This yummy and gluten free brown butter banana bread is absolutely delicious. This moist banana bread is full of warm cinnamon, sweet banana, and nutty brown butter. While it may look elaborate this quick bread is so easy to make. Cut a slice for the perfect breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Moist and Delicious Gluten Free Brown Butter Banana Bread
There is something so comforting about a warm batch of fresh banana bread straight out the oven. It makes your house smell amazing and on top of that, it is absolutely delicious, and moist, and just perfect.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, you may have thought that a good slice of banana bread was no longer in the cards for you. Thankfully, that’s not the case! This brown butter banana bread is not only delicious but also gluten free.
What makes this particular banana bread so good is the use of brown butter. It’s an extra step, yes, but not a hard one and it adds a great flavor to the bread. Keep reading to learn how to make this yummy banana bread!
The first step to making this brown butter banana bread is to brown the butter. If you have never browned butter before, do not be intimidated. It sounds a bit more complicated than it actually is and I’ve outlined the entire process for you below.
When it comes to the butter for this recipe, I highly suggest using grass-fed butter if you can. It is usually a deeper, richer yellow color and has a more delicious butter flavor as well.
Of course, if you can’t get your hands on grass-fed butter no worries, the bread will still be good.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Brown Butter
Step One: Add the diced butter to a small skillet or pot.
Step Two: Heat the skillet over medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up.
Step 3: Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. At this point, you should see some brown bits beginning to form in the bottom of the skillet.
Step 4: Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to cool while you make the banana bread.
Watch How to Make Brown Butter
Let’s Talk Ingredients for Decadent Banana Bread
Ripe Bananas: The riper your bananas the better! Riper bananas have a higher sugar content so they are sweeter and perfect to make banana bread.
If you can, wait until your bananas have plenty of brown spots before using them to make a fresh loaf. Oh and, if you have one, use a potato masher to mash your bananas. It works so well!
Gluten Free Flour: To keep this bread gluten free, it uses a gluten free flour blend. If you do a lot of gluten free baking, feel free to use your favorite gluten free flour. I love using King Arthur gluten free flour or Cup-4-Cup gluten free flour. I’ve linked the gluten free flour I used in the recipe below.
Dark Brown Sugar: Any good banana bread needs a good dose of dark brown sugar.
Cinnamon: This recipe calls for a tablespoon of cinnamon which may seem like a lot but trust me…it’s not.
Vanilla Extract: Another must-have banana bread ingredient that adds so much flavor.
Eggs: To bind everything together and give the loaf some stability.
Salt: A little salt goes a long way in this loaf to help balance the flavors so it doesn’t taste overly sweet.
Optional Mix-Ins: If you want, feel free to add in one half cup of dark chocolate chips or your favorite nuts like walnuts.
Tips for Making Sure Your Bread Doesn’t Stick
There is nothing worse than making a beautiful banana bread and then worrying about it sticking to the pan. Here are some of my best tips to ensure that does not happen.
Parchment paper. Cut a thick strip of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of a well greased loaf pan before pouring in the batter. Once the bread has cooked, you can lift the banana bread out by using the “handles” of parchment paper.
Non-stick loaf pan. If you are really concerned, you can also look for a pan that is non-stick which will make it fairly easy to remove the bread.
Butter or neutral oil. Be sure to grease your pan well with either butter or a neutral oil (I love avocado oil) to ensure that nothing sticks.
First, start by making the brown butter. Add the diced butter to a small skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up.
Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. You will know the butter has “browned” when you see brown bits beginning to form in the bottom of the skillet.
Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to cool while you make the banana bread.
In a large mixing bowl add the mashed banana, dark brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. Next, add the brown butter and stir until well mixed.
Add the gluten free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl. Stir until well combined. Fold in any dark chocolate or chopped nuts.
Transfer the batter to a well greased 9×5 loaf pan. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon. If you would like, you can slice one banana in half and press it into the top of the loaf, cut side up. Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the bread cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan and onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Once cool, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Even though I’ve loved every ATHT recipe I’ve tried, I was so hesitant to try this recipe because gluten free baking is not my forté. But WOW this recipe is a game changer!!! The brown butter is MAGIC and the bread is so moist and not at all dry and crumbly like my GF baked goods usually turn out. Stop reading, go make this!!!
On a baking roll last night so made this along w/ the Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies. The brown butter I think made a huge difference! This recipe was easy to make and delicious! My husband has pretty much eaten the loaf himself. Will probably be my go to banana recipe!
Truly the best banana bread I’ve ever had! The brown butter is a game changer! The bread is so flavorful and so moist. I added dark chocolate chips and it gave it just enough sweetness. My new go to banana bread recipe!
This came out great! I doubled the recipe to make two loaves and added both walnuts and chocolate chips. I love how easy and consistent all your recipes are! Thanks, Ashlea!
I was on a banana bread kick this summer and tried a bunch of different recipes, and this one was my favorite. I’ve made this banana bread recipe many times this covid winter season and even added apples when we had a surplus of them at my parent’s house (amazing but you really need to dry the apples). The browned butter and banana on top are the game changers for me. Highly recommend!! Thanks for the great recipe!
This is by far the best banana bread recipe I have made during the pandemic and I have made more than a dozen. The browned butter adds all the extra special flavor. So delicious every time and everyone in my family loves it too!
I have another banana bread recipe I love but the browned butter sold me on trying something new. YUM!!! It’s a subtle change but it’s a huge difference in flavor. I made this recipe into a dozen muffins instead of a loaf (so I could freeze half for later) – It worked perfectly. Can’t wait for more bananas to overripen so I can make another batch!
This is delicious! I used GF flour as suggested and you would never know it was GF. And it was so easy to make. The bake time for me was closer to 60 minutes.
Made this a few days ago and it was SO GOOD!! I’ve been searching for the perfect banana bread recipe for a while and this is definitely it! My mom is not a huge fan of bananas but even she loved this which is how you know it’s good. I used AP flour and replaced half the brown sugar with coconut sugar to make it a little healthier. I also added chocolate chips, but I think chopped walnuts would be even better because they’d add a nice crunch. My only note is that I did end up baking the loaf for a good 20-25 minutes beyond what the recipe called for, so don’t be alarmed if yours isn’t done after the 45 minute mark.
Thanks for your awesome recipe! Perfectly sweet and delicious banana bread! And really easy to make, easy to make swaps, and too easy to eat the whole thing in one day lol! Brown butter gave it this caramel-ish type flavor that I LOVED! I didn’t have enough brown sugar, so added a little white sugar, and didn’t have GF flour so used AP. So yummy!
I made this last night at 5pm… 14 hours later, the entire loaf is almost gone! The brown butter seriously makes a huge difference and adds delicious notes of caramel-y goodness to an already tasty loaf. It was easy to make, and the whole family has loved it! Will definitely be making again 🙂
OMG. I just made a mini-muffin version of these and they are SO GOOD. Brown butter was the right move and all that cinnamon is the perfect amount. If anyone else is interested in doing a mini-muffin version, I put mine in the oven at 350 for about 20 mins.
This banana bread is SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! Banana bread has always been one of my favorite foods and I know I’ll be making this one again. I love that it’s gluten free, I also made it dairy-free by using ghee instead of butter. I didn’t brown it, I just microwaved it for a bit to make sure it was melted completely. My only complaint is that my banana sank down into the batter so it doesn’t look as pretty as Ashlea’s, but hey just another excuse to make it again. 😉
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ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Wonderful flavor. Added both walnuts and chocolate chips as why not? Will be in the rotation for sure.
★★★★★
Haha, why not is exactly right! sounds like the perfect banana bread to me! so glad you loved the recipe!
Hi, Wondering what the weight in grams would be for the butter, please?
Hi, Jen! 8 tablespoons in grams converts to 113.4 grams. hope that helps!
Even though I’ve loved every ATHT recipe I’ve tried, I was so hesitant to try this recipe because gluten free baking is not my forté. But WOW this recipe is a game changer!!! The brown butter is MAGIC and the bread is so moist and not at all dry and crumbly like my GF baked goods usually turn out. Stop reading, go make this!!!
★★★★★
On a baking roll last night so made this along w/ the Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies. The brown butter I think made a huge difference! This recipe was easy to make and delicious! My husband has pretty much eaten the loaf himself. Will probably be my go to banana recipe!
★★★★★
Love this bread! I’ve tried a lot of banana breads but this is the recipe is always come back to!
★★★★★
Truly the best banana bread I’ve ever had! The brown butter is a game changer! The bread is so flavorful and so moist. I added dark chocolate chips and it gave it just enough sweetness. My new go to banana bread recipe!
★★★★★
This recipe is simply delicious. My husband typically likes GF recipes but doesn’t love them. This, however, he loves. Will make again and again.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you all loved the recipe, Jennifer! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
I made this for my family for our vacation recently and everyone loved it! Came out perfectly and the brown butter is next level!
★★★★★
Yay! Happy to hear that, Alison! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This came out great! I doubled the recipe to make two loaves and added both walnuts and chocolate chips. I love how easy and consistent all your recipes are! Thanks, Ashlea!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Kimberly! The addition of the walnuts and chocolate chips sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Sooo yummy!
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing, Catherine! So glad you loved it!
Hey ! Looking forward to try this recipe , just need to know how many grams is 1 packet brown sugar
Hi, Arpan! I used brown sugar from a bag, not packets.
I was on a banana bread kick this summer and tried a bunch of different recipes, and this one was my favorite. I’ve made this banana bread recipe many times this covid winter season and even added apples when we had a surplus of them at my parent’s house (amazing but you really need to dry the apples). The browned butter and banana on top are the game changers for me. Highly recommend!! Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing, Sidonia! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can I use almond flour
Hi, Tara! Almond flour won’t work well in this recipe. I suggest using gluten free flour.
Thanks
Absolutely delicious and a family favourite! My kids will request this banana bread recipe on a weekly basis.
★★★★★
Love that, Verena! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!!!!! Super simple to make too which I appreciate
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Angela!
This bread is to die for!! I always find my GF bread coming out a weird texture but this is sooo good and you’d never know it’s GF!
★★★★★
Yay! that’s the best compliment, Megan! So glad you love it!
This is by far the best banana bread recipe I have made during the pandemic and I have made more than a dozen. The browned butter adds all the extra special flavor. So delicious every time and everyone in my family loves it too!
★★★★★
I have another banana bread recipe I love but the browned butter sold me on trying something new. YUM!!! It’s a subtle change but it’s a huge difference in flavor. I made this recipe into a dozen muffins instead of a loaf (so I could freeze half for later) – It worked perfectly. Can’t wait for more bananas to overripen so I can make another batch!
★★★★★
This is delicious! I used GF flour as suggested and you would never know it was GF. And it was so easy to make. The bake time for me was closer to 60 minutes.
Made this a few days ago and it was SO GOOD!! I’ve been searching for the perfect banana bread recipe for a while and this is definitely it! My mom is not a huge fan of bananas but even she loved this which is how you know it’s good. I used AP flour and replaced half the brown sugar with coconut sugar to make it a little healthier. I also added chocolate chips, but I think chopped walnuts would be even better because they’d add a nice crunch. My only note is that I did end up baking the loaf for a good 20-25 minutes beyond what the recipe called for, so don’t be alarmed if yours isn’t done after the 45 minute mark.
Thanks for your awesome recipe! Perfectly sweet and delicious banana bread! And really easy to make, easy to make swaps, and too easy to eat the whole thing in one day lol! Brown butter gave it this caramel-ish type flavor that I LOVED! I didn’t have enough brown sugar, so added a little white sugar, and didn’t have GF flour so used AP. So yummy!
I made this last night at 5pm… 14 hours later, the entire loaf is almost gone! The brown butter seriously makes a huge difference and adds delicious notes of caramel-y goodness to an already tasty loaf. It was easy to make, and the whole family has loved it! Will definitely be making again 🙂
OMG. I just made a mini-muffin version of these and they are SO GOOD. Brown butter was the right move and all that cinnamon is the perfect amount. If anyone else is interested in doing a mini-muffin version, I put mine in the oven at 350 for about 20 mins.
Yum! Brown butter makes everything better!!
This banana bread is SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! Banana bread has always been one of my favorite foods and I know I’ll be making this one again. I love that it’s gluten free, I also made it dairy-free by using ghee instead of butter. I didn’t brown it, I just microwaved it for a bit to make sure it was melted completely. My only complaint is that my banana sank down into the batter so it doesn’t look as pretty as Ashlea’s, but hey just another excuse to make it again. 😉
Tori