Gluten-free Banana Nut Bread

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My youngest asked me to not just make plain gluten-free banana bread, but instead to include some nuts. I created this gluten-free banana nut bread with chopped pecans in it and it was a huge hit! My son declared it the best gluten-free banana bread ever and has requested I make it again this week.

This recipe is just slightly adapted from one I was making before my celiac diagnosis. My notes say that it was our family favorite in June 2009, which was one year before my diagnosis. It’s been tucked away since and I just pulled it out a few weeks ago to give it a try with my gluten-free flour blends. Happy that it worked just perfectly.

Why didn’t I already have a good moist gluten-free banana bread recipe on my site? Mainly because I always make these gluten-free banana muffins. I love how convenient they are for freezing and then putting in my kids’ school lunches.

But my kids aren’t in school right now, and they both wanted gluten-free banana bread with nuts, so I made it for them! Also I did make a batch without nuts and it was excellent as well, so feel free to make this banana bread without nuts too.

Notes on ingredients and substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe, plus some notes on each ingredient and possible substitutions:

• Bananas: be sure to use very ripe bananas. One mostly covered with black spots or even almost all the way black. The number of bananas you will use will depend on the size of your bananas. I used three in order to get the 1 cup mashed banana I needed.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, since it’s such a small amount you can use 1/4 cup milk or non-dairy milk alternative with 1 tsp lemon juice mixed in or use buttermilk powder, following the package instructions for how to replace 1/4 cup buttermilk with it. You can also use 2 tablespoons plain nondairy milk and 2 tablespoons nondairy milk.
• Butter: This recipe calls for 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of butter. You can also use the same amount of shortening. I have made this with shortening and it works well. You can use Crisco but I prefer Spectrum brand organic vegetable shortening.
• Baking powder and baking soda: no substitutions! I want to point out that yes you are using both of these! Don’t omit! Baking powder is only for rise for a fluffy banana bread, and baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to help with rise, and also helps the loaf brown in the oven.
• Gluten-free Flour: Use your favorite good quality rice flour-based all purpose gluten-free flour blend (i.e., no bean flours, not only rice flour, and is certified gluten-free). I tested first with King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour with great results and then the next time with Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour. I always highly recommend are gfJules and Cup4Cup, but I haven’t tried them in this recipe.
• Pecans: I used pecans for some tender crunch, but you can choose to use a different nut. People commonly make banana bread with walnuts since they’re tender like pecans, and almonds are another option but they tend to be very crunchy. You can also omit the nuts completely. You could even use chocolate chips instead!

I bought my pecan pieces at my local store because I was out and needed them today, but I usually order them from nuts dot com here because they’re so good! I did chop them up into smaller pieces as my family prefers that.

Can this banana bread be made dairy-free?

Yes! This recipe can be adapted to avoid dairy by using shortening, and by making your own buttermilk substitute with 1/4 non-dairy milk plus 1 tsp. lemon juice. The gluten-free dairy-free version of this bread will taste great too!

How to make this gluten free banana bread

• You’ll just need two bowls, some measuring cups, and a mixer (stand mixer with paddle attachment, or a handheld mixer).
• In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the sugar and the room temperature (slightly soft) butter or shortening for about 3 minutes. This will dissolve the sugar in the butter and help create very small pockets of air that will lead to a fluffier bread.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time just to combine so you don’t break down the egg proteins and make it much harder for them to hold the bread’s rise during and after baking.
• Add the mashed bananas and buttermilk and mix to combine.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if needed), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combining the dry ingredients separately prevents any clumps and fully integrates them with each other for a smooth result without overmixing the batter.
• Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture about a third at a time, mixing on low between additions so you don’t overbeat.
• Next, stir in the 1/2 cup pecan pieces with a spatula just until they’re evenly throughout the batter.
• Spread the batter into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs only and no wet batter. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your pan. For my 9x4x4 pan in an electric oven, it took 65 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the loaf cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes until the loaf is less fragile. Then transfer the loaf from the pan directly to the cooling rack. Wait to slice and serve until completely cooled or it will fall apart.

About the loaf pan

I give a range for the baking time and tell you to rely more on the toothpick method instead of the exact time. The main reason for this is that there isn’t really a standard size for loaf pans. I have 6 in my cupboard and they’re 5 different sizes. There is a large range of length and widths, and some pans flare out while others have straight sides. Try to pick one that is roughly 8-9″ long by 3.5-5″ wide. If yours is much bigger, then yours will be flatter and cook quicker. If your pans are smaller, then you might need to divide this batter into two pans so your pan doesn’t overflow.

The loaf pan I used for this is one of my favorites for tall loaves that bake evenly. It’s USA Pans brand with straight sides and measures 9-inches x 4-inches x 4-inches. I also recommend the classic USA loaf pan that’s it’s a similar size but just doesn’t have the straight sides. Instead, it has a little angle on the sides like many loaf pans.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes! I have two of the loaf pans since my gluten-free zucchini bread makes two loaves. If you have two, you can also double this easy gluten-free banana bread recipe to make two loaves.

If you make two loaves, or even if you just make one loaf of this but want to save half for later. We even thought slices of this bread were even more flavorful on day 2 and 3. It was all finished off early on day 3!

You can also freeze this bread. Let cool first and then wrap the loaf with aluminum foil and then place in a freezer bag. You can also cut into slices and freeze each slice in plastic wrap and place all slices in a freezer bag that way you can pull out one slice at a time for a snack.

If you have more ripe bananas on hand, be sure to check out all of my coconut milk smoothie and gluten free banana chocolate chip muffins, too.

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Gluten-free Banana Nut Bread Recipe

By Michelle ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Yield: 10 slices

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This recipe makes one loaf of gluten-free banana nut bread. Feel free to double to make two loaves if you have enough ripe bananas. You can omit the nuts for a delicious gluten-free banana bread too, or you can add chocolate chips!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 8 tablespoons (112 g) butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 (100 g out of shell) eggs
• ▢ 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 3 small to medium bananas
• ▢ 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) buttermilk
• ▢ 2 cups (280 g) good quality all purpose gluten-free flour blend
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped pecans

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan that is about 9-inches long and between 4 and 5-inches wide. My pan is 9-inches x 4-inches x 4-inches.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the sugar and butter for about 3 minutes on medium speed or until the mixture has increased in volume, is pale yellow and the sugar has been mostly absorbed.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium speed just until mixed in.
• Add the mashed bananas and buttermilk and mix on medium for 1 minute.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if needed), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture about a third at a time, mixing on low between additions.
• Add the chopped pecans and either stir by hand with a spatula, or for a short time with your mixer on low. Mix only until the pecans are mixed throughout.
• Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs only, no wet batter. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your pan. For my 9x4x4 pan in an electric oven, it took 65 minutes.
• Remove pan and place on cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing into 10 generous slices or the bread will fall apart.

Notes

If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe.

See blog post for recommendations for ingredients and substitutions and for information about loaf pans.

These can be made dairy-free by using the same amount of shortening, and by making your own buttermilk substitute with 2 tablespoons plain dairy free yogurt and 2 tablespoons dairy free milk of choice. 

If you double this to make two loaves, or even if you just make one loaf of this but want to save half for later, you can definitely freeze this. Let cool first and then wrap the loaf with aluminum foil and then place in a freezer bag.

You can also cut into slices and freeze each slice in plastic wrap and place all slices in a freezer bag that way you can pull out one slice at a time for a snack.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe adapted from an old blog called Good Things Catered that I found in 2009 that is no longer online.

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I hope you and your family enjoy my version of gluten-free banana bread as much as my family has enjoyed it. If you make it, would you please come back and leave a 5 star rating and any comments on your experience? Thank you!

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