Wheatless Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Moist Melty Marvel Sans Wheat

This banana bread uses oat flour and almond flour in place of all-purpose flour, with ripe bananas providing most of the moisture and sweetness. Dark chocolate chips folded through the batter and pressed onto the top make it a good crossover between a snack and a dessert. It takes about an hour from start to finish, most of which is hands-off baking time.

The riper the bananas, the better — heavily spotted or nearly black bananas are sweeter, more fragrant, and mash more smoothly than yellow ones.

Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil or butter
• ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups certified gluten-free oat flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup gluten-free dark chocolate chips, plus a small handful for the top

Instructions

Step 1 — Preheat and prep Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×4 or 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.

Step 2 — Mash the bananas In a large bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly with a fork until smooth with no large lumps.

Step 3 — Mix wet ingredients Add eggs, melted oil, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk until fully combined.

Step 4 — Mix dry ingredients In a separate bowl, whisk together oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Step 5 — Combine Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing makes the loaf dense.

Step 6 — Add chocolate chips Fold in the chocolate chips gently. Reserve a small handful to scatter over the top of the loaf before baking.

Step 7 — Bake Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips over the surface. Bake for 45–55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

If the top is browning too quickly before the center is cooked through, tent loosely with foil at the 35-minute mark.

Step 8 — Cool Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out using the parchment overhang. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing — cutting too early makes the center collapse and go gummy.

Tips

• An 8×4 pan gives a taller loaf with a more dramatic dome; a 9×5 pan gives a shorter, wider loaf that bakes slightly faster — check at 40 minutes if using the larger pan
• To prevent chocolate chips from sinking, toss them in a teaspoon of oat flour before folding in, or briefly freeze them for 10 minutes before adding
• Check that your baking soda is fresh — it should fizz actively when dropped into a small amount of warm water
• The loaf is done when the center reads 200–205°F on an instant-read thermometer, or when a toothpick comes out with at most a few moist crumbs

Variations

• Walnut chocolate chip: Fold in ½ cup of roughly chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate chips
• Peanut butter swirl: Drop 2 tablespoons of peanut butter over the batter in the pan and swirl with a knife before baking
• Muffins: Divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes
• Streusel topping: Mix 3 tablespoons oat flour, 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, and 1 tablespoon melted butter into a crumble and press onto the top before baking
• Vegan: Replace each egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) and use maple syrup
• Nut-free: Replace almond flour with sunflower seed flour in equal amounts

Storage

• Room temperature: up to 3 days wrapped or in an airtight container
• Refrigerator: up to 5 days — slice and toast individual pieces to refresh the texture
• Freezer: slice the cooled loaf, wrap each slice individually, and freeze for up to 2 months — toast directly from frozen

Nutritional Information (per slice, approximate — makes 10–12 slices)

✓ Gluten-Free   ✓ Wheat-Free   ✓ Dairy-Free Option Available   ✓ Vegan Option Available

Recipe Details

• Cuisine: American
• Course: Breakfast / Snack / Dessert
• Skill Level: Beginner

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my banana bread gummy in the middle? Either it was underbaked or cut too soon. Make sure the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs — if it comes out with wet batter, bake for another 5–10 minutes. Let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing; the center continues to set as it cools.

Why did my chocolate chips all sink? Tossing them in a small amount of oat flour before folding in helps keep them suspended. Freezing the chips briefly before adding them also slows their descent into the batter. Using mini chips rather than full-size helps too, as they’re lighter.

Can I make this without almond flour? Yes — replace the almond flour with an equal amount of oat flour (using 2 cups total). The texture will be slightly less rich but the loaf still works well.

How ripe do the bananas need to be? The riper the better. Bananas that are heavily spotted or starting to turn black are ideal — they’re sweeter, softer, and have a more concentrated banana flavor. Firm yellow bananas don’t mash as smoothly and produce a less sweet, less moist result.

Can I make this into muffins? Yes — divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes; muffins bake faster than a loaf.