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.
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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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Dori H Frank says
The best banana bread ever! Great rise, moist and full of banana flavor! Added more walnuts and a little vanilla but would be great as written. Will def try other Londoner recipes
Katrin Nürnberger says
Keep me posted and let me know what you try next!
Rose Rolo says
Amazing! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe! I haven’t tasted banana in well over a year and thought I never would. I also really appreciate your suggestions for substituting ingredients. I doubled the recipe for a large loaf pan and it made a huge loaf that actually rose in the pan. It is very moist and delicious and I can slice a small piece easily. I only had 3 cups of almond flour so I had to use 1/2 cup of coconut flour for the 4th cup of almond flour and followed your suggestion to add a little more melted butter. At first I thought it seemed like a lot of cinnamon but it is essential for this recipe. I am so apprehensive to make recipes with expensive ingredients and have them fail. Since that has never happened with any of your recipes I actually doubled it my first try! That says a lot. Even my husband loved it!! To anyone not sure if they should try this, make it now! You won’t believe how fantastic it is!!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Awesome!! So glad it was a success 🙂
Julia says
Can this recipe be made into muffins? If yes how long to cook them? Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger says
That should work! I’d try for 20-25 minutes at the same temperature, but be sure to check that they are done by sticking a knife in and see that it comes out clean.
Carisa says
Recipe looks fab! Just wondering if I could use xylitol instead? Thanks so much
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course you can! Any sweetener works, as long as it’s a 1:1 sugar replacement.
Ashlee Abrams says
I hardly ever comment when I look up keto recipes. However, this time it was a must. This recipe is so0o0o0o delicious. Perfectly moist and easy! I would say a good 50 percent of the time keto baked goods dont turn out the way I thought it would. This one is my new favorite recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
A hurrah to a new favourite recipe! Glad you like it 🙂
Erica says
Can I use banana extract instead of bananas?
Katrin Nürnberger says
No, because you’d lose the moisture from the bananas. You would have to replace that with more butter, for example. If you don’t want to use bananas it may be a better idea to use one of my other recipes, such as this and add your banana extract to it.
Teresa says
Oh YUMMY! Thank you so much, Katrin! You’ve done it again! Thanks also for introducing me to parchment paper for bread! It was so much easier than greasing a pan and hoping the bread won’t stick.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I remember all those failed baking projects of mine that I just couldn’t get out of the pan. Parchment rules 😉
Ana says
Hello there! Beautiful recipe! I was wondering if I can use honey instead of the granulated erythritol.
Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that would work well!
Donna says
I was wondering if I can use honey instead of the granulated erythritol.
How much honey should I use?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would go with 4 tablespoons honey. Taste and see if you need more
Coleen says
This receipe is perfect! I used 1.5 cups of finely sifted almond flour and added Lily’s keto chocolate chips. I baked it just under 40 minutes without adding aluminum foil on top and it still came out moist. I can’t believe how easy and delicious this came out. I wouldn’t have even known this was a low-carb recipe. No strange taste from the erythritol or almond flour. This is my new go-to banana bread recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Thanks for your comment – glad you’ve found a keeper 😉
Tom Hatton says
Delicious, enjoyed it so much
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so good to hear!
Yara says
Hello! Thank you for this recipe. I did it awhile ago and followed every step and it was the best healthy banana bread I’ve ever had.
Unfortunately, I don’t have almond flour right now. Have you tried with oatmeal flour? I would really love to make this, but I have no idea what adaptions have to be made. Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger says
My guess is that oatmeal flour might be a little stickier and heavier than almond flour. But with banana bread, stickiness is not a bad thing. Use a little less when you make the dough, just to see how it behaves, adding more as needed. Or maybe you can mix it up with ground up sunflower seeds or sesame seeds?
Irene Collini says
If I am substituting stevia for the erythritol, how much stevia would i use instead? I know that stevia is much sweeter
Katrin Nürnberger says
It depends on the type of stevia you use. Some granulated stevia sweeteners are twice as sweet as sugar. Check your pack – if you’re using one of those, halve the amount stated. I don’t have any experience with pure stevia, so can’t give any advice on them…you’d have to do the maths with the info you’re getting on the pack. 1/4 cup equals 4 tbsp or roughly 12 teaspoons. As for liquid stevia, 1 tsp are normally 3-4 drops, so take it from there!
nikki says
made this with half coconut flour (50 g as suggested) bec i ran out of almond flour for double batch and came out great! my husband is a picky eater and loved it! substituted nuts for sunflower seeds for his nut sensitivity and added sugar free chocolate chips. i would say a simple recipe bit great!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you made the recipe work for you!
Sue Cummings says
can I use applesauce in place of something
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Sue, I think that would work well. Applesauce and banana are quite similar in consistency. You may need to increase the sweetener by a bit.
Paulette says
I doubled it and used a 9 x 5 loaf pan and it turned out great. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you liked it!
Maya says
Hi Katrin, do you think I can use stevia instead of erythritol in this recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that should work!
Kathi says
Katrin, This recipe is delicious! I made it into muffins (got 10) and they rose and baked up beautifully and the texture is spot on. I’ve made it twice now, the second time I figured “If I’m melting the butter anyway, why not take it a little further and brown it.” Yum! Thank you for your delicious recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
What a great idea to brown the butter!!!
Cynthia M Bojonell says
Loved this bread! Tastes great and easy to make. What a lovely surprise, I can tell it will definitely be a favorite recipe!
Thank you Katrin
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you like it!!
Barb Smith says
I want to try this very much but I am allergic to almonds. If coconut flour is used in this recipe will that change the number of eggs used or would it change anything else? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Barb, I normally replace with 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of coconut flour to almond flour, so I’d start with 50g, raising to no more than 75g. If you use 50g, I don’t think you need to add more egg. The banana is good for sticking stuff together a well. If you use 75g, you MAY want to use an additional (medium?) egg.
Maybe also add a little more butter, because from my experience coconut flour can taste a little dry.
Caroline says
Hi, can you freeze the banana bread?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes you can!
LINDA PONZETTO says
Can I use coconut sugar ? It dosnt raise your glycemic index. Is it still considered sugar free?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Linda, coconut sugar will work in the recipe. It is lower in the glycemic index than sugar, but it it not sugar or carb free. It will still raise your blood sugar.
Miriam says
So excited to try this! I started Keto on Jan 6 and have missed my favorite banana bread recipe with a slice browned in butter on the weekends. I thought this was going to lost to me forever. SO EXCITED!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Can’t wait to hear what you think! Keep me posted 🙂
Kristyne says
*****
How dare you? (LOL) I hadn’t eaten a banana in 2 years but reading the recipe, it was hanging in front of me like a carrot in front of a rabbit. I flinched and made this succulent and decadent recipe in no time at all. I took the liberty of adding a few Lily’s chocolate chips and nuts. Whoo-hoo! Tastes like heaven. Photo on your Facebook recipe
Katrin Nürnberger says
I saw the picture and it looked yummy!!!!!! Nice to taste a bit of REAL banana again, isn’t it! 🙂
Patti Beam says
Just ate my first slice. After this going back for another. It is just great. I did add some vanilla but otherwise made just like the recipe (doubled), My hubby, who doesn’t like much Keto likes it a lot so it is for sure a Keeper! Thanks so much for all your recipes. Got to try more of them,
Katrin Nürnberger says
Looking forward to hearing what you think if you try something else!
Carolina says
wow delicious! and easy
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you liked it!!
Patti Beam says
Can’t rate yet because I have not made it but it sounds great. So nice to see a recipe with “normal” ingredients instead of things I never have. Will give a review after I make it.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
Patti Beam says
Great bread. I had a piece last night with some homemade butter. Wonderful. Definitely a keeper. I think I will add some pecans next time but will not change anything except to be sure I put the coconut flour in!! Thanks for the recipe. and will be looking at others you have.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Homemade butter!! That sounds incredible!!! So glad you like the recipe 🙂
Al says
Didn’t see anything in the recipe about coconut flower?
Sue Cowie says
This is my first review of any recipe. This was SUCH a delightful banana bread and will now be my go-to. My husband, who is not GF or grain free and can eat anything, really liked it and has had multiple slices. It is so moist and flavorful and super easy!. My only change was to add more nuts (I used pecans since we have pecan trees), because I really like the crunch and flavor. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Pecan trees! You lucky thing! Well, I’m super happy your organic homegrown pecans can shine in my banana bread. And I’m glad you like the recipe!
Danielle S says
Well that turned out amazing!!! I had chocolate chips and blueberries and followed the recipe as stated. This is going onto my Keto Pinterest board as a huge success! Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Wonderful! That’s so good to hear. Chocolate and blueberries at the same time…that must have been one delicious loaded banana bread!
Meaghan Brooke says
Feeling super disappointed, I followed the recipe exactly set my oven at 350°, left it in for 40 minutes, pulled out and stuck my knife in and it was super raw still. Knife was covered in better. I bake all the time with great results, keto baking for two years now, so it’s not a lack of keto baking knowledge. Not sure what happened with this recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Meaghan, so sorry you’re having trouble with this recipe! If you give me more details, maybe we can work out together what may have gone wrong. I make this recipe regularly (pulling up the recipe from my website like everyone else) and have never had problems!
Christine says
I made today and my keto husband loved it !
I like about your recipe is simple ingriingredient and right amount of sweetness. (I don’t like too sweet.)
This is keeper .
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like it! It’s interesting how much our need for sweetness reduces once you’ve re-adjusted your tastebuds. It’s difficult to get it right for everyone though – that’s why I always recommend to taste the dough and adjust the sweetness before baking.