This gluten-free banana cranberry bread is so moist and flavorful, with bursts of tart cranberry in every bite. Whether you use fresh cranberries, blueberries, or melty chocolate chips, this easy banana bread bakes up soft with a tender crumb. It is one of my favorite ways to use up ripe bananas, and this bread is just as good for breakfast as it is for dessert.
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This homemade gluten-free banana bread is packed with sweet bananas and your favorite mix-ins. Whether you try it with chocolate chips, fresh cranberries, or blueberries, it’s a family favorite that works for breakfast or even dessert! I have several incredible gluten-free quick bread recipes to try!
I recently baked this loaf again to show how delicious it is with chocolate chips. While I love making it with fresh cranberries in the fall, they’re only available for a short time-so I wanted to share some tasty alternatives. No matter how you customize it, this gluten-free, dairy-free banana bread is soft, flavorful, and incredibly easy to make!
If you love baking, you will want to try these Gluten-Free Cranberry Muffins and this popular Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture ratio if your blend is starchy.
- Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum – These gums act like gluten in traditional baking, if your blend doesn’t have a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon. See the Substitutions section below for a gum-free option.
- Almond Flour – Adds moisture and richness while keeping this gluten-free banana bread soft. Be sure to use almond flour, not almond meal, since almond meal is coarser and can make this bread grainy. If you need a nut-free option, check the Substitutions section below.
- Flaxseed Meal – Flaxseed helps bind the ingredients together slightly, which improves texture. Make sure it’s ground flaxseed meal, not whole flaxseeds, because whole seeds won’t mix properly into the batter.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but you can use any plant-based or regular milk.
- Coconut Oil – Oil adds moisture to this bread without making it greasy. If you prefer, you can substitute an unflavored light oil or use unsalted butter for a slightly different flavor. If using solid coconut oil, melt it before mixing it into the wet ingredients.
- Eggs – I used large eggs for the right balance of moisture and structure.
Easy Substitutions:
- To make this recipe gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. It uses psyllium husk instead of xanthan or guar gum.
- To make this recipe nut-free, omit the almond flour and add 1/4 cup of an additional gluten-free flour blend.
A Note From My Kitchen
I’ve tested this banana cranberry bread recipe many times over the years using different flour blends, mix-ins, and baking pans. It is the perfect banana bread base for any mix-ins. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure both worked well. Other blends will work, but may need extra milk or flour to get the batter consistency just right. Be sure to check the step-by-step photos if your batter looks too thick or thin; many readers find that the visual comparison really helps!
Try these tasty mix-in ideas:
This should really be called a gluten-free banana bread base recipe, meaning the banana bread recipe is awesome, and you can use it with any fruit or mix-in. Here are some ways I have changed up this recipe:
- Blueberries, raspberries, and other fruits
- Chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- Nuts (almond slivers, pecans, walnuts, etc.)
If you love bananas as much as we do, check out this Gluten-Free Black Sesame Banana Bread or this Gluten-Free Strawberry Banana Bread recipe!! Are you ready to see how easy this moist, gluten-free, dairy-free banana bread with cranberries is to make? Grab your ingredients:
How to Make a Gluten-Free Banana Cranberry Loaf (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, sugar, flaxseed meal, baking powder and soda, and salt until well combined. This helps evenly distribute the leavening agents.
Step 2: In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, non-dairy milk, vanilla, and melted coconut oil (if using). If using coconut oil, make sure it’s fully melted so it mixes smoothly into the batter.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Fold in fresh cranberries, chocolate chips, or other mix-ins. Avoid overmixing to keep the bread light and tender. Do not use a stand mixer, as it can overwork the batter and affect the texture.
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Step 4: Your gluten-free banana bread batter should have this batter consistency when the wet and dry ingredients are mixed.
🔑 Sandi says: Add more flour or liquid if your batter is runnier or looks dry. Every gluten free flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio, which greatly affects the moisture level of your baked goods.
Step 5: Spray gluten-free baking spray into a bread loaf tin. You can also line the loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent the banana bread from sticking to the pan. (Note: PAM Baking Spray is not gluten-free!)
Step 6: Bake the banana bread at 350º F for 40 to 45 minutes. The actual baking time will vary depending on the size and depth of your baking pan, as well as the material it is made from. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, it needs to bake for a longer time.
Step 7: When the bread is finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, gently remove the banana bread onto the cooling rack to finish cooling. Don’t cut into the gluten-free banana bread until it is at room temperature. This allows the bread to set and helps prevent it from being crumbly.
If you love these Gluten-Free Banana Bars. Check out my sweet gluten-free banana recipes and find a new favorite! If you have some sourdough discard to use up, this Gluten-Free Sourdough Banana Bread is delicious.
Need ripe bananas fast? Try these tips to speed things up:
If you don’t have over-ripe bananas on hand, here are some easy ways to ripen your bananas quickly:
- Place your bananas (with the peels on) on a baking sheet and bake at 225°F for 20 minutes. The low-temperature heat will also help to caramelize the bananas, adding to their sweet flavor.
- If you aren’t in a hurry, you can put your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter. (Don’t forget to close the bag!)
Tips For Perfect Banana Bread
1. Do not use a stand mixer or electric mixer to make this recipe. They tend to overmix your batter, leaving you with a dense loaf.
2. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the rice flour in your blend to soften, eliminating any grittiness.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can definitely use dried cranberries, but they will not taste the same. If you want to use blueberries, they make a great substitution for cranberries.
Store this bread in an airtight container in your refrigerator. This banana bread will last up to 4 days or up to 4 months in the freezer. You can also freeze cooled loaves in a freezer-safe container or zipper bag.
Yes. Omit the almond flour and add 1/4 cup of an additional gluten-free flour blend.
More Gluten-Free Quick Bread Recipes:
I love the sweetness of quick breads. If you love to bake, here are some of my favorite gluten-free quick bread recipes:
- Gluten-Free Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread
- Gluten-Free Matcha Green Tea Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Banana Sesame Bread – All you need is brown rice flour! No special blends are needed in this recipe.
- Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
Love This Gluten-Free Banana Bread with Cranberries Recipe?
💬 Did you make this recipe? Drop a comment below, and let me know how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten-Free Banana Bread with Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil * see note
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or regular milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup cane sugar coconut or brown sugar is fine too
- ½ cup almond flour * see note
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Optional Mix Ins
- 1/3 cup walnuts/pecans
- 1 cup fresh cranberries/blueberries/etc.
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks/M&Ms/ etc
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F on bake, not convection bake. Set the oven rack to the middle position in the oven. This will help ensure even baking.
- In a large bowl, add 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 cup cane sugar, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Use a whisk to blend.
- In another mixing bowl, mash 2 ripe bananas. Add the 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, 1 cup non-dairy milk or regular milk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the mix-ins (fresh cranberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)
- Mix together very gently. If you overmix the batter, your banana bread can turn out dense. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with a gluten-free baking spray. (Note Pam Baking Spray is not gluten-free!) Pour the batter into a loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until done. The actual baking time will vary depending on the size of your loaf pan, the width of the pan, and the material is made from (metal, glass, silicone, or ceramic.)
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If you see batter or crumbs, the bread needs to be baked longer. If the toothpick comes out clean, the banana bread is finished baking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, gently, and place on the cooling rack.
- Do not cut into the bread until it has cooled. The cooling helps the bread set so it won't be crumbly.
Notes
- If you can’t find fresh cranberries, you can use other fruit like blueberries, raspberries, or even chocolate chips as pictured!
- 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 or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your bread grainy.
- You can substitute the coconut oil for another light oil or unsalted butter.
- This bread will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Place your bananas (with the peels on!) on a baking sheet and bake at 225º F for 20 minutes. The low-temperature heat will also help to caramelize the bananas adding to their sweet flavor.
- If you are not in a hurry, you can put your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter. (Remember to close the 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.
This post was updated from an older November 2018 post with more recipe details.
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!
I always buy bags of cranberries, put them on a sheet pan, freeze, then vacuum seal them, and throw in the freezer…then I have them year round…
I love that you do this. I have been lazy, just throwing the unopened bag in the freezer. One of these days I want to invest in a vacuum sealer!
Like so many others here, I followed the recipe…sorta kinda. Used Cup4Cup flour and a bit of almond flour but didn’t have flaxseed anything so kinda adjusted those amounts. Used buttermilk instead of almond, because that’s what we had and I used to always add a bit of sour cream or yogurt to my favorite banana bread recipe before we had to watch our gluten intake. Doubled up on the actual bananas as ours were smallish, and did not add any chips, nuts, berries on this first run. I’d have given it five stars, but the cooking time had to be about doubled which I was ready for based on the other comments. The bread is delicious, moist, and a keeper. It’s great having a recipe that is so forgiving, so adaptable!
I love when readers try fun modifications. Your changes really sound delicious!!
This recipe was delicious! Thank you for sharing it!
I am so glad you all loved the recipe. Thank you!
HI Sandi – love all your recipes , especially that you use my two favorite GL flours. Question on this recipe, if I dont want to use the flaxseed meal, should I up the almond flour , or change anything else in the recipe??
Hi MaryAnn, thank you so much for the compliment. I think substitute is fine with almond flour.
Hi Sandy, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It sounds delicious! I was wondering if you could use something besides almond flour? My granddaughter can’t have nuts, and so I would like to make banana bread that we can both have.
Thanks,
Pam
Hi Pam, You can leave the almond flour out and add an additional 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend.
I made this delicious recipe today as muffins… they make 21 muffins, baked at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. I used buttermilk instead of almond milk. I also used poppyseed instead of flaxseed. Also added a handful of coconut. Now for a ha ha… the recipe is titled Banana Bread with Chocolate chunks, but now where in the recipe does it tell you how much chocolate to use. So, I used 1 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 tbsp of grated orange peel…
Yes, I did really did tweak this recipe, and they were beyond awesome. It will give me courage to try a number of different things with the basic batter. 11/10!
I am so glad you enjoyed the banana bread. I will add in how much chocolate. This recipe started out using cranberries, but those are so tough to find year round so I remade it with chips.
This came out very nice, but it took and hour and 20 minutes to bake. I’m not sure where the 30 minute baking time came from.