Our cookbook, Love Real Food, is here! This gluten-free banana bread recipe is made with almond flour almond flour gluten free naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. It’s simple to make and so delicious!

Are we still baking banana bread? Can I make this with almond flour? I think it took me seven tries to get this recipe just right! This version required several modifications, so I’m sharing it as its own recipe today. I’ll also walk you through how I modified the recipe to work with almond flour, which might be helpful if it’s your preferred flour, or you happen to have a surplus in your pantry.

This banana bread is very tender, moist and decadent. These qualities are natural by-products of using almond flour and additional eggs to hold the bread together. While it’s different in texture from my favorite banana bread, this gluten-free banana bread is awesome in its own right. Like the other recipe, it’s easy to mix together—by hand, in one bowl, no less! It’s also naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. And, I believe it qualifies as paleo as well.

One cup of regular flour weighs about 125 grams, whereas one cup of almond flour weighs about 92 grams. I’ve found that flour substitutions work out better when you keep the weight constant. This is also true for oat flour. Interestingly, with almond flour, I’ve found that another way to keep the weight constant is to simply pack the almond flour into the measuring cups. Almonds, like all nuts, naturally contain some oil. They contain more oil than the very small amount you’ll find in whole wheat flour. Fun fact: all-purpose flour has been stripped of all oils, which is why it keeps longer.

Regular flour absorbs far more moisture than almond flour, which is hardly absorptive at all. Eggs are absolutely key to achieving a proper rise for baked goods made with almond flour. Most of my baked goods made with regular flour call for two eggs, while this one requires four, or the middle will be deeply sunken in and wet. Why do you need more eggs? Regular flours contain gluten, which is a protein that provides structure. It essentially creates a framework that fills with air pockets and stays lofty after baking. Almond flour is gluten free, which means that we’re going to have to find structure elsewhere.

Real eggs are the only solution that I know of that can provide sufficient structure. Added baking powder, and decreased the baking soda. While my banana bread recipe rises beautifully with baking soda, this nut flour-based version needs help from both baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder is double-acting, which means that it starts producing bubbles when mixed with liquid, and produces more bubbles when it’s heated. Another reason is that baking soda is much stronger than baking powder, and we simply need less when they’re used together.

Watch how to make gluten-free banana bread in this short recipe video! Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe Notes Almond Flour vs. You can read the reasoning behind this at the beginning of the previous section. Flour Your Loaf Pan This is really important! Generously oil and flour your loaf pan as shown in the photo above. If it looks excessive, you’re doing it right. Let the Bread Cool at Least 30 Minutes Almond flour baked goods, since they’re gluten free, are especially delicate when they’re warm.