Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the gluten-free banana bread that you’ve been missing all your life and you just didn’t know it yet. This banana bread defies most gluten-free standards: it is moist, fluffy, flavorful and so delicious you can’t tell it’s gluten-free. I mean that so seriously that after we taste tested this, I went back to the pantry to double check that I really used gluten-free flour. Even if you’re not living a gluten-free lifestyle, you may want to try your hand at this recipe because it’s just that good. So let me tell you just how to change your life with this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe. 

Let me preface this post with the two reasons why I don’t have better photos for this recipe: first, banana bread isn’t very photogenic. But second, I was taking these photos so fast because I wanted to cut into the banana bread so badly that half the photos were crazy blurry. But I did manage to get a few good ones before we devoured this first batch, and I even made another round of this recipe yesterday because it is just so, dang, good.

When I was in high school, I discovered the secret to the most delicious banana bread is adding a lot of chocolate chips to it. Isn’t that the secret to making most things in life more delicious? Our tennis coach Mrs. Viglione would always bring her homemade chocolate chip banana bread on the bus to either carb us up pre-match or console us after losing a match. One tip I’ll always remember she told me is to coat the chocolate chips with flour before folding them into the batter to help them not all sink to the bottom. Another banana bread tip I’ve picked up from my friend The Baker Mama is to slice up a fresh banana and fold it into the batter as well. Both of these tips are incorporated into this recipe.

Whenever I start posting a lot of gluten-free recipes back to back I always get lots of questions if I eat gluten-free. I’m not gluten-free but my mom has celiac disease and since I’ve been spending most of my summer down the Cape, I try to do almost all of my cooking and baking when I’m there gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination and to find delicious gluten-free variations of recipes we enjoy. I’m not lying when I said that this banana bread tastes SO dang good that we literally ran to the pantry after the first bite to triple check that we used gluten-free flour. I find the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour to be the best in gluten-free baking recipes. If you wanted to make this recipe not-gluten free, you should be able to swap the gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour and get the same result.

Just like any other banana bread recipe, you can adapt to your preference. Some people may prefer walnuts to the chocolate chips, and topping with a few crushed walnuts would make a nice toasty crunchy top. So the next time you’re looking for a delicious gluten-free breakfast idea, try this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf (about 8 servings)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This banana bread is so delicious you won't believe it's gluten free!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 very ripe bananas, mashed + 1 sliced banana
  • 2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour (or any cup for cup gluten-free flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips, plus a few to top with

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 loaf plan with parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
  2. Mash the four ripe bananas in a bowl and set aside. Use an electric mixer to cream together the softened butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
  3. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the mashed bananas. Sift together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and slowly add to the wet mixture. Stir slowly with a spatula until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
  4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and the sliced banana.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf plan and top with a few extra chocolate chips. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45  minutes covered, and then bake for the last 10-15 minutes uncovered. This will help cook the banana bread evenly without burning the top. It will be done when a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
  7. Let the banana bread cool for a bit before transferring to a wire rack or dish. If you transfer too quickly, the center might collapse in.
  8. Slice and serve chilled or warm with some butter. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container refrigerated.