Moist and super simple to make: this low carb 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 sugar free 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 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 proper banana 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.
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 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 tsp of xanthan gum.
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.
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
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Low Carb Keto Banana Bread
Note: 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 tbsp butter, melted
- ¼ cup / 50g granulated erythritol (So Nourished)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp 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.
Janis says
Ok, I'm doing keto and made this as I had a few very ripe bananas....OH MY GOSH!! DELICIOUS!! Confession: I had several slices and HAD to make another loaf!! This is probably the most tasteful and moist banana bread...low carb...I've ever made!! LOVE this recipe!!!
Ale Pickell says
I made this and it was truly amazing! so hard to stop eating though lol!
I was wondering if you can use banana extract instead of real bananas?
Katrin Nürnberger says
You would have to use a different recipe. You need the banana for additional moisture.
kelly rae buchanan says
Excellent recipe! Beautiful bread. Will be my go to for banana bread.
Joyce says
Absolutely loved the banana bread.
Do you have a recipe for carrot cake?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have a wonderful recipe for a full sized carrot cake in my Keto Desserts Cookbook. And I have a microwave carrot cake recipe on the blog.
Michelle says
It is garden time here. I no this is stretching it but could I sub zucchini for the bananas?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I think that could work. Bear in mind that zucchini is more watery than bananas, so you may have to use more almond flour. I have a recipe for zucchini bread here if you want to compare ingredients (or even use that instead as it's tried and tested).
Tina says
It seems I remember as a child my mother would lay out the zucchini on paper towels to absorb some of that juice with regular zucchini cake. I am 56 so there was no kete recipes or internet. Lol lol
Winnie says
My sister kept saying it was tasty afterwards ~ I used honey instead. It turned out nice in muffins shape as well! Thanks for the great recipe! Love it so much!
Monique says
I absolutely love this banana bread! Can you slice it and then freeze?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, you can!
Jani says
Oh, wow. This is just scrumptious. How does one stop eating it???
Katrin Nürnberger says
Haha, that can be an issue!
Debbie says
Made again this morning, tastes so good, I always leave out the sweetener as find it sweet enough without
Katrin Nürnberger says
That's brilliant. So glad you like the banana bread!
Charlene Cannon says
This is a great recipe! I made it once and it came out so great as muffins that I came back again today to make this as a loaf. I use honey instead of artificial sweetener and I’ve also tried it adding dark chocolate. I use whatever nuts are in the pantry, both times I made this ended up with macadamia nuts. Thank you for a great recipe! I know my alterations to it make it less low-carb but it works for me!
Katrin Nürnberger says
That's great - I'm happy you like it!
Jennifer Swodeck says
Just tried this recipe and it is EXCELLENT! I was extremely skeptical that the finished product would be able to compete with my favorite sugar laden banana bread recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised to be mistaken! The only thing I changed was increasing the walnuts to 1/2 cup as I like a lot of them. My daughter loved it, as well, and we are making it again today as the dainty loaf was gone rather quickly! Oh, I should mention that it is important that you use the proper sized tin.
doris says
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe.
Can I substitute almond flour with coconut flour and how much?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have not tried this myself, but I would replace the almond flour with about 1/3 the amount of coconut flour (not more!). You need less because coconut flour absorbs more moisture.
Doris says
Thanks Katrin 🙂
Larkan P says
Super great recipe! Family and low carb parents love love love this, will definitely be my go 2! Thanks 😀
Melissa says
Made for the first time today and it is delicious! While the texture isn't identical to regular (nothing Keto is!), the flavor is spot on. It was so rewarding to have a recipe both look AND taste delicious. (lots of keto recipes look good and photograph well but don't taste good.) I've already found several more recipes from your site to try. Thank you for creating this!
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you're enjoying the banana bread! Leave me a review on the other recipes you try, I love to hear feedback.
HW says
Has anyone tried whole wheat flour to make this banana bread?
adrienne p brady says
Delicious! I also made cupcakes as I didn't have a cake pan.
Eric Root says
I made it as muffins. Baked at 359 for 19 minutes. I added some extra walnuts and frozen blueberries. It's delicious.
Linda says
Not sweet enough for me so I am using some Swerve Confectioners and a little almond milk and vanilla to make a glaze to drizzle on top.
Dorothy Tabone says
Hi from Malta just want to ask if would this work if I used sunflower seed flour.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Sunflower seed flour should work - I have used it in other recipes as a substitution to almond flour.
Cristina says
Have made this recipe three times tweaking to my taste ( more sweetener or different nuts). Just love it
Dee says
Could I use pecans instead of walnuts? And would the batter be ok for cupcakes (a portion control help for me)? Thank you for all of your great recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes to both. If you're baking this as cupcakes, you'll have to reduce the oven time. Check after 25 minutes to see whether they are done.
Dee says
Thank you!
Natalia says
Great recipe
Tastes even better than traditional banana bread
Simone says
Really excited to make this but I only have coconut flour, could that be a possible replacement for almond flour? Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Coconut flour is more absorbent than almond flour, that's why you generally only need about 1/3 of coconut flour in place of almond flour.
Manmanman says
Will the bread rise the same volume as almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Maybe a little less, but there should still be a rise.
Kiana says
Hello,
I am confused about the cbh. If 4,4 g is for one slice then what are the 6,4g? What are the total amount of cbh for the whole cake? Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
It's total carbs 6.4g minus fibre 2g = net carbs 4.4g per slice.
Valentina Palmadori says
I made it last night and...absolutely delicious!!! I only used 2 eggs (I am always scared of the eggy taste!) And used stevia as sweetner (25gr). Fantastic! Thank you so, so much for your recipes!!!! Valentina
Jo-Anne says
Excellent keto recipe! I had to double it because I did not have a small loaf pan, and it is a hit! Will definitely make this again! Thank you for posting the recipe
Pauline says
Really nice wouldn’t know it’s sugar free. I maybe would put the sugar substitute in as I found it a little sweet. Bananas were sufficient. But would def be making this again. Thank you
Robyn Shipley says
Hi, I'm going to give this a go today to replace my GF muffins which have palm sugar in them. Could I add fruit bits or raisins to this recipe without making any other changes?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that should be no problem!