How To Make Easy Gluten Free Banana Bread
There is a very fine line between delicious moist gluten free banana bread, and soggy gluey gluten free banana bread. Thats why I used two of my favorite gluten free baking ingredients to ensure this banana bread turned out PERFECT.
First, I started with my tried and true Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. I use this in almost ALL of my gluten free recipes because it just never fails. Its the perfect blend of rice flour, healthy starches, and xanthan gum that just takes the guess work out of gluten free baking.
To add a bit of texture into this smooth batter, I included another gluten free baking favorite. Bobs Red Mill Organic Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats are, like they say, completely gluten free. You have to be careful with oats, because most brands mill their oats in the same factory as wheat ingredients.
But, whenever I bake with old fashioned oats, I always like to give them a quick pulse in a food processor. I love the texture from old fashioned oats, but sometimes its a bit too chunky for what Im looking for. Ground old fashioned oats gives that extra bit of texture without any chewiness.
The blend of these two ingredients is the key to baking DELICIOUS gluten free banana bread.
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Almond flour cant be used as a replacement for an all purpose gluten free flour blend. If you would prefer to bake with almond flour instead of a rice-based flour blend, I have another recipe for you.
My Paleo banana bread recipe is made with almond flour. Its also naturally dairy free and gluten free, too. That may suit your needs better.
How To Make Your Banana Bread Look Fancy
Making this gluten free banana bread magazine-worthy is super simple! All thats needed is an extra banana, preferably one thats still yellow.
For the extra banana bread decoration, peal a yellow banana and slice it right down the middle, hotdog style. Lay the bananas, sliced side up, on top of the banana bread batter inside the loaf pan.
Once baked, the bananas on top will caramelize and provide even MORE banana flavor.
Another option is to slice the banana like normal, width wise. Take the slices and scatter them around the top of the bread in any pattern or design you like.
You could also add some chopped walnuts or pecans on top. Once baked the nuts will be nice and toasted and the bananas caramelized. Or even betteradd some chocolate chips!
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Added Baking Powder And Decreased The Baking Soda
While my banana bread recipe rises beautifully with baking soda, this nut flour-based version needs help from both baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder is double-acting, which means that it starts producing bubbles when mixed with liquid, and produces more bubbles when its heated.
Since we added baking powder , well decrease the amount of baking soda. Another reason is that baking soda is much stronger than baking powder, and we simply need less when theyre used together.
In summary: The answer to the question, Can I substitute almond flour? is not so simple! The good news is that I use a similar formula for many of my quick bread recipes and muffins, so you can likely use this recipe as a template to adjust the others.
Tips For The Best Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
Dont over-mix the batter:
Stir the banana bread batter until it is just mixed. The dry ingredients should be fully incorporated into the wet, but since well also be adding in the banana separately, make sure not to over mix, or youll end up with a gummy texture.
Measure your flour correctly:
I personally recommend using weighted measurements over a measuring cup. Your measurements will be way more accurate, and youll be more likely to achieve the desired result. However, if you dont have a kitchen scale, please make sure that you spoon and level the flour into your cup measurements rather than scooping the flour. Scooping will lead to too much flour in the batter, and unfortunately a dry banana bread!
Dont forget the nutmeg!
This is the key to a classic banana bread taste. Trust me, no one will know that this healthy banana bread recipe is entirely vegan, and I partially attribute this to the nutmeg. Nutmeg adds a nice kick to the cinnamon and makes it more lively.
Keep the oven shut while baking:
I know how tempting it is to keep opening the oven to see how close you are to done, but dont do this! Opening the oven will drastically alter the oven temperature , because the hot air will rush out into a cooler kitchen . This will change the way that the banana bread bakes. If you want to check on it, turn on the oven light, or if you need to open the oven, try to not do so until the very very end.
For a super moist vegan banana bread:
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Whats The Best Gluten
Years ago, youd have to pull together different combinations of grains and ingredients for gluten free baking.
These days, there are many brands that offer awesome all-purpose gluten-free blends. My current favorite is King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. I also love Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour and Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
One-to-one gluten-fre flours should work as an equal replacement for standard flour, but its always a good idea to double check the fine print on your Gluten Free flour to make sure you dont need to mix in additional ingredients like Xanthan Gum.
How To Make Gluten Free Dairy Free Banana Bread
If you need a dairy free option, in place of butter, try using vegan butter. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyokos Kitchen. You can also try virgin coconut oil . Raw, unrefined coconut oil is a great choice for a dairy free option, as it beings a very slight hint of nuttiness or coconut flavor to the bread.
You can also try Earth Balance buttery sticks, but they have more moisture than butter. You may need to add another tablespoon of gluten free flour to make the batter the proper consistency.
In place of sour cream, I highly recommend Anita brand plain coconut milk yogurt. Otherwise, any plain, nondairy, gluten-free sour cream alternative should work just fine.
If youre looking for a recipe thats already dairy free, try my cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread. Its a game-changer, and its written to be dairy free from the start!
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Banana Bread Or Banana Cake Whats The Difference
And so to the conundrum Is Banana Bread different from Banana Cake?
Search the internet and there are literally thousands of recipes pertaining to be either banana bread or banana cake. Both are made using mashed bananas. But while recipes vary in ingredients and appearance, they are all fundamentally the same whether they are called bread or cake. And apparently, even award-winning chefs like David Lebovitz, are hard pushed to define the difference.
Trying to decipher which is which myself, Ive seen everything from suggestions of difference based on density and shape, to how the final bread or cake is decorated. As far as I can see, all are a stab in the dark. Banana cake is ultimately the same as Banana Bread and vice versa. And either way who cares? All I know, is that its super-delicious and an international favourite .
What Are The Best Bananas For Making Gluten Free Banana Bread
Which brings us to the use of over-ripe bananas. Does baking banana bread NEED the bananas to be over-ripe? Most banana bread recipes specify that the bananas should be either ripe or over-ripe. And yes it helps. But it is not essential.
The riper the banana the sweeter it will taste and the easier it will be to mash into a blended cake batter. Even bananas with black skin are mostly still good on the inside.
But Ive made banana bread with less ripe, yellow bananas too. They may be harder to mash and break down, but they still translate into delicious banana sponge when baked.
However Theres one amazing trick to guarantee the most incredible banana bread ever. Are you ready for a game-changer? Its using ROASTED bananas. Whether the bananas are just ripening, or on the turn, roasting them before peeling and mashing creates the most intensely divine banana flavour and sumptuously rich texture. Simply roast them in their skins on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes until the skins turn black. Leave to cool in the skins before you peel and use.
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Is Gluten Free Banana Bread Safe For People With Coeliac Disease
The banana bread recipe shared here has been developed to be entirely gluten free. Thus it is completely safe for people with Coeliac Disease . Just remember, as always, to check labels for any hidden or unexpected gluten or may contain warnings. Particularly if the people eating the banana bread are Coeliac, allergic or have a gluten-related health condition.
How To Store Your Gluten Free Banana Bread
Because this bread is so moist, you can easily store it on your countertop for several days. Place the bread within an airproof container and leave it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Beyond that, you may notice that it starts to dry out. If that happens, dont worry its still perfectly edible. If you want to moisten it, consider using some butter, honey, or syrup.
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Can You Use Unripe Bananas For Gluten Free Banana Bread
No, you cannot use unripened bananas to make banana bread. As bananas ripen, they develop natural sugars.
Those natural sugars first make the bananas tender. Then, when theyre baked into it, they tenderize, sweeten, and flavor your banana bread, too.
Despite lots of claims on the Internet, you cannot ripen bananas by baking them in their skins in the oven. Youll just cook them, but they wont ripen.
To speed the ripening of your bananas, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple. The gases from the apple will speed up the ripening of the bananas.
Variations On Gluten Free Banana Bread
Try any of these add ins to mix up the flavor and texture of your homemade bread. 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup is suggested
- mini chocolate chips
- chocolate chips
- chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans make a lovely gluten free banana nut bread
- dried fruit apricots or currants
Of course is you dont need a gluten free recipe, you can use all purpose flour in place of the gluten free flour mix.
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Tips For Making The Best Moist Banana Bread:
My secret to making insanely moist and incredible banana bread is: LOTS of bananas.
Years and years ago, I discovered using more bananas makes banana bread incredibly moist and delicious.
Not to mention, naturally sweet. Rather than adding a lot of oil or butter, much of the moisture can come from the bananas themselves without sacrificing flavor, moisture, or fluff.
If anything, the more bananas, the better
For this reason, I usually use a cup and a half of mashed ripe banana in one loaf of banana bread, which usually equates to 4 ripe bananas.
For my grain-free banana bread recipes, I dont add any additional fat , as there is plenty sourced from the almond flour and coconut flour.
Because gluten-free flour blends dont contain as much fat as almond flour or coconut flour, I use a small amount of melted butter to give the loaf a bit of fat love. Coconut oil and avocado oil work too!
The massive amount of overripe bananas also enables you to cut down on the added sugar, which I see as a bonus.
For the grain-free banana bread recipes, I add a just a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup or coconut sugar to boost the sweetness to absolute perfection. You can also use cane sugar or just stick with the mashed bananas for sweetness.
If youre wondering what makes this recipe the best banana bread recipe, here are the main bullet points:
Gluten Free Flour Mix
Of course you can make your own homemade gluten-free flour blend, but I use this gluten free flour mix. Some gluten free mixes are better than others. Just make sure that you know the difference between gluten free flour and flour blends or mixes. While they sound the same, there is a key ingredient included in the blends xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum is the substance you are looking for on the ingredient list. It helps to thicken baked goods. If you happen to simply have gluten free flour then add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of gf flour in the recipe.
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Easy Gluten Free Banana Bread
This easy gluten free banana bread recipe is everything you could want: moist, tender, delicious, and packed with tons of banana flavor but not too much sweetness. Best of all, you only need one bowl and 10 minutes of prep to pull together this yummy recipe.
Its perfect for breakfasts, brunches, desserts, and any other time youre craving some banana goodness. Plus, your non-gluten free family and friends will have no idea that their new favorite banana bread recipe is gluten free.
How To Make It
Start by whisking together the the gluten free all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, mash up some overripe bananas and measure out 1 cup. Its important to use exactly 1 cup of mashed bananas for the right texture.
This recipe also doubles great. The recipe takes about 2 ½ bananas per loaf. So if you have 5 over-ripe bananas sitting around make two loaves! Nobody at my house complains when I do that!
- In a large mixing bowl, add the shortening and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy
- Add the eggs, a teaspoon vanilla extract and almond milk and beat for 1-2 minutes until light and combined.
- Add the ½ the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Add half the bananas and mix to combine. Repeat with the other ½ dry ingredients and bananas. Fold in any mix-ins with a spatula.
- Pour batter and smooth batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan then on a wire rack until fully cooled.
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The Best Way To Use Ripe Bananas
Like many, bananas are staples in our homes. This sweet, soft fruit is incredibly versatile and budget-friendly. We love them for smoothies, for snacking, for topping on yogurt or oatmeal, and of course for making the best gluten-free banana bread recipe . We never think twice about throwing a few extra bananas in our cart for the sole purpose of using them to bake up something delicious.
This Gluten-free Banana Bread recipe is one we make often in our homes and is perfect for year-round baking because bananas are always in season. Banana Bread also makes for a great gift for loved ones, dear friends, parents of a new baby, and anyone who needs a little something delicious to cheer them up.
How To Ripen Unripe Bananas
Want to make banana bread but your bananas arent ripe enough? I learned this super quick method for ripening bananas fast in the oven.
Easy! Use this trick:
You are just going to love this vegan banana bread recipe! If you make it, let me know down below in the comments section, along with giving it a rating so that other people can see.
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on and , so be sure to tag me there! Please leave a review as well as a rating so that others may find this recipe too!
Happy classic banana bread baking!
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Gf Banana Bread Recipe Variations
There are loads of ways to make this gf banana bread recipe your own. You can jazz things up by adding some really good quality chocolate chips or, if you dont like chocolate chips, add some chopped mixed nuts, some pumpkin spice, and some dried cranberries. Or, put a tropical twist on it with lime juice and zest and some shredded coconut. Once youve mastered the base recipe, which is, of course, beautiful and delicious, dont be afraid to experiment a little and create a new, unique family favorite.
Whats The Best Oven Temperature For Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread
I like to bake this banana bread at a slightly higher oven temperature of 375ºF for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. This ensures a gorgeous domed top, nicely caramelised edges and perfectly baked-through, soft and moist inner crumb.
Note that the oven temperature above refers to a conventional/non-fan oven. If youre using a convection/fan oven, reduce this temperature by 25ºF . This is a general rule of thumb that holds true for most recipes.
If your banana bread starts browning too quickly, cover it with a sheet of aluminium foil and continue baking until done.
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How To Make Gluten Free Egg Free Banana Bread
There are two eggs in this recipe. You should be able to replace each of them with a chia egg.
For each chia egg, combine 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allow to sit until it gels. If you have another egg replacer you prefer, try that. This recipe is so adaptable that it might work.