So dreamy delicious, this Gluten free Banana Bread is also dairy free, refined sugar free, and oil free. This Healthy Banana Bread is 21 Day Fix Approved too…but rivals even the best unhealthy banana breads of my past.
Confession #143: Although I feel the most at home in my kitchen, I am not usually much of a baker.
I mean – I can follow a recipe…but coming up with my own cake, muffin, or cookie recipe usually takes me a million tries. Especially because there is definitely a learning curve for gluten and dairy free baking.
That’s why this banana bread is such an enigma.
I mean, I decided to make it on a total whim.
It was cold. We didn’t have plans. I had ripe bananas. And so we gave it a whirl…using the ingredients I had on hand.
Ingredients for Healthy Banana Bread
These are the ingredients I used to make this bread:
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free all purpose flour – you can sub whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or even oat flour for this. Do not use almond or coconut flour as they will not turn out.
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce – you can sub coconut oil of you don’t have applesauce
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup – either works great!
- 2 eggs – I haven’t tried this without eggs or with an egg replacer
- 1 rounded cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large bananas – and get them super ripe and sweet)
- ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk – you can sub any milk that you have here
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- optional mix-ins: 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips – I used Enjoy Life mini chips
I didn’t take any in process pics because I honestly had no idea how it was going to taste…especially since I made a last minute decision to ditch the butter.
I will admit to staging this photo after I knew the bread was going to be on the blog. 😉
I debated using coconut oil, but then I thought about how delicious banana bread is with peanut butter drizzled over top. And so in an effort to hoard the all teaspoons, I went with unsweetened applesauce at the last minute…which I squeezed out of my son’s applesauce pouch, lol.
And while I love to bake with almond flour, I decided to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-free all purpose flour for this one to keep it easy to sub for all the Gluten folks out there! You can sub whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour- it will turn out great!
Anyway – enough about my process…let’s talk about the end result.
Omg, you guys…this bread is so freaking dreamy delicious and rivals any other gluten and sugar filled banana bread that I’ve ever had. It’s the kind of bread you wrap up and give as a present. Or make for your BFF when she comes to visit. Or give to the new mom in your neighborhood. It’s totally giftable.
Can I freeze Gluten Free Banana Bread?
Yes! I’ve even been known to hide a slice or two in the back of the freezer. Shhh! Don’t tell the rest of my family!
It was so good, that most of my photos have tiny fingers in them…because my kids were literally begging to eat it. To the point that I finally gave in and we ate pieces of banana bread right on the living room floor where I was attempting a quick photoshoot.
I thought about taking new pics for you all, but thanks to the wonderful readers on my Facebook page who talked me out of it, I decided to just post the recipe so you can get baking asap!
What are the 21 Day Fix container counts for this Healthy Banana Bread?
I used chocolate chips for ours, so my bread is a treat swap…but if you stir in some walnuts or raisins, you can eat this bread for breakfast and not use up a treat. It’s super low in sugar, so it’s perfectly on plan to eat this way every day! I’l explain how to count these different options in the recipe card below!
WHAT IS A SWEETENER TEASPOON THAT IS IN THE RECIPE CARD?
While on the 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix Autumn gives us clear rules about what we can use our teaspoons on- oils, nut butters, mayo, and butter. BUT in the “tea and coffee bar” section of the program materials, Autumn says you can have 1-2 tsp of things like maple syrup or honey in 1-2 cups of coffee per day.
She does not, however, count these sweeteners in her recipes. I have begun to note it in my newer recipes because I think it’s important to keep in mind. While there’s a little bit of gray area here, I am hoping this provides some clarification. So, since I only use the tiniest bit of sweetener in my coffee each morning, I’m comfortable using some of the “leftover” sweetener teaspoons throughout my day.
Looking for other Gluten Free desserts like Gluten Free banana bread?
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting [Grain free | Dairy Free | 21 Day Fix]
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins [ Dairy-free] | 21 Day Fix Zucchini Muffins
Healthy Instant Pot Apple Crisp | Gluten-free Apple Crisp
Healthy Instant Pot Peach Crisp [Gluten-free | Dairy Free]
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas about 3 medium or 2 large bananas - and get them super ripe and sweet
- ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free all purpose flour or sub whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
Optional Mix-ins
- 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips I used mini chips
- 6 tablespoons raisins
- 10 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well with coconut oil or coconut oil spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the applesauce and honey together together. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and almond milk.
- Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Then fold in the flour, mixing just until the batter is combined.
- If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
1 slice of bread with walnuts = 1 YELLOW, 1/2 PURPLE, 1/2 BLUE, 2 SWEETENER tsp
1 slice of bread with raisins = 1 YELLOW, 3/4 PURPLE, 2 SWEETENER tsp
1 slice of bread with NO mix ins = 1 YELLOW, 1/2 PURPLE, 2 SWEETENER tsp WW: 6 points (per slice) [Calculated without any mix-ins]
Nutrition
Sarah says
Can you use 1 to 1 baking flour for this?
Nancylynn says
Yes!
Melinda says
Definitely a 5 ⭐️ recipe.
Nancylynn says
Thank you so much!!
Melinda says
OMG, I’ve made this so often. One of my favourite banana bread recipes. Today I made a double batch and baked 36 cupcakes. Turned out perfect as always ❤❤. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Nancylynn says
Love this idea!
Peggy Crofut says
Wow, just took it out of the oven and it looks perfect. It’s not flat like yours in the pictures. It stands up tall like it’s going to be the best banana bread ever. I was prepared to be happy with flat banana bread. My kids came running to eat cookies because it smells so good. Still waiting for it to cool and I won’t be having any until morning, but I didn’t want to fail to leave a review. Your blog is definitely one of the top 3 for 21-day-fix newbies. Thank you!!
Nancylynn says
AHHHH what a compliment! Thank you so so much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe – it means the world!!
Carrie Dunning says
Oh so yum! We had out of town weekend guests for us recently, and I made this in my Pampered Chef brownie pan! I wanted them to be cute little individual cakes, so that I could top each one with a dollop of your peanut butter frosting (recipe posted with your chocolate cake recipe! We all loved it! We’ll definitely be making them again!
Harold Burton says
recipe looks wonderful. i hope you don’t mind but i added this recipe to my site with working links to your page. can’t wait to try this one out!
Nancylynn says
Thank you! hope you love it!
Marie says
How many calories are in two thin slices. I’m a binge eater and needing to lose the eight pounds I’ve gained back.
Nancylynn says
Good luck with your goals! Calories and other macros will be added to recipes soon – stay tuned!
jennifer Wysocki says
Desperately trying to calculate the calories for a slice or a muffin?
I’m eating in a caloric deficit
Nancylynn says
We are looking to add this info to recipes soon, so stay tuned!
Allie says
This is one of my favorite receptors of all time. I look forward to breakfast every time I make it. Thank you so much for your meal plans! They make healthier eating for me and my family a breeze!
Nancylynn says
Oh thank you so much!! It means the world that you took the time to rate the recipe and comment. We love the banana bread too!
Bess says
This recipe is AMAZING! But I am wondering if you usually refrigerate or freeze the leftovers and how long they will keep for, best defrosting tips. I made mine with chocolate chips and it’s just me so I do NOT need to be eating a slice every night (as much as I want to).
Thanks so much for all you do! Your recipes are the best and help me with meal planning so much!
Nancylynn says
Yes! Freezing is a great idea for your leftovers!
It will keep for about 3 months in the freezer and you can freeze in individual slices so you can grab easily when the mood strikes you. You can defrost on the counter or, in a hurry, you can throw it in the toaster or toaster oven right from the freezer. Enjoy!
Katie says
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to make it. I love all of your recipes. thanks you for sharing with us. For this one any idea on how many WW points per serving?
Nancylynn says
Thank you! WW points just added! 🙂
Shaina Burbulak says
Just made it this with gluten free flour. Followed to a T or so I thought. But ended up alittle gummy 🤷🏻♀️. Would you happen to know what could guess that. Still has good flavor. Just texture is off.
Thank you! <3
Nancylynn says
I’m not totally sure without being right there in the kitchen, but two theories- 1.) It can happen when the dough is over-mixed. Be careful to mix just until ingredients are combined. 2.) Not all GF flours are created equal. It could be that a different brand yielded different results. Sorry to hear the texture didn’t come out just right! Glad the flavor was good though!
Tracey Giambertone says
Woooow!! This is absolutely delicious!! It is sooooo moist & yummy. I added walnuts, chocolate chips, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, & collagen..and it needed no adjustments. Fantastic recipe! I will definitely make again…and again..and again. 🙌❤️
Nancylynn says
Thank you soo much for this comment!! Your additions sound so yummy, thanks for trying it!
Amy says
OMG!!! This is so good I can hardly believe it’s healthy!! Kid, husband, and MIL approved!! I used coconut oil, all purpose flour (all I had in hand), honey and walnuts! So so so good!!! Thank you!!!
Nancylynn says
This is amazing! Thank you!
Erin says
Do you know how long I should bake this recipe if I am making muffins instead? Thanks!
Nancylynn says
I would begin checking at 18 -20 minutes by sticking in a toothpick to see if it comes out clean!
Jill says
This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes! Unfortunately I now have gestational diabetes and have to count carbs. Do you know how many would be in a serving?
Nancylynn says
Myfitnesspal is a great place to find this type of information!
MyKetoPartner says
That is a great banana bread!
Jen says
Is the flour a 1:1 ratio if using whole wheat?
Nancylynn says
Yup!
Nicole says
I made 12 regular size muffins, how would I calculate for them?
Nancylynn says
Awesome! What flour did you use? Did they come out good? I would count each one as 2/3 yellow and 1/3 purple
Nicole Traini says
I used gluten free flour, they turned out great. My kids enjoyed them too
Ellie says
Question for you…I don’t have vanilla almond milk. Think it would work with original unsweetened?
Nancylynn says
Yes! Add a little extra vanilla extract!
Melissa says
Do you know what the container counts would be for 80DO? I don’t know how to convert the sweetener portions, since 80DO doesn’t have those.
Thanks!
Nancylynn says
This would be a great refeed option for 80 Day, actually!
Elissa says
Can you sub almond flour for wheat
Nancylynn says
I haven’t tried this…I believe a reader of mine did and she needed to cook it for a long longer.
Tricia says
How would normal mini chocolate chips work? I couldn’t find non dairy so I subbed regular mini chocolate chips ?
Nancylynn says
They would count the same way – no worries!
Amy says
Can you substitute pumpkin purée for the applesauce?
Nancylynn says
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried it! But it sounds yummy!
Stacey Petrikas says
Very good recipe, and kid approved, too! I had everything on hand except gluten free flour, or any flour for that matter. Anyway, I put some old fashioned oats in my food processor and made oat flour. Worked beautifully in this recipe. I also poured my batter into a muffin tin (12 muffins – so a serving for the fix portions would be 1.5 muffins) and that worked very well, too. Thanks for this recipe, and I’ll definitely be checking out your other recipes.
Nancylynn says
That’s AWESOME!
Constance says
I made the coconut oil, honey version of this recipe, used coconut milk instead of almond milk, added 1 tablespoon of organic unsweetened cocoa cocoa powder and went with the suggestion of adding dairy free chocolate chips and OMG THIS WAS AMAZING! I did a muffin version so that I could control the portion size and put them in the freezer. Baked at 350 for 20 mins and got 16 muffins out of the batter. THIS IS A CRAVING KILLER! I’m so happy to have found a healthier craving killer that actually works. This will be my new go to!
Nancylynn says
You made my whole day! Thank you for such a great review! ❤️
Christine says
This is DELICIOUS! I need some help with container count though. I calculate 3/4 of a yellowper serving of flour and 2 tsp of honey/maple syrup per serving. I know that Autumn recommends counting anything over 1 tsp of honey as a yellow, so would 8 servings each contain at least 2 yellows?
Nancylynn says
Are you talking about 80 Day Obsession or 21 Day Fix? For the Fix, It’s almost a full yellow per serving, so I did round up. But it’s 2 sweetener teaspoons…and we can have up to four of these a day for “free.” Doe this make sense? And so happy you love it!
Penny says
Can I swap coconut oil for the applesauce?
Nancylynn says
Yes!
Steph says
Only need a few items to make this! Yummy!
Lauren Moran says
How do I make the unsweetened apple sauce? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Nancylynn says
I just used store bought unsweetened applesauce!
Anna Willis says
Yay!!! So glad we talked you into sharing right away! Cannot wait to try this! I have bananas that seriously need something to do ? and now I have the perfect thing for them ?
Nancylynn says
Yay! Let me know what you think! And just a PS – I have another fun banana recipe coming, so if you have extra, slice and freeze :). Thanks again for the pep talk yesterday! <3
Melany says
Hi! Would subbing coconut flour work?
Thx!
Nancylynn says
Not for this recipe…I am sorry!!