If you have a couple of over-ripe bananas, this flavorful gluten-free matcha banana bread is a delicious way to start your morning. This easy matcha banana bread recipe will satisfy your sweet tooth at breakfast.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
Good morning, everyone…this morning, I decided to add a little matcha kick to my banana bread. I don’t know about you, but any extra caffeine I can get in the morning is a good thing in my book! I’ve been baking with matcha green tea powder more and more over the past few years, and I can’t believe it took me this long to try it in banana bread. The matcha adds a subtle, earthy flavor that pairs so well with the sweetness of ripe bananas.
You’ve got to try it! If you’re new to baking with matcha, just know that the quality matters. I recommend using culinary-grade matcha, which is finely ground and blends smoothly into batters so your baked goods don’t turn out grainy.
Are you crazy about ripe, sweet bananas? You will want to check out all of my delicious gluten-free banana recipes! If you are new to my blog, I have over 50 gluten-free bread recipes! If you need some baking inspiration, check them out!
Recipe Testing Notes:
I tested this recipe using both Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flours. Both performed well, but moisture can definitely vary between brands. You may need to adjust your batter slightly by adding more flour or milk (see tips below). I also tested a nut-free version using more gluten-free flour in place of almond flour, which worked well for those with allergies.
Ingredient Notes and Allergen Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Both blends worked perfectly. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which affects the moisture levels; therefore, you need to monitor the batter consistency if you use a different blend.
- Almond Flour – Use almond flour and not almond meal. I almost always use Anthony’s brand because it is tested to ensure it is gluten free.
- Matcha Green Tea Powder – Not all matcha green tea powders are gluten free. Check ingredients!! Some matcha powder is NOT gluten-free! If you use pure matcha without a sweetener, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to your recipe. You may also want to use less matcha powder if you use straight culinary matcha!
- Sugar – Use cane sugar.
- Baking Powder and Salt – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Bananas – Use ripe bananas!
- Eggs – Size large.
- Coconut Oil – You can use another oil if you prefer.
- Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract.
- Non-Dairy or Regular Milk – I used almond milk, but other non-dairy milk will work.
Make this recipe nut-free by using a nut-free non-dairy milk and substituting an additional 1/2 cup of the gluten-free flour blend for the almond flour.
A Note From My Kitchen
This recipe always makes people smile, either because they love it or because they’re skeptical of the green color! I’ve gotten everything from rave reviews to Seuss-style poems from readers. If you’re on the fence about making it, I hope you’ll give it a try. The matcha adds a warm, earthy depth that pairs beautifully with sweet, ripe bananas. Whether you make it for breakfast, brunch, or even April Fool’s Day, it’s a fun and flavorful twist on a classic.
How to Make Gluten-Free Matcha Banana Bread (Step-by-Step)
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Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to mix. (I prefer to mix the dry ingredients separately before adding them to the stand mixer.
Add the wet ingredients to a stand mixer bowl and attach the paddle. Mix the wet ingredients at a low speed until mixed.
Step 2: Add the whisked dry ingredients, a little at a time, and mix until you have a soft bread batter. This dough is a little wetter than some of my other quick breads. If your batter is really wet, add more flour, 1 TBSP at a time, until it thickens a little. If your batter is dry, add more milk 1 TBSP at a time, until it is wetter.
Step 4: Spray a loaf pan with gluten-free baking spray and add the matcha banana batter. Optional: Sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the batter.
Step 5: Bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes. The actual bake time will vary depending on the size, depth, and material of your loaf pan. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is finished baking.
You may also love this Gluten-Free Strawberry Banana Bread or this Gluten-Free Japanese Black Sesame Banana Bread recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If matcha powder isn’t your thing, or if you don’t want the caffeine, feel free to omit the matcha green tea powder.
Store this bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you don’t eat it within 3 days, I recommend slicing and freezing it in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
This gluten-free matcha banana bread freezes exceptionally well, so feel free to make a double batch! To freeze your banana bread, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap. Next, wrap it in tin foil. Place the bread into a freezer-safe bag and put it in the freezer. Defrost when you want to eat it.
Reader Adaptations:
Bailey wanted everyone to know the recipe works great with half the sugar.
Bailey F., Pinterest comment
More Gluten-Free Matcha Green Tea Recipes:
If you love matcha, try adding matcha to one of these delicious recipes!
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free matcha banana recipe?I’d love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fluffy Gluten-Free Matcha Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend (*Note, my flour blend has xanthan gum included. If yours doesn’t, add 1 teaspoon.)
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup dairy-free or regular milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons matcha powder (*if your matcha isn’t sweetened add 3 TBSP of sugar to the recipe.)
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup cane sugar (you can use brown sugar but it will make the color of the bread turn out more muddy colored.)
- dash salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Set it to bake, not the convection setting.
- Spray gluten-free baking spray into a bread loaf pan. In a small bowl, mash the banana.
- Add 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blendhe dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk. This helps to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- In a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment. Add the wet ingredients and mashed banana. Mix on medium speed to blend. Pour in the dry ingredients and the optional nuts. Mix until you have a soft batter with the consistency of pancake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 45-50 minutes until done. Baking time will vary depending on the material your loaf pan is made from, and the size and depth of the pan.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is baked. If it has crumbs or batter, it needs to be baked longer.
- Remove the bread from the oven and leave it in the loaf pan for 5 minutes. Remove the bread carefully and place it on a cooling rack. Do not slice the loaf until it is fully cooled.
Video
Notes
- I tested this recipe with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture levels with either more milk or flour. Every blend varies.
- If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or another binder, add 3/4 a teaspoon.
- I used almond milk to test the recipe, but any plant-based milk or regular milk works. Do not use canned coconut milk because it is too thick.
- Store in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for up to 3 days on the counter or 4 days in the fridge.
- This bread freezes really well. Freeze it whole or in slices in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
We used King Arthur Measure 4 Measure. It’s been in the oven for about an hour and it’s still wet in the middle.
Hi Vicki, Did you swap any ingredients? I have tested that blend and it worked well. Are you using a metal baking pan or one made with glass or ceramic? Are you using a convection setting or regular bake? I am happy to troubleshoot.
Just made this. Delicious! Thank you.
Thank you so much!
What can I use as a xantham gum alternative?
Hi Kristin, I haven’t tested an alternative binder in this recipe. You could try my DIY GF Flour Blend recipe, it uses psyllium husk. I haven’t tested my flour blend in this banana bread, but it worked well in the lemon cake recipe…so I am assuming it would work in this one as well.
What can I use to replace the almond flour?
Hi. I recommend omitting the almond flour and adding an additional 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend. (A little less if your gluten free flour blend is starchy.)
Hi there,
This sounds delicious, but I’m wondering what you think would happen without the added sugar?
I’m on a low FODMAP diet so any sugars are a no (agave, honey, etc.)
Any recommendations?
Hi Danielle, I have never baked without some sort of sweetener. Matcha can be somewhat bitter…you may need to up the banana content for the sweetness, which will affect how much flour. I wish I had better advice.
Hi! What if I use regular flour?
Hi Stella, I haven’t used wheat flour in over 12 years so I am not sure how to advise you on that. I assume it should work nicely in this recipe, but I am unable to test it.
My banana bread was really mushy and wet inside after it’s cooked. It took about an hour for it to cook through. The taste is excellent. I would appreciate any help regarding this, thank you. I did omit the xanthancgum since I cannot tolerate it.
Hi Evie,
I haven’t heard of this happening. Which gluten free flour blend did you use? They all very in starch content. Thank you
I used Bob’s red mill GF all purpose flour, the one with the bean flours.
Hi Evie, That flour is not good for baking desserts. It is best used for savory things like fried chicken. The bean flours are very dense and don’t absorb moisture the same. I would recommend your trying Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Flour Blend or King Aruthur GF Measure for Measure.
Wow! 3 tbsp of matcha strikes me as a lot. Does the flavor of the matcha actually come through, or is it mostly for coloring/appearance? Is there a NON gluten-free variety of this?
Hi Alice, the flavor of matcha does come through nicely. If you note in my recipe, I use a Tazo blend so if using straight matcha, you may want to try 2 tablespoons.
Hello,
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and it took me an hour to cook- the same thing happened to me as it did to Evie, even with using the 1:1. However, once I got it cooked all the way through, it’s excellent!
Hi Lisa, that is interesting. Can I ask what size loaf pan you used?
Do you know if there’s a way to do it without the eggs for a vegan variety?
Beth
Hi Beth, thanks for writing. I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I am wondering if a chia egg would work. If you try it, please come back and leave a comment on how it worked so we can help others. Take care, Sandi
Hi Sandi,
Great recipe! I love everything ‘green tea’ so couldn’t resist making this banana bread, especially because most of the ingredients I had in my kitchen already. I made a few tweaks, though, and used wholemeal flour instead of gluten free one and also cut down on sugar and oil a little bit. Turned out delicious, exactly how I like it – soft and not to sweet. I’ve recently started my own blog, will definitely share it there if you don’t mind 🙂
Thanks
Kasia
Hi Kasia, I am so glad you liked it. I had a feeling it would work well as a non-gluten free bread too. Congratulations on starting a blog :-). As for sharing the recipe, can you please be more specific about how you want to do this? I typically do not allow my whole recipe to be posted. If you want to post the ingredients with a link back to my blog for directions, that is okay. Are you posting your own photos? Thank you, Sandi
How can you tell if the matcha powder is gf or not? I bought the Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea single serve packets and the ingredients just says “matcha green tea powder”. Wouldn’t this be gf since matcha green tea is naturally gluten free?
Hi Liz, you will need to really read the ingredients on the Trader Joe’s packets. Their matcha canister product has wheat listed on the ingredients label. I haven’t seen the single serve matcha packets at our Trader Joe’s, so I am not sure which product you are looking at. If it doesn’t say wheat like their other matcha product, you are probably fine.
Hi. Is there any way I can add yeast in this recipe and not ruin the taste? I need it for my school project. Thanks.
Hi Nadia, honestly, I am not sure. I have never added yeast to this recipe. Is this for a science experiment? The bread is very fluffy and light without yeast. If you decide to give it a try, let us know how it turns out.
I made the bread last week and fell in love. Im dying to make mini muffins this time. Any suggestions? Different temp/baking time? Thank you!
Hi Alex, I am so glad you liked this recipe. For muffins, you wouldn’t need to change the temperature. I would bake 20 minutes and then check on them to see if they are done.
I’ve never tried matcha yet. I had a ton of people say it was gross which is what scared me away. Mostly when that matcha challenge was going on. It looks so cool! I suppose with a recipe like this, I have a reason to try it now. 😉
Hello, I love this recipe! Trying it tonight. I wanted to see if you thought I could make it into muffins instead of a loaf?
Hi Jennifer, you can definitely make these as muffins. Please write back and let us all know how they turned out 🙂
Hi, I love to drink matcha and am always looking for healthy recipes with matcha in it. If I’m using unsweetened matcha, are you saying to add an additional 3 Tbsp sugar to the 3/4 cup sugar that’s called for in the recipe? I’m going to try it with coconut sugar. Also did you use culinary matcha in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Joanne, If you are using straight matcha powder, I would go conservatively. I used Tazo, which has sugar in it as well. If you read down in the comments, you will see a lot of readers adjustments. I haven’t tried it with coconut sugar. If I remember correctly, coconut sugar dissolves differently. I am not sure how it will turn out since I haven’t tried this. Can you please comment back and let us all know how the coconut sugar works? Thank you so much!
Oh my god , I’ve never taste banana bread this good. I made this recipe yesterday for after dinner dessert, turn out so well, I ate 3/4 of it, can’t stop eating it. My hubby loves it too?? Tq so much for this wonderful recipe , will make again tonight to share with friends for afternoon coffee tomorrow.. The texture of almond and green tea flavour, it’s just so good. So simple to make, no hassle at all. ???
Wow Hanna, you made me smile. Thank you so much for writing to tell me how much you enjoyed this. My family loves this one too. Have a great day and thank you again.
Can I use tapioca flour instead of gluten free flour blend?
Hi Len, tapioca flour by itself will not work. Typically when baking gluten free, you need a combination of flours to get them to work. Thank you so much for asking…substituting in gluten free baking can be challenging. If you try a different gluten free flour blend, make sure it has xanthan gum in the ingredients. If it doesn’t, you will want to add 1 teaspoon to hold the bread together.
I’m not a fan of bananas.. Is there anything you would recommend to use instead? Applesauce, maybe?
Thanks!
I think applesauce is a great substitution Patricia. Please let me know how it turns out.