Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread (With Almond Flour)
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This is the best Gluten-Free Banana Bread recipe. It is an incredibly quick and easy to pull together and is made with your favourite gluten-free all-purpose flour and almond flour (labelled as ground almonds in the UK supermarkets) with no gums needed at all. It delivers the most deliciously simple moist and flavourful cake which isn't too sweet and will become your go-to banana bread recipe fit for any occasion.
This recipe was amended in August 2024 to reduce the bicarbonate of soda, slightly reduce the sugar content and includes new images.
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This Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread is a baking staple and is perfect for gluten-free baking novices. You'll love this recipe if you have a fruit bowl full of overripe bananas but also worth its own trip to the supermarket. Having this best banana bread recipe in your back pocket will reap dividends throughout the week, for quick breakfasts, slathered in butter or an afternoon tea with a lovely cuppa and something to offer an unexpected guest or a base for a delicious dessert topped with ice cream.
Here I'll give you the basics you need to quickly whip up this recipe perfectly first time and then some ideas on how you can adapt it depending on how many bananas you have, how sweet you like the end result and what mix-ins you can add next time to ring the changes.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- It's incredibly simple. A baking staple which you need to have up your sleeve for any occasion. The amount of bananas used isn't hard and fast - 4 large ones is my preference but you can use just 3 large ones.
- 15 minutes of prep in the stand mixer. Or you could mix by hand in one bowl (for an extra 5 minutes).
- Real banana flavour, not sullied by any extra spice or vanilla.
- The almond flour gives it the best texture - a super moist, without tasting too nutty.
- You can adapt this recipe in so many ways by adding in some extra ingredients here and there. It will be the base of every gluten-free banana bread you make from now on.
Ingredients Needed
Gluten-Free Flours
Gluten-free all-purpose flour. This is a lovely simple gluten-free banana bread in which you can use your favourite gluten-free flour blend. Any brand will do and it doesn't need to be self-raising or include xanthan gum (however if your brand already contains it then it won't affect the bake too much). This recipe has been tested with both Doves Farm Plain White Gluten-Free Flour and my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. It doesn't matter what brand you use as the banana bread will be achieving most of its stability through the use of almond flour.
Almond flour. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>>Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.
Nut allergy? If you are allergic then use my Homemade Flour Blend for the whole amount of the almond flour + the flour – but not any other gluten-free flour, my mix is specifically developed as a stable blend which doesn’t need xanthan gum.
Other Ingredients
Bananas. The riper the bananas the easier they will be to mix into the other ingredients. The cake will also be a little sweeter. They don't need to be overripe though as long as they are not green.
Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar available in the UK. Regular white granulated sugar can happily be substituted.
Soft light brown sugar. We use for lovely gentle molasses flavour and moisture.
Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US. I recommend weighing your eggs to ensure the correct amount.
Melted butter. Use unsalted butter. Allow the butter to cool a little before adding to the other ingredients.
Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.
Salt. It amps up all the other flavours. I like to use kosher salt as it is lovely and mild.
How To Make Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Mash the bananas then mix with the sugar, eggs and melted butter.
- Combine the almond flour, gluten-free flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt then add them into the wet ingredients and mix.
- Pour the banana batter in the loaf tin and bake.
- Allow to cool then slice and serve.
Expert Tip: Allow the banana bread to fully cool before cutting into it. This helps the bake to stabilise so it's not crumbling everywhere and locks in the moisture.
FAQs
This Gluten-Free Banana Bread keeps well for up to 5 days if kept in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
This produces a large banana bread and works best in a 9x5 inch (2lb) loaf tin.
This banana bread is not too sweet and I have reduced the amount of sugar from when I originally published it.
Yes, you can use 1 fewer banana but the flavour won't be as strong and the sweetness will be reduced slightly.
Allow the banana bread to cool completely before double wrapping well in cling film and then aluminium foil and placing in the freezer. It will keep well for up to 2 months. I actually prefer to freeze the loaf in individual slices as then you can take it out a slice at a time to enjoy whenever the mood hits. To defrost the banana bread remove from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature thoroughly before unwrapping and serving.
This Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread used melted butter in the ingredients which you can easily switch for olive oil (mild and light so the flavour doesn't dominate) or coconut oil.
How To Serve Banana Bread
This is a lovely simple banana bread without any adornments or frostings and is delicious enjoyed plain with a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can make it a little more special:
- Slathered with salted butter.
- Drizzled with peanut butter or almond butter. Although I love it with a little Homemade Cashew Butter.
- Alongside a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Stir in a handful of chocolate chips to the cake mixture just before pouring into the cake tin.
- Rum Banana Bread. Add 2 tablespoons of spiced dark rum to the cake mixture.
- Ginger Banana Bread. Stir in a handful of diced stem ginger or crystallised ginger into the cake mixture just before pouring into the cake tin.
More Easy Gluten-Free Recipes You'll Love
✨Have you tried this Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread? If you liked it, please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨
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Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread (With Almond Flour)
Ingredients
- 4 large bananas - about 450- 500g without skins
- 130 g caster sugar
- 75 g soft light brown sugar
- 2 eggs - medium*
- 120 g melted butter - unsalted
- 200 g almond flour - (ground almonds in UK)
- 200 g gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F.
- Line and grease a deep 9 x 5 inch loaf tin.
- Mash the bananas then pour them into a large bowl or food mixer along with the sugar, eggs and melted butter. Mix the ingredients well.
- In another bowl combine the almond flour, gluten-free flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt then add them into the wet ingredients and mix together.
- Pour the banana batter in the loaf tin and bake for 65-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the loaf tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Ingredient measurements
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
What would you suggest to replace the almond flour….schools are nut free!
I recommend using my homemade gluten-free flour blend if you are not using almond flour. But use it for both the gluten-free flour needed in the recipe and the almond flour. Store bought gf flour blends do not have a strong enough structure to carry the whole banana bread (which is why the original recipe needs the almond flour - as it gives strength to the flour blend). My homemade blend is specifically developed that it can be used in any cake recipe without the need for xanthan gum or almond flour.
Very good banana bread. I used coconut sugar in place of both sugars…moist and flavorful! Everyone liked it! Thank you for a great recipe.
I'm so happy to hear you found success with your Banana Bread - thank you for leaving your feedback - and I always love hearing about successful substitutions.
This banana bread turned out delicious! Thank you for this great recipe…it was enjoyed by all! I was not sure on my bread tin size and baked some in a small pan on the side… which I often do with sweet bread. My son is always eagerly waiting for a taste…this way he gets his taste without having to wait got the whole load to cool!
Thank you again the texture and flavor was delicious!
You are welcome!! I'm so happy you enjoyed the banana bread - thank you for leaving your feedback.
This was simply delicious! I'm very thankful to have found gluten free recipes that taste GOOD!! Many thanks to you Georgina!
You are welcome! I'm so happy you enjoyed the Banana Bread.
I have today made your banana loaf recipe, unfortunately with disastrous results. I followed the recipe ingredients and method exactly. I did think there was a lot of mixture considering the size of the loaf tin required, but I still continued with the instructions. As the recipe asked for plain flour I thought that the loaf would not rise too much. After a short while I looked through the glass door of my oven and noticed that all the mixture was overflowing all over my oven. I had to take it out of the oven and try to divide the mixture into 2 loaf tins, which I thought would have been more appropriate anyway given the amount of mixture. Regrettably the whole mix had to be binned. I am very upset about this considering the cost of the ingredients and also the time spent completely cleaning the inside of my oven, shelves and all. I have been baking for many years and have never had this problem before. I would like to say how disappointed I am with the results of this loaf. I have read the other comments and I have to say I am a little surprised at their results with this recipe. Your view on what might have happened would be appreciated.
Hi Lynette, how disappointing for you. The only thing I can think of is that the tin was too small for the bake. This recipe calls for a 9 inch loaf tin (often called a 2lb loaf tin). What size tin did you use?
It tastes lovely, glad it's not overly sweet and the texture was beautiful too. Thank you!
I'm so happy you like the recipe!!
My word this is delicious! Mine is more cakey and light than I thought it would be. I know understand what "tender crumb" is! Never really understood before as I don't bake much, especially since I've had to remove wheat and lactose from my diet. I had to adjust the receipe slightly according to what I had to hand (an impulse bake). So 400g ripe bananas, with dry quantities and butter reduced to match roughly. Then, as I didn't have any brown sugar, I used a half quantity, 70ish g, of clear runny honey - a super local one which is gorgeous. I baked it in a round 8" tin for 1 hour 15 minutes exactly, until the skewer came out clean in the middle of the cake. I'm also looking into a low FODMAP diet to manage the rest of my symptoms (so far removing wheat and lactose has been amazing!). So honey might not be on the menu so much in future but small quantities might be okay. I'll try maple syrup too. I'm going to research low FODMAP foods more too (rice flour is low! Yay!), and work on some adaptations to recipies. Have you looked into FODMAP at all? Just wondering.
Hi Barbara, I'm so happy you enjoyed this Banana Bread!! Yes, I am aware of FODMAP - it's not something I follow at the moment but the foods I have trouble with change all the time so you never know!!
This was really excellent -a great success. I have struggled with texture and ‘doneness’ in previous GF baking but I had splendid crumb texture and done all the way through. No horrid heavy layer at the bottom. . Trouble is we are eating it way too fast!
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe Janet - thank you!
Hello Georgina !!!
I just did this one, very delicious!!!... I got some kind of bubbles in between the cake, it doesn´t look as uniform as yours in the picture when I sliced it... ¿Do you know the reason?
I made Lemon coconut recently & I wanna keep trying different exotic cakes, ¿Any you can recommend me to try this weeeek (exotic, different, unique) please? 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Juliana, I'm not sure what you mean by bubbles - this isn't something I've experienced. Did you swap any of the ingredients? As for the cake recommendations - have you tried this Pineapple Upside Down Cake - it's very lovely that it includes coconut. Or if you are looking for unique then this Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle is lovely, as is this Carrot and Golden Beetroot Cake.
I’ve made this banana bread a couple of times now - and this is the closest to the one my mother used to make when I was a child. My husband and daughter are both gluten-sensitive and they adore this! Definitely a family favourite
That's lovely to hear Toni! I really love this cake too, it's so easy to whip up of a weekend and have stashed away for cake emergencies during the week. Thank you for your feedback!