Moist and super simple to make: this keto banana bread is perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. It is gluten free, grain free and only 4.4g net carbs per slice. A low carb banana bread that's a hit with the whole family, low carb or not!
Table of contents
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 extract 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 proper banana flavor with extracts, not to mention the wonderful moist texture of real banana bread.
Carbs in banana bread
Bananas have a very intense flavour. ½ 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 keto banana bread recipe contains ⅛ 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 ½ teaspoon.
This delicious bread has just the right amount of sweetness and only 4.4g net carbs per portion.
How to make sugar free banana bread - step by step
1.) Put the eggs, mashed banana and melted butter in a large mixing 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 a golden erythritol monk fruit sweetener in the images, which is a brown sugar replacement. But any granulated sweetener will work, from Splenda to stevia.
3.) Blend!
4.) Last, stir in the chopped walnuts, keeping some back for decorating.
5.) Fill into a bread tin lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. It's done if a toothpick inserted comes out without crumbs sticking. Cool on a wire rack.
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 chopped 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. In 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.
For even more flavor, consider adding a pinch of salt or 1 tsp vanilla extract.
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 ¼ cup as it is more absorbent.
I have not tried this myself, but it should be possible to replace the almond flour with ½ cup of coconut flour. In this case, you may also want to add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum.
To make this banana bread egg free, sub with flax eggs: mix 3 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 9 tablespoon of water, let sit for 10 minutes so the flax can absorb the liquid. Then add to the batter.
Can I make muffins with this batter?
Yes, I often use this recipe to make low-carb banana muffins. They are a great grab and go breakfast or snack!
Simply prepare a muffin pan with nonstick spray or line it with paper cups. Prepare the batter as per recipe - remember, the most important thing is to use a ripe banana - and fill into the prepared baking dish.
Preheat the oven to the same temperature and bake for 25 minutes.
For a heartier, rustic muffin recipe, try these low carb banana muffins. They contain flax meal, which adds additional fiber.
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.
Similar recipes you might also enjoy
- Low Carb Keto Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Healthy Banana Cookies (Sugar Free, Keto)
- Orange Almond Breakfast Cake
- Low Carb Zucchini Muffins
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Low Carb Keto Banana Bread
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup / 150g almond flour or ground almonds
- ½ cup / 120g mashed banana 2 small or 1 large, very ripe
- 3 eggs large
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ cup / 50g granulated erythritol (So Nourished)
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ 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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The post keto banana bread was first published June 2019 and updated with more details in January 2021.
L
This recipe is amazing! The banana bread is delicious and it is great for freezing and using as a snack option. I have it so often I have to make it every couple of weeks when I run out! Thank you for a great recipe.
Leslie Arkenberg
This was excellent I doubled the recipe and used a bigger loaf pan. I also added 4 TBSP of Kefir just because I had it and wanted to try it in a banana bread. It was super moist. The only issue is I had to bake it much longer than the Recipe called for. It took almost an hour twenty. Covered the top with foil to prevent too much browning. The flavor was wonderful. The whole family liked it a lot!
JK
I make this recipe on a regular basis now, and I have to say: I love it! It is delicious, it is easy, and it is not super sweet, which I find a lot of banana bread recipes are. Recommended!
Mélanie
Juste parfait et très léger
Valentina
Fantastic! Very easy to make! My whole family liked it and kept going back for another slice. It doesn't lose any texture while storing it in airtight container and the flavour gets even better.
Thank you very much, Katrin! Your every recipe I tried was delicious.
June
Best low carb recipe I have made so far. Delicious
Katrin Nürnberger
How did the bread turn out? Hope it still tasted good. It's an issue with the recipe card that it can only change the first set of numbers. I do mention this in the card, but you must have missed it.
Ann
Can I substitute banana extract for banana?
Katrin Nürnberger
Probably , but then you would also need to add more wet ingredients to have the same wet dry ratio. I think it could probably work with some yoghurt. Also
Geri
I made this today. My banana was a bit smaller than the 120grms in the recipe but the bread still tasted of banana. It is delicious, especially buttered! Thank you.
Teri
Wow Katrin this recipe is fantastic. I did change one thing, I use allulose for the sweetener because erythritol gives me a terrible cooling effect. The second loaf I ran out of almond flour so used sunflower flour (nut free) and it was equally as delicious
Shelly
Can I use regular monk fruit in this recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger
Of course, any 1:2 sugar replacement works.
Wilma
Can you make low carb banana cupcakes instead of a loaf?
Katrin Nürnberger
Sure! I bake regular size muffins and cupcakes for about 25 minutes.
Elizabeth Segovia
If you made about 12 muffins what’s the carb per muffin?
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't think you can make 12 muffins with this amount of batter, unless they are mini muffins. Perhaps 7 or 8.
Winnie
I was not expecting it to be so good that I cant’t tell it’s low carb and sugar free! I’m diabetic and been in the hunt for diabetic friendly recipes. Thank you for sharing this, so glad I found this. Definitely going to be making it again!
Jan Pope
I’ve doubled and tripled this recipe and its always great. Even my non keto husband loves it
susan adams
Looking for dessert recipes for diabetics and this one came up. My uncle would be ok with everything but he is also watching his potassium. Do you think there is any in this?
Katrin Nürnberger
I know there is potassium in bananas. You would have to check online how much there is in approximately one bite of banana because that's how much you'll find in one slice of this banana bread.
Annette Erdtsieck
I can't have egg yolks so how many eggs if I just use the whites?
Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
You would have to experiment to see what works. Maybe one more or maybe the same amount plus a little cream or yoghurt in place of the egg yolks.
Brittany Szmagaj
This was amazing! Definitely saving this recipe for the future. I used 2 medium bananas and added in a dash of vanilla extract. I am obsessed. I had 2 slices and am trying to not eat the rest. Thank you so much for sharing!
susan adams
Brittany, Did you get a 16 ounce bag of almond flour ?? I tried to find one smaller but no luck
Patricia S.
Susan, Amazon sells Anthony's Almond Flour Blanched in 8 ounce bags for just over $9, as well as 2 lb bags. I saw you asked a question about the amount of potassium in the recipe. I put the recipe link into whisk.com and it came up with 209.98mg of potassium in the entire recipe.
Momofgirlswcurls
First recipe I've tried on your site. Wow! Tastes like real banana bread with no weird cooling aftertaste. Thank you!!!