Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips & Walnuts

4.7 from 3 votes
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This easy Gluten Free Banana Bread recipe is filled with mini chocolate chips and walnuts. It is perfectly moist, sweet, and delicious! This recipe is practically foolproof and freezer-friendly. But you’ll never be able to keep the family from devouring the entire loaf instantly.

This Moist Gluten Free Banana Bread is Hard to Beat!

One day I was looking at a recipe on the King Arthur Flour website because I wanted to make a gluten free banana bread. I figured that recipe was a good starting point because it was their “Recipe of the Year” for 2018.

Trust me, it was truly the perfect starting point to make it gluten free. It just needed a few simple tweaks, and not only is it moist and delicious, but it’s also a pretty foolproof recipe. I’ve changed this, tweaked that, and even forgotten an ingredient. Yet it makes an amazing loaf every time.

This will be your go-to recipe for this classic quick banana bread. Since chocolate makes everything better, this Gluten Free Banana Bread is filled with mini chocolate chips for bursts of banana and chocolate flavor in every bite, plus the crunch of walnuts.

It’s even devoured by my gluten-eating kids! Sometimes they like it slightly warmed with a little butter. Or other times they enjoy it with a smear of peanut butter or almond butter. I’m happy to just have a slice plain with my Mocha Almond Protein Blended Cold Brew to start my day.

One piece of gluten free banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts on a white plate with a small cup of coffee.

King Arthur’s Original Recipe

The King Arthur Flour recipe is made with a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. But it says you can substitute their brand of gluten free flour blend in the recipe with no other changes needed. That was all I needed to read to know it would be easy to make.

If you read the notes in the original recipe, it suggests a ton of changes you can make to change up the flavors. I took a look at this and realized that this must be a pretty foolproof recipe. So I have made it time and time again with different changes.

How I’ve Modified the Original Recipe

The modifications I’ve made to the original recipe give this gluten free banana bread recipe a more robust flavor.

  • Butter: My recipe uses butter instead of vegetable oil for a richer taste.
  • Maple Syrup: Some of the brown sugar has been swapped out for the boldness of maple syrup.
  • Chocolate Chips: Since chocolate makes everything better, it’s now a gluten free chocolate chip banana bread.
  • Less Sugar: Because the chips add sweetness, I decreased the sugar a bit. But I used my favorite trick of adding mini chocolate chips so that you get tons of little chocolate bursts without having to add a ton of chips.

What Kind of Gluten Free Flour to Use

The first couple of times I made this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Blend. So if you keep a bag of that on hand, that will be your easiest option.

For those that don’t keep an all-purpose blend in their pantry and prefer to work with individual flours and starches, I looked up a copycat recipe for the Bob’s blend. This consisted of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and xantham gum. Again, it worked beautifully. But that is quite a laundry list of ingredients.

Since this recipe has proven to be quite flexible (once I even forgot the oats), I wanted to test the basic combination of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch, plus xanthan gum. And this produced yet another fabulous batch of bread.

Given that all of these variations produce an amazing loaf of gluten free banana walnut bread, I’d guess that you could use the King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour and still have success!

A sliced loaf of gluten free banana nut bread on a white rectangular plate on top of cloth napkins and placemats.

Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

This gluten free banana bread recipe is pretty straightforward! Here’s what you’ll need to make it. Scroll down to the recipe card for amounts.

  • Overripe bananas – peeled and mashed.
  • Melted butter – be sure it has cooled slightly so you don’t scramble the eggs.
  • Maple syrup – use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
  • Brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Gluten free flour – see the information above and the recipe card for the variations that have been tested.
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Old-fashioned oats – certified gluten free, if necessary. If you are sensitive to oats, I have left them out and this recipe has still worked.
  • Chopped walnuts
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Sugar
Ingredients for making gluten free banana bread in bowls on a table

How to Make Gluten Free Banana Bread

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and spraying your loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Now let’s make banana bread!

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Make the batter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. ir in the oats, walnuts, and mini chocolate chips, and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake and cool. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, or the internal temperature is about 205°F. Cool in the pan on a wire rack before removing from the pan onto the rack to cool completely.

Tips for Success

Are you ready to try this banana walnut bread recipe? Here are some easy tips to make sure your chocolate chip banana nut bread comes out perfectly!

  • Flour blends: I’ve made this recipe multiple times with different flour blends and always had success. So while I can’t guarantee that every all-purpose gluten free flour blend will work, I’d feel confident experimenting.
  • Use overripe bananas. Make sure your bananas are overripe with plenty of brown spots to make sure it turns out sweet and moist. You need 2 cups of mashed bananas, which is about 4 to 5 bananas, depending on the size. If you have extra, you can always use it in this Chocolate Pudding Snack Hack or the ideas below.
  • I’ve only baked this in a metal loaf pan. For glass or stoneware pans, typically you want to lower the temperature and bake it a little longer.
  • Check for browning. You’ll want to check it at about 60 minutes and see if it is starting to brown too quickly on top. You can cover it with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
  • Make them next-level. Before baking, sprinkle the gluten free banana bread with this easy crumble topping recipe that you can make with your gluten free flour blend.
A piece of gluten free banana bread on a plate with a cup of coffee on top of striped cloth napkins.

How to Store Banana Bread

Your gluten free banana walnut bread will stay moist if you keep it tightly wrapped once it has cooled completely. You can keep it at room temperature for 2 or 3 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 or 6 days.

Can I Freeze Gluten Free Banana Bread?

Yes, banana bread freezes well. You can freeze the entire loaf or half a loaf if you are going to eat it within a couple of days of removing it from the freezer. Or you can cut it into slices before freezing, then just remove one or two slices at a time.

However you choose to freeze it, just be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then put it in an airtight container or plastic freezer storage bag. If you are freezing slices, wrap one or two slices individually so that you avoid getting freezer burn on the other slices each time you go to take one out to thaw it.

Gluten Free Banana Bread on a white platter with a slice on a plate

Things You’ll Need

Closeup of a sliced loaf of gluten free banana bread
4.7 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

This easy Gluten Free Banana Bread recipe is filled with mini chocolate chips and walnuts. It is perfectly moist, sweet, and delicious! This recipe is practically foolproof and freezer-friendly. But you'll never be able to keep the family from devouring the entire loaf instantly.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 4-5)
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups one-to-one gluten free baking flour (tested with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. See Note for other flour options)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats (certified gluten free, if necessary. Can also be omitted if you are sensitive to oats.)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. (Preheat to 325°F for a glass or stoneware pan and add 10-15 minutes to the baking time.)
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, melted butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
  • In another bowl, sift together the flour(s), baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
  • Add the oats, walnuts, and mini chocolate chips and stit until combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Mix together the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter.
  • Bake at 350°F for 70-80 minutes. Check it at about 60 minutes and if it is browning too much on top, cover it with aluminum foil.
    It is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out nearly clean with only a few moist crumbs attached. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read about 205°F.
  • Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and cool to room temperature.
  • Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 or 6 days. Can be frozen for up to two months.

Notes

This recipe has also been tested with:
1/2 cup sweet rice flour + 1/2 cup brown rice flour + 1/2 cup potato starch + 1/4 cup sorghum flour + 1/4 cup tapioca flour + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
OR
1 cup brown rice flour + 1/2 cup potato starch + 1/3 cup tapioca flour + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 244 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 253mg11%
Potassium 211mg6%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 231IU5%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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