Most gluten-free banana bread fails in the same spot: a golden top, a clean-looking toothpick near the edge, and a dense, gummy stripe through the middle. This loaf is built to avoid that. It uses a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with a little almond flour, rests the batter for 20 minutes, and bakes to a center temperature of 205°F. You get a tender, sliceable crumb with deep banana flavor and no wheat flour at all.
At a Glance
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 20 minutes rest, 65–75 minutes baking, 1½ hours cooling
- Makes: one 9×5-inch loaf, 10 slices
- Difficulty: easy, one bowl plus a whisk
- The one thing that matters: bake until the center reads 205°F, then let it cool completely before slicing
Recipe
Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Prep the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment that hangs over the long sides.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until evenly mixed.
- Mash the bananas. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth, with a few small lumps. Measure 1½ cups.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla into the bananas until smooth and glossy.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until no dry pockets remain. There’s no gluten to toughen, so make sure the batter is completely smooth. Fold in the nuts or chips, if using.
- Rest the batter. Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top and let it sit for 20 minutes at room temperature. It will thicken noticeably as the flours absorb liquid.
- Bake. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes. Check at 40 minutes, and tent loosely with foil if the top is already deep brown. The loaf is done when an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 205°F (96°C) and a toothpick there comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Cool completely. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, lift the loaf out by the parchment, and cool on a wire rack for at least 1½ hours before slicing.
✓ Kitchen-tested · Nicole cooked this recipe in our kitchen on October 4, 2026. What this means
Why This Gluten-Free Banana Bread Is Never Gummy
- A blend with a binder. A 1:1 blend that already contains xanthan gum gives the crumb structure; almond flour adds fat and a softer, richer texture.
- A 20-minute rest. Rice and starch flours absorb liquid slowly. Resting lets them hydrate before baking, so the crumb sets evenly instead of turning grainy at the edges and wet in the middle.
- Measured banana, not “3 bananas”. Bananas vary a lot in size. 1½ cups is the amount the flour can carry; extra banana is the most common reason a loaf stays wet.
- Baked to temperature, then fully cooled. A gluten-free crumb keeps setting as it cools. Slicing warm squashes it into a gummy layer even when it’s fully baked.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Flour blend. Use a 1:1 or “measure for measure” blend whose label lists xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. Spoon it into the cup and level it, or better, weigh it. If you bake for someone with celiac disease, choose flours, mix-ins and chocolate labeled certified gluten-free.
Bananas. They should be heavily speckled or mostly brown. Pale yellow bananas are starchy and bland, and the loaf will taste flat.
| Swap | Result |
|---|---|
| Neutral oil for the butter | Works 1:1; slightly softer crumb, less buttery flavor, dairy-free if you also swap the yogurt |
| Dairy-free yogurt or sour cream for Greek yogurt | Works 1:1 |
| All brown sugar | Works; a darker, more caramel-flavored loaf |
| Oat flour for the almond flour | Works if certified gluten-free; a slightly drier crumb |
| Almond flour only, no blend | Doesn’t work in this recipe: it bakes up dense and wet without the starches |
| Plain rice flour for the blend | Doesn’t work: no binder, so the loaf crumbles |
How to Tell It’s Done
Gluten-free loaves brown early and look finished on top long before the center has set. Trust these cues, in this order:
- Temperature: 205°F (96°C) in the very center of the loaf. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out.
- Toothpick: inserted in the middle, not near the edge, it comes out with a few moist crumbs and no shiny wet batter.
- Look and feel: the crack along the top looks dry, not glossy, and the center springs back when pressed lightly.
Why Gluten-Free Banana Bread Turns Gummy
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Gummy stripe in the middle | Underbaked, or sliced while warm | Bake to 205°F; cool at least 1½ hours |
| Wet, heavy loaf | Too much banana | Measure 1½ cups (340 g) |
| Gritty texture | Batter didn’t rest | Rest 20 minutes before baking |
| Crumbles when sliced | Blend has no xanthan gum | Use a 1:1 blend with a binder |
| Dark top, raw center | Oven runs hot | Tent with foil at 40 minutes; check your oven temperature |
A gluten-free loaf isn’t finished when it leaves the oven. It’s finished when it’s cool.
Variations
- Chocolate chip: fold in ½ cup (85 g) chocolate chips and scatter a few more on top before baking.
- Walnut or pecan: toast ½ cup chopped nuts at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes first for more flavor.
- Cinnamon-sugar top: sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon cinnamon over the batter for a crackly crust.
- Muffins: divide among 12 lined muffin cups and bake 20 to 24 minutes, until the centers reach 205°F.
Storing and Freezing
Wrap the cooled loaf tightly and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5. Gluten-free bread firms up when chilled, so warm refrigerated slices for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave or toast them. To freeze, slice first, separate the slices with parchment and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
Our Top Picks for This Recipe
- USA Pan 1-Pound Loaf Pan: an aluminized steel 9×5 pan, co-winner in America’s Test Kitchen’s loaf pan review (March 2026), with crisp, even edges (about $20–25).
- ThermoWorks ThermoPop 2: the Best Buy instant-read thermometer in America’s Test Kitchen’s review (June 2025), for checking the 205°F center (about $35–47).
- King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour, 3 lb: a widely used 1:1 blend with xanthan gum already in the mix (about $8–12).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my gluten-free banana bread gummy even though the toothpick came out clean?
The toothpick probably missed the wettest spot, or the loaf was sliced warm. Test the very center with a thermometer (205°F) and let the bread cool completely; the starches keep firming up as it cools.
Can I make it with almond flour only?
Not with this recipe. Almond flour has no starch to set the crumb, so swapping it in for the blend gives a dense, wet loaf. Almond-flour-only banana breads use different ratios and more eggs.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes. Use neutral oil instead of butter and a dairy-free yogurt. If you’re baking for a gluten-free diet and avoiding dairy too, check that the chocolate chips are dairy-free as well.
More Baking to Try
Measuring by weight helps every quick bread and cookie, as our guide on why cookies come out flat explains. For lining pans, see silicone baking mat vs parchment paper, and for another one-bowl bake, try our fudgy homemade brownies. Browse everything in Baking Basics.
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