Dairy Free Banana Bread

Banana bread is a classic treat enjoyed by many. Unfortunately, for those with dietary restrictions or allergies, traditional banana bread may not be an option. Fortunately, there is a delicious alternative - dairy free banana bread! This loaf is perfect for those who are on dairy-restrictive diets or have an allergy to dairy products.

Not only is it completely free of any dairy ingredients, but it’s also gluten free and packed with flavor and nutrients that make it a great snack or dessert option.

Whether you’re looking for an indulgent treat or just need something to satisfy your sweet tooth while adhering to dietary restrictions, this easy banana bread recipe will get the job done. 

Ever crave a slice of moist, dense, and delicious homemade Banana Bread? This easy gluten free Banana Bread is just that- easy, dense and so incredibly delicious!

And honestly what’s not to love? This bakery-style bread is easy to make and full of banana flavor. It’s also worth noting — there are no wonky ingredients; as a matter of fact you probably have everything on hand to bake the perfect loaf.

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

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and brown sugar.
3. Add in the vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the gluten free flour, xanthan gum if needed, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Remove from the oven and add more chocolate chips.
8. 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.
9. 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.

How to pick the best bananas for banana bread? 

To pick the best bananas for banana bread you should look for those that are spotty and have some black patches on them. The black patches indicate that the banana is super ripe and has plenty of natural sugars, making it perfect for baking into a delicious loaf.

You can also give the bananas a gentle squeeze to ensure they’re soft enough and ready to be used.

Over ripe bananas are mushy when squeezed and ideal for baking. Once you have your ripe bananas, mash them up in a bowl before adding them to your other ingredients.

Can I freeze dairy free banana bread?

Absolutely! This is a great quick bread loaf to maek an extra one or two of adn freeze them for later.

Wrap any extra moist banana bread in plastic wrap tightly. Then wrap it with aluminum foil and place in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months.

Thaw the bread by removing it from the freezer and letting it sit out until it reaches room temperature. You can reheat in the oven until warmed through.

What kind of gluten-free flour blend should I use?

I imagine you can use whatever blend you prefer. We tested this recipe with Josie's Best Gluten Free Mix. However, we have made plenty of other quick bread recipes with Bob's Red Mill flour and King Arthurs's baking mix.

However, we do suggest to not use coconut flour as this tends to dry out the bread a bit.

Can I make this as a sugar free banana bread?

If you want to lower your sugar intake, you can make this as a no sugar added recipe, or a recipe with natural sugar sources rather than one that uses granulated sugar and or brown sugar.

In our gluten free dairy free banana bread recipe, we use brown sugar, but you can swap that out for coconut sugar or maple syrup.

These are a few ways that you can limit or control the sugar content in a lof of our gluten-free baking recipes.

Can I make this an egg free banana bread?

Certainly. You'll want to use some other binding agent in place of the eggs. Some people may want to use flax eggs or another egg replacement.

For this dairy free banana bread recipe, we suggest using a combination of applesauce and chia seeds. The applesauce will help with the moisture and binding, while the chia seeds add that extra bit of protein to help keep the bread together.

We haven't tested this as an egg free recipe, but these are what we would try to use as replacements.

Pro Tip: Instead of just prepping the bread loaf pan with dairy free butter, you can line the pan with parchment paper.

When we do this, we like to leave a little extra up the sides of the pan. Leaving extra parchment paper helps create handles to remove the bread loaf from the hot pan a little easier. It also makes clean up easier as well.

Just a reminder that eggs are NOT dairy. Some people get easily confused as they are sold next to each other in many grocery stores. Eggs are from chickens ( or other poultry or birds like duck or turkey), where milk is from a cow. Milk is dairy. Eggs are NOT dairy.

Does banana bread contain dairy?

Traditional banana bread does contain dairy, that's why we wanted to make a homemade dairy free loaf of banana bread. This recipe is also gluten free!

What do I spread on this? 

Worried that this bread isn't moist enough? Don't worry, it is! But if you love a good spread on top of your homemade banana bread, you can add a pad of vegan butter, almond butter, or any of your favorite jams or preserves. 

Can I add more bananas? 

I would be very careful adding more mashed banana. If you add too much, it will take the bread too long to cook and may not bake evenly. 

more delicious recipes

If you loved this dairy-free banana bread recipe, you must check out these other tasty baked goods made with basic ingredients.

• moist and delicious lemon poppy seed bread
• chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache drizzle
• chocolate banana bread

lastly

A point often overlooked with traditional banana bread is everyone loves it. It’s a classic that never goes out of style.

You can even personalize this recipe to your own liking by adding chopped nuts or chocolate chips to the banana bread batter.

If you're looking for more yummy baked goods with great texture, take a second to search around and see if we have the recipe you're looking for. If you can't seem to find one, shoot us a message on the contact page, or reach out to us on one of our social media pages and we can see if we have one in the works for you that we can share.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest to keep up with all our new recipes. Tag us if you make the recipe on IG or share your thoughts by commenting on the pin on Pinterest. If you try this recipe, feel free to give it 5 🌟 below

Eat Well and Feel Well

Pin It For Later

Share for others and save for later!