June 12, 2022

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Moist and delicious gluten-free banana bread recipe. It’s made using the ripest bananas. Very easy to make and it freezes very well!

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Slice of banana loaf cake with a dip of dulce de leche on a white plate on a wood surface.

This gluten-free banana bread is soft, tasty, and very simple to make.

The key is that the bananas must be very ripe. It’s made with oil and has no butter. It’s perfect for breakfast, as a snack or tea time.

I finished it with dulce de leche and coconut, but you can add nuts, almonds, chocolate… It’s a classic that you have no excuse not to prepare, and it also freezes very well!!

Banana loaf cake with dulce de leche on a white plate on a wooden surface.

Ingredients:

Gluten-free all-purpose flour: I used a homemade blend (40%corn starch 30% brown rice flour 30% tapioca starch). You can also use the four flour mix: brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch.
Buckwheat flour: gives the loaf cake a particular texture and flavor.
Bananas: it´s best ripe bananas because they get sweeter over time and the loaf cake would be tastier.
Baking powder: be sure it is a gluten-free baking powder.
Xanthan gum: If you use homemade premix it is important that you use xanthan gum to bind the ingredients together. Only if the premix is homemade!!!
Oil: I use sunflower oil but coconut oil should work well. I haven´t tried it.
Sugar: I used white sugar but I also used brown sugar too.
Ground cinnamon: optional.
Dulce de leche: this recipe calls for familiar dulce de leche since its consistency is lighter and it is easier to spread it on the surface of the pudding without breaking it.
Shredded coconut: dulce de leche and grated coconut never fails.
Optional add-ins: nuts, almonds, chocolate…

How to make gluten-free banana bread

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk buckwheat flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the sugar with the oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.

Mash the bananas with a fork and add to the preparation.

Banana loaf cake process: glass bowl with sugar and oil.

Banana loaf cake process: glass bowl with the loaf mixture and mashed bananas.

Add the dry ingredients and mix them along with the milk. Mix until incorporated well.

Banana loaf process: glass bowl with the loaf mixture, dry ingredients and adding the milk.

Glass bowl with the marble loaf cake mixture and a rubber spatula.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 40/50 minutes or until cooked. Keep in mind that all ovens are different. To know if it’s ready insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then lift out by the parchment paper.

Spread dulce de leche on the cake surface and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Banana loaf cake with parchment paper on a wooden surface seen from above.

Variations

This loaf cake is very versatile, and it pairs with many toppings. You can add chips/chunks of chocolate, nuts, raisins… etc. You also have different options to finish it like cream cheese frosting or chocolate ganache.

Storing

Store at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerate for up to five days. You can also freeze it, it’s better if you slice it up before freezing so you don’t need to defrost the entire cake.

Slice of banana loaf cake with dulce de leche falling down, on a white plate.

Top Tips

The key to this GL banana bread is that the bananas must be very ripe, the riper the bananas the tastier the loaf. So don´t worry if the bananas go brown.

You must wait until the banana bread is cool before adding the dulce de leche. If you spread the dulce de leche while the cake is warm, it will just slide off completely.

FAQ

Can I make this recipe vegan? You should use vegetable milk, almond or soy milk, and use flax eggs. The texture is more compact, but it is still tasty.

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