Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe – The Nomadic Fitzpatricks (2024)

Banana bread will never go out of style. Especially this gluten-free banana bread with walnuts!

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About This Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

Everyone was making banana bread during the quarantine lockdown of spring 2020 - and I had to join in the fun! So I dug out my recipe book and found the banana bread recipe I made as a child before my celiac diagnosis. Banana bread was one of the first recipes I remember learning to bake, and it's never steered me wrong.

Banana bread is very easy to make and difficult to mess up. If you are new to gluten-free baking, this banana bread recipe is a great way to start your journey. Using a solid gluten-free flour blend, some crunchy walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, this gluten-free banana bread is a scrumptious treat.

Ingredients For Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Granulated Sugar: Just plain white sugar is all you need.

Unsalted Butter: Make sure it's at room temperature so it's easy to cream (mix together) with the sugar.

Eggs: We use 2 eggs instead of 1 (what most banana breads call for) for more binding.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: My go-to gluten-free flour blend is Cup4Cup Multipurpose, but you could also use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, or King Arthur Measure For Measure. All work well in this recipe.

Baking Soda: This will be our leavening agent for the bread to make it rise.

Cinnamon: Just a little something extra for flavor.

Bananas: Make sure they are RIPE! You want them brown - the browner and mushier the better - that means they will be soft and super sweet (the best flavor).

Walnuts: These are optional, but add a great crunch on top. You can also do chocolate chips!

Gluten-Free Flour For Banana Bread

Gluten-Free Flour: I use Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. It is my #1 choice for cookies, pastries, and yeast-based baked goods. Cup4Cup has given me great success in the kitchen over the last eight years, helping me to create delicious croissants, empanadas, naan, chocolate chip cookies, pierogi, bagels, and more.

Please note if you use a different gluten-free flour your results may vary. Based on my own experience, you can also make this gluten-free banana bread with King Arthur Measure For Measure, Bob's Red Mill, or even GF Jules.

Can I Make This Recipe With Almond or Coconut Flour?

I do not recommend substituting a single gluten-free flour, like almond flour or coconut flour, for my recipes. My recipes use a gluten-free flour blend, a mixture of different gluten-free grains, starches, and thickeners, to substitute for all purpose flour. Using just one of them, like almond or coconut, will not give you the same results, and will probably lead to a lot of frustration in the kitchen. For most of my recipes, you'll need a blend, like Cup4Cup, King Arthur Measure For Measure, Bob's Red Mill, or GF Jules, to name a few.

For more my top tips on gluten-free baking with success, check out this post!

How To Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread

First, you'll peel your bananas and mash them together with a fork and set aside for later.

Next, you'll cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar with a pastry cutter or a fork, until both are combined.

Then, you'll add the eggs, followed by the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and finally, the bananas.

Mix everything until it's uniformly combined, let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature, then bake!

Can I Make This Banana Bread Dairy-Free?

Yes, you can make this dairy-free! You'll need to use a gluten and dairy-free flour blend, like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, GF Jules, or King Arthur Measure For Measure (Cup4Cup contains milk powder). You'll also need vegan butter, like Earth Balance butter sticks or Country Crock. I've made it with both of these dairy-free butters and it is still scrumptious.

Tips For Baking Banana Bread

Use ripe bananas. Banana bread can also pack a lot of sweetness without adding too much sugar - the key is to add really ripe bananas. Make sure the bananas have spots on them when deciding which to use for banana bread. This will make the banana bread sweet and also make the mashing step a lot easier!

Don't worry about overmixing. Often we see in quickbreads and muffins recipes to not overmix, or mix until just combined. This is to prevent gluten from developing. But there's no gluten here! So to make sure everything is evenly incorporated into your banana bread batter, mix away!

Let the batter rest. Another tip I learned from America's Test Kitchen for quick breads/muffins is to allow the prepared batter to sit for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Don't go beyond that time frame though. This helps prevent grittiness in your final product!

Banana Bread Variations

Feel free to add ½ cup to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the banana bread if that's something you like! It's definitely a crowd-pleaser. And combined with the lightly salty crunch of the walnuts, ripe bananas, and the sweet chocolate, it doesn't get much better. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top for extra chocolatey goodness!

And if you'd rather make banana muffins, try my recipe for banana bread muffins with chocolate chips! Almost the same as this recipe - in muffin form!

How To Serve Gluten-Free Banana Bread

There will always be something special, and classic, about a slice of warm banana bread with some walnuts on top and a little butter. In my opinion, it's pure perfection! Enjoy some with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or for a sweet treat after dinner.

How To Store Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Banana bread should be wrapped in foil or kept covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If it hardens over time (which it likely will), just pop in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. You can freeze banana bread, but it may dry out, as most gluten-free baked goods are best fresh. I would recommend wrapping in layers of foil or plastic wrap.

More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes

Feel like another easy quickbread? This cranberry orange bread is great year round.

Looking for a scones recipe? Bake a savory version with bacon, cheddar, and chives.

Want to practice your pie-making skills? Check out this gluten-free peach pie with lattice design.

Ready to take your baking skills to the next level? Try these delightful, buttery, and flaky gluten-free croissants.

Discover all the gluten-free baking recipes on the blog right here.

Here's the recipe for gluten-free banana bread!
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment! Thank you so much!

Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe With Walnuts

Gluten-Free Banana Bread With Walnuts

Yield: 1 loaf banana bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Perfect banana bread with chopped walnuts!

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ stick of unsalted butter (6 TBSP), at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour, like Cup4Cup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and set aside. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a pastry cutter or fork, until combined. Add the eggs, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and mix to combine. Finally, add the mashed bananas, and stir, until everything comes together.

Allow the batter to sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Don't go beyond that time frame though. This helps prevent grittiness in your final product!

Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the walnuts on top, and bake for 1 hour on the middle rack of the oven. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour
For the best gluten-free baked goods, I use Cup4Cup Flour or Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (Blue bag). I've made this recipe with both flours and had great success. King Arthur Measure For Measure also would work well here. Please be aware that if you use a different gluten-free flour blend, your results could vary.

Storage
Banana bread should be wrapped in foil or kept covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If it hardens over time (which it likely will), just pop in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Dairy-Free
To make this banana bread dairy-free, use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure For Measure (Cup4Cup contains milk powder), and vegan butter, like Earth Balance butter sticks or Country Crock. I've made it with both and it is still scrumptious.

Chocolate Version
To add chocolate chips, use ½ cup to 1 cup of cup chocolate chips in the batter and mix together at the very end. For extra chocolate flavor, sprinkle more on top.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 397Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 92mgSodium 326mgCarbohydrates 57gFiber 3gSugar 25gProtein 7g

The nutrition information on each recipe card is provided as a courtesy and for your convenience. The data is calculated by Nutritionix. You are encouraged to make your own calculations based on your ingredients and preferred nutritional facts calculator. While I try to make sure they are accurate, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these calculations.

How do you typically bake your banana bread?

Do you add any additional toppings like walnuts or chocolate chips?

Let me know in the comments below!