Keto Banana Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My keto banana bread is moist and fluffy in the middle with a tender crumb, and it tastes like the real thing! Made with no actual bananas, each slice has just 2 grams of carbs!
Why I love this keto banana bread recipe
If you are after a keto banana bread recipe that tastes like actual banana bread, you’ve come to the right place.
As much as I love my almond flour banana bread and coconut flour banana bread, these just have a little too much sugar for my liking. To combat this, I adapted my keto banana muffins into a loaf. As you can see, it looks like the real thing, and I promise it tastes like it, too. Here’s why:
- Perfect texture and flavor. The bread is moist and soft in the middle with a tender crumb. Thanks to the banana extract, it is full of banana flavor.
- Truly low carb. Each slice has less than 2 grams of net carbs. Oh, and it’s also gluten-free.
- No ripe bananas needed. This is the recipe I make when I’m craving banana bread but don’t have overripe bananas sitting on the counter.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This is such a great recipe! I love the almond meal – it gives it a lovely flavor and keeps it from being dry. I added some frozen blueberries instead of chocolate chips, and I only used half a tbsp of sugar.” – Pamela
Key Ingredients
- Almond Flour. Blanched almond flour, not almond meal. This ensures a lighter color and avoids a super-dense texture.
- Coconut Flour. Just a small amount to give the bread some added texture and ensure it doesn’t sink. Do not substitute this for something else.
- Baking Powder. Gives the bread some rise and fluffiness.
- Butter. Room temperature butter, not refrigerated. You can use slightly salted butter to bring out the sweetness. I tried this recipe with coconut oil but found it too greasy.
- Granulated sweetener. Either allulose, monk fruit sweetener, or even a keto brown sugar. If you use the latter, your bread will be much darker. I tried sugar-free syrups like maple syrup, but found they made the bread too wet.
- Eggs. Room-temperature eggs are preferred. Even though this recipe calls for 4 eggs, I promise you won’t taste any eggy flavor at all.
- Greek Yogurt. Gives the bread a moist texture. You can also use sour cream.
- Banana Extract. The secret ingredient! This gives the bread an incredible banana flavor. You can also add some vanilla extract because that’s always a classic.
- Chocolate Chips. Optional, but recommended. Be sure to use sugar-free chocolate chips to ensure the bread remains sugar free.
- Chopped walnuts. Again, optional, but who doesn’t love a good banana walnut bread? Any nuts will work.
How to make low carb banana bread
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the batter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and mix until combined.
Step 2- Assemble. Transfer the banana bread into a loaf pan and cover with tin foil.
Step 3- Bake the banana bread for 45-50 minutes, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Cover the loaf with foil. About halfway through baking, loosely tent the pan with foil. This prevents the top from over-browning while allowing the center to finish cooking.
- Fill the pan to the top. This banana bread will not rise much, so don’t be afraid if it fills the pan to the top.
- Let it cool completely in the pan. This bread is quite delicate while warm, so I leave it in the loaf pan until it’s cooled enough to slice cleanly.
- Don’t overbake it. I like to remove the bread from the oven once a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. The bread will continue baking as it cools.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if you don’t need the bread to stay keto. Replace the banana extract with 1-2 medium, overripe bananas, and reduce the eggs by 1 to account for the extra moisture. Just keep in mind that this will significantly increase the carb content.
Keto banana bread naturally doesn’t rise quite as high as traditional banana bread because almond flour is heavier and doesn’t develop gluten. As long as your baking powder is fresh and you don’t overmix the batter, you’ll end up with a load that’s moist, tender, and lightly domed rather than tall and fluffy.
Keto Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour 168g
- 1/4 cup coconut flour 28g
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup butter 225g
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice I like allulose or monk fruit sweetener, 100g
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon banana extract
- 6 tablespoon Greek yogurt can use sour cream, 90g
- 1/4 cup walnuts optional, 30g
- 1/4 cup keto chocolate chips optional, 45g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare a 9 x 4 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine your softened butter and sweetener and whisk together, until combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, before adding the banana extract and yogurt and whisking it all together, until smooth.
- Combine your wet and dry mixture and mix well, until combined. Fold through your chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer to the lined pan. Cover the pan completely in aluminium tin foil.
- Bake the banana bread for 45-50 minutes, removing the tin foil around the 40 minute mark, for the tops to brown. Remove from the oven once the center is mostly set.
- Let the bread cool in the pan completely, before slicing.
No temp for baking. Or I can’t find it.
Oven temperature and timing is located in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. Hope this helps!
I made this and it was delicious, but I wouldn’t call it banana bread as it has no bananas in it.
Hi Carole- thanks for the comment, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a low carb banana bread which uses banana extract to give it banana flavor. Traditional bananas are not keto friendly, so it’s a great alternative.
Arman,
I’m beginning the keto diet and really don’t like sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Could I use plain Whole milk yogurt instead?
Thank you for sharing these incredible recipes and options…can’t wait to try this one.
Gail
Yes, that would be fine Gail! Let me know how you go!
1tablespoon of banana extract is way too much and too much sweetener. Left a horrible after taste.
Other than that the cake was lovely and moist. Will be making it again but with vanilla extract and walnuts
Thanks
Hi Debbie- I’m so sorry to hear that. Do you mind telling me which brand you used? I use Lorann Banana Bakery Emulsions, which one tablespoon is ideal. I can’t vouch for other brands, but yes, you are doing the right thing to use vanilla next time 🙂