Three bananas. One Bowl. Zero gluten. Let’s do this.
You may remember my recipe for gluten free banana bread with butternut squash. It’s one of my favorites of all time. Yes, all time. But I couldn’t help but strip it down to the absolute essentials and take it back to classic banana bread land.
Friends, behold: 1-Bowl Gluten-Free Banana Bread.
The ingredients for this scrumptious, hearty bread begin with three overripe bananas. Then come essentials you likely already have on hand, such as eggs (or chia/flax eggs), vanilla and coconut oil. To sweeten things up a bit more I relied on a mix of honey, cane and brown sugar for a variance of flavor and texture.
Then comes the gluten-free goodness: a mix of gluten free oats, almond meal and my favorite gluten-free flour blend (or sub other gluten-free blends with varied results). Check out our Guide to Gluten-Free Flours for more guidance!
And of course, if you’re not gluten free just sub whole wheat pastry or all purpose for the blend.
About 1 hour in the oven and this baby is ready for the taking.
I could hardly wait to slice in, but patience is key here. You need to wait a good hour before cutting into this baby, else it will crumble and fall apart. That’s what you don’t want.
This is what you do want. A hearty loaf that holds its shape and converts even the most suspicious of eaters into gluten-free banana bread lovers. Hubba hubba.
This bread is:
Hearty
Perfectly moist
Loaded with banana flavor
Just sweet enough
Spotted with oats and almond meal
Slightly nutty
Incredibly satisfying
& Altogether dreamy
Trust me, you’re gonna love this bread. Enjoy!
More Quick Bread Recipes
- 1-Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Bread (V + GF)
- 1-Bowl Nutella Banana Bread (Vegan + GF)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Snack Bread (V + GF + 1 Bowl)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
One Bowl Gluten Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe bananas (3 bananas yield ~1 1/2 cups or 337 g)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg (or sub 1 chia or flax egg)*
- 3 Tbsp avocado or coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup packed organic brown sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on ripeness of bananas // or sub honey)
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder*
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other dairy-free milk)
- 1 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free oats
FOR SERVING optional
- Butter
- Honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Mash banana in a large bowl. Add all ingredients through almond milk (vanilla, egg, oil, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, almond milk) and whisk vigorously to combine. Last add almond meal, gluten free flour blend and oats and stir.
- Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top.
- Let cool completely before cutting or it will be too tender to hold form.
- Serve with butter and honey or as is. Store leftovers in a covered container for up to a few days. Slice and freeze for longer term storage.
Video
Notes
*We recommend aluminum-free baking powder for best flavor. Brands with aluminum sometimes create a metallic taste.
*Adapted from my GF Banana Butternut Squash Bread, originally adapted from TakeAMegabite.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with avocado oil and with lesser amount of maple syrup.
Beth says
This banana bread turned out super moist and delicious! I think next time I will use less sweetener- it is a touch too sweet for me & I think I even used half of the suggested maple syrup- but so yummy. Next time I won’t use sprouted oats either but just regular rolled oats- for some reason the sprouted ones are extra fibrous and I don’t love that about them. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Beth! We’re glad you still enjoyed it! xo
Adela says
This was a real winner. It came out moist and full of banana flavor, and did not taste “gluten free”. I used regular baking powder (not aluminum free) and did not find it had any metallic taste.
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it, Adela. Thank you for sharing! xo
CNicIomhair says
I’ve been using this recipe for what seems like years and it has never, ever let me down. I’ve followed it to a T, I’ve made subs here and there, added chocolate, added pecans, butter when I don’t have coconut oil etc, always amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe, it always gets kudos from my husbands teammates as I always get two smaller loaves and one goes to work with him <3
Aw, love this so much! Thank you for sharing! xo
Mayana says
Would this work with regular flour?
Yes! Just use slightly less in place of the gluten-free flour blend.
Anita says
I’m making this, in the oven now.
I always made banana bread with sour milk, by placing 1 tsp apple cider vinegar in the milk with baking soda.
Lanie says
This is truly an easy, one-bowl recipe you must try! It is moist, flavourful and delicious! I used regular milk, brown sugar, added mini chocolate chips & made them into muffins. Baked at 350 for 25 mins in my silicone muffin pan and they were perfect! The recipe made 12 muffins & 12 mini banana breads.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Lanie! xo
Emily Jo says
This is my go to banana bread recipe! My absolute favorite! I love the hearty texture and subtle sweetness! Mmmmm it’s just the best 💗
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Emily Jo! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Carol says
Seriously the most delicious, moist and fabulous banana bread ever. Absolutely amazing and the instructions are spot on.
Aw, thanks so much, Carol! We’re thrilled you love it! xoxo
Sara says
Great, GF recipe, thank you so much for posting it!
Made this today to share with, among others, someone who cannot have any gluten. It came out really nice, rich and moist.
My variations: I didn’t have almond meal, but a bag of cashews that I ground before starting mixing things up: worked well as a equally valid, nutty alternative.
I didn’t add the honey, although I would have loved to, but had mixed in the sugar already and taste-wise I thought it was just right (I should flag that I generally like to go with little sugar). I may try 50gr of brown sugar and 60g of honey next time.
I used sunflower oil and it worked great too.
All in all, a really nice recipe. Glad I tried it, I will come back to it again soon!
We’re so glad it turned out well, Sara. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Tori says
This came out so delicious! I only used 1/3 c coconut sugar and 1 tbsp maple syrup and it came out delicious. I also used whole wheat instead of gf flour, as I’m not strictly gf, and it worked out really well. I definitely will be making this again.
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Tori! xo
Bee says
I’m really upset I’ve wasted so many inredients baking this recipie. For me the results were a 0/10.
I followed all instructions and the mixture looked nothing like the photos on the website.
When the final ingredients were added, the milk combined with oats turned it into a creamy thick porridge.
Once baked the centre of my bread was very paste like, dense and doughy. It was fully cooked through though, but just a horrible texture.
I’m baffled as to how people can get a crumbly fluffy bread consistency from this recipie.
But based upon my terrible results, I personally wouldn’t recommend it or even attempt making it again.
We’re so sorry it didn’t turn out right, Bee. Is it possible your baking powder is expired? If that’s not the issue, would you mind sharing the GF blend you used? Some GF blends are more absorbent, depending on the ingredients in them. Our DIY blend (linked in recipe) works best in this recipe.
Meredith says
As much as I typically love your recipes, this was a no-go for me. I typically make muffins instead of bread, so that’s what we did. I wish that the comment about Bob’s Red Mill flour not being good for this recipe was incorporated into the recipe instead of just the comments, as we did end up with chewy muffins. That wasn’t the biggest problem however- the muffins had no flavor. I had even added an additional 1/2 tsp of cinnamon since I thought that the original amount was too small. Whatever was happening with the interaction between the flours/oats and the sugars was not working. Again, I normally love your recipes but I think this one needs some adjusting.
We’re so sorry that was your experience, Meredith! Thank you for the honest feedback and suggestion to add the note about Bob’s to the recipe. We’re hesitant to say it doesn’t work with Bob’s because some readers have enjoyed it that way. Were you using the red (all-purpose) or blue (1-1) Bob’s blend? For the flavor, how ripe were the bananas you used?
Corine says
This is my go-to GF banana bread recipe. Even the “GF-grumblers” in my family love this bread. They wouldn’t know the difference if I hadn’t told them. I did notice a similar issue to another commenter: when I used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour (many tries ago), the bread also turned out too dense and gummy, even after cooking for more than 1 hour and 15 minutes. Since I switched to King Arthur GF Measure-for-Measure (1:1 substitute), I have had excellent results.
Amazing! We’re so glad this recipe is a hit in your family. Thank you for sharing your experience, Corine! xo
Jennifer says
Can you mix tapioca flour with oat flour or just use plain gf oat flour instead of the gluten free flour for this recipe?
My tapioca flour has been in the fridge but I’ve had it a long while and there’s no best before date so not sure how long it keeps…open to thoughts on that also if anyone has any.
Thank you so much!
Hi Jennifer! We think oat flour would make this recipe too gummy. It does rely on the gluten-free flour blend to keep it light and fluffy!
Marisa says
For nut free, oat-free people- I did ground pumpkin seeds instead of almond meal and buckwheat flour instead of the oats. Turned out great! I only baked for about 50 min because I used a toaster oven.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing your modifications, Marisa! xo
Tatiana says
Unfortunately mine turned out gummy on the inside. It was in for almost 1 he and 15 and the edges started to get too dark. I have a thermometer in the oven so the temp was correct.
We’re so sorry that was your experience, Tatiana! Did you make any modifications to the ingredients? Is your baking powder expired? What brand of GF blend were you using?
Anni says
The best gluten-free banana bread recipe I’ve come across! Always comes out great.
Bake it. Now.
Whoop! Thank you for the lovely review, Anni! xo
Victoria Brown says
Can you use almond flour instead of meal?
Yes!
Alisa says
Made this last night and it is delicious! I will 100% make this again. My son wanted me to add choc chips and although it tastes great next time I just want to enjoy it on it’s own. It really is good!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alisa! Thank you for sharing! xo
Eric says
I have this bookmarked as my go-to Banana Bread recipe as it turns out amazing every time. The only sub I do is Xylitol instead of cane sugar to reduce the calories a bit. Yum!
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Eric. Thank you for the lovely review!
Blair Hay says
Best gluten free banana bread I have EVER had! I didn’t have coconut or avocado oil so I used butter and I didn’t add the maple syrup as my bananas were super ripe and it is sweet, chewy and delicious! I’ve had 2 slices while it’s still warm and I’m trying not to go back for a third 😂
Blair Hay says
Sorry – I also made 2 small loaves from the recipe and cooked in my air fryer, 20 mins at 160c ( I’m in Australia!) and then I covered with foil for an additional 20 mins and it’s perfect.
Aw, YAY! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Blair! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kate says
Thanks for your reply. It was Bob’s Red Mill.
Was it the red bag (GF all-purpose) or blue bag (1-1 GF baking flour)?
SG says
Can you sub almond flour for almond meal??
Yes!
Kate says
My banana bread was seriously undercooked (nope didn’t change anything). It was in the oven for over two hours and still has a gummy texture. I double checked the temp, etc. Did anyone else have this issue?
Hi Kate, we’re so sorry that was your experience! Would you mind sharing what brand of gluten-free flour blend you used? That would be the most likely cause of the loaf being underbaked.
April says
I made a double batch because I had a surplus of bananas that needed used. This bread was delicious! I used coconut sugar in place of the other sugars. Coconut oil for the oil and canned coconut milk instead of almond milk since that was what I had. It turned out perfect!
I didn’t notice the aluminum taste from baking powder that others mentioned but after reading the comments I decided I would purchase aluminum free for the future for a more healthy option.
Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, April! xo
Barb says
Making this today for my daughter. Would like to do muffins. What would be the temperature and baking time?
Hi Barb, for muffins the same temperature usually works and they bake for ~20-25 minutes!
Lara says
Has anyone successfully substituted the sugar for 100% maple syrup or date paste? :)
Shelli says
I have and it turned out great. I used 1/4 cup maple syrup as we prefer our banana bread to be not so sweet.
Rachel H says
I should add that I committed the other sugars!!
Rachel H says
No, but with very sweet bananas I used honey and brown sugar syrup (about the consistency of maple syrup–taste is pretty similar, too). I did 1/4 C honey with 1/4 C syrup and omitted the milk.
Lanie says
I had some old bananas on the counter and wanted to make banana bread on a whim. I found this recipe and conveniently had all of the ingredients. I used almond flour instead of meal. I have two little kids that keep me busy and love that this is a one bowl and quick recipe. The flavour is amazing! The texture is a little gooey, maybe slightly undercooked? I’ll bake longer next time and try it out as muffins as well.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it overall, Lanie! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Maria says
Thank you so much for creating this lovely amazing recipe! 💗 It’s delicious, wholesome and so moist – this is our go-to GF banana bread recipe and we love it so much. The recipe exactly as written is fantastic. Most recently, we’ve enjoyed substituting 2 Tbsp. molasses in place of the maple syrup/honey, and being really generous with the cinnamon. Even added some crushed pineapple per my partner’s request a couple times (yummy in combination with the coconut oil). When we were out of almond meal, we also substituted coconut flour with good result (per google search, used a 1:4 ratio of coconut flour to almond meal + 1 extra egg). Really excited to continue trying other mix-ins like nuts or chocolate! Because we’re unable to use our oven currently, we also tried baking this as muffins in the air fryer and this worked well, too! (we followed a chart per google search on how much to reduce the temperature and time – combined with even less time for the muffin version – they were finished baking in less than 20 minutes!) Thank you so much for this magical recipe!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Maria! We’re so glad it can be versatile for you!
Sherry says
This was moist and I plan on making it again as it’s tasty and I LOVE the one bowl situation. The only thing I don’t love is that it’s 17g of sugar per slice. Next time I make it (next week!), I’m going to try to halve the sugar and see if it’s still good for breakfast heated up a bit with some butter.
No matter what it’s better than eating something store bought as it’s pretty wholesome ingredients and no seed oils as I used olive oil. Thank you!
Thanks for the great review and for sharing your experience, Sherry!
Lucie says
LOVED this healthy banana bread recipe! I used almond flour since I didn’t have meal and subbed cane sugar for coconut sugar. Deliciously sweet, perfectly moist with a nice crispy crust! My new favorite! Thank you!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Lucie!
Rachel Kotack says
Is this really supposed to use 3.5tsp of baking powder? I made it and it totally just tastes like baking powder. Inedible.
Hi Rachel, that’s correct! It could be that your baking powder isn’t aluminum-free, which can often contribute to that metallic taste. We use Rumford brand! Alternatively, if you used a regular egg you could use 2 next time and perhaps reduce the baking powder by 1.5 tsp? We aren’t sure but it could work. Hope this helps!
Jennifer Rose says
Hi there,
We were so excited about this recipe & are only now seeing the comments regarding the 2 1/2 tsp baking powder & resulting metallic taste. We experienced this, too! I think it would be really helpful if ‘aluminum free’ baking powder was indicated in the recipe. We ended to having to toss ours out due to the metallic taste and only learned that our baking soda contains aluminum after reading the comments. :(
Thanks!
We’re so sorry that happened, Jennifer! We’ll make sure to add it to the recipe notes.
Regan says
3.5 tsp baking powder – really? Seems like a lot. Otherwise terrific recipe!!!
Adriana says
I agree that 3.5tsp was too much. I’ve never really seen a recipe with more than 2tsp? The bread is still tasty, and I added choc chips but there is definitely the baking powder tingly aftertaste.
So sorry this one didn’t work out as planned for you, Adriana! Glad you we’re still able to enjoy it with chocolate chips.
Ovi says
Can I make this without the cane sugar?
Hi Ovi, we haven’t tried it so we aren’t sure if this recipe will work well if you remove the sugar completely, but you could possibly reduce the amount or try coconut sugar instead? Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Kaz says
I have made it multiple times and it always comes out awesome 😉 today I have tried to make them as biscuits. No alterations to recipe just put a tablespoon worth of dough on a baking tray. Set the temperature to 170’C on fan and bake for 10-15 min. Came out better than I thought.
Had anyone tried making those with some apple in it or dried fruits? If so how much to put?
Milan says
Is it advisable to sub oats for oat flour? Thanks in advance
Hi Milan! We haven’t tried it with oat flour, but let us know if you do some experimenting!
Jillian says
Delicious recipe. I subbed the egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce and used only 1 1/2 cups of ground oats + 1 1/2 cups of almond flour and my pantry mishap still made an amazing loaf.
Thanks for sharing your modifications, Jillian! We’re so glad you enjoyed!
Jacki says
Hello! Is there a way to make this recipe with matcha to make it a matcha banana bread? Thanks!
Hi Jacki, we’ve never tried a matcha banana bread, but matcha does lose its vibrant green color when baking. Otherwise, we don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let us know if you try it!
Pam says
Another Minimalist Baker success! I’ve made a ton of your recipes and haven’t found one I don’t like yet! I made this exactly as written choosing to use the avocado oil option. It’s perfectly moist on the inside and golden brown on the outside and not too sweet! Definitely a ‘keeper’ recipe! THANK YOU for sharing all that you do!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Pam. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo