What can I say? I’m the type of girl who buys bananas on a weekly basis, just so I can watch them ripen up enough on the counter to be baked into something or thrown in a delicious peanut butter coffee smoothie.
Anyone else buy bananas just to bake with them?!
I’m here to welcome you to another year and another delicious banana bread recipe to fall in love with. If you’re not familiar with Ambitious Kitchen’s love for all things banana, you will be soon!
You can find all of my fabulous banana bread recipes right here and some pretty delicious banana infused muffins here.
Today I’m sharing an almond flour banana bread that’s naturally sweetened with ONLY bananas (okay, and a few chocolate chips!) Can you believe it?
Ingredients in Almond Flour Banana Bread
Not only is this almond flour banana bread super easy to make in one bowl, but it’s also gluten free, grain free, dairy free and paleo — which means this banana bread is perfect for just about anyone — including kids! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- almond flour: you’ll want to use a fine blanched almond flour for this recipe. Tip: be sure to pack the almond flour in your measuring cup just like you would with brown sugar!
- flaxseed meal: not only does flaxseed meal add a nice nutty flavor and texture to this bread, it also is packed with fiber, high quality plant based protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
- cinnamon: helps to control blood sugar levels.
- baking soda: to help the bread rise and bake properly.
- salt: don’t skip it.
- ripe bananas: I suggest using EXTRA ripe bananas in this recipe with lots of brown spots. These are sweeter and better for this recipe since there are no other added sweeteners.
- eggs: you’ll need 3.
- almond milk: a splash of almond milk is all you’ll need but you can use any milk you’d like.
- vanilla extract: my favorite. If you’re out, feel free to use whiskey or bourbon.
- dark chocolate chips: a little dark chocolate is good for the heart! If you need this bread to be dairy free, I suggest using these chocolate chips.
How to make Almond Flour Banana Bread
- Making this almond flour banana bread is easier than you think! First mix all the wet ingredients in a large bowl: mashed bananas, eggs, almond milk and vanilla. Next add in the dry ingredients: almond flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add the batter to a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a few extra chocolate chips. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice banana bread and serve with butter, almond butter or peanut butter and a sprinkle of sea salt (so good!)
What makes this banana bread nourishing & healthy?
There’s a reason why I call this banana bread nourishing and it isn’t just because I love that word — rather it’s because this bread is a delicious nutrient-dense option to enjoy for breakfast, snacks and even a treat. Here’s what makes this banana bread healthy & wonderful:
- Almond flour is high in protein, vitamin E, fiber, healthy fats and low carb. It’s great for those who want to incorporate a more nutrient dense flour into their diet. Feel free to check out more of my recipes using almond flour here.
- Flaxseed meal is a staple ingredients in my diet. I love putting it in smoothies, using it as an egg replacement in vegan recipes, and additionally, it happens to be high in fiber, protein and omega 3 fatty acids. You can read more about flaxseeds here.
- Naturally sweetened: this almond flour banana bread is naturally sweetened with only bananas, which helps to keep it fairly low sugar.
The first time I baked this up, Tony and I couldn’t stop going back for a second very thick slice. It’s especially good when topped with butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. I also do highly recommend using chocolate chips because it sweetens up the banana bread perfectly.
How to store banana bread
This banana bread should be kept well-covered in foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days, then I recommend transferring to the fridge or freezer.
How to freeze banana bread
This banana bread bread freezes well! Simply wrap in plastic, then tightly in foil and finally place in a reusable bag or freezer friendly bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature once you are ready to eat. You can also feel free to freeze individual slices for a quick on the go treat!
See how to make almond flour banana bread:
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rate the recipe below so others know how you liked it! We appreciate you. xo.
Nourishing Almond Flour Banana Bread
Simple one bowl almond flour banana bread packed with nourishing ingredients and sweetened only with bananas. This gluten free, grain free, dairy free and paleo banana bread will be your new favorite to bake when you have extra ripe bananas. Chocolate chips optional, but recommended!
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (this should measure to be 1 ¼ cups mashed banana)
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups packed blanched fine almond flour (I use Bob's Red MIll)
- ½ cup flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free if desired), plus 2 tablespoons extra chocolate chips for sprinkling on top
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in the almond flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
-
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chocolate chips on top. Bake for 50 minutes-1 hour or until tester comes out clean in the middle of the bread. Cool bread for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Once cool, cut into 12 slices. The bread is best the next day (as are all banana breads!) To serve: top with almond butter or butter and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Feel free to add in ⅓ cup chopped walnuts for additional healthy fats.
Bread should be kept well-covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, then I recommend transferring to the fridge or freezer.
This bread freezes well, simply wrap in plastic, then tightly in foil and finally place in a reusable bag or freezer friendly bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature once you are ready to eat. You can also feel free to freeze individual slices for a quick on the go treat.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
80 comments
Yesss I have been waiting for these!
Have you ever used frozen super ripe bananas for banana bread? I have a ton in my freezer that would be perfect for this but will the consistency be weird if they’re thawed?
Thanks so much! 🙂
Because they’ll likely be a bit more wet, you may need to reduce the amount to 1 cup. Let them thaw first to get rid of excess liquid and to bring to room temp, then mash! Enjoy!
You could also try adding a few T of coconut flour…keeping the same amount of banana. Let the batter sit for a few minutes so the coconut can absorb some excess liquid.
Yum! This looks so amazing! Bananas are seriously one of my favorite things to bake with! Add chocolate or peanut butter and . . . absolute perfection!
AGREE!
Looks soo yummy! Would it be possible to replace the 3 eggs with liquid egg whites (all I have on hand right now, haha)?
I haven’t tried replacing the eggs. I think 1 egg = 1/4 cup egg whites so if you want to try it out feel free to use about 2/3 – 3/4 cup egg whites. Personally I would just wait until you have the proper ingredients needed to make this recipe, but up to you! 🙂
Hi there! Doing a cleanse and this works except the egg? Do you think flax egg would work? Need banana bread in my cleanse life! 😍😍
I think this recipe is best when made as written! I haven’t tried testing other versions of it so I can’t be certain what substitutions will work in this one, especially because it uses a grain free flour and 3 eggs.
Can’t wait to make this. Any chance almond flour could be substituted for oat flour?!
I wouldn’t recommend swapping flours in here as the results won’t quite be the same – sorry! Try these muffins with oat flour 🙂 https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/healthy-peanut-butter-banana-muffins-dairy-free-gluten-free/
Love the texture of this- truly more of a quick bread than cake. Also really like that it’s not too sweet! Would def recommend.
Absolutely! It is meant to be a delicious quick bread 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Looks delicious! If I were to make into muffins, what would you recommend for bake time? Thanks!
I think 18-25 minutes would likely be good!
This was sooo delicious! My husband and I loved this more than our usual banana bread and cold not believe how tasty it was with no added sugar or flour – this is a keeper! I also only had two bananas and it worked great
Love it! So happy you both enjoyed!
Hi so excited to try this recipe! I’d like to use whole wheat flour, Would the ratio of whole wheat to almond flour be the same? Thanks
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend swapping the flours here as I’ve only baked this recipe as-is. Try this recipe instead 🙂 https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/my-favorite-healthy-banana-bread-recipe/
This bread was simple to make and my little girls loved helping make it and eat it! It was perfect for my family because my youngest has a dairy allergy. We had some leftovers and I froze them for quick snacks or breakfasts.
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
Another awesome recipe! I only had a cup of almond flour so I added almond meal and it was great! So moist and the perfect amount of sweetness!
Perfect – glad that swap worked out well! One of my new favorite breads 🙂
This recipe is.so.darn.delicious. I used extremely (nearly all black skin) bananas and I think that helped to give it such a wonderful flavor. Highly recommend adding the dark chocolate chips, and don’t skimp! Thank you for such an easy and wonderful recipe!
Amazing! So happy you loved this one — and yes, the super ripe bananas do help!
Would this work as muffins? Is so, approx what bake time…maybe 350 for 20-25 min?
I think 18-25 minutes would likely be good!
This is now my absolute favorite banana bread recipe of all time. I was skeptical but my gosh, what a treat! And so easy- love that it’s one-bowl!
Modifications I made that worked perfectly:
~SUBBED SOME OAT FLOUR: used 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 1 cup almond flour
~USED 2 EGGS (instead of 3)
I baked my loaf for exactly 50 minutes and it was moist and soft on the outside and nice and golden on the outside. It’s important to let this bread cool completely before slicing. I keep mine in the fridge and/or freezer and it is PERFECTION. Thank you, Monique! And congratulations on your sweet little hunk of ham (those CHEEKS, I cannot). xo
Glad those swaps worked out for you! Such a great snack or easy breakfast. Thanks so much, Sara!
Do you literally pack the almond flour like you would for brown sugar? Or is it more of a scoop and level situation? Or could you provide a weight measure for 1 cup of packed almond flour in the comments and then I can just weigh out the right amount in the future.
Nevermind, I just read the comment to pack it like brown sugar….that’s so unusual.
Yes the almond flour is meant to be packed 🙂 Enjoy!
This is absolutely delicious and I’m happy that it doesn’t contain sugar. You also can’t tell that it’s made with almond flour. It is Hubby-Approved!
Glad you both love this one! One of my new favorite banana breads 🙂
Shocked at how good this bread turned out!! I’ve tried a few “healthy” banana bread recipes and they always turn out bland. This simple recipe packs a big flavor punch! Loved this bread and will be saving this as my new go-to banana bread.
Isn’t it delicious? So simple, too! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I just popped this in the oven. so easy to make! I can’t wait to try it because even the batter was soooo good! thanks for the tip of spreading nut butter and a pinch of salt YUM!!
Amazing! Hope you’re loving it!
Omgoodness I’m in love!!! Im not going to lie, looking at the ingredients…I was super skeptical. But this turned out AMAZING!!! I followed the recipe and baked for 50 minutes. Total perfection! Thanks Monique! 😍
So happy you love this one! The gluten free ingredients can seem a bit odd, but it’s one of my all time favorite breads 🙂
Loved this recipe! It is perfectly sweet and moist. I also felt like it held together better than other almond flour based breads I have made. Thank you!!
Amazing! Glad you loved this one 🙂
AMAZING!!! This was loved by the whole family even the non gluten free ones and the flavor was so good! I say was because it was devoured so quickly… Will definitely be a go to in our house!
Love that!! I’m so glad 🙂
Turned out awesome! My kids loved it too!
So happy to hear that!
For a healthier version of banana bread, this is amazing! The texture is maybe a bit more dense than traditional banana bread but the flavor was spot on. Will definitely make again.
Glad you enjoyed! Gluten free baking does tend to be more dense than non-gluten free, but the almond flour creates such a delicious flavor.
I cannot believe how good this is for how many healthy alternatives it uses! Wow! I’m a very healthy cooker but admittedly a very traditional (ahem,unhealthy) baker, But this will be our new go to for banana bread. I did add a little extra banana because I didnt want to throw away the excess I had over the cup measurement. This made it a little too mushy on the inside (my fault). I also had to cook it for 60-65min. All in all great flavor and was moist.
So glad you loved this one even with a little extra banana! One of my new fav snacks + treats 🙂
Love this recipe!! Especially love that there’s no added sugar. Definitely tastes sweet enough from just the bananas and chocolate chips! I’ve been having it warmed up with peanut butter for breakfast 🙂
Absolutely! The perfect breakfast with peanut butter on top 🙂
This recipe was so delicious! My new favorite banana bread recipe for sure, would highly recommend! I wish that I had chopped walnuts available to include in the recipe, just another excuse to make it again in the near future!
Amazing! So happy to hear that. And yes you’ll have to try with walnuts next time 🙂
this is really delicious! haven’t made an AK recipe I didn’t love! this is super easy to throw together and again very good!
Amazing! So glad you’re finding recipes here that you love 🙂
I finally made this today and it was absolutely delicious!!
I ended up using 4 bananas as I didn’t want to leave one behind lol
However I didn’t have all the chocolate chips required in the recipe, but it was still sweet 🙂
My husband was a bit skeptical when I told him what it consisted of and when he tried it he exclaimed “this wins”
Thank you for an awesome addition to our meals!
Amazing! Glad the extra banana worked out well – this bread is even more delicious the next day 🙂
make this, cut a thick slice, toast it, spread it generously with peanut butter and drizzle it with honey. you won’t regret it.
YES love that!
Wish I could post a picture. It looked very sad… nothing like the pics on this web site… but the amazing thing is that it tasted great and was gone in a few hours. May do a double batch next time. Just wish I could make it a bit airy like bread, instead of being nearly solid.
Sorry to hear that it was nearly solid! Gluten free baked goods are always more dense than ones with gluten (because gluten helps them rise) but I’m glad you enjoyed the taste!
Can you leave out the flax or sub for something else?
3/4 cup oat flour would be a good substitute!
What can I substitute for the flaxseed meal?
3/4 cup oat flour would be a good substitute!
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. How do I not eat the entire thing in one sitting??
So delicious! Glad you loved this one 🙂
This is an easy and delicious recipe!!
Absolutely! Glad you like it!
I love this recipe so much! I’ve tried so many “healthy” banana bread recipes and this is my favorite one by far. I adore how simple the ingredients are and how EASY it was to throw together. Seriously the easiest. Didn’t make any changes, followed the recipe exactly as written. I love that it’s not very sweet— it has a very wholesome nutty taste. Nice and moist too— perfect consistency! Will be so yummy with cashew butter. Thank you!
So happy you found this one! Let me know how you like it with cashew butter, too!
This recipe is misrepresented because you ARE adding sugar, through the chocolate. Even if it is dark chocolate. so it’s not sweetened just with bananas. thanks for offering what you do. Just want to make sure people with sugar issues know what’s true.
I do note that the chocolate chips are optional, and the bread is just as delicious with and without them for people who can’t have chocolate 🙂
OBSESSED with this banana bread! I’m so impressed with the flavor, especially since there wasn’t any added sweetener in the recipe. It was super easy to mix together and quick. I love how healthy it is yet it still feels like a treat 🙂 the texture is great too, not dry or chalky in the slightest. Thanks so much for the recipe to my new on the go snack!!
So happy you love this one! Such a delicious, quick & easy breakfast or snack 🙂
My husband and I made this tonight, I wanted his help because I always seem to mess everything up when I bake! It was super easy and I LOVE it!!! I couldn’t find any extra ripe bananas so I think that probably made a difference in the lack of sweetness so I’m REALLY glad we included the chocolate chips. We had it for dessert with peanut butter and oat ice cream… HOLY MOLY! So so good. Amazing texture. Also, we doubled the recipe and are bringing one as a gift for my sister. Thank you for all the GF recipes!
Amazing! This sounds delicious with peanut butter + oat ice cream – YUM!
Your recipes are always such a treat! Thank you, this was delicious.
So happy you love them! This is one of my new fav breads, too 🙂