Nutritious by Gabby

I am BEYOND happy with how this chocolate chip banana bread turned out! Baked goods can be challenging when you’re working to make them gluten free and plant based. Sometimes they can come out too dense, too crumbly, or even too mushy. However, with the right combination of flours and binders, they can be just as delicious as goods with gluten and dairy! I’m not lying when I say I really hit the mark on this one – even my husband said he couldn’t tell the difference between this and regular banana bread! This bread is so fluffy and moist all whilst being plant based and gluten free too!

What Equipment Do I Need?

For this recipe, you will need a large loaf pan (mine is 5” by 10”). You will also need two mixing bowls – one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients. Additionally, you will need a small bowl to create the flax and water mixture in. Lastly, you may want a wooden spatula or spoon to mix with.

Using the Right Kind of Peanut Butter

I always recommend using a natural peanut butter and I would still use that for this recipe. However, I would not use a peanut butter that has oil on the top. This type of peanut butter is great and usually is exactly what I buy, but for this recipe, it would affect the texture. You want a peanut butter that is smooth and natural, but with no oil separation. For example, you could use the Skippy Natural peanut butter. You could try using almond butter in this recipe, but once again, find one with no oil separation and that is very smooth. Even with this, it could change the texture of the bread. Gluten free baking can be so temperamental!

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• Ripe Bananas – Make sure to use ripe bananas in this recipe! It’s even okay if they are edging towards the mushier side. If you use bananas that are too green, the bread won’t taste as sweet and the texture won’t be the same.
• Flax Seed Meal + Water – This combination acts as the binder in this recipe.
• Maple Syrup
• Vanilla Extract
• Peanut Butter – See my note above about choosing the right kind of peanut butter in this recipe!

Dry Ingredients

• Brown Rice Flour – I used the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free one.
• Tapioca Flour – Again, I used the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
• Baking Soda
• Dark Chocolate Dairy Free Chocolate Chips – As I typically do, I used the Enjoy Life brand as it is free of all major allergens.

Substitutions

• Maple Syrup – You can also try using honey or agave nectar in this recipe.
• Peanut Butter – If you’re thinking about trying a different kind of nut butter, see my note above about choosing the right kind of peanut butter.
• Gluten Free Flours – I wouldn’t recommend switching out any of the flours in this recipe as the two that are used already create a nice balance for a fluffy bread.
• Dark Chocolate Chips – If you don’t like dark chocolate, feel free to use a different type of chocolate chip!

Recipe