Gluten-Free Banana Bread

This is THE BEST gluten-free banana bread! The overripe bananas make it super moist and perfectly sweet with a delicious banana flavor!

This post was originally published on February 24, 2022. It was updated with new recipe information and photos on January 16, 2024.

Ingredients

• Gluten-free 1-to-1 flour - Also called gluten-free "measure for measure" flour. Be sure that your flour blend contains xanthan gum. My go-to is this one!
• Salt - Use fine salt. I like using fine Himalayan salt in my recipes, but you can also use fine sea salt.
• Baking soda & baking powder - This recipe uses a combination of these two leavening agents.
• Unsalted butter - Use unsalted butter to be able to control the amount of salt in your gf banana bread. If using salted butter, decrease the salt by half. You can also use vegan butter to make dairy-free banana bread!
• Granulated sugar & brown sugar - The combination of the two sugars adds both sweetness and a rich toffee flavor to this recipe.
• Eggs - Please use large eggs for this recipe! It adds more moisture to the banana bread.
• Bananas - Make sure you're using overripe bananas! We want brown, spotty bananas that are too ripe to eat on their own.
• Apple cider vinegar - An acidic ingredient like vinegar is necessary to activate the baking soda, so as weird as you might think it is, don't skip it!
• Milk - You can swap this out for non-dairy milk if you want. You can also use buttermilk, but make sure to omit the vinegar in that case.
• Vanilla - You can use either pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste.

How To Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Step 1: In a bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Step 3: Add one egg at a time, mixing after each egg.

Step 4: Stir in the mashed banana, milk, and apple cider vinegar.

Step 5: To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and mix until you don't see bits of dry flour anymore. Cover the batter and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

Step 7: Pour the rested batter into the loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 65-70 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Pro Tips

Here are some tips to make sure you end up with the best gluten-free banana bread every time:

• Room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients will help them incorporate better into the batter.
• Unsalted butter. By using unsalted butter, you can fully control how salty your flourless banana bread will be. If you can only find salted butter or are using vegan butter (which is usually salted), cut the amount of salt by half, to ensure that your bread isn't overly salty.
• Rest your batter. You must rest your banana bread batter for half an hour to prevent a gritty texture in your baked bread!
• Draw a line on the batter with a knife. Have you ever wondered how bakers achieve those beautifully domed loaves that are split down the center? After you pour your batter into the loaf pan, insert a knife about an inch into the batter and draw a vertical line down the center. And then bake!
• Cool completely. Gluten-free baked goods will continue to bake as it cools. As tempted as you might be (I always am), refrain from cutting into a warm loaf. It won't taste as good and the texture will be slightly mushy.

Storage Directions

Storing: You can store your banana bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Don't slice the loaf all at once to prevent it from drying out, and only slice as many as you're going to eat in a sitting.

Freezing: Wrap each slice of banana bread with plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer bag to store in the freezer for up to a month. Defrost them in the fridge before taking them out to bring to room temperature, to avoid condensation.

FAQs

More Banana Recipes To Try

• Can't get enough banana bread? Try my recipe for banana bread with cake flour, or my chocolate banana bread. Both are incredibly moist and so delicious!
• If you're looking for breakfast or brunch-appropriate recipes, try my gluten-free banana muffins, gluten-free banana pancakes, or my oatmeal bars.
• My vegan banana cupcakes and chocolate banana cupcakes are must-makes if you love banana desserts!
• If you're looking for something easy to make but also impressive, make this banana upside-down cake.