Healthy Almond Flour Banana Bread is a moist, melt-in-your-mouth quick bread your entire family will love! It is also paleo friendly and refined sugar free. Your family will go bananas for it!
We eat grains, but absolutely love goodies with almond flour like almond flour waffles, almond flour muffins and almond flour pancakes.
Table of contents
This almond flour banana bread always disappears fast in my kitchen. It is a banana bread loaf that is tender, delicious and flavorful.
Only almond flour lemon zucchini bread disappears faster.
I’m not a professional baker but I bake a lot of quick breads for healthy breakfast ideas and healthy snacks. And although we are not a grain-free family, using almond flour in some of these bakes has become part of our well-rounded diet.
Kids love this bread, our readers love it and it is one of my most popular recipes ever! It is super easy to make and I am sure you will love it too!
Why Make Banana Bread Recipe with Almond Flour?
- Easy: One bowl is all you need to make this almond flour banana quick bread!
- Wholesome: Nutrient dense with simple 5 ingredients.
- Healthy: Almond flour is lower in carbs, lower on the glycemic index (i.e. doesn’t spike blood sugar!) and high in vitamin E.
- Naturally gluten free: For those avoiding gluten, this quick loaf is very similar to the real deal!
- Versatile: This banana bread can be made vegan and keto and is suitable for paleo and dairy-free diets!
Ingredients You Will Need
You only need 5 simple ingredients and a few pantry staples to make this almond flour banana bread recipe. Detailed recipe card is located below.
- Ripe bananas: Very ripe bananas of deep yellow colour with plenty of black spots on the outside.
- Almond flour: I use blanched finely ground almond flour in this recipe. It tastes and acts differently from any other flour. It is basically finely ground raw blanched almonds. I have not tried almond meal in this recipe.
- Eggs: Provides lift and structure to this bread.
- Any sweetener: Use any liquid sweetener like maple syrup, honey or your favorite sugar-free alternative. You can also use any dry sweetener. I tested this recipe Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (erythritol) and it tasted great!
- Oil: Any mild tasting oil like light olive oil, melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil will work.
- Pure vanilla extract: Use the real stuff, not imitation.
- Cinnamon and salt: Cinnamon for a warming taste (plus it will make your house smell amazing!). And then salt to taste.
- Baking powder and soda: Leavening agents to provide rise.
How to Make Almond Flour Banana Bread
This banana bread recipe with almond flour rises better in a metal loaf pan. I highly recommend not to use glass baking dish. Here are the basic steps:
- Mix wet ingredients and spices: Mash bananas first. Then add eggs, sweetener of choice, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and leavening agents. Whisk well.
- Add almond flour: Fill each cup fully with a hill and do not pack, then skim off top with a butter knife. Stir with spatula until batter forms.
- Bake and cool: Add batter into lined with parchment paper loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove onto a rack to cool off for another 10 minutes.
- Slice and serve: Slice bread with serrated bread knife, not regular knife. It works best for cutting all breads! And may I suggest enjoying it with some healthy fruit salad? So good together!
Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- Add-ins: You can add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini is my preference just like with healthy cookie dough!), chopped walnuts or blueberries (dust them in almond flour before adding to prevent from sinking in). Love berries? Make berry trifle next!
I don’t recommend adding in chopped apples to this bread as they contain too much moisture and the batter is already ‘wet’.
- Out of cinnamon? Try nutmeg, ginger or another warming spice – pumpkin pie spice could be great, too! Just keep in mind some spices are more potent than others and you may want to use less.
- Vegan: I have successfully tested this with a chia egg – note it is a bit more dense and flat but turns out wonderful!
- Mini loaves: Is a great idea especially if you want to freeze some for later! Try baking for 30 minutes then doing toothpick test.
- Muffins: Bake for 20 minutes or just make my recipe for almond flour banana muffins.
Tips for Best Results
- Baking pan choice: I recommend to use metal loaf pan and not ceramic or glass loaf pan. Bread will bake through better and won’t be soggy.
- Make sure your bananas are ripe: From my experience with almond flour banana muffins, I know some people use just yellow or even (scary to think) 50 shades of green bananas.
- To prevent too much browning on the top cover it loosely with foil during last 15-20 minutes of baking.
- Let it cool completely! Bread needs time to ‘set’ after baking. Slice it too soon and it will be gooey and crumbly.
- Do not swap flours: This is worth repeating over and over! Baking is a science and my version of banana bread with almond flour has only been tested as it is written.
FAQs
Make sure to use only 3 medium-large (1 cup mashed) bananas and I highly suggest metal baking loaf pan. I didn’t have great results with ceramic or glass – bread caved in.
You will need 1 cup of mashed bananas. If your bananas are extra large, maybe they measure 1 cup. Otherwise, with 2 bananas you will have to use 2/3 of all other ingredients.
Probably because bananas were not very ripe, your bread turned out not sweet enough. You can also add 2 more tablespoons of sweetener next time.
The only thing that’s not paleo in this banana bread is baking powder.
While there are some grain free baking powders on the market, they can be a bit pricey and hard to find. Luckily, it’s easy to make your own at home using 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking soda. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder (also called starch/flour) can be added to prevent clumping.
Yes. To make keto banana bread use a sugar free sweetener and make a grain free baking powder alternative (see FAQ above).
Serving Recommendations:
- Protein topped: A smear of peanut or almond butter pairs so good with this bread and makes for a filling breakfast or snack!
- Traditional: Spread a small amount of butter or honey butter- sometimes you just don’t mess with the best!
- Savory: Cream cheese would be decadent, or try my healthy icing used on pumpkin cake that is made with greek yogurt/cream cheese!
- Dessert: I would never turn down a slightly warm slice with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
Making This Recipe in Advance
Storing: First 24 hours, we store banana bread on a counter right in the loaf pan covered with towel. After, I transfer any leftovers to resealable plastic bag to prevent it from drying.
Bread stays fresh on a counter for up to 3 days, making it great for meal prep. After you can refrigerate for another 3 days.
Freezing: Bake banana bread and cool completely. I recommend you do not slice bread before placing in the freezer. It retains its moisture better this way.
Place in a gallon size Ziploc container, let out as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thawing and reheating: Defrost on a counter. Takes about 3-4 hours. Bread will taste just like freshly baked. Pop it into a toaster for a minute for that freshly baked bread warmth and aromas.
Enjoy this almond flour banana bread!
More Healthy Almond Flour Bread Recipes
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large bananas 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas with brown spots
- 3 eggs large
- 1/4 cup any sweetener
- 1/4 cup any mild oil or melted butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups almond flour not almond meal
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line metal 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper or leave non-stick as is. Spray only bottom and lower 1″ with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash with a masher. Then add eggs, sweetener, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk until combined.
- Add almond flour and stir and mix gently with spatula to combine.
- Pour batter into previously prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove almond flour banana bread from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool off for 10 minutes. Remove bread from a loaf pan and let it cool another 10 minutes. Slice with sharp serrated knife – works best with breads to keep them from falling apart.
Store: Store bread in an airtight container or bag in a cool dry place for up to 3 days. After refrigerate for another 3 days or proceed to freezing.
Freeze: Bake and cool completely. I recommend to freeze bread unsliced to retain moisture. Place in a gallon size Ziploc container, let out as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours.
Video
Notes
- Metal pan: I have way better success baking this bread in metal pan vs. ceramic. It rises better and is not as wet. I believe it is because nuts are high in fat and steam stays in the glass/ceramic pan more.
- Oil: Any mild tasting oil like light olive oil, melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil will work.
- Flour: You can’t use ANY other flour besides almond flour. Has to be almond flour.
- Sweetener: I have successfully baked this bread with honey, maple syrup and even Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (erythritol). I think any dry or liquid sweetener works in same amount.
- Vegan: I have successfully tested this with a chia egg – note it is a bit more dense/flat but turns out wonderful!
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes without permission. Nutritional info is approximate.
Can you successfully double this recipe?
I don’t see why not, you will need two pans.
Very tasty. Moist, cake like texture. Will make it again.
Glad you enjoyed it!
As I write this we are, literally fighting over the last piece!😀
I am almost entirely GF but have never tried baking a banana bread made with almond flour. I made the recipe exactly as written but added 1/2 regular sized dark chocolate chips which took it to a whole other level. I kept the honey at 1/4 cup which, surprisingly, offered the perfect amount of sweetness for us. It got better every day it sat on the counter which was exactly 3 days. Also, a big thank you for the storage advice. So many food bloggers leave this info out and it’s so helpful.
I am so happy to hear this, Linda!
Could I use applesauce as the sweetener ?
Possibly…I think it would be fine but not 100% sure. Please let me know if you try.
I tried the recipe with applesauce as the sweetener. I doubled the amount of vanilla, used coconut oil, and also added a couple tablespoons of ground flax, then baked in a mini muffin pan (intending to also serve to my baby). They turned out great, super moist, and the whole family loved them (including my 12 month old!). I’ll be saving this recipe for sure. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it and the whole family, too!
Is there a reason it has to be almond flour?
Yes. Please see post above for explanation and other banana bread recipes.
Very delicious! Thank you so much for your recipe 💖
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Olena,
I used the same exact flour from a store called Aldi’s here. This is real tasty! although I used an extra banana or two, it’s super moist! 😋
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is really good. I love the taste of the almond flour. I added dried cranberries and it didn’t detract from the flavour at all. Thanks for posting!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Super moist!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe! I made it without sweetener just added a few raisins. Thank you!
So glad it turned out so well! Raisins are excellent addition.