
This Keto Low Carb Banana Bread Recipe is absolutely AMAZING. If you like banana bread and have been missing it on a low carb diet, then this recipe is for you!
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Typically when we think of banana bread and bananas in general, we think of high carbs and lots of sugar! But surprisingly, we can make this loaf recipe much lower in carbs without a lot of effort.
As much as people consider bananas to be the high carb culprit, they really aren't. Traditional banana loaf has a high content of sugar and white flour.
When you take away the sugar and make the bread gluten free, you end up with a loaf with just a small amount of carbs per serving as you are dividing 2 1/2 bananas among 12 slices of bread.
We also need to understand that bananas are not high on the glycemic index. In fact they are quite low. We can also consider the fact that the glycemic index does not take into account food combining.
When the GI effect is measured, they isolate the food. But typically on a ketogenic diet, we aren't eating bananas straight up on their own.
When you combine bananas with high fats (almond flour, eggs, butter), proteins (almond flour, eggs, lupin flour) and fiber (almond flour, lupin flour, xanthan gum).. you get a much lower glycemic index.
This is because all of these things slow down the digestion process and satiate you for longer. So when you see fruits in low carb desserts, just know that the effect it will have on your insulin levels is VERY different than if you were to eat that fruit on it's own!
Anyways, with that out of the way..let's get into the details of this delicious low carb banana bread recipe!
Ingredients In Keto Low Carb Banana Bread
- Almond Flour – This acts as the base flour for our banana bread. It provides rich flavour and healthy fats!
- Lupin Flour – This flour is really cool! I use the Modern Mountain brand (use 10SAMMYSAM for a 10% discount on the Modern Mountain Flour Website or on Amazon) It's slowly becoming more and more popular in keto baking. It is high fiber and very low in carbs. Lupin Flour provides a softness and texture I haven't been able to achieve with any other low carb flour. It also tastes great! You may notice it turns the banana bread a little yellow on the inside because of it's natural colour but I think it looks cool! Haha.
- Baking Powder – We need a much larger amount than standard loaf recipes to get our bread to rise! This is because keto flours tend to be “heavier” than white flour.
- Baking Soda – Helps give our bread a nicer crust and overall texture.
- Cinnamon – Optional, but I've always loved the flavour of cinnamon in banana bread!
- Xanthan Gum – I will continue to rave about this ingredient until you all have it in your pantries, LOL. This is quite essential to keto baking. You can technically go without it but you will notice huge improvements in your desserts' texture if you use it! It helps to thicken batter and provides a chewiness like gluten in white flour. A little goes a long way.
- Salt – Use 1/2 tsp for this recipe if using unsalted butter!
- Butter – Feel free to use coconut oil instead to make this recipe dairy-free! It's just as delicious.
- Bananas – YES, bananas in low carb baking, I KNOW. But I've never been a fan of banana extract. Real bananas just taste so much better AND when used in smaller quantities, you can get a really low carb banana bread. It's actually the sugar in traditional banana bread that makes it so high in carbs.
- Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener – My absolute favourite sweetener for any keto desserts. It blends seamlessly into baked goods and provides the best possible flavour and texture. Granulated can be used as well, though you will find you need just slightly more to achieve the same flavour.
- Eggs – We use 3 in this banana bread recipe, more than traditional banana bread to improve with the rise of the loaf.
- Vanilla Extract – I use pure vanilla extract but artificial works just fine too.
- Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips – My mom always added chocolate chips to our banana bread growing up. This is optional, but throwing a few in is always tasty! I use the Krisda brand in Canada but you can also use ChocZero or Lily's instead. Pecans or walnuts are also delicious in this recipe!
Tools I Used To Make Low Carb Banana Bread
- Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
- Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
- 8×4 Inch Loaf Pan
- Toothpicks
- Tinfoil
Tips For Making Low Carb Banana Bread
- Keto loaf recipes tend to take longer to bake than traditional loaf recipes. We bake it at a lower temperature so the outside doesn't bake much faster than the inside. If in doubt that it's fully cooked, cover your loaf with tinfoil again and continue baking for an extra 5min. You can also add a couple tablespoons of coconut flour to your banana bread batter if you find it comes out too wet on your first attempt (sometimes different brands of almond flour can change the final outcome of the loaf).
- Alternatively you can also bake this banana bread in muffin tins! It comes out really well this way and will save you some time on baking. Try ~25min to start.
- Sprinkle the top of your crust with a blend of some Truvia sweetener and a bit of cinnamon for a nice extra bit of flavour. Truvia is one of the best low carb sweeteners for retaining its shape after baking and staying granular.
- Don't have xanthan gum? You can technically still make this bread without it. It's just a great ingredient for adding chewiness and preventing crumbliness in keto baked goods. If you have cornstarch you can use 1 tsp of this to replace the xanthan gum OR if you have ground psyllium husks, use 1/4 tsp to replace the xanthan gum.
- Don't have lupin flour? I would highly recommend making this recipe with lupin flour for the best texture and taste but if you absolutely do not have it, you can try ~1/4 cup – 6 tbsp coconut flour in place of it.
- Dairy Free? Try using coconut oil instead of butter! It's just as delicious.
How To Store Low Carb Banana Bread
- Store this banana bread in an airtight container or in a ziplock at room temperature for up to 3 days OR slice and freeze in an airtight container between layers of wax paper to prevent freezer burn.
- Alternatively, you can freeze this as a whole loaf, doubled bagged with ziplocks.
Like This Recipe? Try Some Other Popular Keto Banana Recipes
- Low Carb Banana Coffee Cake
- Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Keto Banana Pudding
- Low Carb Banana Muffins
- Keto Friendly Banana Ice Cream
Keto Low Carb Banana Bread Recipe
Serves: 12 slices
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour, 280g
- 1/2 cup lupin flour, 60g (use code 10SAMMYSAM for a 10% discount on Amazon or the Modern Mountain Flour Website)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
- 6 tbsp salted butter, melted, 90g
- 2 1/2 medium bananas, mashed, 225g
- 10 tbsp powdered monkfruit sweetener, 130g
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 -1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips (optional)
- walnuts or pecans (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat your oven to 325*F.
- Add the almond flour, lupin flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt to a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- In another larger bowl, add the melted butter, mashed banana and monkfruit sweetener. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the same bowl and whisk again, very well, until bubbles can be seen at the top of the mixture.
- Next, add the dry ingredients from before to the banana mixture.
- Stir to combine. You want to stir until everything becomes quite thick.
- Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and or pecans at this point if you'd like!
- Grease a standard 8×4 inch loaf pan with butter or oil then use a spatula to scrape the batter into the pan. Even out the top. Sprinkle with a little extra granulated sweetener and cinnamon (option, I like to use a little truvia and cinnamon).
- Bake the loaf for roughly 55-65min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cover the pan lightly with tinfoil prior to baking and remove halfway to three quarters of the way through if you'd like to prevent the crust from browning too quickly.
- Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before turning out onto a plate. Slice and serve! Enjoy your Low Carb Keto Banana Bread!
Nutrition for 1 slice (1/12th) of Banana Bread: 253 calories | 20.3g fat | 5.7g NET carbs | 7.8g protein | 3.9g fiber
Store this banana bread in an airtight container or in a ziplock at room temperature for up to 3 days OR slice and freeze in an airtight container between layers of wax paper to prevent freezer burn.
Alternatively, you can freeze this as a whole loaf, doubled bagged with ziplocks.
Keto Low Carb Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour 280g
- 1/2 cup lupin flour 60g (Use code 10SAMMYSAM for a 10% discount)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter
- 7 tbsp salted butter melted, 105g
- 2 1/2 medium bananas mashed, 225g
- 10 tbsp powdered monkfruit sweetener 130g
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 -1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips optional
- walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 325*F.
- Add the almond flour, lupin flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt to a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- In another larger bowl, add the melted butter, mashed banana and monkfruit sweetener. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the same bowl and whisk again, very well, until bubbles can be seen at the top of the mixture.
- Next, add the dry ingredients from before to the banana mixture.
- Stir to combine. You want to stir until everything becomes quite thick.
- Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and or pecans at this point if you'd like!
- Grease a standard 8x4 inch loaf pan with butter or oil then use a spatula to scrape the batter into the pan. Even out the top. Sprinkle with a little extra granulated sweetener and cinnamon (option, I like to use a little truvia and cinnamon).
- Bake the loaf for roughly 55-65min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cover the pan lightly with tinfoil prior to baking and remove halfway to three quarters of the way through if you'd like to prevent the crust from browning too quickly.
- Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before turning out onto a plate. Slice and serve! Enjoy your Low Carb Keto Banana Bread!
Notes
Ingredients Links
- Almond Flour
- Lupin Flour I use the Modern Mountain brand (use 10SAMMYSAM for a 10% discount on the Modern Mountain Flour Website or on Amazon)
- Xanthan Gum
- Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener
- Vanilla Extract
- Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips - I use the Krisda brand in Canada but you can also use ChocZero or Lily's instead. Pecans or walnuts are also delicious in this recipe!
Tips For Making Low Carb Banana Bread
- Keto loaf recipes tend to take longer to bake than traditional loaf recipes. We bake it at a lower temperature so the outside doesn't bake much faster than the inside. If in doubt that it's fully cooked, cover your loaf with tinfoil again and continue baking for an extra 5min. You can also add a couple tablespoons of coconut flour to your banana bread batter if you find it comes out too wet on your first attempt (sometimes different brands of almond flour can change the final outcome of the loaf).
- Alternatively you can also bake this banana bread in muffin tins! It comes out really well this way and will save you some time on baking. Try ~25min to start.
- Sprinkle the top of your crust with a blend of some Truvia sweetener and a bit of cinnamon for a nice extra bit of flavour. Truvia is one of the best low carb sweeteners for retaining its shape after baking and staying granular.
- Don't have xanthan gum? You can technically still make this bread without it. It's just a great ingredient for adding chewiness and preventing crumbliness in keto baked goods. If you have cornstarch you can use 1 tsp of this to replace the xanthan gum OR if you have ground psyllium husks, use 1/4 tsp to replace the xanthan gum.
- Don't have lupin flour? I would highly recommend making this recipe with lupin flour for the best texture and taste but if you absolutely do not have it, you can try ~1/4 cup - 6 tbsp coconut flour in place of it.
- Dairy Free? Try using coconut oil instead of butter! It's just as delicious.
How To Store Low Carb Banana Bread
- Store this banana bread in an airtight container or in a ziplock at room temperature for up to 3 days OR slice and freeze in an airtight container between layers of wax paper to prevent freezer burn.
- Alternatively, you can freeze this as a whole loaf, doubled bagged with ziplocks.
Nutrition
Other Similar Recipes You May Like:
Sonya
Sunday 1st of May 2022
We recently discovered lupin and I found your recipe looking for a banana bread recipe. I'm so glad I did! This was fabulous! Thanks so much!
Ginny Zolin
Sunday 18th of April 2021
I avoid recipes that call for almond flour just because I can no longer stand the taste or texture after 3 years of eating a modified keto diet. But the inclusion of bananas intrigued me so I took the bait. And I'm so glad I did. This was outstanding. Just like real banana bread. All the other ingredients seem to have perfectly masked the almond flour nastiness. You are pure genius! thank you!
sammysamgurl
Sunday 18th of April 2021
Haha, awe this amazing to hear! Masking flours is always my goal! Coconut flour has never been my favourite but it’s become a really great tool in my baking as well! ☺️ Thanks for taking the time to comment!
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