Welcome to the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need! Whether you’re gluten-free or looking for a breakfast or sweet treat made with healthy, nourishing ingredients, look no further than this almond flour banana bread. It’s made with no oil, butter, or refined sugar. But you’ll never know because it’s perfectly moist and sweet. It’s the perfect recipe to make when you have extra bananas or overripe bananas about to go bad.
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What readers say…
“Best banana bread in the history of the world. I am seriously in love with almond flour for baking, pancakes, et. al. Everything turns out SO MOIST. This banana bread recipe is off the chart.”
Roxanne
What Makes This Recipe So Incredibly Good
In our family, we consume grains, like einkorn and spelt. It’s not uncommon for us to enjoy homemade einkorn pancakes, sourdough bread, and einkorn muffins.
I’ve also come to love gluten-free flour, particularly recipes made with almond flour. This gluten-free banana bread recipe has become a favorite with our whole family. Here’s what I love about this recipe.
- Simple, Nourishing Ingredients: We’re all about simple, real food. This recipe is the perfect example of how a few simple pantry ingredients come together to create the most delicious banana bread.
- Super Moist: Almond flour makes incredibly moist baked goods. From the softest chocolate chip cookies and bread to pancakes.
- Natural Sweetness: Typical banana bread is made with added sugar, from brown sugar to cane sugar. Instead, this healthy recipe is a quick bread you can feel good about. It’s naturally sweetened with blanched almond flour or almond meal, honey or maple syrup (or stevia for a low-carb option), and extra ripe bananas.
- Zero Gluten: This bread is 100% gluten free and the perfect treat, make-ahead breakfast, or snack for anyone with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Ingredients
To make the best almond flour banana bread, you’ll need a few simple ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour starch
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 ripe yellow bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt or a dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
What is Arrowroot Starch? Arrowroot is a white, flavorless powder. It’s similar to cornstarch (without the corn) in that it thickens food. Almond flour alone can result in a soggy, dense bread. Arrowroot starch (which is paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan) improves the texture of almond flour treats. Arrowroot lasts a long time. Use it to make stir-fry sauce, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, this particular recipe, almond flour waffles, and homemade foundation powder or dry shampoo.
How to Make, Step by Step
To make this recipe, you’ll need a large mixing bowl, medium-size mixing bowl, and 9×5-inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bread pan with parchment paper.
Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Add eggs, maple syrup or honey, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. If you’re adding chocolate chips, walnuts, or dried fruit (see suggestions in next section), stir the ingredient into the batter now.
Step 4: Bake
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake, in the center of the oven, for 60 minutes or until the center is firm. Insert a knife in the center of the bread to check for doneness. The knife should come out clean when the bread is done.
Let the bread cool for at least 20-30 minutes on the top of the stove or a wire rack. Remove the bread from the pan by lifting the parchment paper out of the pan. Almond flour sets as it cools, so it’s important to avoid cutting the bread during this time.
Add-Ins
I love plain banana bread, but sometimes it’s fun to add mix-ins. Here are a few ideas…
Dark Chocolate Chips: Add 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips to the batter, stir to combine. Or use cacao nibs.
Walnuts: Add 1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the batter, stir to combine.
Dried Cherries or Cranberries: Add 1/4-1/2 cup of dried fruit, like dried cherries or cranberries, to the batter and stir to combine.
Variations
Make this recipe dairy free, egg free, or sugar free. Or, instead of bread make paleo banana bread muffins.
Dairy Free: This recipe calls for yogurt. Use plain Greek yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or make it dairy-free with a plain plant-based yogurt.
Sugar Free: Instead of honey or maple syrup, some readers have used 1/2 cup applesauce or 1/2 teaspoon stevia. I haven’t tried these sweetener variations, but readers have experienced great success with these sugar-free substitutions.
Egg Free: Some readers who need an egg substitute have used flax eggs. Instead of real eggs, make a flax egg by combining flax seeds and water. How to make your own flax egg (you’ll need 3 flax eggs). This variation may result in a flat bread (a bit more dense), but still delicious.
Pumpkin Bread: If you love this healthy banana bread, try making the pumpkin variation. Use 1 cup pumpkin puree instead of mashed bananas. Follow this pumpkin bread recipe.
Make Muffins: Most quick bread recipes are easily turned into muffins by decreasing the baking time. Spoon the batter into a muffin pan with muffin liners. Bake for 22ish minutes or until firm on top. You could also make mini muffins; just use a mini muffin pan. Or, for a flourless muffin recipe, make flourless almond banana muffins.
What’s the best almond flour to use?
Almond flour is made by grinding almonds into a powder. The flour is commonly used to make keto and low carb treats. It can be used to make cake, muffins, cookies, breads, or as a binder in meatballs or meatloaf (a gluten-free alternative to breadcrumbs).
There are two different types of almond flour…
Blanched almond flour: Made by grinding up almonds with the almond skin removed. This is done by dropping the almonds in boiling water, then cooling the almonds and peeling away the skin. Once the skin is gone, the almonds are “blanched.” Blanched almond flour is a yellow/cream color, and is typically light and fluffy. It’s ideal for making pastries, cakes, and breads.
Almond meal: Made by grinding up almonds with the skin. This flour is typically brown, has a coarse texture, and results in heavier, dense baked goods.
Which is best? I’ve used both almond flour and almond meal to make this bread recipe with great success. I prefer fine almond flour for a lighter texture, but almond meal may also be used in this recipe.
Can I substitute all purpose flour for almond flour?
All purpose regular flour is not a substitute for almond flour in this banana bread recipe or other almond flour bread recipes.
Almond flour, with the absence of gluten, doesn’t perform the same as a gluten-based flour like all purpose, whole wheat flour, or einkorn flour.
If you’d like to make a regular banana bread, with a gluten flour, make this einkorn and spelt bread recipe or einkorn maple-banana muffins. Einkorn is easier to digest than wheat, so it’s my preferred gluten flour.
Pro Tips for Best Results
1. Weigh the flour. There is one thing that you need for fail-proof baking: a scale. Well, actually, two things: a scale and quality ingredients. My cup of flour is probably not the same as your cup of flour. Not weighing flour may result in disappointment when making cookies, cakes, or quick breads. Plus, weighing ingredients is much easier; just keep adding ingredients to the bowl until the scale tells you to stop. I’ve been using this digital scale for a few years now.
2. Use parchment paper: Line the bread pan with parchment paper so it’s easy to remove the bread and let cool. This will prevent the bread from sticking to the bread pan and falling apart, which can easily happen with almond flour before it’s fully cool. Grease the pan with a bit of oil or butter, then place the parchment paper inside the pan. The butter/oil will keep the parchment in place so it’s easy to add the bread batter to the pan.
How to Store and Freeze
Because this bread is so moist, it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. Once the bread cools, store the loaf in an airtight container or bag for up to 1 week in the fridge. Eat at room temperature, cold, or reheat a slice in the microwave or a toaster oven.
The bread is even better the next day, so make this recipe for a prep-ahead meal for breakfast, a snack, or a dinner side dish. I’ll share a few serving ideas under the printable recipe, below.
Freeze the bread, once fully cool, in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Freeze the bread whole or sliced.
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Equipment
- bread pan 9×5-inch loaf pan
- large bowl
- medium bowl
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (260g)
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour starch (34g)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 ripe bananas totally 1 1/4 cups once mashed (340g)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (134g) or honey
- 1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt (58g) or a dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper, or grease with butter or coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Then whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until combined.
- Pour the batter into a bread pan. Bake the bread, in the center of the oven, for 60 minutes, or until the center is firm. You can insert a knife in the center of the bread to check for doneness. The knife should come out clean when the bread is done.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 20-30 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan by lifting the parchment paper out of the pan.
- Slice and enjoy. Store any leftover bread in a bag or large airtight container. Store the bread in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Try these simple, reader-favorite recipes that are naturally gluten-free.
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Serving Ideas
Serve this bread as a sweet treat, breakfast, lunch, or snack (one of my favorite 31 healthy and easy snacks). Serve a slice by itself, topped with butter or almond butter, or serve a slice of bread with one of these delicious recipes for a complete meal.
For Breakfast
- Scrambled Eggs
- Spinach Feta Omelette
- Ham and Cheese Omelette
- Omelet Cups
- Healthy Yogurt Bowls
- Serve a slice with a homemade chai latte, iced chai tea latte, or pumpkin spice latte.
For Snack
- Spread two slices of bread with cream cheese to make a banana bread sandwich (also a great lunchbox meal)
- Top a slice of bread with butter or your favorite nut butter
- Serve with a cheese stick or rolled up turkey
- Enjoy a slice with a piece of fruit
For Dinner
- Serve as a side dish with a vegetable (frozen roasted vegetables are delicious) and chicken (whole roasted chicken or crispy chicken thighs)
- Serve as a side dish with a bowl of soup
- Serve on the side of a big salad, like Kale and Romain Caesar Salad
Just tried this recipe and it came out fantastic, Changes I made were: almond milk instead of yoghurt (halved the amount), and date syrup instead of honey. Omitted the salt and nutmeg. A keeper for sure!
Just tried this recipe and it came out fantastic, Changes I made were: almond milk instead of yoghurt (halved the amount), and date syrup instead of honey. A keeper for sure!
This bread is mouthwatering but I have a fear/doubt of calories in it.
Tell me approx how many calories one loaf contains? Waiting for reply asap, bcoz I want to try this recipe at earliest
Hey Fit&cheese Burger, The calories are posted above in the recipe. We focus on nourishing real ingredients over counting calories around here.
Thank you so much for this. I made it last night but subbed cream cheese for yogurt (because it’s what I had and also sounded more appealing to me) and it came out beautifully. I’ll definitely be making it again.
This banana bread is one of the best I’ve ever had…gluten free or not! My son and husband devoured 1/2 the loaf within 1 hour. I will be keeping this recipe forever and it’s my new go-to brunch dish for everything! Thanks! This is a keeper! I still can’t believe it’s grain and sugar free!!!
Hi, I was wondering if this would freeze well? I can’t wait to try it!
Hey Anita, Yes, you can 🙂
Made this bread exactly as written except added a little bit of organic unbleached wheat flour instead of the suggested arrowroot flour (didn’t have any) and added some dark cocoa chips to one loaf — it turned out AWESOME! My husband has been hounding me ever since to make more. He takes some to work as a snack. Making more today and going to add blueberries. Makes a perfect snack and breakfast on the run. Very filling too. We’re not gluten-free; I just like that it is healthy, tasty, and simple.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It is a new favorite in this house.
That’s awesome, Kim. I’m so glad you guys are loving the bread.
I have this baking in the oven right now! I can’t wait! I subbed maple syrup for honey because that is what I have today. I also added chocolate chips : )
This recipe nailed it for me! I have tried so many banana bread recipes that fell in the middle and got sticky or soggy after a few days. I was not happy with any of them. so I was searching for a new recipe and found this one. it turned out perfect. I added the arrowroot flour which I am sure made the difference that I needed and only used a fourth of a cup of honey.. and I baked it as muffins rather than bread. perfect rise and moisture, did not get soggy in the middle or dense it is now on my favorites list and will be the only banana bread recipe I will be making
That’s awesome, Sharon! I’m so glad you found a winner with this banana bread recipe.
Thanks for the recipe. Turned out delicious and pretty moist. I added a few things: coconut oil, applesauce and topped it with cashew nuts. Everything was great, but I felt it was way too dense and I didn’t feel like eating any more of it because it felt way too heavy. Any ideas on how I can make it less dense? Perhaps reduce the almond flour amount and add another flour – perhaps oat flour?
Hey Priyanka, I’m not sure since the recipe tweaked from the original. That could have made a difference.
How many Carbs in this bread?
Hey Barb, According to our recipe nutrition counter: 291 grams for the entire loaf.
I just tried this and it came out perfectly. These are the changes I made. I used 2 eggs instead of 3, I used 1/4 cup honey instead of 1/2, I used 1/4 cup soy milk instead of the yogurt, and I used 2 medium bananas instead of 3. In addition to the 1/4 cup Walnuts – I added 1/4 cup raisins. I used a dark loaf pan. It was ready after 45 min of baking. I let it rest for at least 15 minutes. It is moist, but not overly, and it did not stick to the loaf pan.
So glad you’re enjoying the bread, Rose! Thank you for sharing what you did.
Great banana bread and truly healthy
Glad you liked it, Katerina!
Can I use coconut yogurt instead?
Hey Wan ki, Definitely!
Very good flavor, but it stuck to my pan and came out in pieces, The cooking time is off too, I did mine for 50 mins, starting to burn on top. What did I do wrong?
Hi Darcy,
Kristin is currently out of the country, but I’ll make sure to let her know of your comment so she can respond when she returns. ~Rachel
Hey Darcy, I’m not sure what may have gone wrong. Oven temperatures can differ from oven to oven (unless calibrated), and the position in the oven can make a difference too. I would recommend moving the bread to a different location in the oven (maybe the center rack). Also, using parchment paper in the pan or greasing the pan generously will help with the sticking issue. Allow the bread to cool before removing it from the pan, too. This allows a quick bread to set.
I have cashew yogurt. Would that work?
Hey Whitney, It should.
Best banana bread I have ever made! I forgot to add in walnuts but I think the kids would have preferred that anyways. Perfect! Thank you!
Yay, Amanda! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread.
Well, it smelled and smells completely amazing.. but I’m still finding that no matter what I cook with almond flour I can’t get past the taste after its done… it’s super moist, and smells delicious but I can’t get past the almond flour taste. ?
Yea, almond flour will have a subtle, (sweet) almond taste. But it shouldn’t be overpowering? What kind of almond flour are you using?
I’m making this bread now (it’s in the oven!) and I made some lower-carb modifications so I’m ready to see how it turns out and will let you know.. instead of yogurt I used sour cream, and (not really as a sub, but additional thickening) in place of honey I used whipped cream cheese spread. Everything else was ok.. We shall see!! Oh, and I didn’t use the walnuts because I prefer banana bread without nuts, and all I have are pecans anyway. 🙂
Awesome, Jennifer. Let me know how it comes out.
Hi,
I made this banana bread yesterday and it amazing. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of yogurt since I don’t have dairy and it was still moist.
Hey Sharmin, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the bread, and I’m so glad the almond milk worked as a sub. Thank you for coming back to share and rate the recipe, too.