Welcome to my home, firm, sweetly yellow bananas. You’re beautiful. You’re perfectly ripe. I know you holler for me every time I pass the fruit bowl. “Me! Me! I’m perfect! Eat me now!” I hear you. I’m just ignoring you.
But here’s the thing, I have a plan for you. I’m going to reach for the apples and nectarines. That avocado you’re leaned against is very important because it was very expensive. I’ll get to everyone but you and just when you think you’ve aged past grace, I’m going to reach for you. That’s when you’re perfect in my eyes. That’s when you’ll come with me, into the oven to become more delicious than you ever thought possible. K, banana? Trust me… I’ll like you better as bread.
This banana bread is a happy…. I won’t say ‘accident’… but a happy happening. I loosely followed classic banana bread proportions but subbed more healthful ingredients.
This is one of those recipes I stood in front of the pantry (staring down a loose bag of almond flour I discovered) brainstorming and crossing my fingers.
You can do the same, but I’ll give you several hints of what to pull from the pantry:
• almond flour – gluten-free, super nutritious, moist, helps regulate blood sugar – an all around work horse for healthful baking.
• oat flour – I just ground old-fashioned oats in a spice grinder. Oat flour helps with binding.
• flax seed meal – Again I ground whole flax seeds into meal in my spice grinder. Flax seeds add omegas, moisture, and help with binding the bread crumb together.
• spices, baking soda, and salt.
• 3 dead and gone bananas, mashed.
• a bit of honey or maple to sweeten along with eggs, yogurt (you can use dairy-free or buttermilk), and vanilla.
This bread comes together very simply, as banana bread should – whisk together dry ingredients, whisk together wet ingredients, combine the two. Add chocolate because this is a treat!
Allow the banana batter to rest for 10 minutes, helping the flour absorb the moisture from the banana, eggs, and yogurt. You’ll notice that the batter fluffs a bit (thanks baking soda) and thickens a bit as it rests.
Bake, somehow waiting patiently, for a long while. There’s so much moisture in this bread – it bakes for just about an hour. I rotated the pan halfway through baking.
Let the bread cool before transferring the bread from the pan to a wire rack. The bread is still cooking in the pan just out of the oven. This bread will be moist and stay moist. Store it in the refrigerator for constant snacking – the best way to eat bananas. I’m certain.
PrintAlmond Flour Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons oat flour
- 3 tablespoons flax seed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan, line it with parchment paper so that two flaps hang over two sides and grease the parchment paper too. If you don’t have parchment paper, maybe foil would work but parchment is best.
- In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl, mash bananas, whisk in eggs, honey or maple, yogurt and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving some for the top. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking. It’s a long bake because the bread is super moist. Use a skewer inserted into the center of the bread to check for doneness – dry or a few moist crumbs means the bread is done – wet batter means the bread needs more time.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and removing the bread to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze or store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Sherry
Hi Joy,
I made this this morning, I let it bake 50 min. and it was perfect! Usually any cookies or recipes I make with almond flour, my husband says they dry out his mouth, and have a feel he doesn’t like. But we both loved this bread, moist and delicious! I dumped all 1c. of chocolate chips into the bread, so it’s very chocolatey!
Pari
Hello Joy,
This recipe is fantastic, so moist and delicious.
I would like to ask if Zuccini could be used instead of banana?
Thank you
Lucy
This is delicious! I had extra almond flour in the fridge from holiday baking and this was a great use for it. I also didn’t have oats/oat flour so i just used AP flour. Thank you for this recipe…what a treat!
★★★★★
Rachel
I made this after seeing you post the recipe on Instagram! It was delicious. I used greek yogurt and an extra tablespoon or two of oat flour because I was short on almond flour. I didn’t use chocolate chips because I was out. Letting it fully cool is important. I ate it all up in 3 days!
★★★★★
Lauren
Hi Joy – this looks phenomenal! Do you think Greek Yogurt would work, or is it’s texture too thick?
Sabrina
good to know this is baler tested! I avoid the traditional rbanan bread or similar ecipes mostly for the type of carbohydrates in traditional flour but haven’t really had an altrntavie recipe, so thank you for this one!
Kim P.
Just what I needed today, Joy! How did you know that I stocked up on oat and almond flours and flax seed meal the other day?? Merçi BEAUCOUP bananas!
Kim
I adore this post. You have such a way with words-
All too often I let my bananas get past the point, I love that you did this intentionally. Will definitely be making this bread!
Tessa Hines-Parker
Okay, so one look at the picture of your picture of the almond flour banana bread, and I was hooked! One problem, I’m allergic to almonds; will I be able to extract the same flavor using cake or plain flour in the recipe? I imagine myself sitting on my patio at 6:00 with a slice and a cup of Earl Grey tea before logging in to work. I must have that experience by Monday, now that the thought is in my head. :-)
Also, I love your cookbooks!
Tessa
Your Fan in “Gawja” a.k.a. Georgia
joythebaker
If you’re allergic to almonds I would try another banana bread all together. Perhaps the Browned Butter Banana Bread here: https://joythebaker.com/2014/03/brown-butter-banana-bread/
ashley
What about walnut flour?
Abigail Wenderson
Amazing recipe! I really loved the taste that ginger added to it. I usually don’t use it but I’m glad I did this time.
★★★★★
joythebaker
Awesome Abigail!
Kate
I’ve been looking for a banana bread recipe with lots of fiber and just a touch of sugar. The nutmeg is a fun surprise. It’s perfect. Thank you!
Pragya Sharma
Sounds divine.
I’m sorry to ask, but any sub for eggs? Usually whatever I use for egg substitute is already present in this recipe
Hazel
Oh, this is wonderful! I’ve never made a banana bread with almond flour that I truly enjoyed. I sort of gave up on the combo, but this looks delicious! I never tried adding yogurt, should be interesting. I will use this recipe to rescue my next batch of brown bananas.
Carol Gibson
I was excited to see this ecurie as we love banana bread, but I haven’t made it since we discovered my sis are allergic to wheat. Unfortunately, they are also allergic to dairy. Any ideas what I can use instead of yogurt? The dairy free ones are underwhelming IMHO. Thanks!
joythebaker
Perhaps 3 tablespoons of oat milk.
Caroline
Thank you, Joy! I tried adapting your banana bread recipes to gluten free and they came out okay but not great (my mistakes.) I can’t wait to make this recipe! What would you substitute for oat flour and flax seed meal? I have oats but no grinder and I don’t have flax seeds. (I can order these things of course but just wondering in the mean time!) Anyway, love reading your blog and your recipes! Thanks again!!
joythebaker
I haven’t made this recipe without oats or flax seeds so I can’t confidently give you substitutes as I think these ingredients are pretty important.