Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Bread Recipe

Baking is so therapeutic to me. There’s just something about getting in the kitchen and creating something delicious out of a bunch of stand alone ingredients. 

Not to mention, I have so many fond memories being in the kitchen with my grandmother. She was always cooking and baking. She was totally one of those ‘you have to always be eating’ grandmas!

She left us quite some time ago when I was still pretty young, so I only have flashback memories of her now. But one thing we always did together was bake banana bread. 

It was her own recipe, and I can picture the index card she had it hand written on. Simple. Almost like it was just a reminder – she knew how to do the rest.

And I made that with her so often that it’s forever stamped in my mind. To the point that I never really wrote it down myself. Something about making it from scratch from the recipe I have in my mind seemed fitting. Like it’s what she’d want me to do. 

But as the years went on and my (and my family’s) dietary needs changed, I had to adapt her delicious recipe, all while trying to keep the same flavors so I could always remake the memories. 

And now it’s something my daughter and I make together. A little gluten-free, dairy-free treat that is full of nostalgia and generations of love!

So with all that said, I guess it’s high time I write it down and share the love with you and your family!

GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE BANANA BREAD RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup coconut oil organic, refined and melted (grandma used 1 cup of butter, softened)
• 3/4 cup organic cane sugar (grandma used white sugar)
• 3/4 cup organic coconut sugar (grandma used brown sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (with a fork)
• 1 3/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour with xantham gum (my favorite is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour) (grandma used basic flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (grandma used table salt)
• 3/4 cup organic dark chocolate chips or add-ins of your choice (grandma kept it simple and skipped this step)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease 1 loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.
3. Combine gluten-free flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
4. Melt coconut oil in a large bowl.
5. Add in sugars and vanilla, mixing as you go with a hand mixer (like grandma always did)!
6. Blend in your eggs one at a time.
7. Next, blend in your mashed bananas.
8. Slowly add in your flour mixture, making sure it’s fully incorporated.
9. Once combined, stir in your dark chocolate chips.
10. Pour mixture into your greased loaf pan.
11. Bake for 1 hour, or until it’s set and golden brown.
12. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

 A FEW EXTRA TIPS

• If you like a more coconut-y flavor, try using unrefined coconut oil instead of refined.
• Use any chocolate chip you like for this recipe. My favorite allergy friendly brand is Enjoy Life’s dark chocolate chips.
• I have tried every gluten-free baking flour out there, and my very favorite is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Feel free to replace this with your favorite, but make sure your contains xantham gum. Otherwise, you’ll need to add this to your recipe!

This recipe gives me all the feels. People say that love is the secret ingredient in recipes like this, and honestly it’s so true. Something just tastes sweeter about this bread when I make it knowing how happy my grandma would be to see me carrying on the tradition.

Even though I know she would have never understood how we would or could ever eat gluten or dairy free! 

Looking for other bread recipes? Check out my Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Recipe here!