This Almond Flour Banana Bread is moist, melt-in-your-mouth, delicious quick bread your entire family will go bananas for! This healthy banana bread is also refined sugar free, gluten-free, dairy-free and comes together in one bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread
This almond flour banana bread always disappears fast in my kitchen! Once you make banana bread with almond flour you will see how tender, moist and delicious it comes out!
All you need is one bowl and 10 simple ingredients to make this banana bread recipe that’s packed with healthy fats, protein and fiber. It’s also naturally sweetened with maple syrup and ripe bananas, and is gluten-free and grain-free.
Kids love this almond flour banana bread recipe, our readers love it and it’s one of my most popular quick bread recipes ever! I have tested, re-tested and made it over 10’s of times over the last 7 years. Hope you enjoy it for a healthy breakfast or snack!
We also love these almond flour banana muffins, cottage cheese banana bread and coconut flour banana bread.
Reader’s Review
This is the best banana bread recipe I have ever made! It’s moist, not too sweet and healthy! I did add some walnuts and little bits of dark chocolate chips. This is a keeper in my recipe file.
Judy
Ingredients for Almond Flour Banana Bread
- Ripe bananas: Very ripe bananas of deep yellow color with plenty of black spots on the outside.
- Almond flour: I use blanched fine almond flour. It tastes and acts differently from any other flour. It’s basically finely ground raw blanched almonds. Here is a quick tutorial how to make almond flour at home. I have not tried almond meal in this recipe but it will work.
- Eggs: Provide lift and structure and hold this gluten-free banana bread together, so don’t skip or see below for substitutions.
- 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 banana bread recipe with Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (erythritol) and it tasted great!
- Oil: Any mild tasting oil like light olive oil, avocado oil, melted coconut oil or grapeseed oil will work.
- Pure vanilla extract: Use the real stuff, not imitation for best flavor.
- Cinnamon and salt: Cinnamon for a warming taste plus it will make your house smell amazing! And then salt for the overall taste.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents to provide rise.
How to Make Banana Bread with Almond Flour
This almond flour banana bread rises better in a metal loaf pan. I highly recommend not to use glass or ceramic baking dish. Here are the basic steps how to make it and you can find full recipe card below:
- Mix wet ingredients and spices: In a large bowl, 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 wire rack to cool off completely.
- Slice and serve: Slice banana bread with serrated bread knife, not regular knife. It works best for cutting all breads!
Tips for Best Results
- Baking pan choice: I recommend to use a metal loaf pan and not ceramic or glass loaf pan. Bread will bake through better and won’t be soggy.
- Line the pan with parchment paper: Almond flour tends to stick even to the best and new non-stick surfaces. You will also be able to remove banana bread easily.
- Make sure your bananas are ripe: From my experience, I know some people use just yellow or even (scary to think) 50 shades of green bananas. Use bananas with many brown spots, the more the better.
- To prevent too much browning on the top cover it loosely with foil during last 15-20 minutes of baking. All ovens vary.
- Let it cool completely: Almond flour banana 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.
Variations
- Chocolate and nuts: You can add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips and chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter before baking.
- Berries: Try blueberries but dust them in almond flour before adding to prevent from sinking in.
- Out of cinnamon? Try nutmeg, ginger or another warming spice like 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 banana bread 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 a toothpick test.
- Muffins: Bake for 20 minutes or just make my recipe for almond flour banana muffins.
Recipe Tip
I don’t recommend adding in chopped apples to this bread as they contain too much moisture and the batter is already “wet”.
How to Store
Store: During first 24 hours, I like to 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.
Banana 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.
Freeze: 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 freezer bag, 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.
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 pan, 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.
Unfortunately not. Wheat flour and almond flour have completely different properties and can’t be swapped 1:1.
I have not made this banana bread with almond meal but I think it will work. In my experience, almond meal produces more heavy baked goods because it also contains the skin of almonds.
More Banana Bread Recipes to Try
- Greek yogurt banana bread
- Applesauce banana bread
- Protein banana bread
- 3 ingredient banana bread
- Oat flour banana bread
- Pumpkin banana bread
More Almond Flour Bread Recipes
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large very ripe bananas with brown spots, 1 cup mashed
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup any sweetener, I use maple syrup
- 1/4 cup any mild oil or melted butter, I use avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon 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 off completely. Slice with sharp serrated knife – works best with breads to keep them from falling apart.
Notes
- Store: Store bread in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 3 days. After refrigerate for another 3 days.
- 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.
- Metal pan: I have way better success baking this bread in metal pan vs. ceramic. It rises better and is not as wet.
- Oil: Any mild tasting oil like avocado oil, light olive oil, melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil will work.
- Flour: You can’t use any other flour besides 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very easy recipe. Very moist and great flavor!
Hello!
I came across this recipe and would like to try. Could you tell me how I could make it with cacao powder to make a chocolate almond banana bread? Thanks in advance!
You would need to add about 1/2 cup cacao powder and sweetener to offset its bitterness. You won’t be able to add maple syrup because it adds extra liquid. Use extra 1/4 cup or so of dry sweetener like sugar or monk fruit extract.
In the oven now can’t wait to taste it! Easy to put together! Thankyou
Hope you liked it!
Thank you! This is a quick, easy, tasty, and healthy recipe that came out perfect at exactly 50 minutes.
So happy to hear that – perfect timing and all! Thanks for the lovely feedback!