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Looking for a moist, delicious banana bread that happens to be gluten-free? This secretly healthy banana bread recipe swaps traditional flour for nutrient-rich oat flour, creating a tender loaf that’s perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Overripe bananas and maple syrup provide natural sweetness, keeping the recipe refined sugar-free, and oil-free.
Let me just tell y’all about this healthy banana bread. This stuff is GOOD. Like, really, really good, and you would have no idea that it was gluten-free or moderately healthy at all. In fact, no one in my family even believed me when I told them it was. We all just devoured it much too quickly.
My favorite way to devour it was after a few seconds in the microwave, just enough to get the chocolate chips all melty, delicious, and absolutely wonderful. This is real, homestyle, tastes-like-mommy-made-it banana bread. It reminds me so much of the chocolate chip banana bread my mom always made for my sister and me when we were left with too many overripe bananas.
Mmm, such good stuff, except instead of the oil and sugar that made mommy’s banana bread, this one uses honey and applesauce! It also uses oat flour to keep it gluten-free.
Want to make your own oat flour? It couldn’t be easier. Simply blend rolled oats in a food processor or blender until they’re a smooth, fine powder.
Ingredients you’ll need to make banana bread
- Sweetener: Honey or maple syrup can be used interchangeably here. For a lower-sugar version, you could use monk fruit syrup. Date syrup works well as a natural alternative, but please note that changing the sweetener may slightly affect texture, flavor, and baking time.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: this acts as an oil replacement for moisture and binding.
- Eggs: these are crucial for structure and binding. For a vegan version, use 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water) or a commercial egg replacer, but note that this will change the texture of the loaf. I recommend this vegan banana bread if you’re looking for an egg-free loaf.
- Vanilla Extract: pure is recommended for the best flavor. Almond extract also makes a nice variation (use half the amount).
- Gluten-Free Oat Flour: make sure it’s certified gluten-free if you have celiac disease. You can make your own by blending rolled oats until finely ground.
- Leaveners (Baking Soda, Baking Powder) & Salt: these are crucial for proper rise and flavor, you must use both as they react differently. Fine sea salt or table salt both work well.
- Spices (Cinnamon & Nutmeg): you can adjust amounts to taste. Freshly grated nutmeg gives the best flavor. You can add ginger or allspice for variation. Cardamom works beautifully, too!
- Mashed Bananas: they must be very ripe (lots of brown spots) since the ripeness provides a lot of sweetness. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the bread! Measure after mashing for accuracy.
- Chocolate Chips: I like using low-sugar dark chocolate chips. You can substitute with chopped nuts or dried fruit or omit mix-ins entirely. For dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Because it’s a bit healthier than the usual banana bread, you can have more slices without the guilt. May I suggest having a piece with some peanut butter on it? Mindblowingly delicious.
Of course, to keep it even healthier, leave out the chocolate chips or make your own refined sugar-free chocolate chips. I just can’t have banana bread without chocolate chips, so I had to include them.
Now, go make some banana bread, and have an extra slice for me! :)
Like this healthy banana bread? Try these recipes too!
- Vegan Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Cococnut Blueberry Banana Bread
- Paleo Banana Blueberry Muffins
Secretly Healthy Banana Bread (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups gluten-free oat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, optional but encouraged
Instructions
- Grease one 9″x5″ loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the honey, applesauce, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir into the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Let cool, and enjoy!
I made this recipe into muffins (baked for 25 minutes) for my GF son who complains that he never gets the best treats, and he LOVED it! No “weird” (as he says) GF flour texture. Just so I’d have extra muffins to freeze for him, I doubled the recipe but left the honey amount un-doubled and it was still plenty sweet. Thank you for sharing this!
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit with your son, Colleen! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback.
Hi!
Two questions:
1. Can I sub almond flour for oat,or will it ruin it?
2. Will putting extra banana ruin it? I love mine to taste reeeeeally banana-ey but don’t want to throw off wet to dry ratio.
Thank you, it looks amazing!
Hi Collette, it may work – hard for me to say for certain with either change if it will be successful since that’s not how I developed or tested the recipe. Both changes should be fine, but I can’t make any guarantees!
Hello we don’t have applesauce where I live. Can I omit this in the recipe or do I need to substitute it with something? If I am to substitute what would I use and how much?
Hi Cynthia, you definitely would need to substitute with something else. I would try using an extra 1/2 cup mashed banana and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil to replace the moisture of the applesauce. Of course, I haven’t tested the recipe without applesauce so I can’t make any guarantees about how that will work out.
I am making today a loaf of your banana bread. In the past, I have thrown them into mini muffin tins (baking ~ 22 minutes) & they are amazing! We can’t wait to try the loaf!
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing the baking time and feedback, Susan.
I have made several times, both as a loaf and as mini muffins. Each time it turns out amazing & gone quickly!
So glad you’re loving it, Susan! Thanks for the feedback :)
Yum! These turned out delicious.
So glad you’re loving it!
I made this for my neighbors and had to make one for myself a few days later. This is the best banana bread recipe out there. PERIOD! I used Trader Joe’s gluten free flour and it is THE most moist perfect bread. My husband couldn’t believe there was 0 refined sugar, no oils, and gluten free! If you like your bread on the sweeter side, use very ripe banana and maybe add a little more sweetener than it’s called for. I opted for maple syrup and for me it’s a perfect sweetness. This will definitely be in the biweekly rotation!!
So glad you’re loving it, Kelly! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback :)
I followed the recipe exactly and it didn’t cook in the middle, sad :(
So sorry you had trouble, J! Any chance your oven runs hot or cool or anything? That can change the way things bake. I also always recommend testing the inside with a toothpick before removing from the oven to ensure it’s fully cooked.