Gluten-Free Almond Flour Banana Bread (So Moist!)

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This gluten-free banana bread is made with almond flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. It’s simple to mix up and so delicious—paleo, too!

Updated byKathryne Tayloron August 29, 2024

Are we still baking banana bread? Is that still a thing? Of course it is. I developed this gluten-free banana bread in response to one of the most common questions on my healthy banana bread recipe: “Can I make this with almond flour?”

While my go-to banana bread offers other gluten-free options within the post (including a delicious oat flour version), the almond flour answer isn’t so straightforward. I think it took me seven tries to nail this recipe!

This version required several modifications, so I’m sharing it as its own recipe today. I’ll also walk you through how I adapted the recipe for almond flour—which might be helpful if it’s your favorite flour, or you simply have a surplus in your pantry.

This banana bread is ultra-tender, moist and decadent. Those qualities are natural by-products of almond flour and the extra eggs needed to hold the loaf together. This “bread” almost reminds me of pound cake in texture, and it could absolutely pass as banana cake—perhaps topped with cream cheese frosting.

While its texture differs from my favorite banana bread, this gluten-free version is wonderful in its own right. Like the other recipe, it’s easy to mix by hand—in one bowl, no less! It’s naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, and I believe it qualifies as paleo, too. Ready to bake?

How to Make Almond Flour-Based Banana Bread

I basically crossed my healthy banana bread recipe with the lemony-almond blueberry cake in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 197). Here are the changes I made, and why:

Substituted the flour by measuring equal weight (in grams), not by volume (in cups).

Almond flour is actually lighter than “regular” flour (all-purpose or whole wheat) when measured the same way (stirred, spooned into cups, and leveled with a knife). One cup of regular flour weighs about 125 grams, while one cup of almond flour weighs about 92 grams. I’ve found flour substitutions work better when you keep the weight constant. For example, 1 3/4 cups (220 grams) regular flour equals about 2 1/2 cups (230 grams—close enough) almond flour.

This is also true for oat flour. Interestingly, with almond flour, I’ve found another way to keep the weight constant: simply pack the almond flour into the measuring cups. When fully packed, you can use the original 1 3/4 cups measurement.

Slightly decreased the oil.

Almonds, like all nuts, naturally contain oil—more than the small amount in whole wheat flour. Fun fact: all-purpose flour has been stripped of all oils, which is why it keeps longer.

I was able to reduce the oil slightly here, dropping it from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup. In fact, I got by with as little as 2 tablespoons, but I love the rich texture that 1/4 cup produces.

Omitted the milk.

Regular flour absorbs far more moisture than almond flour, which barely absorbs at all. I found I didn’t need the small amount of milk (1/4 cup) called for in the original recipe.

Added two extra eggs.

Eggs are absolutely key to achieving a proper rise in almond flour baked goods. Most of my regular-flour recipes call for two eggs, but this one needs four—otherwise the middle will be deeply sunken and wet. (These photos actually show the bread slightly sinking, but my other batches were perfectly mounded—perhaps the eggs used here were smaller than in previous tests.)

Why more eggs? Regular flours contain gluten, a protein that provides structure. It essentially creates a framework that fills with air pockets and stays lofty after baking. Almond flour is gluten free, so we have to find structure elsewhere. Real eggs are the only solution I know of that provides enough structure. Please don’t try flax eggs here—you’ll end up with an unappetizing pudding-like situation.

Added baking powder, and decreased the baking soda.

While my banana bread rises beautifully with baking soda alone, this nut-flour version needs help from both baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder is double-acting—it starts producing bubbles when mixed with liquid, and produces more when heated.

Since we added baking powder (which actually contains some baking soda), we’ll decrease the baking soda. Another reason: baking soda is much stronger than baking powder, so we simply need less when they’re used together.

In summary: The answer to “Can I substitute almond flour?” isn’t so simple! The good news is that I use a similar formula for many of my quick breads (like my pumpkin bread and zucchini bread) and muffins, so you can likely use this recipe as a template to adjust the others.

Watch How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe Notes

Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal

I’ve used almond meal and almond flour interchangeably in the past, but I strongly recommend almond flour (made with blanched almonds) here for the best texture and flavor. I used Bob’s Red Mill’s super-fine almond flour (affiliate link).

How to Measure Almond Flour

Some of my other recipes have you pack the almond flour into the measuring cups, but for this one, you’ll measure it as you would any other flour (stir, spoon into cups, and level with a knife). You can read the reasoning at the start of the previous section.

Oil & Flour Your Loaf Pan

This is really important! Generously oil and flour your loaf pan as shown in the photo above. If it looks excessive, you’re doing it right. Skimp here, and you might struggle to release the loaf after baking.

Let the Bread Cool at Least 30 Minutes

Almond flour baked goods, being gluten free, are especially delicate when warm. Let this bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing or slicing. Trust me!

Craving more?

Here are more gluten-free, almond flour-based treats:

And more banana-flavored treats:

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Banana Bread (So Moist!)

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Make this almond flour banana bread for a gluten-free treat (it’s paleo, too). Enjoy it for breakfast or a sweet snack. It’s decadent enough to pass as banana cake, especially topped with cream cheese frosting. Recipe yields 1 loaf, about 10 slices.

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Recipe adapted from my healthy banana bread (which also offers gluten-free options for oat flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour), and the lemony-almond blueberry cake in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 197).

Change it up: To make this bread extra fruity, add up to 1 cup blueberries (lightly tossed in almond flour so they don’t sink). Your bread may need up to 1 hour 10 minutes in the oven with this addition. Or, I suspect you could add 1/2 cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips without adjusting the baking time.

Storage suggestions: This bread is quite moist and keeps at room temperature for a couple of days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for several months (slice it first if you’d like to grab single servings).

Egg free/vegan note: I always try to offer substitution options when possible, but this recipe is highly dependent on real eggs for structure and lift. I don’t know of a workable alternative.

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