Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Flourless Banana Bread

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Happy National Banana Bread Day!

What better way to celebrate banana bread day than by, well, making and eating banana bread?

Whenever I go to the grocery store, I look in the produce aisle for bananas. It isn’t necessarily that I need bananas (in fact I have about 15 sitting on the counter right now), but I look to see if the store is giving away brown bananas for a very discounted price. Then, I peel them and add them to my freezer bag full of bananas. These can be used for smoothies, PBC Bars, Smacaroons, or, of course, Banana Bread!

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Grain Free Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf

Grain Free Banana Bread

~This recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo, and sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons Ground flax
  • 3 Tablespoons Chia Gel (mix 9 tablespoons of water with 3 teaspoons chia seed and let sit for 15-20 minutes. The chia seeds will puff into a gel)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*.
  2. Mash the bananas. Then, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Pour batter into a lightly greased bread pan-or even try a muffin tin!
  4. Bake for one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.
  5. The bread will rise while in the oven, but will sink when taken out. Let the bread cool for fifteen minutes in the pan (this is necessary for the bread to set since it has no flour in it), and then plop it onto a plate or cutting board and enjoy!
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/02/23/flourless-banana-bread/

*This recipe is linked to Allergy Free Wednesday.

This is not your typical banana bread. However, it is surprisingly moist, and it works! Tastes great toasted with a smear of peanut butter. I also like to keep it cold so I can take it with me to-go. Combine this with a cup of coffee or tea, and you are ready to tackle Banana Bread Day!

Health Benefits:

  • Bananas: Rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. It also contains tryptophan to help relax you and lift your spirits!
  • Almonds: Almonds are a major superfood, and they are full of monounsaturated, good-for-you fats. It contains many nutrients that benefit the brain, and regulate cholesterol. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Cinnamon: Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What are your favorite ways to use up brown bananas?

This post is a part of my Operation Beautiful Food Project. My original recipe was posted here. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I had NO idea is was national banana bread day!! That is so awesome! I love banana bread..so gooooood! This recipe looks delicious! I have never had a grain free baked good before!

    • I made this recipe last year, and it was really popular! Everyone loved it, so you should definitely try it. You can even make it with peanut butter if you don’t have almond for a pb-banana bread!

  2. I’ve made this recipe of yours before and loved it, per usual with your recipes. Such beautiful photos of it!! I like browned bananas in smoothies, they add a great sweetness.

  5. I didn’t know it was national banana bread day! How can I not partake? Must make banana bread tonight! This recipe looks awesome and very unique too.

    And I always get tons of extra bananas at the grocery store just to freeze and save for smoothies, adding to my oats or yogurt, or for baking. They never go to waste!

  6. I have been eying this recipe for so long! However, none of the stores around me sell chia seeds, not even the Trader Joe’s over one hour away has them 🙁 Is there ANYTHING else that I could replace the chia gel with? If not, that’s okay! I’ll find them eventually.

    • Madison,

      I highly recommend you buy chia because they are amazing and so good for you! However, you can replace the chia with extra flax and water or egg.

      • I deal with many food allergies, and as such, do not want to buy chia just to try this recipe. I read that one Tablespoon of chia+3 Tablespoons water makes ONE chia-egg. So if I wanted to replace the chia-gel (ie chia-eggs) with real eggs – does that mean I would need to add THREE extra eggs to this recipe? So 6 total?

  7. How did I not know it was banana bread day? No wonder I’m in such a festive mood! Your banana bread looks scrumptious, and I love that big pat of butter you added. A girl after my own heart.

    I pretty much like bananas anyway at all…Green to black. I’m kind of gross like that. Unless it’s rotten, I’ll eat it.

    • I think it would probably work. I have yet to test it, though. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

  11. I did not know either that it was banana day until you posted! This looks great especially as my Mum is coeliac so I will have to try this one for her as gluten free bread in the shops is yuk!

  12. looks fantastic! love love love banana bread. which reminds me I need to make some it has been way too long since I have had any! and love that it is flourless!!
    xoxo
    Lori

  14. Wow this looks amazing, I can’t believe it is flourless. It looks like such a simple recipe. BTW chia’s may be a miracle food, I kinda can’t get over how amazing those little dudes are.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it.

    • They ARE amazing!!! So powerful. I love reading about how the ancient people used them during times of water shortage and war to stay hydrated. Hey, if it was goo enough for them–it is more than good for me!

    • No, I haven’t. But I’m sure it would be fine if you froze it and then thawed it out later.

  17. I made this and I loved it. I made the pumpkin loaf as well but I prefer the natural sweetness of the banana loaf. I really like the added spring of the chia. Great site….thanks!

    • Amber,

      Just saw the post! Thanks so much for featuring me, and I look forward to next week.

  21. This banana bread could not have come at better time. I really like your website too. Can’t wait to receive more recipes. I have been struggling with sugar addiction and always break out in hives. Last halloween I went sugar free for a week just to see. I have lost 85 lbs after having all of my kids and have kept the weight off for a year but it is something I think about always. Since coming off of the Easter choc fest I have now not had sugar for 3 days and feel absolutley wonderful and do not crave it..I eat very healthy and as I get older more so. My question is, do you know how I would get the nutritional information for this recipe? I am trying not to worry about this type of info as if I just eat healthy I have no worries, but portion control is also my demon. Thanks so much! Lara

    • Hi Lara!

      Congrats on your weight loss, and good luck with your journey to sugar-free! If you ever need any help, feel to email me. I’ll post the nutrition information above in the recipe.

  22. This sounds perfect for us. I’m gluten free (celiac) and my son can’t eat nuts or dairy (allergies). He is okay with eggs if they are in baked goods. I’m going to use sunbutter in place of the almond butter for him.

  23. Thanks for this great recipe! My husband and I have been wheat/grain-free for almost three months, and while we’ve obviously cut back on baked goods, it sure helps when we can treat ourselves once in a while. The only suggestion I have is I found the first loaf I baked almost too moist, it was falling apart. It didn’t go to waste though, after refrigerating it, it made great French toast. I added 1/2 cup of coconut flour to my second loaf and it came out perfectly! It didn’t even ‘fall’ after it came out of the oven. My mom-in-law (who makes delicious traditional banana bread) was impressed. Thanks again!

    • Reem,

      So glad you enjoyed it! I’ve heard of others using the coconut flour in the bread, but I really wanted this recipe to be accessible to those who don’t buy fancy flours. I’ll have to try it, though!

  24. Hey,I’m from Malaysia and I’ve been a big fan of your blog and recipes.Can I use frozen bananas instead of fresh for your recipes?Also I cant find coconut flour or stevia here in Malaysia.Are there any suggestions or alternatives?I have cut down on my sugar intake and would love to let my friends and family try out recipes that taste good without the need of sugar in it!I’ve yet to try out any of your recipes( due to laziness,lack of ingredients etc) and I thought of making an iniative to start 1 today.Your reply and help is appreciated, thank you.

    • Hi Yong,

      So glad you found my site! Wow, Malaysia! In answer to your questions, yes, you can use frozen bananas for my recipes whenever it calls for mashed bananas (many times I use frozen myself). For the coconut flour, I don’t really know of a substitute for this. coconut flour is pretty unique. Your best bet would probably be to order it online. Swanson Vitamins, Amazon, and other online health companies sell it online. For the stevia, try pureeing dates or try ordering it online as well. I use a brand called NuNaturals…a little goes a long way!

      Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  25. I made this recipe today and it turned out so moist and delicious. A friend gave me a bag of chia seeds to try and I had no idea what to do with them until I stumbled upon this site. Thanks so much!

  26. I’m allergic to nuts, so what is a good substitute for almond butter? I made it using regular butter, and the buttery taste completely overwhelmed it.

  27. Mine is the oven right now, I have not had anything like this for 6 weeks now so I am excited!

  28. Can I sub with flax egg instead of real eggs? I read somewhere that beating the egg yolks breaks up the cholesterol and is not as good for us as eating eggs with yolk intact. So I’ve been trying not to use eggs for baking, but just to eat them boiled or sunny-side up.

    • Amy,

      Where did you read that? I find it hard to believe, but I am always interested in new research! I’ve heard that the flax eggs don’t work very well in this recipe. Some have had success using just egg whites, though.

  30. Okay, so I am new to GF cooking and have yet to go sugar free (the “substitutes” don’t do it for me – I’d rather have real or nothing at all.) BUT I am trying to figure out some GF stuff for my mother-in-law and your blog looks like an excellent (and tasty) place to start! My question is: all of the friends I have who cook GF – across the board, ALL – say you “must” use xanthum gum as an emulsifier. Yours recipe above doesn’t, which I am happy to see because I’d like to avoid resorting to that if I can. So, in the science that is GF cooking, what did you use as an emulsifier/replacer for that? Is it the flax or the chia? Thanks for the help and the inspiration!

    • Tillie,

      Sorry for the delay in response, but I’m excited to hear that you are trying the gluten-free cooking! A lot of the gluten-free recipes that use xantham gum require it for the bread to stick together. In this recipe, however, the eggs and bananas and nutbutter are moist and thick enough to stick together without xantham.

  31. This looks really, really good! This is my first visit to this site, and I’m happy that I found it! I’m going gluten free for a while (and greatly reducing my sugar) to see how it impacts my arthritis. I have 3 frozen and peeled bananas sitting in my freezer, just waiting to be made into banana bread. This is day # 2 of my GF journey, and I promised those bananas that I’d find a GF recipe as soon as I can. This is even better, because there is no sugar! Thank you. This sounds wonderful!

    • Sorry, your comment went to spam a while ago and I just fished it out. But I’ve never tried using bran. Worth a shot, though!

  33. Yuuuummm!
    Thanks for this recipe! Just trying not to eat the whole lot….
    Put in a few mashed dates cause I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet enough but that wasn’t necessary. Also used physillium instead of flax (when I finally need flax Woolies has run out..)
    However. Fabulous!

    • I have not tried coconut butter, but it might work. Coconut oil does have a higher fat content than almond butter, which has a little more protein. Therefore, I am not sure if the bread made with coconut butter would hold up as well.

  35. I made these as mini muffins and wow! They are sooooo yummy! I added a few caocao bits. These are a perfect grab and go in the morning before I run! Thank you!

  36. My sister is allergic to nuts so I put a 1/2 cup of regular butter in there to replace to almond butter. DO NOT do this haha it came out more like banana flan. I’m going to make it again tomorrow and try something different. Just letting y’all that that substitution DOES NOT turn out well.

  37. This tastes pretty great but I was wondering if you’ve used almond meal before to make banana bread? It is a little too moist for my liking and was wondering if you had any other suggestions to make it a little more “breadier” 🙂

    Thanks!!

    • Hi Yoonju,

      I have worked with almond flour before in banana bread, and your right it does turn out a little “breadier.” I cant remember the exact amount I used, but maybe try substituting a third of the almond butter with almond flour? Let me know if you try it!

  38. I baked this bread twice. The first time I followed the recipe to a T (well, I accidentally ended up using more ground flax than required but it made no difference) and the result was GREAT. It turned out delicious.

    However, the second time I wanted to bake a full vegan bread so I substituted the 3 eggs for more chia gel. Sadly it didn’t turn out good. There were 2 problems:

    1) It was really soggy inside even though I baked it long enough. I like it a bit moist but this was too much. It looked undercooked. Is it normal for it to ‘not cook’ if you take away the eggs?

    2) It didn’t rise as much despite having the same amount of baking powder. It looked really flat.

    Next time I won’t change a single comma of the recipe!

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