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This gluten free banana bread is packed with banana flavor and delivers a soft, fork-tender crumb that stays light and moist. It’s quick to make in one bowl and flexible enough for whatever ripe bananas are on your counter.
Why this recipe works
Most gluten free banana breads fail because they have too much banana, too much liquid, or both. The result is a dense or gummy loaf that won’t bake through.
This recipe works with bananas at any stage of ripeness by preparing them differently. Mash very ripe bananas lightly so they don’t turn to liquid, and less ripe ones more fully into a textured paste that softens in the oven. Fold them in gently at the end to keep the crumb soft but intact.
Sour cream adds richness and acidity for a tender, flavorful crumb. It also provides moisture without weighing the bread down with too much liquid, so it bakes through evenly and doesn’t sink as it cools.
Ingredients explained
Here's what you need to make this recipe, plus a few words about the role each ingredient plays in the perfect banana bread. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below:
- Gluten free flour blend – A well-balanced, high-quality gluten free flour blend, like Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose, or Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 (the blue bag) adds structure to keep the bread together without the toughness that mixing a gluten-filled quickbread fully can create. If your flour is Nicole's Best, add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum; Bob's has some xanthan gum but needs 1/2 teaspoon more.
- Bananas – Very ripe bananas will have more natural sugars that deepen the banana flavor, but any that are ripe enough to smell like bananas will work. Measure 200 grams peeled bananas by weight for consistent results. Mash the most ripe, very soft bananas minimally to maintain some texture, and less ripe bananas more so the oven can soften them fully during baking.
- Sour cream – Makes this recipe special by adding richness and acidity to create a uniquely moist and tender crumb. Be sure yours has some fat to enhance the bread's mouthfeel.
- Butter – Melted butter makes prep easier, and adds richness plus some gentle chew that's super satisfying.
- Eggs – Help bind the bread and provide structure to hold the rise as the bread cools, so there's no sunken top.
- Granulated sugar – Enhance the sweetness of the bananas and help keep the crumb tender. It also adds bulk, so even if your bananas are super sweet, don't reduce it further.
- Baking powder, baking soda & salt – The essentials that round out flavor, provide rise, and help the bread brown in the oven. Fun fact: baking soda reacts with bananas to create those brown flecks in the bread.
- Vanilla extract – Add depth through a complex blend of flavors, unlike artificial vanilla which only has one-note vanillin.
How to gluten free banana bread (step by step photos)
This is a visual overview of how to make this recipe in your own kitchen. I also explain the reasoning behind each step:
Combine dry
Start by whisking your dry ingredients, including gluten free flour with xanthan gum, baking powder, baking, salt, and sugar, together in a large bowl. This keeps the leaveners from clumping which creates bitter pockets and leads to an uneven rise.
Add wet
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients before adding the the melted butter, beaten eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Beating the eggs ahead of time ensures the yolk and white are fully integrated. Adding everything into a pocket in the dry mixture ensures that everything is fully combined.
Mash the bananas
If your bananas are super ripe, they'll be very soft. Mash them with a large fork very lightly so they maintain some texture. If they're less ripe, mash them into more of a lumpy paste.
Add bananas
Fold in the mashed bananas to the batter gently at the end so they're fully integrated but still maintains some of texture to avoid a gummy, dense bread. The batter should be thick but soft and easy to spread, not stiff.
Transfer and bake
Scrape the prepared batter into a greased and lined 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan. Lining with parchment helps the bread bake evenly without sliding around, and makes it easy to lift the prepared bread from the pan easily. Smooth the top with a spatula for even baking. Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Cool
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes to finish baking and become stable enough to transfer. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing so the starches have time to become firmer and hold their moisture.
Expert tips
Use any ripe bananas
Yes, the riper your bananas are, the sweeter and more flavorful your loaf will be. But as long as your bananas are ripe enough to be at all fragrant, use what you have. To help them ripen more quickly, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple overnight. The riper your bananas are, the less you should mash them so they don't turn into a liquid, which will weigh down the bread and make it harder to bake through.
Use room temperature ingredients
Cold ingredients won't combine fully with one another. This is especially important with ingredients like eggs and sour cream that are stored in the refrigerator and meant to be used at room temperature in this recipe. To warm eggs, float them in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Microwave cold sour cream for about 20 seconds, then stir, but be careful not to cook it or it will separate.
Cool completely before slicing
Warm banana bread is tempting, but slicing too soon can make it gummy or crumbly. Waiting until the bread is completely cool before slicing makes it more stable, keeping it from drying out by releasing moisture as steam.
Freeze ripe bananas
Next time you have overripe bananas but no time to bake, peel and slice them, then freeze in a single layer before transferring to a bag. When you're ready to bake, measure out 200 grams as frozen, microwave briefly before mashing very lightly, and then include everything, including the leaked liquid in the batter.
Ingredient substitutions and add-ins
Here are my suggestions on how to replace additional allergens, or to add mix-ins:
Dairy free
Replace the butter with your favorite block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Melt). For sour cream, use any plain nondairy alternative, or strained plain nondairy yogurt until it resembles Greek-style.
Egg free
Swap each egg for a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon warm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
Mix-ins
Add up to 1 cup of extras like chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips. Fold them in once the batter is mixed and ready for the pan. Add up to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients with or without other mix-ins, and try sprinkling about 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar on top of the raw bread right before baking for a warm, sweet crispy top.
Storage instructions
Let the banana bread cool completely, then wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, slice the loaf, wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap or Press'n Seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost slices at room temperature, microwave for 20 seconds, or toast gently to refresh.
Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes for Recommendations)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 (100 g weighed out of shell) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (150 g) sour cream, at room temperature (avoid fat-free)
- 200 grams (2 medium-size bananas) peeled ripe bananas, the weight measurement is especially important here
- 1 small slightly less ripe banana, sliced thinly lengthwise, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the all purpose gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, then the sour cream. Mix until just combined.
- If your bananas are very ripe and soft, mash them gently with a large fork, maintaining as much texture as possible. If your bananas are less ripe but still fragrant, mash with a fork until the mixture has texture but also some smoothness.
- Use a silicone spatula to fold the mashed bananas gently into the batter to avoid processing the bananas even further.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top with a spatula dipped in water. If you're using the optional banana as a topping, place very thinly sliced bananas (cut lengthwise) on top of the smooth batter, sparingly.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Baking time will be about 50 minutes without the additional bananas on top, and about 1 hour with them. If the top is browning too quickly before the center is fully set, tent loosely with foil for the final 10–15 minutes.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
Usually, that means your oven is running hot. The outside sets too fast, before the center can bake through. Use an oven thermometer to confirm your temp.
No—this recipe needs a structured blend. Try my almond flour banana bread instead. If you'd like an alternative flour but need to be nut-free, try our oat flour banana bread.
Yes! Try my gluten free banana muffins or divide the batter from this recipe into three 6×3-inch pans and bake for 25–30 minutes.
I have made this recipe numerous times.
My family overwhelmingly likes this recipe the best.
Thanks for working hard at perfecting this.
I usually bake by weight, not cups. Didn’t see a weight for the flour, otherwise perfect!!
Oddly, the weight is on your website but not when I printed it out!
Hi, Linda, thank you so much for sharing your experience with this recipe. I’m so glad it sounds like it’s your go-to banana bread recipe. About the weights/cups issue, you just have toggle the Customary/Metric measurements button to metric (it defaults to customary), and then you can print out the recipe using weights. :)
My son and I love to bake together and this is first on our list to try for Spring Break! Looks so good with the sour cream.
That’s great to hear, Juniper!
Hello there!
I was wondering which one of your mock up flour blends would you recommend for this recipe? Thank you,
Madi
Hi, Madi, if a recipe is like this one and calls for an all purpose gluten free flour blend, as opposed to a specific formulation, and you’d like to use one of my “mock” blends, I would always recommend my mock Better Batter blend. Among the mock blends, it’s the best, and it would work perfectly in this recipe. I hope that’s helpful!
Delicious. Easy to prepare, not too sweet, soft and moist. My new GF banana bread recipe.
So glad to hear it, Karen! Thank you for sharing your experience.
The BEST GF Banana Bread recipe ever! Easy to make, very moist. Thank You!!
So glad you loved the banana bread, Dana. It’s one of my favorite recipes. So glad it was such a hit. Thank you for sharing that!
Well another successful baking session – this banana bread knocks it out of the park. Made a double recipe just because I had lots of frozen very ripe frozen bananas to use.
My suggestion is to thaw them overnight in the fridge in a bowl then squeeze them out into a measuring cup since they will be black in colour an mushy soft.
I have added the fine zest of one small lemon & half the juice from that lemon to the liquid ingredients plus a splash of vanilla. Just like I saw on a Julia Child show a million years ago. Seems to brighten up the bananas a wee bit.
Other than that slight modification – this is a perfect recipe for those dear old bananas in your freezer.
I made this recipe with Monk Fruit instead of sugar, and I can’t believe I found a GF (and sugar free) banana bread that is so good!! The texter is just perfect: soft and moist. I think it is better than banana bread made with regular flour!
So great to know that it worked with a sugar alternative, Rebecca! Thank you so much for sharing that.
I made the GF banana bread. I think your ratio for the chia egg replacement is off.
I used 1 T chia seeds with 1 T water . It was a solid paste almost a solid. So I used 1/3C water with 1 T chia seeds as the chia guide states. However, it stilled turned out very dense.
Any suggestions ?
There are 2 eggs in this recipe, M, so you’d have to use twice as much, and it sounds like you only made 1. Also, I recommend using ground white chia seeds, not whole seeds. Regardless, I’m afraid that this won’t ever produce exactly the same results as actual eggs. If you have another egg replacement that is generally successful for you, I’d suggest trying that. The substitution suggestions that I provide are just a starting point.
Made this with butter and regular Greek yogurt. It’s incredible, moist and sweet and very delicious!
So glad you love this recipe, Lucille! Thanks for letting me know that Greek yogurt worked in place of sour cream!
Just want to tell you that I use many of your recipes. I have made this banana bread many times. Thank you for so many GF recipes that work. I do live at elevation (7300 feet) and make adjustments for that. I typically adjust cookie and cake recipes by adding extra GF flour and lessening the baking soda and powder. I do not adjust recipes that use yeast. For example, in this banana bread recipe I add an extra 1/2 cup flour and lessen the baking powder by 1/4 tsp and the soda by 1/8 tsp. I also use Caputo floreglut flour for all of my baking.
You’re so welcome, Terri. And thank you so much for sharing the adjustments you make for elevation. It’s one condition I simply can’t recreate, so I can’t give anyone first hand advice, so your experience is so valuable. And so glad you love the banana bread!