Gluten Free Banana Bread with Video

Soft banana bread with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Moist, tender and excellent for a snack or breakfast. This easy gluten-free banana bread will make you wish your bananas browned faster! This recipe is also naturally free of: dairy, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts making it top 7 free.

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WHY WE LOVE THIS GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD

Banana bread is a classic for a reason. The sweet quick bread is a tender loaf filled with fruity flavors and warm spices. The bouncy texture is delightful to bite into and it’s a satisfying breakfast or snack. It’s just as welcome at breakfast as it is a midnight or after school snack. With about 14 slices per loaf (depending on how thick you cut it) it’s shareable and can feed the whole family. 

INGREDIENTS

• Canola oil or other neutral oil
• Brown sugar
• 4-5 bananas, ripe and with brown spots
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• All purpose gluten-free flour (see notes below)

HOW TO MAKE THE BANANA BREAD

Follow these instructions for best results:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9×5 bread pan with a non-sticky spray of your choice and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mash the bananas. You can do this by hand with a fork, or with electric beaters as well. I like mine well mashed.
4. Add in the oil and sugar and mix.
5. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix.
6. If you’re using a stand mixer, from this point on, I prefer the paddle attachment, so the dry ingredients don’t get stuck in the balloon part of the whisk. This is a preference, and you can use either one. If you’re using electric beaters, continue to use them on low.
7. Add in the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder. Mix.
8. Add in the gluten free flour and mix until everything is combined.
9. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
10. Pour the batter into the greased bread pan. Bang it on the counter to get the batter to level out.
11. Place in the center rack in your heated oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.
12. When the timer dings, place aluminum foil over the top and then set a timer for thirty minutes (so 60 minutes total baking time).
13. When the second timer dings, remove the aluminum foil and insert a digital read thermometer into the center of the bread (not touching the bottom). If the temperature reads 200-205 degrees F it is done. If not, put it back in for a few more minutes with the aluminum foil back on (unless you would like the top more browned).
14. When it is cooked through, turn off the oven and remove the bread. Allow it to sit in the hot pan for five minutes.
15. Afterward, turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
16. Cut into slices and enjoy. It’s especially good with a little butter spread on top!
17. This bread stays good for 1-2 days in an airtight container at room temperature (depending on how humid of a climate you live, sometimes being completely airtight can make the bread go stodgy, so if you’re noticing that, let it vent a little.) After that time frame if you’re noticing it’s getting a little stale and you don’t have time to finish the loaf, I’d recommend slicing it and freezing it, and pulling out slices when the craving hits.

IS BANANA BREAD DAIRY FREE?

Many banana bread recipes use butter, so they would not be dairy free. I recipe tested this multiple times, and every time that I used butter, I felt the butter flavor overwhelmed the mild banana flavor. Once I tried it with oil instead I liked it much better. Which is good news for our dairy-free friends! By using oil as the fat in the recipe, it makes it naturally gluten free AND dairy free.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MANY BANANAS TO USE?

This can be tricky because bananas all vary in size. There is no standard size for bananas, and as you know–bananas have a ton of moisture. Too much moisture in gluten-free baking can make things gooey and mushy. So, the best way to ensure you have enough bananas without overdoing it is to use a digital kitchen scale. If you do not have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend it–you’ll end up using it for all sorts of kitchen needs. It’s great for portioning things out, dividing meat, weighing flour and making candy when weight is crucial. They’re inexpensive and will make sure your banana bread turns out perfect. You need 16 ounces (or 1 pound) of PEELED bananas (skin off). I typically find this takes 4-5. It’s better to buy too many than be short.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD EGG FREE

If you are looking for an egg free banana bread, I have egg free banana bread muffins (that are also gluten free and dairy free). You’ll need to have some Ener-G Egg Replacer on hand for that recipe.

TIPS FOR MAKING GLUTEN-FREE BANANA BREAD

• Weigh your amount of peeled bananas, to make sure you have the proper amount, as this can throw off the texture of your bread. Use a kitchen scale.
• Scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off to ensure the right amount of gluten-free flour when measuring it. Or, use your scale and measure the flour out to (120 grams).
• Make sure your baking soda and baking powder aren’t old, otherwise that will affect the rise.
• This recipe takes a TABLESPOON of baking powder. Sometimes using a large amount of baking powder can leave a metallic taste. I have not noticed this. But, if you do, you may want to consider switching to an aluminum free brand like Rumford.
• Bake half the time uncovered and then bake the rest of the time with aluminum foil on top. I find baking moist sweet bread like this can be really difficult to cook the middle thoroughly. By trapping in the heat this helps the middle be cooked, without sacrificing browning the top too much.
• Do not allow the banana bread to cool in the pan. I only allow it to stay in the pan for five minutes after taking it out of the oven, and then I turn it out onto a cooling rack. Leaving it in the pan will trap too much moisture and it will get gummy.
• If you really want to know if the middle is done, the ultimate way is to use an instant read digital thermometer. The typical way to test if bread and cakes are done is to insert a toothpick and see if crumbs remain when you pull it out. I find this doesn’t work great with banana bread, because depending on if you hit a chunk of the banana, it will come out not looking done. Simply insert a thermometer into the middle of the loaf (without touching the bottom) and look for a temperature of 200-205 degrees F.
• Use bananas that have brown spots and are speckly. Using bananas that aren’t fully ripe will affect the taste and sweetness of the bread. It’s a great way to use up bananas that don’t look as pretty and my kids will no longer eat plain based on appearance.

OTHER GLUTEN FREE BREAD RECIPES WORTH TRYING

Don’t stop at the gluten free banana bread! Try my gluten free bread, gluten free breadsticks, gluten free orange rolls, and my plethora of gluten-free muffins (that are also dairy free!) Note that everything on Allergy Awesomeness is gluten free, so be sure to check out my recipe index to see all sorts of options outside of the bread category.

WHAT GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR TO USE

Gluten-free living can get expensive. Specialty products add up quickly and are often 2-4 times the price of “regular” wheat products. So, I like to offer more inexpensive solutions when possible. In this recipe, I’ve been pleased to find that Walmart’s Great Value All Purpose Gluten Free Flour works great. This is the one I’d recommend and is the one photographed. If you look at the ingredient list, it’s very similar to the King Arthur Gluten Free Baking Mix.  

TOOLS NEEDED

These tools will help you achieve fantastic banana bread:

• measuring cups and spoon
• mixing bowl and electric beaters (or stand mixer with both the whisk and paddle attachment)
• spatula
• 9×5 bread pan
• non stick cooking spray of choice
• digital kitchen scale (see tips)
• instant read digital thermometer (see tips)

HOW TO STORE GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD

For the first day or two, I like to keep my banana bread room temperature in an airtight container. Depending on where you live, and ESPECIALLY if you cover it while it’s still warm, it will trap too much moisture and make the bread stodgy. Where gluten-free flour depends on rice flour and lots of starches you don’t want your beautiful loaf degrading. So, I will often keep my airtight container open just a little. Or, when I’m going back for another slice and find it’s getting too much moisture trapped, I’ll even let it be completely open in the air for awhile. I find there is no hard and fast rule; it just depends on where you live and keeping an eye on it every once in awhile (a good reason to go back and sample!). 

If you haven’t finished it in 1-2 days, I’d slice it and freeze it. That way you can pull out a slice or two and thaw it (or toast it) when the craving hits.

HOW TO HALF THE RECIPE

If you’re still finding it’s hard to get the center done, I’d recommend halving the recipe. Gluten free breads often cook better when they’re not so tall. By halving the recipe, it ensure the heat can reach it easier. You can either half the recipe completely, or bake two smaller loaves. I find they’re usually done around 30 minutes, but you’ll want to check them.

VIDEO SHOWING HOW TO MAKE THE RECIPE

Yes I do! For you visual learners, I have a video showing you how to make the banana bread from start to finish. The video should auto populate, and if it doesn’t, it is embedded into the bottom of the recipe card. And, if all else fails, you can view it on my YouTube channel.

DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT. BE SURE WHILE YOU’RE THERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER DIETARY SPECIFIC PINTEREST BOARDS.