This Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread is incredibly moist, tender, and naturally sweet, with rich banana flavor and juicy blueberries in every bite. Medjool dates add a caramel-like sweetness, while nuts add a satisfying richness and texture. Made with just 7 simple ingredients, it's also oil-free and naturally sweetened with no refined sugar.
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- 🔍 Quick Look: Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- 👩🏽⚕️ Dietitian's Note
- 👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- 🍞 Substitutions
- 📝 How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- ✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- 🍌 More Banana Recipes to Try
- 🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 🍽 Related Recipes
- 👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
- ⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
- Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe
- 🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
- 💬 Comments
🔍 Quick Look: Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🎛 Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 9
- 📊 Calories: ~262 kcal (based on nutrition panel)
- 💪🏼 Nutrition: 5 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 131 mg of calcium
- 👩🏽🍳 Flavor Profile: Rich banana flavor with juicy blueberries, caramel-sweet dates, and nutty richness in every moist, tender bite.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy. Just 10 minutes of prep with simple ingredients and minimal steps.
👩🏽⚕️ Dietitian's Note
This Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread is naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and Medjool dates instead of refined sugar. Unlike refined sweeteners, whole dates also provide fiber, potassium, and beneficial plant compounds. Nut butter adds heart-healthy unsaturated fats, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E, while blueberries provide fiber and antioxidants.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Not only is this blueberry banana bread incredibly moist and delicious, it's also:
- Rich in banana flavor with caramel-sweet dates, juicy blueberries, and creamy nut butter.
- Naturally sweetened with whole fruit and dates, with no refined sugar.
- Made with just 7 simple ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep.
- Oil-free without sacrificing the moist, tender texture you want in banana bread.
- Easy to customize with your favorite nut butter, flour, or mix-ins.
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour creates a soft, tender crumb while letting the sweet banana flavor shine. Regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour also works. I used King Arthur's gluten-free flour.
- Medjool dates add rich, caramel-like sweetness and a soft, chewy texture that pairs perfectly with ripe bananas. Deglet Noor dates also work, but they're firmer and have a milder sweetness.
- Nut butter adds creamy richness and a subtle roasted, nutty flavor while helping keep this banana bread moist without oil. Almond, peanut, or walnut butter all work. Use a creamy, runny nut butter for the best texture.
- Blueberries add bursts of juicy, slightly tart sweetness that balance the rich banana and caramel flavors. Every bite gets a bright, fruity pop.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🍞 Substitutions
This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.
- Flour: Use gluten-free all-purpose (I used King Arthur's brand), regular all-purpose, or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Almond butter: Use creamy peanut, cashew, or a different smooth nut butter of your choice.
- Blueberries: Substitute with the desired amount of vegan chocolate chips for a more decadent treat.
📝 How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.
- Mash the bananas. Use very ripe bananas for a sweeter and moister vegan banana bread.
- Chop the dates finely. This helps to distribute them more evenly, and they will soften more readily when added to the mashed banana. Set aside in the mashed banana for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
- Set aside in the mashed banana for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients and mix well until fully incorporated. Then add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter.
- Use a standard 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. Make sure to lightly coat the pan with oil and line it with parchment paper so the oil-free banana bread does not stick. Bake until the top is golden brown and bounces back when touched. Test with a toothpick. It should come out mostly clean. For mini loaf pans, bake them for about 22 minutes before testing if they are done.
- For serving: Let cool and then slice and serve.
✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
These simple steps preserve flavor, texture, and the powerful nutrients.
- Storage: This vegan banana bread keeps for about 2 days in an airtight container on the countertop. I recommend refrigerating any remaining banana bread in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🍌 More Banana Recipes to Try
My Banana Chia Pudding Recipe tastes like banana cream pie, with a silky blended chia base and an irresistible caramel-sweet walnut date cream. It takes just 5 minutes to prep and packs 12 grams of fiber per serving.
This Buckwheat Banana Bread has a moist, hearty crumb with rich banana and warm cinnamon. Naturally gluten-free and packed with 10 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber per serving.
For an even healthier alternative, my Healthy Banana Bread is moist, naturally sweet, and has subtle nuttiness from pumpkin seeds and buckwheat. It's also packed with iron and magnesium.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! Regular all-purpose or whole wheat flour will work in this recipe.
Store the banana bread in an airtight container for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to five days.
Add chopped nuts, or seeds as desired. Instead of blueberries, use about ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate chips.
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Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 pitted medjool dates finely chopped
- 4 medium-large ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur's brand), or regular all-purpose, or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup creamy runny almond butter or peanut or cashew butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan. Then line it with parchment paper.
- Transfer the chopped the dates to a bowl with the mashed bananas. Mix well and set aside for at least 10 minutes to soften the dates.
- Sift the flour through a fine mesh strainer.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients: Transfer the almond butter, vanilla, and banana-date mixture to the bowl. Mix well until fully incorporated. Add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes, or until the top has risen and a toothpick placed in the center of the bread comes out relatively clean.
- For serving: Once the bread is cool, use the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan. Slice and serve.
- Storage: Store the banana bread in an airtight container for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
-
- Chop the dates finely. This helps to distributed them more evenly, and they will soften more readily when added to the mashed banana. Set aside in the mashed banana for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
- Use very ripe bananas for a sweeter and moister vegan banana bread.
- Do not over bake. Bake until the top is golden brown and bounces back when touched. Test with a toothpick. It should come out mostly clean.
- Use a standard 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. Make sure to lightly coat the pan with oil and line with parchment paper so the oil-free banana bread does not stick.
- For mini loaf pans of muffins, bake them for about 22 minutes before testing for doneness.
- Storage: This vegan banana bread keeps for about 2 days in an airtight container on the countertop. I recommend refrigerating any remaining banana bread in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
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Linda Marshall says
I made this with a few substitutions & additions. I substituted 20 small deglet dates & mini chocolate chips (omitted blueberries). I added 1/2 cup rolled oats to the dry ingredients. After putting the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients I added an additional tsp of baking powder & tbsp of AC vinegar RIGHT before stirring everything together. This vinegar baking powder trick I learned watching a video. It has made ALL the difference for my gf banana bread adventures! I also baked it for a full hour. Really love this recipe! Next time I'm going to have some blueberries on hand next time! TY for this recipe & all your inspiring information!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes, this is a great trick. I use it in my lentil bread. Have you tried that? Thank you for sharing your substitutions.
Hasina says
Absolutely delicious!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much.
Natalie Michaelis says
Very, very tasty, we love it so much
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww so glad to hear. Thank you.
Kristin says
I ended up with 24 delicious muffins! Felt like a Bizarro-Elaine in Seinfeld with just "stumps," lol
Ziyi says
I made it! Thank you for the recipe. It tasted delicious and creamy. Somehow the texture is more like mousse than bread. Is it because this is what gluten-free "flour" (i.e., rice flour) is supposed to taste like?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. So glad you liked it. Yes, the gluten-free rice flour has that texture.
Maria says
Delicious! I made them in muffins form😋
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it as muffins. Thank you.
Teresa says
Another simple and great recipe! I used half chickpea flour and half organic wheat flour. I baked them in a silicone baking pan for granola bars and they took about 25 minutes. They rose beautifully and taste deliciously aromatic. So much better than any other banana bread recipe I've tried. I think the special thing is the almond butter. What a great idea! So delicious!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed this banana bread. Great idea for baking! Thank you.
Jaylee says
Could I use almond flour
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
For this recipe, I’d recommend oat flour as a 1:1 substitute instead. If you want to use almond flour, I’d test it as a partial swap first—1/2 cup almond flour + 1/2 cup of the original flour should be much more reliable.
Elaine says
I made this for dessert. I used the King Arthur GF Baking Flour. It took quite a lot longer to cook. I think ovens differ. Many compliments. Very healthy. Thank you.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Sorry for the longer cook-time. Yes, the size of oven is also a factor.
Yamilet says
Is it possible to use oat flour, almond flour?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Oat flour will work.
KT says
This banana bread is awesome. I love banana bread, but so many are overly laden with sugar and oil (or butter). This is reliable and delicious. Stays pretty moist. I've made it three times and it's been consistently delicious.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you continue to enjoy this banana bread recipe. Thank you.
Jenne Balla says
Can't wait to make these! Going to use rice flour I think!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Sounds good! Enjoy.
Colleen says
Hi I make a lot of your recipes and they are all amazing Being a nutritionist I love to eat like this I made the banana bread exactly as shown plus I used gluten-free flour.
I was so disappointed when it fell and became extremely dense and not edible Do you have any ideas what I would’ve done wrong that made the bread fall? Thank you
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you. Your baking powder is likely expired. That is what it sounds like to me.
Alessandra says
Delicious.. I used the peanut butter instead of the almond butter. As I had only 3 bananas, I added some oat milk to make the dough fluid. I love your recipes, thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing and leaving a comment. Have a great weekend.
Sue says
Awesome! Loved the blueberries and dates in banana bread. Made it with chickpea flour. Thank you so much. My new healthy favorite!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Must have been delicious with chickpea flour! Thank you!
Ellie says
Great flavor. I used 7 dates instead of 10, and used peanut butter. The loaf came out of the oven very moist in the middle but the flavor is delicious. I Love this is sweetened naturally. I’ll make again.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear!!! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Colleen says
Hi
Love your recipes
Is it possible to use frozen blueberries?
They are wild, so maybe less water?
Thx in advance
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Frozen wild blueberries should work as written, but you can start with less water and see what the texture is like. Enjoy.
Angelo says
If you didn’t want to use bananas, what could be an alternative?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
You could try apple sauce instead.
Anon says
Are you kidding me? It's a banana bread recipe. Can't believe how dense people can be.
Deanna says
Can you specify if you used regular GF AP flour or the "measure for measure" type which contains xanthen gum? Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi! Gluten-free AP flour.
Roanna says
What can I replace almond butter, peanut and cashew butter? I cannot eat those
Nisha Melvani says
Try SunButter!
Jane Velasquez says
Looks so good ..thank you ...
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you. Enjoy.
Kathy says
Can I use oat flour .
Nisha Melvani says
I have not tested this but I think it will work.
Tanja Schaback says
Ich bin so begeistert 😍🤤
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you so much!
Julie says
Can you substitute flour for protein powder? Or 50/50?
Nisha Melvani says
I have not tested this but I have a feeling it might work.
Michele says
I made this cake, I didn’t have blueberries so I used chocolate chips. It’s delicious.
The recipe is easy to follow , I highly recommend it
Nisha Melvani says
Your chocolate chip version looks amazing! Thank you for sharing.