Moist and super simple to make: this sugar free banana bread is perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. At 4.4g net carbs per slice, it is suitable for low carb diets. Gluten free and grain free.
There’s lots of people around who will tell you bananas are “not allowed” when you’re eating low carb. Here’s what I think: A banana is high in sugar and carbs. But if you’re choosing your recipe wisely, you can enjoy all the banana taste without actually letting your blood sugar rocket sky-high.
Most low carb banana bread recipes use banana flavouring instead of a real banana. This obviously keeps the carb count really low. But I think you’ll never get close to the taste of a REAL banana with extracts, not to mention the wonderful moist texture of a legit banana bread.
Bananas have a very intense flavour. 1/2 a cup of mashed banana – that’s one large banana or 2 small ones – is enough to create a bread that’s low in carbs and low in sugars. This low carb banana bread contains 1/8 of a banana (I’d say that is about 1 bite) and 4.4 grams of net carbs per slice.
Quick note – I’m calling this recipe “sugar free banana bread” because I’m using erythritol instead of added sugar, honey or maple syrup. It comes in at 2.7 grams of (natural) sugars per slice, which is equivalent to just over 1/2 teaspoon.
How to make sugar free banana bread – step by step:
1.) Put the eggs, mashed banana and melted butter in a bowl. Blend until smooth and frothy with an electric mixer.
TIP: It is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to use an overripe banana in this recipe. It should have lingered in your fruit basket forever and have brown specks on the skin.
2.) Stir together the dry ingredients – almond flour, erythritol, cinnamon and baking powder – in a separate bowl. Then add to the egg mix.
I used golden erythritol in the images, which is a brown sugar replacement. But any granulated sweetener will work.
3.) Blend!
4.) Last, stir in the crushed walnuts, keeping some back for decorating.
5.) Fill into a bread tin lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 minutes.
Tip: Check after 30 minutes to see if the banana bread is browned already. If so, cover loosely with aluminium foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent burning. (I covered my bread at minute 35 and found that it was browned a little much for my liking.)
Low Carb Banana Bread – tips and recipe variations
Don’t have walnuts? You can use any nuts in this recipe. I think pecans or hazelnuts would work particularly well.
Instead of nuts, you could add sugar free chocolate chips instead. It’s easy to make your own. Alternatively, use chopped dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 85 % or a brand like Lily’s.
I used a small 7.5 x 3 inch loaf tin (1 lb volume) for this recipe. It’s the perfect size for low carb bread because it’s nutrient dense and filling and servings need to be smaller. If you use a loaf pan like this, your bread will be taller than wide.
If you only have a full size bread pan, you can double the recipe. I this case, increase the baking time to about 1 hour. Be sure to insert a knife to test the inside is baked (if it comes out with dough sticking to it keep your bread in a bit longer). Again, cover the top loosely with aluminium foil once the top is browned to prevent burning.
To make this recipe dairy free, replace the butter with coconut oil.
I used ground almonds in this recipe. This is equivalent to regular blanched almond flour in the US. Almond meal (essentially almonds ground up including skins) would also work well and give a more rustic texture.
If you’re using super fine almond flour, I recommend to reduce the amount to 1 1/4 cup as it is more absorbent.
I have not tried this myself, but it should be possible to replace the almond flour with 3/4 cup of coconut flour.
To make this banana bread egg free, sub with flax eggs: mix 3 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 9 tbsp of water, let sit for 10 minutes so the flax can absorb the liquid. Then add to the batter.
How to store Keto Banana Bread
I tend to keep the bread in a cake tin on the counter for a couple of days. Then I store it in the fridge. It stays fresh for about 1 week.
You can also freeze it! I do this with all my almond flour cake recipes. I slice the bread before freezing. That way, I can simply take out one slice when I feel like a treat.
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Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Low Carb Sugar Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup / 150g almond flour or ground almonds
- 1/2 cup / 120g mashed banana 2 small or 1 large, very ripe
- 3 eggs large
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup / 50g granulated erythritol
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup / 30g walnuts, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the ove to 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs together with the mashed banana and melted butter until smooth.
- In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients - almond flour, erythritol or sweetener of choice, cinnamon and baking powder. Add to the bowl with the egg/banana/butter mix and blend until well-combined.
- Last, stir in the crushed walnuts, reserving some to sprinkle over the top of the bread.
- Line a small (7 x 3.5 inch / 1 lb) loaf tin with parchment paper and fill in the dough. Sprinkle the leftover walnuts on the top.
- Bake for circa 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Check the cake at minute 30. If the top is already brown enough, loosely place aluminium foil over it so it does not burn.
- Let the banana bread cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Aimee says
My husband is diabetic, but I still like to make treats for him. Unfortunately, low-carb sugar-free aren’t always a hit with him. One of his favorite things I used to bake for him was banana bread, but it definitely was not diabetic-friendly. I happened to stumble upon this recipe and figured, why not??…He absolutely LOVED this banana bread! He took some to work, and his coworker (not diabetic) offered to pay me to make him a loaf! I have made this four times in the last two months, and I’ll be making it for years to come! Thank you!
(I doubled the recipe to fit my pan. I used almond flour from Aldi and Swerve.)
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you’ve found a winner! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Kimberly Garrett says
It’s wonderful! My family loved it!
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so good to hear!
Heather Iger says
I’ve made this almost weekly since shelter-in-place. I’ve got this recipe so nailed that I’m leaving loaves wrapped up for those running errands for me – you needn’t be on Keto to just think this is the best thing ever. I’m leaving out the nuts and going with Lily’s semisweet chocolate chips. I use golden Lakanto monkfruit/erithrytol (strongly recommend this as used other types and not nearly as happy with results). I also add about 8-10 drops of banana extract to it as well as some vanilla extract. Omg omg omg.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Thanks so much for your tips! Really glad you’re enjoying the recipe.
Wendy says
I made this and double the recipe but instead of eggs I used the flax seed substitute and it never cooked on the inside? Do you think it was all the flax seed substitute? I made the same as using six eggs like the double version would be. I was disappointed but will try again and not double and just use eggs.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Wendy, what a shame! It sounds like you had too much water in the dough. Flax eggs don’t puff up exactly like eggs, so you would end up with a firmer bread. Banana bread is nice when it’s a bit sticky, but of course it should not be soggy.
Jocelyn says
Could the sweetener be replaced with stevia?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I think it should work. If you’re using a granulated stevia sweetener, make sure it’s a 1:1 sugar replacement. Some are twice as sweet as sugar. If you’re thinking about stevia drops, I’d calculate how many you need to replace the amount of sweetness. About 4-5 drops are normally equivalent to 1 tsp of sugar. And check the consistency of the dough – if you find it’s much softer than mine (check the video), then add 1-2 tbsp more almond flour.
Sonia says
Definitely could use some salt. For baking, unsalted butter is most commonly used. Was the butter supposed to be salted?
Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I used unsalted butter in the recipe. But of course, you can add a pinch of salt to the batter to enhance taste. I know many people also like to do so with chocolate recipes.
Vicki Taylor says
Yet another wonderful recipe. Haven’t eaten banana for nearly 3 years so having that flavour is fantastic and with so few carbs. Followed your recipe exactly and it was a perfect loaf. Thank you Katrin.
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad it was a success!
Cindy says
I love this recipe. It doesn’t feel like I’m on Keto. It tastes the same as the banana bread I remember as a child.
Katrin Nürnberger says
so glad you like it!
Karisa says
Hi, do I need to add the walnuts to this? I like my banana bread without any extra crunch.
Katrin Nürnberger says
No, the walnuts are optional 🙂
Sophia says
Great recipe! Simple and easy to follow. Kids loved it and asked for more! Definitely a keeper!
And thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger says
If the kids like it’s a winner!
Gail Crocker says
Hello Katrin,
So I just started this Keto diet thing, and decided to try your banana bread, just so I could have a little treat. So I used lactose free butter and doubled the recipe and put it in a tube pan. Wellllll! It came out perfect and my boys loved it. They loved my other banana bread so I was afraid they wouldn’t like this one. Surprise…Thank you!
Regards Gail
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad it hit the spot for everyone!
Martina says
Hi Katrin, can I just leave out erythritol or does it play any other role besides giving addition sweetness? Would I need to add any more dry ingredients? Also, would defetted almond flour work as well?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Martina, you can probably leave out the erythritol – it’s just there for the sweetness. As for the defatted almond flour, you’d definitely need to use less. It’s very different to ground almonds / regular almond flour, much more absorbent. I’ve tried before to replace it 1:1 and it was a total fail. You’d need to use less for sure.
Laura says
I’m on low carb diet and craved banana bread. This is amazing. I made banana bread for Husband and kids a week ago and decided I wanted some! So I found this recipe, halved it put into 5 cupcake cases and gave 20 mins in oven…..wow! I have 1 a day as my treat. Gorgeous. Will be making again, and again
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so good to hear! Good to have a treat on hand 😉
Vivian Kennedy says
I followed the recipe but instead of the ground almond flour, I used 1 1/4 cup super fine almond flour (that’s all I had. I used a small 7.5 x 3 inch glass loaf dish. My bread is not as tall as I thought, it pretty much stayed the same size as when I put it in the dish to cook. It’s also kind of mushy.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Did the batter have the same consistency mine did in the video? If so, then the issue could have been that your baking powder did not activate. You should definitely get a rise.
Karen Algie says
This is the fourth of your recipes we have tried and I can honestly say this banana bread is AMAZING!!!!
So easy to make.
The other recipes were also a success but this is our favourite
Katrin Nürnberger says
It is a good one 😉 I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
India Dhargalkar says
Seriously delicious and really easy to make which is saying something as I’m usually a disaster in the kitchen!
Best banana cake EVER!!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I’m sure you’re not a disaster in the kitchen at all! So glad you liked the recipe
Janette says
Best keto recipe I’ve cooked so far!!! What can I substitute banana with as my daughter doesn’t like them (more for hubby and I though!!)
Katrin Nürnberger says
I think you could try pumpkin puree. You’d have to adjust the sweetener though and increase the amount of erythritol.
Lauren says
Anyone have issues with rising? Mine was only about an inch thick, more dense than airy. I added some blueberries and my baking soda doesn’t expire for another year. Still tastes great but I wish it was bigger!
John says
Definitely very nice! I tried it with coconut flour as you suggested (as I am generally on a low calorie diet too) and it was lovely, except I used 1/2 cup coconut flour and 1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal. Do you think I could use this recipe (or the variation) to make muffins? If so, what should I reduce the cooking time to or any other changes? Thanks again!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, check in the comments – quite a few people have made muffins from this recipe. Normally muffins take around 20-25 minutes. Then check and see if they’re browned and done.
Alfredo says
Had three extra ripe bananas that I did not want to throw away… this recipe was perfect! Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you liked it!
SP says
Can I use this recipe for muffins? What would be baking temp and time?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, other readers have done that. Muffins normally take around 20 minutes.
Lucy says
I should have read the comments before, i used coconut flower and the texture and flavor are not that great. Does anybody knoknow how to fix it?
Katrin Nürnberger says
How much coconut flour did you use? You cannot replace coconut flour and almond flour 1:1 as it absorbs more liquid.
Ryan F says
Are the nutrition numbers per slice? Or per loaf?
Katrin Nürnberger says
per slice!
Nancy Lay says
Can you freeze it after making it?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes you can!
Murray Pengelly says
I find baking this banana bread the flavour is fantastic but it’s very dry, I use coconut flour or almond meal an the mixture is dry when it goes into the tin an also when baked
Any recommendations please
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Murray, the recipe is designed with almond flour. If you use coconut flour instead, you’ll end up with a different texture. Also, you cannot replace the almond flour 1:1 with coconut flour because it’s much more absorbent.
Senuka says
Best low carb banana bread I ever ate
Katrin Nürnberger says
Result! So happy you like it!!!