Dairy Free Banana Bread
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Banana bread is a classic treat, but traditional recipes are off the table if you're avoiding gluten or dairy. This gluten free dairy free banana bread is moist, dense, and packed with flavor -- no one will guess it's allergy friendly.
The Easiest Dairy Free Banana Bread You'll Ever Make!
This Gluten Free Banana Bread loaf is completely dairy free and gluten free, and it's just as moist, dense, and bakery-style delicious as the traditional version. It's easy to make with no wonky ingredients, and it's perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a simple dessert.
Dairy Free Banana Bread is Perfect for
- breakfasts on the go
- afternoon snack (our children’s favorite way to enjoy)
- and hello… the perfect dessert!
- traveling… just last week we enjoyed slices on an airplane trip and in our hotel room. It was so cozy to have our favorite gluten free homemade banana bread on hand.
- school snack for the kiddos- just one of those great things to have on hand
- work snacks, your coworkers will want in on a slice too
- workplace and church potlucks
- road trips
- bridal or baby shower brunches and
- really any excuse you can think of to enjoy some gluten-free bread
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Here are a few kitchen tools to have on hand when making the best classic banana bread recipe.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Bread Loaf Pan
- Wire rack for cooling
- Baking spray
Note: Always check that your cooking spray doesn't have any gluten in it. Some baking sprays have started to include that in it to help traditional gluten containing baking recipes. The one we linked to above is certified gluten free and vegan.
Ingredients and brand suggestions
Get more info on these ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- dairy free butter- Earth Balance Butter Sticks work well. You can use coconut oil or avocado oil in this gluten-free recipe if desired.
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- overripe bananas
- gluten free all-purpose flour- any all-purpose flour mix should work well with this recipe. We baked this loaf with Josie’s Best Gluten Free Mix (the muffin & more mix) that can be purchased here
- xanthan gum (omit if your all-purpose flour has it)
- baking soda
- salt
- cinnamon
- optional: chopped walnuts or dairy free chocolate chips
How to Make Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the gluten free flour, xanthan gum if needed, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and any chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to the wet mixture if you're using them. Then mix just until incorporated. Place additional nuts or chocolate chips on top of the loaf batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf pan comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and add more chocolate chips.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack. This bread will taste wonderful for a few days at room temperature. To extend the fresh taste refrigerate it, wrapped in some plastic wrap.
- Serve this gluten-free banana bread recipe with dairy free butter or enjoy as is.
Storage
For best results, just like any of your other favorite quick breads, you should store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for bananas that are spotty with some black patches -- that means they're super ripe with plenty of natural sugars, perfect for baking.
Give them a gentle squeeze too; overripe bananas should feel soft and mushy. Mash them up before adding to your other ingredients.
Absolutely! Wrap any extra bread tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven until warmed through.
We tested this recipe with Josie's Best Gluten Free Mix, but Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur's gluten free baking mix both work well too. We don't recommend coconut flour, since it tends to dry out the bread.
Yes, swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar or maple syrup to cut back on refined sugar, or use natural sugar sources instead.
Yes. We suggest a combination of applesauce and chia seeds as a binder -- the applesauce adds moisture while the chia seeds help hold everything together.
We haven't tested this version ourselves, but it's what we'd try first. And as a reminder: eggs are not dairy, so this substitution is about allergies to eggs specifically, not a dairy free requirement.
Traditional banana bread does contain dairy, which is why we created this homemade dairy free (and gluten free!) version.
This bread is moist enough to enjoy on its own, but a pad of vegan butter, almond butter, or your favorite jam or preserves are all great additions.
We also love adding our dairy free cream cheese frosting.
Be careful adding extra mashed banana -- too much will make the bread take longer to bake and can prevent it from cooking evenly.
more delicious recipes
- moist and delicious lemon poppy seed bread
- chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache drizzle
- chocolate banana bread
Want More Gluten and Dairy Free Breakfast Recipes?
Ingredients
- ½ c dairy free butter room temperature
- ¾ c brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ripe bananas mushed 2⅓ c mashed bananas
- 2 c gluten free all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your gf all-purpose flour already has this
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- optional: chopped walnuts or ¾ c of dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas. Mix well.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum if needed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients and any chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to the wet mixture and mix just until incorporated. Place additional nuts or chocolate chips on top of the loaf batter.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf pan comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and add more chocolate chips.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack. This bread will taste wonderful for a few days at room temperate. To extend the fresh taste refrigerate it.
- Serve with dairy free butter or enjoy as is. Store in an airtight container 3-4 days.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.
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Banana bread was delicious! Used Just Egg egg replacement(allergy) and it still turned out great!
I'm so excited you were able to use the egg replacer in this recipe! Awesome news. Jill