This gluten free banana bread has been such a hit, I can’t believe it. It’s so good, it was featured in Southern Living Magazine!! I had pretty much resolved that gluten free breads will never taste like what I’m used to, until this gluten free banana bread proved me wrong. Read the comments and see for yourself. People rave about this recipe. It was really a fluke, as I hadn’t done much gluten free baking when I concocted this recipe, using a few I found online for inspiration. But now it’s one of the most popular recipe on my site. ENJOY!!!
You know when you have bananas sitting around that look like this, it is time to make banana bread!
How to Make THE BEST Gluten Free Banana Bread
I started with four pastured eggs.
Add to that 4 or 5 mashed, ripe bananas, a cup of sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/3 cup melted coconut oil.
Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, I have this awesome little Cast Iron Butter Melter that I use to melt butter and/or coconut oil for all my recipes.
After that is mixed up really well, you can add your dry ingredients. I use this Authentic Foods Brown Rice Flour for most of my baking needs.
I also used some Sorghum Flour because I didn’t have enough brown rice flour. Plus, I think a variety of flours help the flavor and texture of gluten free breads.
Add some baking soda, salt and vanilla, and it’s time to mix it up!
If you use a small loaf pan, this recipe makes 2 loaves — one to eat, and one to freeze! Or make one big loaf and bake 10 minutes longer.
After 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven, your mouth will be starting to water. Try to be patient and let it cool before cutting into it. Either way, your taste buds will thank me!
Seriously, who knew gluten free banana bread could be this good!??
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups very ripe mashed bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1-1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts and/or chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly.
- Add mashed bananas, sugar, applesauce, butter and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
- Add to wet mixture, flours and salt and baking soda. Mix until all ingredients are moist.
- Pour batter evenly into 2 greased 8×4-inch loaf pans or 1 greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes for the smaller pans or 60-75 minutes for the larger, or until bread is no longer wet in the middle. Use a toothpick or the touch test to gauge doneness.
- Remove from pan after about 10 minutes and cool on wire rack.
If you like this gluten free banana bread recipe, check out my recipe index. It’s full of tried and true nutritious recipes (many gluten-free) that your family is sure to love.
I also write about my fashion foibles, I share my gluten-free weekly meal plans, and I love to travel. I hope you’ll follow along.
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Mega thanks to Southern Living Magazine for featuring my recipe in their January 2013 print magazine!
Awesome recipe–I substituted stevia for sugar and it tasted great – thanks!!!
Hi I was wondering how much stevia you used for the bread? thanks =)
I made this recipe last night, substituting Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour for the sorghum flour, adding 3 tbsps of honey instead of the sugar, and adding some poppyseeds. It is absolutely delicious, better than regular banana bread I would say, and I don’t feel guilty eating it. It cooked in about 40 minutes, and is very moist with a nice tender texture. I didn’t miss the sugar at all; the natural sweetness of the bananas and apple sauce, supplemented with the honey, was all that was needed (for me at least). I was looking for a good healthy breakfast bread that I could take to work to discourage me from eating giant bagels and butter croissants, and this definitely does the job.
I wanted to do something nice for the gluten-free board members at a local non-profit. I used this recipe for our holiday potluck-board meeting in Dec. 2012. It was insanely delicious and perhaps the best consistency of any banana bread I’ve ever eaten, let alone a gluten free one! Thanks so much and way to go!
I just made this for the second time today. It was amazing the first time– I’m sure it will be just as good the second! Kids loved it too! ( even my ones who are not usually GF!)
I used millet flour as I am out of sorghum flour and the recipe is STILL brilliant. I also cut the white sugar and added only 1/2 cup of raw, brown sugar. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Great recipe! Our family just recently went gluten-free (one son with celiac, and figured it wouldn’t hurt the rest of us to just go it together) and today the kids wanted banana bread. What I love about this recipe is its adaptability – skimming through the comments, people have changed it and tweaked it all over the place and it seems to stand up to everything, so…hooray! We used a GF All-Purpose Flour blend, brown sugar instead of white (not healthier, of course, but all I had in the pantry), added 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum, and it tastes wonderful! I think I used loaf pans that were too big, I’ll change that next time, but there will definitely be a next time, many next times in fact. Thanks so much for this keeper!
I have made this a few times and each time it turns out fantastic. I was diagnosed with a wheat sensitivity, so this is great, as I often crave banana bread but don’t want to deal with the awful side effects of eating it. This recipe is SO good that even my bf (who often turns his nose up at gluten free food) LOVES it. So thank you for converting my bf into a gluten free fan ahaha. I am going to have to check out more recipes and find some other goodies. PS this time I almost forgot to add the eggs and added them right at the end, it turned out just fine, even with my little mistake haha
For years I’ve been trying GF banana bread recipes and altering regular recipes to make them GF to no avail – it wasn’t worth the wasted ingredients! This is truly the best GF banana bread recipe ever!!! I took quite a few suggestions from other readers and here’s what I did: instead of 1C sugar I used 1/2C maple syrup and 1/2C brown sugar, instead of 1 1/2C brown rice flour I used 3/4C brown rice and 3/4C almond flour, added cinnamon and nutmeg to batter and pecans. And I backed it in 4 mini loaf pans and it still took 45 minutes . Only one problem….I CAN’T STOP EATING IT. This is the first recipe I’ve ever found that has the same moistness and flavor of regular banana bread – thank you!!!
One word describes this recipe…..addictive! I omitted the applesauce, used all rice flour( I buy a superfine flour at a local Asian market that does very well in baking recipes) freshly grated nutmeg andmelted butter for the batter, and made two dozen very moist muffins with sliced almonds on top. Took some to work for my colleagues and they devoured them! Thanks for this great recipe. I plan to try a zucchini version as well as a lemon walnut version.
So glad to hear it!!!!! 🙂
Just put this in the oven! I can’t wait to try it. I put the temperature a little lower because my oven tends to burn everything that goes in it. I did one loaf as is and in the other I put some walnut pieces and dried cranberries!!!
This is one awesome recipe! Just finished making the bread about 20 mins ago. The texture was fantastic, very very yummy! Thanks!!! WOOOO for G-FREE!
thank you housewife lady!!!! i’m not even sure how or why i stumbled across this recipe but this is the third gf banana bread i’ve tried..and for the first time, i’m floored/amazed at how good this turned out. i followed the recipe exactly as written (ok ok, maybe i added some walnuts) and it turned out SPECTACULAR. Thank you so much for posting !!
You are so welcome! 🙂
This is an absolutely perfect recipe. I used it for my son’s first birthday cake (has to be dairy free) and the 5-7 year olds who were there too scarfed banana bread cupcakes with dairy free frosting down.
I am wondering if you have a similarly awesome recipe or recommendation for making pumpkin bread that is just as fabulous!
No, but I am hoping to try this with pumpkin and some extra spices. I’ll let you know if it works!
I made this bread and forgot to put in the sugar!! And guess what? It was still tasty, even made my own applesauce as I never have it in the house, it goes moldy every time, I don’t use it up. I would definitely make it again and maybe forget the sugar.
Good to know!!
gluten free goddess has an excellent gluten free bread recipe.
I just made these with pumpkin instead of bananas and they turned out amazing. I used one can of pumpkin puree. I added 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ginger and 1/4 tsp of cloves and 1/2 cup pecans. I also subbed xylitol for the sugar and only used 3/4 cup. Oh and since I couldn’t find sorghum flour, I used coconut flour. They are so light and fluffy, yet moist. The perfect combination! Thanks for the inspiration. I’m new to gluten free and I absolutely love to bake, so this has given me a new starting point!! Thanks again.
Judt took a loaf out of the oven. I used one loaf pan and had to cook it for 10 minutes more. I used brown rice flour and almond flour bitvlooks and smells amazing. I hope itvtastes good too.
I served this recipe to GF dinner guests last night. It was so delicious that they were nervous eating it! They thought it was so good it couldn’t have been gluten free!
I used white rice flour in my recipe and like another reader, split the sorghum and used 1/4 c of almond flour and a 1/4 c sorghum. This recipe has replaced our go-to recipe that we’ve used for the past 15 years. Delicious!
This recipe was great!!! Gluten free bread usually doesn’t taste very good and has a funny texture. This banana bread has the same texture as my regular banana bread and tastes great. I used 7 banana though and added some chopped walnuts.
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve made it twice already, and my family loves it! I used all purpose gluten free flour instead of the sorghum and brown rice flours, and it came out great! No one knew it was gluten free, even my super picky mom. 🙂
That is so great to hear!
I’m new to gluten free. Do you have to use xanthan gum or guar gum with this recipe? I’ve looked at a couple recipes and they called for the xanthan gum, all I have is guar gum so that’s why I’m asking. I did read that in using guar gum you have to 1 and a half times the amount of xanthan gum.
I just put this in the oven, switched up the sorghum flour for almond flour, added chopped pecans. Hope it burns our well.
Thanks for this! I made this and it turned out perfect. I used the sorghum flour and some gluten free baking mix instead of the brown rice flour.
I also made a loaf/bread with half and used some gluten and dairy free chocolate for some muffins with the other half. Delicious…even my kids are eating them and that’s an accomplishment!!
Oh and I live right next to the sea so I’m around a meter or two above sea level!
Many thanks again
YAY so glad you enjoyed it!
It is absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe!
My Mom taught me a trick long ago to “wash off” baking soda off the spoon with vinegar for the bread to rise, works like a charm, even on gluten free version 🙂
Just one quick question. I noticed that you do not have any guar gum or xanthan in this banana bread. If I use a GF flour mix which has xanthan gum in it will I have a problem difference. ?
I’m sorry, I don’t know how that will work. I haven’t tried it.
WOW!!! I made this recipe and it came out great. It’s become one of our favorites. Today I wanted a zucchini carrot bread and could not find a recipe online that looked good. I modified this one and the results were spectacular!
Substitutions made for zucchini carrot bread:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
Instead of bananas:
1 cup grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini well drained)
1 cup grated carrots (2 medium carrots)
3/4 cup sugar
Everything else the same
That sounds delicious! I want to try that.
I just made this, subbed all-purpose gf flour for sorghum, and honey for sugar. Oh my heavens…soooo delicious! Since I have a bunch of bananas still, and a pantry FULL of various gf flours, I see Christmas gifts about to happen!!
YAY! I love hearing that!
Loved it!!! I used 1 cup El Peto all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of almond meal and 1/2 coconut flour. It worked beautifully. I will also reduce the sugar next time. And I added 2 chopped semi sweet Bakers chocolate squares. Thank you!! Best I have ever made.
Am making this now. I used 1 1/2 cups rice flour 1/2 cup coconut flour. My batter looks more like cookie dough than cake batter…nothing like the image above. Will this come out okay?
I just got done makeing this but with my own twist on it……… i saw that some one had used maple sur. and that gave me a thought…. i used Organic Agave Nectar. now you only need 2/3 cup to replace 1 cup sugar….. for my first batch I did 1/3 amber and 1/3 light… 2nd batch i did all light. there was not much of a diff. . The other thing I did was use Coconut flour instead of the Sorgham. It came out nice. It did not need any thing else added to it. I also baked it in a miny loaf pan. my pan bakes 9 at a time. It took about 25 to 30 min to bake.
That sounds good!
I didn’t add applesauce and I replaced an egg with a banana
The consistency of mine came out like cookie dough pretty much, was very confused. I even tried to add water/almond milk to make it more liquidy.
I mashed it up in the pan…I don’t know…
🙁
Try the recipe as written, and I think it will work for you.
Wow. I just made this and it is positively irresistible. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I subbed the apple sauce for more butter since we’re a full-fat household, and I used two cups of Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. I was concerned because the batter didn’t taste great, but the finished product is scrumptious. I made it for a celiac roommate, but it may be all gone before he gets to try any!
I made this recently and it’s the best GF banana bread I’ve ever made. I had to bake it a bit longer than called for, but I just put a piece of foil over the top to prevent browning and it was fine. This is going to be my go-to recipe from now on. THANK YOU!
I’m looking forward to making this for my (almost) 5 year old son! He was recently diagnosed with celiac’s, and has been asking me if I can make him banana bread “without gluten in it.” I just wanted to clarify something before I try it- in the introduction you said you used coconut oil, but the written recipe calls for butter- which is better, the oil (either coconut or canola/vegetable) or butter?
I’m sorry about that. Either will work. It’s up to you.
Yum! I just finished making this banana bread and it is delicious and super moist. I did add a couple things: I stirred in a tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of maple flavoring and substituted a rice flour baking mix and just plain old white rice flour along with the last bit of sorghum I had in the house, then sprinkled chocolate chips on top before baking. I’m so surprised by the tecture. If I didn’t know any better, I’d never have known it was gluten free. Thank you for this great recipe!
So glad it worked out for you!!
Delicious! I made this banana bread exactly as written using unsalted butter rather than the coconut oil choice. My brown rice flour was purchased at my local health foods store, so I don’t know if it’s superfine or not. I did notice a little gritty/grainy texture. I’m going to order some superfine rice flour from Authentic Foods to see if that improves the texture. Overall, it isn’t noticeable, I think I’m just picky. This is a keeper of a recipe.
I’m so disappointed in your directions! I didn’t read the post but I scrolled down to the actually recipe and directions and it is different from what your post says! In your directions, you said to use 1/3 cup melted butter, but you used coconut oil in the post. Also, in the directions, you said to pour batter evenly into 1 9X5 loaf pan but in your post you said 2 loaf pans! My batter is cooking now but has overflowed into the bottom of my oven since this batter was really meant for 2 loaf pans or 1 large sized one unlike what your directions said! PLEASE FIX YOUR DIRECTIONS to match your post! What a waste!
I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you. In my post, I did say that you can make it in one large pan or two small. Butter or coconut oil are interchangeable in quick breads. I put butter in the recipe printable because I figure it’s more common for people to have on hand. I’ve made it both ways and they are equally delicious. I have changed the printable to give the options on both cases. I find that the loaves are pretty flat when done in 2 pans and 1 larger pan works best for me.
This was fantastic! I used 1-1/3 cup flour mix from Gluten Free Girl (4:3:3 millet, sweet rice, and potato starch), 1/3 cup almond flour, and 1/3 cup coconut flour.
Moist, rich, better than any banana bread I made before going GF.
I can’t stop eating it.
First time baking anything gluten free. As a matter of fact I went gluten free two days ago. I was really scared, but being a pretty good baker decided to take the plunge…lol Well, this banana bread is delicious! I substituted 4 ounces of coconut flour for the flour mixture. For the rest of the flour I used King Arthur’s gluten free. I also added some cinnamon, mixed butter and canola oil. I didn’t have apple sauce, so I used brown sugar. The muffins are firm and moist and the coconut flour gave it that extra kick. I thank you so much for helping me start my journey on a positive note 🙂 I am really excited about and I could not thank you enough!!! Oh yes, and I made banana muffins instead of the loaf. Wrapped them individually and popped them in the freezer 🙂
so I don’t usually write comments but this is the best gluten free banana bread i have ever had or made.. i being who i am never follow recipes to a tee so i did not have any of the listed flours so i used mamas pancake mix(this was an accident thought it was my coconut flour blend) and almond flour i also used ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.. next time i might try using less sugar or using maple syrup instead.. the bread was amazing my family loved it. It turned out beautiful was the perfect texture i feel this is better then any regular banana hoping i have extras so i can make banana bread french toast in the morning
Sounds delicious!
Hi Jo-Lynne. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I am so happy to find a gluten free dairy free banana bread recipe that doesn’t ask for several different types of flour and xanthan gum, etc. I followed the recipe to a T except I used rice flour (Thai rice flour from the Asian market) and vegetable oil instead of butter/coconut oil. It’s EXTREMELY delicious! Thank you again!
Thank you for a delicious banana bread recipe! I just took it out of the oven and my grandson and I have eaten 2 slices each already! I made two minor changes–I used palm coconut sugar since I’ve been refined sugar free for 4 1/2 months now, and I smooshed up an apple in the food processor to use in place of applesauce. I used grain free chocolate chips and that was a nice change from the walnuts I usually add to banana bread. It is moist but not gooey and has a great flavor and texture. I baked it for 40 minutes in two bread pans. Recipes like this make being gluten free a lot easier–Thank you! Now I’m anxious to see what else you have on your site!
Cheri, that is so great to hear. So glad you liked it!
I just made this banana bread recipe. Followed instructions (almost) exactly. I just added 1 tsp of baking power in addition to the baking soda for a little extra rise insurance, and used a bund pan which took 45 minutes at 350 in my oven. Taste and texture are both absolutely super wonderful. I will be using this recipe over and over. Thank you for it!
Music to my ears! Or um, eyes. LOL. I am so glad it worked out for you!
I have made this several times and it is truly the best gf banana bread! I was wondering if you could share or create a gf zucchini bread as close to this one as possible? Thanks!
That does sound great! I will do my best!
Can I use rice flour instead of brown rice/sorghum flour? I’m still new to the whole gluten free baking, so just making sure I can use what I have and not have to run to the store.
I think you can use rice flour, yes. But I wouldn’t use the bread maker – isn’t that designed for yeast breads only?
I didn’t use your recipe in the bread maker, but I used a recipe and changed it from the bread machine maker’s website and it came out perfect. Just have to use the cake option on the bread maker instead of the bread option. I’m going to make yours today though. 😀 I couldn’t find sorghum flour, so I’m hoping just using rice flour will work fine. 😀
Let me know! I think it will.
Also, do you think this recipe would work fine in a bread machine as well?
Realized the other day that I haven’t had banana bread in 3+ years since going GF… It was a heart breaking moment, So I am very much looking forward to making this!
Let me know how you like it!
I’ve made this bread probably 10 or 12 times at this point ( a little embarrassing to admit) but it’s THAT good. I use only 1/4 cup of sugar it’s still amazing. Also I’ve been making the batter into muffins. It makes 12 perfectly and I bake at 350 for 23 minutes. Just wanted to share!
That’s so awesome! And I love the idea of making it into muffins.
I just made a loaf of this and it is so delicious! I made it with half brown rice flour and half sorghum, as I have a lot more sorghum in my pantry and I love using it as much as possible.
That’s great! Thanks so much for letting me know.