This Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread made with brown rice flour and arrowroot starch is completely egg-free and dairy-free! Sweetened with maple syrup.
Whether you are gluten-free, vegan, or neither, this healthy banana bread is one everyone will love.
An easy quick bread recipe that is super moist, full of banana flavor, sweetness, and warming spices. And made with wholesome ingredients.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Nut-free
- Simple ingredients
- Naturally sweetened
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and full instructions in the recipe card below.
Bananas - Overripe bananas are exactly what you'll want for this recipe. Once they become spotty bananas, you know they are ready to bake.
Brown rice flour - Look for certified gluten-free varieties if necessary. White rice flour is the best substitute if needed.
Arrowroot starch - Also known as arrowroot powder, this helps bind as well as create a lighter texture.
In gluten-free and egg-free baking, nut, and seed butter and nut flours play a helpful role in taste, texture, and binding capabilities.
While I love my tahini, decadent chocolate peanut butter, and roasted strawberry bread, none are nut-free.
If in need of a substitute, tapioca starch or corn starch would be your best bet.
Ground flaxseeds - Mixed with water, ground flaxseed will create a flax egg to act as our egg replacers.
This is a great ingredient to always have on hand in the pantry.
Maple syrup (or honey) - The perfect natural sweetener. Gives a richness in flavor like brown sugar.
Coconut oil - Use refined coconut oil to avoid an additional "hint of coconut." Melted vegan butter, olive oil, or avocado oil are other excellent neutral dairy-free options.
Vanilla extract - Pure vanilla extract helps round out the flavors.
Step-by-step ingredients
Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan with parchment paper. Prepare your flax eggs and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients—melted coconut oil, mashed bananas, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and flax eggs.
Stir to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until mixture is evenly incorporated.
Step 2: Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
Tips
- Lots of brown spots indicates ripe bananas
- Use a potato masher to make it easier to mash bananas.
- Make your flax egg first to give it time to gel.
- Allow bread to cool completely to room temperature before slicing.
Storage
The best way to enjoy moist banana bread is within the first two days. But, there are a few different ways you can keep it for short or long-term use.
No matter which storage option you use, allow the bread cool completely first.
Room Temperature Storage
If you plan to consume the banana bread within a day or two, you can leave it at room temperature. Store it in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Refrigeration
If you want to keep the gluten-free vegan banana bread fresh for a longer period (up to a week), store it in the refrigerator.
Make sure it's well-wrapped or stored in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing any odors from the fridge.
Freezing
To keep gluten-free banana bread for an extended period (up to three months), you can freeze it.
Wrap individual slices or the whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Place wrapped slices or the loaf in a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container.
Toppings and mix-ins
Adding something extra to your banana bread batter or sprinkling extras on top is a great way to customize quick bread.
Here are a few ideas:
- Chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews (if not nut-free)
- Dairy-free or regular chocolate chips or chunks
- Dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, or cherries
Pro tip: With or without butter, slather a bit of date paste on a slice for a truly delicious treat!
FAQs
Absolutely. Nuts, seeds, or chocolate are all delicious additions to banana bread. Ensure you are choosing dairy-free chocolate to keep it vegan.
The short answer is no.
Baking powder is naturally gluten-free, but it is important for those with Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance to read the ingredient label carefully to ensure that it does not have any gluten-containing products or was processed in a facility that also processes gluten-containing grains.
Yes. Wrap individual slices or the whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Place wrapped slices or the loaf in a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More gluten-free bread recipes
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs 2T ground flaxseed + 6T warm water
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1 ½ cups (290g) mashed overripe bananas (3 medium)
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (152g) brown rice flour
- ⅓ cup (45g) arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan with parchment paper. Prepare your flax eggs and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, mashed banana, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and flax eggs. Stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixture is evenly incorporated.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. A tester should come out with only a few crumbs. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing.
Lisa
Absolutely love this GF recipe! It was my first time to use flax as a egg substitute. My husband and kiddos loved it and I am delighted! The halved bananas on top are beautiful!
Tessa
Thank you, Lisa! I am so happy everyone enjoyed it! :)
mandy
looks so yummy just two flour !!
for the flaxseed, are there any replacement for flaxseed ?
Tessa
Thank you! You could use ground chia seeds as a replacement.
Amanda
I've never made anything with exclusively gluten-free flours before, but stumbled upon this recipe by accident (I think I clicked over to your site from Kate's guacamole recipe) and had three overripe bananas and some brown rice flour and arrowroot starch to use up. I was low on flax, coconut oil and maple syrup, so swapped in eggs, canola oil (reduced to 1/4 cup) and brown sugar (reduced to 90g). I folded in 75g of chopped walnuts at the end. And then, of course, my loaf pan was also occupied, so I made this in a muffin tin instead. Despite the substitutions, I have 12 beautifully domed, fragrant muffins that taste great. I so appreciate you providing an excellent base recipe for me to mess with based on what I had on hand. I'll put this in my regular rotation. By the way, if anyone else is looking for muffin timing, the muffins smelled done and sprang back at 20 minutes, but I had read that GF baked goods can be a little gummy and benefit from longer baking, so I left them in another 3-5 minutes and they didn't come out overdone.
Tessa
That is so awesome. Thank you, Amanda! I am glad to hear that those subs worked out so well.