Got a ripe banana or two sitting around? These decadent Gluten Free Banana Bars are moist and delicious. They are easy to make and even more fun to eat. Mix up a batch in under 45 minutes!
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These easy banana chocolate chip bars will surely please even the pickiest dessert lover. They are moist and so sweet. I even have a dairy-free option for this gluten free cookie bar recipe. You only need to use dairy-free chips!
(If you want even more banana deliciousness, try these Gluten Free Grilled Banana Whoopie Pies or these Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins!)
I need to get better at using bananas before they turn to mush on my counter, and I have to make something fast with them. We just had a delicious gluten free banana bread, so I really wanted to create a new recipe. If you love bananas, you will want to try this amazing gluten free banana microwave cake.
Tips for ripening bananas:
If your bananas are not ripe enough, don't worry. Try one of these ideas to ripen your bananas:
- Place your bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 225º F for 20 minutes.
- If you are not in a rush, you can place your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter for a few days. (Don't forget to close the bag!)
- You can grill the bananas. Use a knife to slit down the peel. Place the bananas on the grill. Close the lid and cook at 300º F for 15 minutes.
We hope you enjoy this recipe. These gluten free monkey bars are moist and delicious. You may also want to try this delicious gluten free banana bread pudding. Are you ready to make them?
When mixing up this easy banana bar recipe, there are several ways to puree the bananas. I like my bananas mashed, so there are some chunky banana bits in my baking, but if you like your banana bar recipe to be smooth, puree the bananas until silky smooth.
If you prefer more of a cake, try my easy homemade Gluten Free Banana Cake recipe!
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Recipe step-by-step directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale.
Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients to a smaller bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 3: Add your bananas to a bowl and mash them into a puree using a fork. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add chocolate chips or mix-ins.
Step 5: Add the batter to a greased 8x8 baking pan. I use a metal, non-stick baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until done. Allow to cool, then slice.
I own an older version of this set and I use it for everything. Soups, grinding nuts and oats, making marinades, etc. in this mini food processor. The possibilities are endless and it is easy to clean.
Easy ways to mash bananas:
- Place the ripe bananas into a bowl and mash them with a fork. This is easy to do :-).
- Use a blender (like a Vitamix) to puree the bananas.
- I love to use this Cuisinart Immersion Blender with the mini food processor attachment. This tool is my favorite kitchen tool. It saves me so much time with all of its handy attachments.
- A mixer will also do the job quickly, and you have the added bonus that you can add in all of the ingredients into the mixer after you mash the bananas.
Mix-ins:
- Chocolate chips. Chocolate is made to go with bananas! You can use bittersweet, dark, or milk chocolate!
- Nuts like pecan, walnut, or even almond!
- Caramel chips. Did you know that caramel brings out the flavors in this banana bar recipe?
- To make this banana bar recipe dairy-free, use chips by Enjoy Life. Their chips are vegan and melt really well in recipes.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
It can be difficult to tell when something is done baking by just looking at it. I like to use a toothpick test to see if baked goods are done baking. Insert a toothpick into the center of these bars. If the toothpick comes back clean, your bars are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, they must bake a little longer.
You can easily make these banana bars nut-free by omitting the almond flour. Add ¼ cup additional gluten free flour blend.
Store these banana bars in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them in a zip-style freezer bag.
More gluten free banana recipes:
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Monkey Bars
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil or butter
- 1 ½ cups smashed bananas
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs large
- ½ cup raisins or chocolate chips
- ½ cup almond flour * see note
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Use coconut oil spray to cover an 8x8 baking pan.
- In a small bowl put mashed bananas, dark rum, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well.
- In a large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly to blend.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Add in the raisins or chocolate chips (depending on how much sugar you want in these.)
- Pour mixture into baking pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until done.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the bars. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the bars need to bake longer.
Notes
- Make sure to use very ripe bananas if you want a sweet banana flavor.
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum, add 1 teaspoon.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your bars grainy.
- These bars will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
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.
Fearless Dining
Simplifying the art of baking and cooking gluten-free recipes.
(*Photos updated from the original 9/2015 post date.)
Priscilla
I just made these on a Sunday morning and they turned out perfect! I have been gluten free for years but now my 7 year old son needs to be gluten free, so now the whole family is swapping out. These are awesome.
Sandi Gaertner
I am thrilled you all love them, Priscilla. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know.
EM
I would like to try this recipe! Are the 2 tablespoons of rum cooked off enough (i.e. safe enough for kids)?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Em, it should be safe for the kids, but you can also use rum extract (only 1 teaspoon!) if you prefer, or just omit it.
Shannon
I have GF flour (Bob’s Red Mill) but not almond flour. Can I omit or just add 1/2 cup more GF flour?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Shannon, I have not tested this, but I think you can omit the almond flour and add an additional 1/4 cup of the flour blend. Be sure you are using the 1:1 and NOT Bob's red bag flour blend (has bean flour in it and can make things taste bitter.)
Dee
These are simply divine. I have made them three times and they came out perfectly each time.
I didn't have rum so I omitted that and it was just fine.
This is now a favorite of mine. Thank you so much for creating this. LOVE this blog!
Sandi Gaertner
You made my day. These banana bars are one of my very favorites on the blog 🙂
Wendy Buchanan
Oh my goodness! These are delicious! I didn't have almond flour so I used 1 1/4 cups BRM GF flour. I used semi sweet chips. Next time I may throw in some peanut butter chips too. Definitely will be in my rotation! I can't wait for my man to try them.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved this recipe. It is one of my kids' favorites.
K
Hi! Lovely recipe! Yum! I made a few variations to the recipe, based on what I had on hand. I used ‘Jo’s gluten free all purpose flour mix’ from Jo Stepaniak’s ‘Food Allergy Survival Guide’ cook book. I try to always have some mixed up & on hand. I also used xanthan gum. I used the real sugar, the kind with the minerals and such still in it. My local grocery store chain brand, nothing special. I’m not meant to consume coconut, so I used olive oil for the oil. I didn’t use rum, cus I didn’t have any on hand, I used a bit each of vanilla, almond & lemon extract. My family loves that combination in baked goods. I used flax ‘eggs’ for the eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds, 3 tablespoons hot water, per ‘egg’. Mix with a fork or whisk to combine & let rest til thickened), cus if a child wants to lick the beaters or the mixing spoon, I don’t have to worry about raw egg in the batter. I started doing that when my children were small & I’ve been using flax eggs ever since, cus I always have ground flax meal in a bag in my freezer, but, sometimes I don’t have eggs & I live way out of town, so a run to the store takes too long. I had some Pamela’s brand ‘Nut Flour Blend‘ in my freezer, so I used that for the nut flour. I did use milk chocolate chips for the chocolate chips, cus my husband prefers them. I also used 1/2 cup of the raw nut & seed mixture I have in a jar in my fridge. It was a mixture of sunflower & pumpkin seeds & cashew & pecan pieces. Again, this is a mixture my family loves in recipes. Gotta keep the troops happy! I used a small rectangular baking pan, instead of the square pan, I was worried it might overflow the pan cus I mixed my wet ingredients in my food processor work bowl so a lot of air went into the mixture. I worry about a pan overflowing in the oven as it bakes. It was just the right size pan. The recipe came out well & baked for the amount of time you listed. Even with all the changes, the cake came out well & my family is enjoying it for dessert! Thank you for the delish recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you enjoyed them. I love your modifications!!
Janette
Love this recipe! Omitted the almond flour and used extra King Arthur flour. Used extra vanilla in place of the rum. Everything else worked out perfectly and I especially love using coconut sugar. Will definitely make them again with a few tweaks that others have suggested. Thanks so much for yet another great recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
I love how you made some changes. I am really glad you liked them :-).
Rebecca
I made these using Krusteaz gluten free flour and they turned out fantastic! I was afraid that the batter was a little too runny, but they baked up soft and moist.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rebecca. I haven't used that flour so I will have to pick some up :-).
Paula
Can I use regular sugar instead of coconut sugar for this recipe?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Paula, you can definitely use a different sugar, I recommend brown sugar.
Melissa
These are really excellent. I had some bananas we'd forgotten about and needed to use. These looked easy enough, so I decided to try them. Huge hit with our entire family. Even my banana bread hating daughter loved them. The one modification we made was we didn't add the rum (wasn't sure the kids would like that flavor), and instead of 2 TBSP of rum, we added 1tsp of almond extract. I really felt like that made a huge difference and added a boost that normal banana bread doesn't have. We liked them so much, we made a second double batch right away! Really really great recipe.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you all liked them, even your banana bread hater :-). You made my day coming back to let me know.