Gluten Free Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt

This gluten free banana bread gets its soft, moist crumb from Greek yogurt and just one egg, so it bakes up tender instead of gummy or dense. Very ripe bananas, a little cinnamon and vanilla, melted coconut oil, and a handful of chocolate chips make it the loaf I bake for breakfast, lunchboxes, and after school snacks. The batter comes together in two bowls in about 10 minutes, then it bakes for an hour while your kitchen fills with that warm banana bread smell. Most people never guess it’s gluten free.

The Ingredients That Make This Loaf

All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Very Ripe Bananas: I use 3 overripe bananas, the kind covered in brown spots, which gives me about 1 cup mashed. I recommend measuring the cup instead of counting bananas. Sizes vary a lot, and too much banana is the most common reason a gluten free loaf turns out heavy and gummy in the middle. If you’re baking with frozen bananas, thaw them completely and include the liquid that comes out of them when you measure. That liquid is pure banana flavor.

Plain Greek Yogurt: This is the ingredient that makes the recipe work, and it’s the reason this Greek yogurt banana bread stays moist for days. I love using plain, full fat Greek yogurt for the richest crumb, but low fat or fat free Greek yogurt works too. Just skip flavored yogurts, since the added sugar and flavorings change the taste and the texture.

Pro Tip: Use Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt. One reader swapped in regular yogurt and her loaf stayed mushy after almost two hours in the oven. Greek yogurt is strained and much thicker, so it adds moisture without making the batter wet. I haven’t tested applesauce or dairy free yogurt in this recipe, so I can’t promise how those will turn out.

Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour: My go to is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. What matters most is that your blend contains xanthan gum. Without gluten, xanthan gum is what holds the loaf together so it slices cleanly instead of crumbling. If your blend doesn’t list it, add ½ teaspoon to the dry ingredients. Almond flour and oat flour are not a one to one swap for a flour blend, and I haven’t made this loaf with either. You’ll find more bakes that use this same flour in my gluten free recipes collection.

Coconut Oil: I use melted extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter. Its flavor is very mild once it bakes with the bananas and cinnamon. Melted butter works well here, and one reader who used unsalted butter said her kids finished the whole loaf. Sunflower oil is another good option. Whichever fat you choose, have your egg and yogurt at room temperature. Cold ingredients make melted coconut oil firm up into little white specks that never fully mix in.

Granulated Sugar: I only use ½ cup, which is less than most gluten free banana bread recipes, because I want the ripe bananas to lead. Coconut sugar works in the same amount and gives the loaf a deeper, more caramel flavor and a slightly darker color.

How to Make This Gluten Free Banana Bread

Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides so you can lift the loaf out. A light coat of nonstick spray works too.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, I whisk the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and sugar until smooth. I get this part completely smooth now so I don’t need to keep stirring once the flour goes in.

Whisk the dry ingredients separately. In another bowl, I whisk the gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Baking soda tends to clump, and if it isn’t spread evenly you get bitter pockets and a loaf that rises more on one side than the other.

Fold the dry into the wet. I add the dry ingredients to the bowl and fold with a spatula just until I can’t see any streaks of flour. The batter will be thick, and that’s exactly right. You’ll often read that overmixing makes banana bread tough. That’s true for wheat flour, but gluten free flour has no gluten to toughen. I still fold gently for a different reason: the Greek yogurt and baking soda start reacting the moment they meet, and those tiny bubbles are what lift this loaf. Stir too long and you knock them out.

Add the chocolate chips and fill the pan. I fold in most of the chocolate chips, spread the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and scatter the rest of the chips over the surface. The ones on top stay glossy and visible, which is what makes a slice look so good.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. I lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over the pan before it goes in. Between the bananas, the sugar, and the yogurt, this batter browns quickly, and without foil the top gets too dark long before the center is set.

Uncover and bake 30 minutes more. I remove the foil and let the loaf finish uncovered so the top can dry out, dome, and turn golden brown. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Wet batter on the toothpick means it needs another 5 minutes.

Cool before slicing. I let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes, lift it out by the parchment, and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. This is the step people skip. A gluten free crumb keeps setting as it cools, so a loaf sliced hot can look gummy in the center even when it’s fully baked.