Almond Flour Banana Bread

This Almond Flour Banana Bread is moist, tender and naturally sweet. Made without grains, this recipe is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, low carb and high in protein. You will love experimenting with mix-ins like walnuts or chocolate chips.

I came up with this recipe after testing a new version of my protein banana bread. Some readers suggested swapping oat for almond flour to keep things grain-free, so I gave it a go. While in the kitchen I got the idea of making banana bread with almond flour only – you guys already seem to love the protein version as it is.

The result was surprising – rich and moist, packed with banana flavors and natural sweetness. It’s perfect to use leftover ripe bananas while satisfying your sweet tooth. You won’t guess it’s also healthy and low in carbs (I have a keto banana bread recipe if you’d like a keto alternative).

Why you will love this recipe

• Moist and indulgent – While ripe bananas provide natural sweetness and flavor, almond flour lends a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. This gluten-free banana bread does a great job in satisfying your cravings.
• Healthy and diet-friendly – My recipe doesn’t use refined sugars, grains, oils, or butter. This makes it completely gluten-free, low in carb, and good for the diet. Plus, you can make it vegan with flax eggs and sugar-free with monk fruit or stevia.
• Quick and simple – You’ll just need a bunch of pantry staples and one bowl. Plus, it’s a great way to use up those overripe bananas in the fridge.
• Customizable and versatile – From chopped walnuts to chocolate chips, there are so many ways how you can add your own touch. It tastes delicious for breakfast, as a dessert or as a snack. My tip is to mix-in some berries and enjoy slathered with almond butter.

Ingredients and substitutes

This healthy almond flour banana bread recipe calls for just a handful of simple ingredients. Here are more details along with substitutes, precise quantities for each can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

• Ripe bananas – You’ll need 2 ripe bananas, those with brown spots all over their skin. They’re sweet, moist and full of flavor. If not ripe enough, either place them in a paper bag with apples or peel and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-20 minutes. 
• Egg – Use one large egg, preferably AA-grade egg from grass-fed chickens. If vegan, swap it for a flaxseed egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseeds + 2 ½ tbsp water) or Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer (it’s gluten-free).
• Greek yogurt – I recommend 2% fat or full fat Greek yogurt, plain and unsweetened. Nonfat Greek yogurt can still be used, but it won’t provide the same rich flavor and moist texture. For vegan almond flour banana bread, replace with dairy-free alternatives like Greek-style soy yogurt or coconut yogurt.
• Maple syrup – It adds natural sweetness with no refined sugar. You can swap it for honey, agave, date syrup or keto syrup. If using granulated sweeteners like brown sugar, coconut sugar, monk fruit or stevia, you may need 1 extra tablespoon of Greek yogurt.
• Almond flour – This recipe requires finely blanched almond flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill superfine blanched almond flour. As it has a grainier texture, almond meal does not work.
• Baking powder – It helps the quick bread rise and improves its texture.
• Spices and flavors – Vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and sea salt are key for deepening and enriching flavors.

Recipe variations

• Keto – Use keto maple syrup or sugar-free sweeteners like monk fruit, erythritol, allulose or stevia (you may need less, as stevia has a stronger sweetening power). To further cut carbs, swap one banana for ½ cup (120 g) pumpkin puree as in my pumpkin banana bread recipe and compensate with a dash of banana extract. Bananas are quite high in sugar (+20 g per fruit), but pumpkin is not.
• Sugar-free – Replace maple syrup with a granulated sweeteners you like, compensating with 1 to 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt for the missing liquid. Great options are monk fruit, a mix of monk fruit and erythritol, erythritol, allulose or stevia.
• High protein – Replace ½ cup (50 g) of almond flour with ½ cup (50 g) of your favorite protein powder. For a moist, tender texture I recommend vanilla plant protein powder and casein.
• Vegan – Replace the egg with either one flaxseed egg (“flaxegg”) or with a gluten-free egg replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer. Instead of Greek yogurt, use dairy-free options like a firm soy, almond or coconut yogurt.
• Oatmeal – Use 1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of oat flour in total. To keep your almond flour oatmeal banana bread gluten-free, use certified gluten-free almond flour.
• Mix-ins – Stir in the batter dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, raisins, cranberries or fresh berries. My favorite is blueberry almond flour banana bread with walnuts!
• Muffins – Instead of baking in a loaf pan, portion the batter out into lined muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. When making muffins, be sure to decrease baking time as they cook faster.

More healthy banana recipe

• Healthy chocolate banana bread
• Greek yogurt banana bread
• 3 ingredient brownies with banana
• Protein banana bread
• 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies
• Sugar-free banana bread
• Low calorie banana bread
• Banana oatmeal muffins
• Healthy banana cake