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Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)

Name: Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup mashed extremely ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas or 3 medium); 2 eggs; ½ cup maple syrup; ¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 cups oat flour; ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to sprinkle on top; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour; ¼ cup coconut oil (melted); pinch sugar (optional garnish); ½ cup chocolate chips; Trail Mix: ½ cup mix-ins like nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes or dried fruit

Put those ripe bananas to use in the best banana bread recipe ever. Moist and delicious, it's easy to make and uses simple, real food ingredients.

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Gluten-free Banana Bread that’s healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast.

Yes, we said for breakfast, not dessert. This morning we basically did the happy dance while eating this dreamy banana bread. With half the calories, this delicious homemade bread serves as breakfast OR dessert. It has loads of flavor and is sweetened with maple syrup, making it refined sugar-free.

The delightful aroma will fill your house and remind you of how your grandma used to bake. Eat it plain, add chopped walnuts, add chocolate chips, warm it, toast it, but most of all—ENJOY it!

Why make your muffins from scratch?

When it comes to baked goods, we are big proponents of from-scratch, as opposed to box mixes. Packaged versions are generally made with refined sugar, refined flour, hydrogenated fats, additives, preservatives, artificial colors or flavoring.

These home-baked muffins are made with simple, FfL-friendly, REAL food ingredients. They’re also far healthier than commercial mixes (and most other homemade recipes) because they use half the amount of sugar and replace more than half of the oil with applesauce and banana.

Easily customizable

Banana Bread is a great family recipe because it can be customized to everyone’s liking. If your kiddos love chocolate but you love nuts, top half the loaf with chocolate shavings and the other half with crushed walnuts.

Don't have oat flour? Quickly make your own!

We use oat flour in many of our baked goods recipes. Oat flour is a nutrient-packed whole-grain flour that is naturally gluten-free. It works wonderfully in a variety of recipes to boost nutrition and flavor.

Making it is very simple! Add old-fashioned oats to a blender or food processor and blend them until they reach a fine, flour-like consistency. For a step-by-step guide including the recipe and tips, check out How to Make Oat Flour.

Why overripe bananas?

Brown, overripe bananas are used in banana bread because they’re naturally sweeter, making them perfect for muffins. In the ripening process, the starches in the banana begin to convert to sugar. So don’t throw away those bananas with brown spots. As long as they’re not moldy, there’s no such thing as too-ripe bananas for banana bread.

Can you freeze overripe bananas for later use?

If you have overripe bananas and aren’t ready to use them, toss them in a Ziploc bag with the peel on and freeze them for later. When you’re ready to use them, thaw them completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. Frozen bananas tend to release more moisture, so you’ll need to peel them and then lightly pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid.

How to ripen bananas quickly at home

If your bananas aren’t extremely ripe, here’s what to do!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place bananas on a tray or on aluminum foil, peel on, and bake for 6-12 minutes (depending on how ripe the bananas are to begin with). Monitor the bananas and when the peel is dark black they are ready to go!

How to mash your banana (four options):

Use a fork to mash pieces of bananas until soft.
Use a potato masher to mash banana until soft.
Put them in a Ziploc bag and squish them to desired consistency.
Add chunks of banana to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat to desired consistency.

Freezer-friendly

If you frequent FULLforLife, you know we’re a huge fan of batch cooking whenever possible. At this point, we make double batches of 75 percent of our meals to simplify the weeks to come. While the ingredients are out and the dishes are dirty, why not make more to freeze for future breakfasts, snacks and desserts? This Banana Bread is no different.

You can freeze the entire loaf or freeze it in slices for up to 3 months. We like to slice it into individual slices before freezing so that we can defrost them one at a time. Try it!

Some favorite ways to serve this banana bread:

Reheat a slice in the toaster oven and top it with a little butter and a pinch of flakey sea salt.
For extra protein and fiber:
- Slather a slice with a tablespoon of almond butter and top with fresh berries.
- Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, pepitas and berries.

Can these be made into muffins?

If you’re looking for the convenience of muffins, check out our Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffins recipes.

What is arrowroot flour and why use it?

Arrowroot flour is derived from the root of a plant that grows in tropical climates.

Starches, like arrowroot flour, are essential ingredients when it comes to baking gluten-free goods because they bind the ingredients together and create a lighter and fluffier result (which is especially difficult in gluten-free baking). Our go-to brand is Bob’s Red Mill.

Why use arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch?

Cornstarch can be used as a substitute for arrowroot flour in most recipes 1:1, but there are a variety of reasons why we prefer arrowroot flour over cornstarch:

Arrowroot flour contains more dietary fiber, calcium, vitamins and minerals.
Arrowroot flour is more sensitive to your digestive system.
Arrowroot flour is minimally processed, whereas cornstarch is generally a highly processed ingredient made from genetically modified corn.
Unlike cornstarch, arrowroot flour leaves no taste or color.
Arrowroot flour is gluten-free.

Check out these other healthy baked good recipes

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this Banana Bread, we would love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment below sharing what your family thought of it. We love hearing from you and your ideas inspire us all! Don’t forget to tag @fullforlifegal on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! ????

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