bread they’ve ever had! I made it with 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup pecans. I also didn’t have enough gf baking flour so I just threw together whatever flours I had in my pantry until it equaled 2 cups. Gf flour, buckwheat flour, oat flour. Excellent recipe, thank you!! ?
Reply
Christy says
December 22, 2021 at 1:34 am

This is absolutely amazing bread! We couldn’t even tell it was GF!
Reply
Charissa Moses says
September 07, 2022 at 1:58 pm

LOVE IT!!! My family is GF so it’s really hard to bake something they like and that was safe for them. These were perfect!!!! I added some chocolate chips and baked them as a muffin I would have never guessed that they were GF!! I definitely recommend it.
Thank You!
Reply
Marina says
December 07, 2022 at 1:31 pm

Made it!
I used Cup4Cup GF flour and it turned out perfect.
I added crushed pecans only to the top. Covered with foil from the beginning which also helped hold my temperature probe. Never thought to use a probe on bread but love that you provided that info. Once the timer went off I took off the foil and continued to bake until temp probe alarm went off at 205F. I also ended up with 14 oz of bananas and it seriously impressed me how well this bread turned out. Thank you.
Reply
Charissa Moses says
July 17, 2023 at 2:46 pm

Well, this recipe has changed my life! My whole family is gluten-free and I love to bake for them…And finding this recipe for simple banana bread helped me start my baking journey! I would change the recipe, mix it up a little put them in mini muffin pans, and add mini chocolate chips many things like that. I would serve them to my friends and family and everyone was amazed at the fact that they were gluten-free! The moist muffins with chocolaty chips. Mmmmm
Reply
Victoria says
September 27, 2023 at 1:11 am

This was a fantastic recipe, even a notorious gluten and dairy lover didn’t realize the banana bread was lacking both! I will admit I messed up and added a fourth banana as a result of doing too many things at once. I also subbed the butter for 1/2 cup of coconut and avocado oil. I was really worried with the full amount of fat and added banana it would be a dense mess, but after cooking at 325 for almost two hours, covering with tin foil halfway through, it was perfect! Fully cooked and no dense/wet spots.
Reply
Lisa says
February 27, 2024 at 1:56 am

This recipe is so versatile and divine. I never comment on recipes, but I had to thank you for this one. It is now my go to for banana bread. I made muffins this time and added cocoa powder to half the mix and made chocolate marble banana bread muffins. They are so good! Thanks again for sharing. 🙂
Reply