The BEST Gluten Free Banana Bread | Butternut Bakery (2024)

This Gluten Free Banana Bread is super soft, moist and does NOT lack flavor! Filled with ripe mashed bananas and fine ground oats, it has the perfect texture that isn’t gluey or dry. It’s also dairy free and can be made refined sugar free!

This post is sponsored byBob’s Red Millbut all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that makeButternut Bakerypossible!

What makes this the BEST gluten free banana bread?

For starters, it is SUPER moist. It cuts so smooth and melts in your mouth… unlike some gluten free banana bread recipes that tend to be dry or gluey.

Because of how moist it is, it stays that way for days. It won’t dry out quickly, so you can snack on it the whole week!

It’s also a very easy gluten free banana bread recipe because it uses common gluten free baking ingredients. My go-to gluten free baking flour is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Using that in addition to their Gluten Free Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats creates a delicious texture.

Tips of baking the PERFECT gluten free banana bread

This gluten free banana bread recipe is super easy to make, but these extra tips will ensure it’s baked perfectly every time:

1. Use really ripe bananas and mash them as finely as you can. I’ll be explaining how to ripen bananas for baking in the next couple paragraphs.
2. Measure the bananas. Don’t just mash up 3 bananas and call it a day. Make sure to use exactly 1 1/2 cups of finely mashed bananas because there are many variations in sizes and amounts a single banana can produce.
3. Finely grind the oats. Using rolled oats in this recipe breaks up the soft monotony in the texture. But using whole rolled oats makes the bread a little clunky, so use a food processor to ground into a natural gluten free flour.
4. Make sure all of the ingredients are well mixed together. Without gluten, it’s tough to to over mix. Stop when all of the dry ingredients are fully blended into the batter.
5. Bake it all the way through. If you’re on the fence on whether or not it’s done, keep baking it a couple more minutes (it’s tough to over bake this banana bread). It’s ready when the center is puffed up and a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
6. Allow the bread to cool a bit before slicing. Fresh from the oven, the bread is too soft for slicing. You might even think it’s under baked at this point. Allowing the bread to cool helps thicken the texture of the bread so that it holds together when sliced.

Why this recipe works

There is a very fine line between delicious moist gluten free banana bread, and soggy gluey gluten free banana bread. That’s 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 Bob’s 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. It’s 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. Bob’s 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 it’s a bit too chunky for what I’m 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.

How to ripen bananas FAST for baking

Want to bake banana bread but only have green bananas? This trick allows you to have super ripe bananas in 15 minutes! It’s the method I use all the time because it’s quick and effective.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat your oven to 300F. Lay your bananas on a large baking sheet, evenly spaced.

Bake for 15 minutes or until they turn completely black. It’s very jarring, but trust me it works! They should be super dark all the way around and somewhat shiny.

Allow the bananas to cool on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes, then peal and mash. The bananas themselves will be very soft (and kind of slug-like which is as disgusting as it sounds) but PERFECT for baking.

Over ripe bananas are bursting with flavor and are super easy to mash, so your end result will be a very flavorful banana bread with very few banana chunks.

This method is also great for other banana recipes, not just banana bread! If I’m after something a little fancier, I love to make these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls.

How to make your banana bread look fancy

Making this gluten free banana bread magazine-worthy is super simple! All that’s needed is an extra banana, preferably one that’s 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 better… add some chocolate chips!

FAQs

How to know when gluten free banana bread is done

The most important step is to make sure this gluten free banana bread is baked all the way through. Because of how moist it is, the center could come out raw if it hasn’t had enough time in the oven.

It’s ready when the top is golden brown and puffed up. Test it with a toothpick by inserting it into one of the cracks close to the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

It’s also tough to over bake this banana bread, so if you’re unsure, allow it to bake for a couple extra minutes.

Another important step is to allow it to cool COMPLETELY before slicing. Again, it all comes back to how moist this bread is. Cooling before slicing helps to firm up the bread, so each slice will hold together.

How to store this banana bread

To keep the banana bread as long as possible, store it in an air tight container in the fridge. This will keep for up to 5 days.

If you like your banana bread warm, head up a slice in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating. Spread some butter (or DF butter) on top and dig in!

For more of the BEST gluten free dessert recipes, check out my:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
• SunButter Pie with a Jammy Raspberry Topping
• Easy Maple Cheesecake with Browned Butter
• Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips (Dairy Free)

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery onInstagramand leave a review below if you make this Gluten Free Banana Bread. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

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