Whole Grain Gluten Free Banana bread made with quinoa! A great way to use up leftover quinoa is to combine it with oat flour in this healthy gluten free banana bread. Naturally high in plant based protein, iron, and it’s dairy free! Freezer friendly and kid friendly of course.
We don’t waste much in this house. In fact, I grew up with that mentality so it’s engraved in me. And I’m pretty sure that it’s my God-given gift to be resourceful with food. I don’t mind that gift. It makes me think creatively, you know? Thou shall not throw away food. Freeze it, re-use it, blend it, make a kitchen sink, a frittata, or give it to the dog (last resort, haha).
That being said, today’s gluten free banana bread recipe is all about being utilizing leftovers in your fridge or pantry.
Also, just letting you know this banana bread recipe was originally published in 2015. I retested the recipe, rephotographed, updated content and URL. Now I am republishing it for you today! I hope you enjoy. Thank you for following Cotter Crunch Y’all!.
How To Make Gluten Free Banana Bread with Simple Pantry Staples (no flour needed).
I might be pushing my limits here, but that statement above is 99% justifiable. Whole grain banana bread without flour? How is that even possible. Well, it is but it isn’t. You’ll get what I mean in a minute.
You see, lately I’ve been cooking up gluten free grains in bulk. Hence the millet post and gluten free grains series. It definitely helps to have these wholesome grain precooked for quick meals and breakfast. Today is no different.
Yep, I’m taking it whole grains to a “whole” new level by using cooked quinoa and rolled oats to make gluten free banana bread. You don’t need to buy quinoa flour or oat flour with this recipe, all you need is cooked quinoa and rolled oats; two ingredients you might already have in your pantry, plus other banana bread ingredient staples.
Ingredients for gluten free banana bread
- 3 bananas
- Eggs or flax egg
- Non dairy milk
- Coconut sugar or raw sugar
- Oats/Quinoa (cooked quinoa)
- Nut butter
- OPTIONAL (Oh but you must!) Vegan or Dark Chocolate chips!
The trick is to make sure that you have complementary components to making quinoa into a batter. As I mentioned above, I try to be pretty resourceful, so all you need for this recipe are the ingredients above plus your typical pantry staples like salt, baking powder, etc. Oh and let’s not forget your favorite mix-in. CHOCOLATE CHIPS for the WIN. Dairy free of course. 😉
How to make Gluten Free Banana Bread with a blender!
Alright, we have are ingredients. We’ve cooked the quinoa, what’s next?
First, if you are not using oat flour or tapioca flour, you will need to make it… in a blender. To make oat flour simple ground whole rolled oats in a blender until fine flour is formed. I usually blend 3 c-4 cups, 2 cups at a time. Then use the oat flour measured in the recipe. Make sense?
Once you have your oat flour made, place it in a large bowl. Sift together your dry ingredients (sugar, oat flour, baking powder, salt, spices).
Next, place your banana, eggs, cooked quinoa, milk, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. The batter will look like cake batter, really!
Mix the banana/egg/quinoa batter with the dry ingredients and fold in your mix ins. Nuts, chocolate, etc.!
Pour the batter into a lined or greased baking loaf pan and add sliced banana on top. The Bake! You won’t believe your eyes! QUINOA in banana bread. UNREAL!
When the gluten free banana bread is baking, ponder life’s purpose. Just kidding. Actually, do ponder, but ponder about QUINOA!
Like…..
Is Quinoa Gluten Free? Is it a Whole Grain?
One of my favorite foods to make in bulk is quinoa. Quinoa is actually a pseudo-grain. Yep, a pseudo-grain. Remember you talking about how buckwheat is a pseudo-grain in this post? Basically, quinoa (pseudo-grain) is not necessarily a grain but grown and prepared like one . I know, I know, sounds confusing. But this seed itself grows from the plant goosefoot species, which also contains like vegetables such as beets and spinach . Yeah, sounds funny and confusing.
That being said, I think many of those on a grain free diet or gluten-free diet react well with quinoa. It can be soaked in order to be more “digestible” with the break down certain enzymes, or quinoa can be cooked right away and enjoyed as a hearty higher protein meal/side dish.. In fact, it’s packed with ESSENTIAL amino acids, which makes it even better for those on a gluten free plant based diet.
You can prepare it as a sweet way or a savory way. Lately we’ve been enjoying quinoa as a slow cooker breakfast porridge. But today we’re focusing on how to use cooked quinoa as a flour.
Don’t worry, we’ll have a whole series about quinoa coming up! Plus a video, so stay tuned for QUINOA 101.
Now let’s stop the quinoa thinking jump to the actual recipe!
Gluten Free Banana Bread made from Quinoa
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
Gluten Free Banana Bread made with Quinoa and Oats
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quinoa, cooked
- 3 small bananas
- 2 Tablespoons nut butter of choice, softened
- 2 Tablespoons non dairy milk or milk of choice. 3 Tablespoons milk if batter is too thick.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ to ½ cup coconut sugar (adjust to sweetness likeness)
- 1 cup oat flour (around 120 grams) See notes on how to make oat flour with ground rolled oats and other flour substitutes.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Optional ½–â…” cup chocolate chips (dark chocolate or non dairy).
- Sliced banana to go on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Rinse the quinoa then cook in rice cooker or stove according to instructions.
- Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and fluff.
- Place cooked quinoa, banana, nut butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. The batter will be thick and look like pancake batter.
- Pour into a mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, mix dry ingredients, sifting together flour and baking soda/powder.
- Combine your dry ingredients with your banana quinoa batter until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour into a lined or greased 8×4 bread pan, top with additional chocolate chips and sliced banana, if using.
- Place in oven for 50-55 minutes, cover with foil at halfway point to prevent browning. Depending on your oven, it could take 45 minutes or up to 55 minute.
Notes
- To make oat flour, grin rolled oats in a high speed blender until fine flour is formed. Or you may use packed oat flour. Bob’s Redmill carries gluten free oat flour. Other flour substitutes – millet flour, or brown rice flour. Gluten Free AP flour works too but bread will be more dense. If using AP flour reduce amount to ¾ cup.
- To make it more sweet, add in ¼ cup more sugar or chocolate chips if desired. It’s very moist and good by itself or with honey on top. This bread is also freezer friendly.
- Nutrition below based on banana bread without chocolate chips added.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Category: baking
- Method: bread
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 11.7 g
- Sodium: 256.1 mg
- Fat: 4.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 6.4 g
- Cholesterol: 41.3 mg
Keywords: banana bread, gluten free, dairy free, quinoa, whole grain, bread
So you see, no ingredients are wasted! A quality high-protein, naturally sweetened, super moist, healthy gluten free banana bread. Sorry, I got a little carried away with the description, but as Amanda would say, this bread is on “fleek!” 😉
Well, are you convinced on this bread? I think you should try it just in case, then report back, mmm K? Besides, you’ll save money by making things in bulk and not wasting. Just sayin…
Do you make your own version of gluten banana bread? Do share!
Cheers,
LC
MORE HEALTHY YEAST-FREE BREAD RECIPES HERE!
This recipe is part of our Healthy Yeast-free Bread Recipes collection. Check it out!
Is it possible to hand mix the batter and leave the quinoa whole?
Hi Isa! I haven’t tried that yet. I’m not sure it will have the same consistency. Are you looking for another banana bread recipe that you can mix by hand?
Hi Lindsay, I’m just starting out trying a low fodmap way of eating because I’m still recovering after one year with the erosive gastritis. I do have a question about the bananas. From what I’ve read green bananas are low, but ripe bananas are considered high, right? Are you using green bananas in this recipe? It doesn’t really say. Thank you!
just sent you an email with other tips!
Thank you!😊
Hi, appreciate this recipe. can I make it vegan? meaning, can I substitute eggs for flax eggs? thanks for your guidance.
Hi Su! I don’t think that you could make it vegan with this recipe. There’s too much moisture. I do have other vegan bread recipes if you’re looking for some!
So I just made this and my bread came out very mushy, even after baking it for 20 minutes longer. When you say “2 eggs, 2 egg whites” are these 4 eggs in total or just the 2 egg whites from the 2 eggs? Because I think I read it wrong and have too many eggs, which would explain why this came out bad. It really sucks because I spent most of my morning doing this and was excited to try this out.
Oh sorry to hear! I wonder if it was your quinoa? If the quinoa isn’t fluffy or al dente, it could have been mushy. What type of flour did you use? Did you use large eggs + separate egg whites?
I used oat flour and the quinoa was pretty al dente. I used 2 large eggs and 2 egg whites. Was I supposed to only use just the egg whites from 2 eggs?
I would use just 2 large eggs, no egg white. Did you use oat flour from scratch or already packaged? It should be around 120 grams. I’ll update the recipe card with the correct amount of eggs too. It could have been left out when we switched recipe plugins, I apologize.
Absolutely delicious and wicked easy!! I had some canned pumpkin to use up and some very ripe bananas. So i first made the Pumpkin Quinoa breakfast, which made just the right amount of servings to get me through breakfasts for the week and to make this recipe! TOTAL WIN! So moist (sorry) and flavourful . Great recipe !
★★★★★
I haven’t had a great home-made or bakery-made banana bread since having to eliminate gluten. This is a game changer!! It’s perfectly sweet and more filling than regular banana bread. I didn’t have coconut or unrefined sugar on hand, so I substituted brown sugar – worked out great! Will definitely be looking for more quinoa baking recipes. I make large batches and freeze it in portions…never thought to bake with it til now. Thank you!
★★★★★
Wonderful! So glad you liked it Christie!
Just printed recipe and making today! Could you make without the nutbutter so they are school friendly?
YOu could use sunflower seed butter! I haven’t tried it without a nut/seed butter, but worth a shot or use real butter. 😉 Keep me posted.
What temp do I bake it at?
350F.
Hi there! I just tried out this recipe! I was so excited… but I did something wrong and would greatly appreciate any advice. I’m new to gluten and dairy free and given the coronavirus situation I tried to substitute with what I had at home. I used sunflower spread as the nut butter, macadamia nut milk as my milk and arrowroot flour (1 cup). I had to add more macademia nut milk then the recipe since the batter was too thick. After backing for more than 1 hour the inside still stayed like pudding and wouldn’t bake. Any advice? Thank you!
Hi there! I think you’re problem might be the arrowroot flour. That’s more a starch and binder, so you only use a little. What other GF flours do you have?
Thank you for your quick response! I have Arrowhead Mills All purpose flour which is a mix of rice flour, brown rice, tapioca and Millet flour. Thinking of it now I’m not sure why I didn’t use that. Would that be acceptable? Appreciate your advice!
That should work! Baking times may very though, so check halfway through cooking.
Banana bread, YAY! The fact that it’s made with quinoa is, WOW, remarkable! You probably had a hard time prolonging how long this banana bread would last. I for sure would!
For sure! I might be guilty of snacking on it throughout the day! hehe
When I saw quinoa I wasn’t so sure but we tried it and it was amazing! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Yaayyy!! So glad to hear that you loved it Suzy!
The use of a blender here is so smart! It makes the ingredients come together in such a cohesive flavor. I will be making this again!
★★★★★
1.5 cups dry quinoa to be cooked or 1.5 cups cooked?
it’s 1.5 cooked. ?
If you are substituting flax or chia eggs – would you substitute for just the 2 full eggs and not worry about the egg whites?
Ya! And I would adjust time of baking. I’m thinking Stir the wet ingredients (2 tbsp ground flax with 6 tbsp water) into the banana blender mix until combined. It might not rise as high. If you have problems, try out Angela’s vegan banana bread with GF flours. Hope this helps! Keep me posted https://ohsheglows.com/2016/10/07/vegan-banana-bread/
I love using leftover quinoa in recipes. I am making quinoa tonight so I can make this over the weekend.
★★★★★
That’s great Cathy! Hope you enjoy!
This is so delicious and I love how healthy it is! This is going to be a regular for us!
★★★★★
Awesome! Glad you all liked it.
This is SO delicious! I must make this again ASAP.
★★★★★
Wonderful! Thank you for the feedback Lauren.
Love how nutrient dense this bread is! Perfect for kiddos!… And I guess me too 😉
Oh you bet! Thank you so much and let me know how it goes!
Hi. I’m back to say that I’ve branched out with this recipe by simply replacing the banana with one packed cup of shredded zucchini I had squeezed out in several paper towels since it’s so moist. This is a lighter tasting bar and very delicious! My next variation will be to use a cup of canned pumpkin! :-).
I’m so glad! Great idea
Absoluntely delilcious and very filling. I’m going to make this frequently. Even my three-year-old granddaughter loves it. I made it in two 9 x 9 cake pans for quick cooking (just 15 minutes!) This produced bars about one half inch thick. Perfect for snacking on any time. Thanks SO much for this recipe.
★★★★★
Oh I am so glad! Thanks for reporting back Michelle. Truly Appreciate it!
For someone avoiding dairy, what kind of cream would you recommend using for this delicious recipe? I want to make it for my boyfriend’s birthday this weekend!
You can totally just use more coconut milk, almond milk, or coconut cream. Do you have that?
Macros on this? Thx!
Here’s what I got. Estimated Calories 195
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.4g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 46.5mg 16%
Sodium 213.7mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 32.1g 11%
Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10%
Sugars 11.3g
Protein 6.2g
I hesitate to make recipes that say how many banana’s as opposed to an actual measurement of mashed banana’s. My version of a small banana may be different than yours. 🙂 I wonder how much the variance will change the result of the recipe?
I understand! My version of small is 6 inches. Does that help?
Can we replace banana with pumpkin puree ?
I think so. Just might be more moist and have to cook longer. Watch it just in case. Keep me posted
My 21 year old niece has had some recent health issues that have required her to eat gluten free which has been a big change for her and our family. I found this recipe and decided to try it last week for her birthday. We are now obsessed. I made another loaf last night. I enjoy carbs way too much so it was fantastic to have all the added protein for a little balance. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad! it’s such a fun recipe and so moist! And yay for protein!
This is SOOOO creative. I need to use my blender more for mixing batter )
★★★★★
Oh my gosh, it’s my go to! Pancake batter too! You must. xxoo
You know my love of leftovers. Sometimes they make the very best recipes. They’re my jam, alongside you.
This rocks! I’m loving the creativity.
My son don’t like banana but i will try this recipe because, I think it’s very yummy and he will of course like it.Thanks
try adding chocolate chips to it too then!
Genius! I love the addition of quinoa. I always have leftover on hand and this will be a great way to use it up!
yes, perfect! let me know if you give it a whirl!
I love that you’ve added quinoa to your banana bread recipe. It’s a great healthy addition.
yes, love the extra PUMP of protein too!
Banana bread makes me weak in the knees, and I LOVE the idea of using a cooked [pseudo]grain to make one. You and your fantastic ideas <3
haha yes, my weakness too. But i could use an americano with this, yes? 😉
This is really brilliant! I love the idea… I haven’t found a great flour alternative for banana bread so I don’t think my kids even know what it is- and my mom made it constantly. I’m excited to try this!
You amaze me. Also, I feel like there could be banana quinoa balls…
well ive made rice date balls so why not quinoa banana! You’re so smart
I am wondering how in the world you come up with all these ideas and how you have the time to make them all.
haha i live in my kitchen
You are so resourceful! I would have never thought to make banana bread without any flour. I often have cooked quinoa in my fridge because I cook it in bulk as well. I think I will try this recipe next week with some walnut added in.
I’m the same way – no food goes to waste! It’s been years since I had quinoa and this recipe makes me want to try it again! I love banana bread.
Yum! I have made a quinoa corn bread before and it was so amazing! I love that you used leftovers to make this as well, I am the same way trying to use all food before it goes bad!
I was JUST thinking last night about how I need to cook more in bulk, esp. with our Costco-sized bag of quinoa. And then I could make this 😉
Since I don’t medically need to go GF, do you think regular flour would be alright too?
Looks so good!!
sure thing. It should work as a binder. Keep me posted!
Oh wow Lindsay – your quinoa banana bread looks absolutely fabulous! What a way to re-use quinoa! I’ve gotta try this!
Mmm that looks good! I don’t like bananas but I do like banana bread oddly enough.
funny how that works, yes? Hope you like it!
I do make a gluten free version and also a gluten free vegan version that includes cooked quinoa but also another flour (and or protein powder). It also includes nut butter but a lot more, no eggs (chia seed and water). Or a version with gluten free oats and flour, but no quinoa. Now eating eggs I eat other versions adapting from my grandmother’s recipes but not using quinoa. The girls always want banana bread so I’ll have to see how they like this one.
Girlfriend, I can relate to this post is so many ways! I am frugal as heck, I hate waste, and I ALWAYS have cooked quinoa in my fridge. I love adding it to pretty much everything. However, I would have NEVER thought to add it to bread! This is unbelievably genius and it looks crazy delicious! Banana bread is one of my favorites and this takes it to new levels of YUM! I can’t wait to try this! Pinned! Cheers and thanks for sharing the YUM!
ahh yes, we so think alike and i love it Cheyanne!
Never would have thought to use cooked quinoa! I usually prep a big pot of some kind of gf grain for the week too. Sam from Pancake Warriors has a banana bread that has become a staple in our house. However, I have a feeling this one might become one as well. Can’t wait to try!
You can use rice too! And sam is amazing. So are you
That looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you ever thought about adding nutritional stats to your recipes Lindsay? Just curious, not asking for it cause I know it is a lot of work. I need to know that for the way I eat but sometimes I just try to guesstimate recipes without it.
SMOOCH!
I probably should but I just don’t like focusing in calories. But I know others would like it. Thanks for the feedback
You ARE so resourceful with food – I’m always so impressed with this talent of yours. And this banana bread? Absolute perfection! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
I always have left over quinoa- I usually add it to soups, smoothies or salads, but adding it to banana bread is such a great idea. Adds fiber, protein and so much nutrition. Hope you have a wonderful week– Miss you! xo
Wow this looks so good, what a great idea!! Your photos are beautiful, by the way! Love that little curly spoon 🙂
I also HATE wasting food. It just doesn’t feel necessary to me! Love this version of quinoa banana bread. Holy moly. <3 Pinning
haha we think alike and i LIKE IT!
I am seeing quinoa pop up in more and more baked goods and I am liking it!!!!
i’m so digging it too!
As I huge lover of Banana Bread, I would never have though of making it with quinoa. Love this!
★★★★★
I love this idea! I HATE to waste food too, so I’m always trying to figure out how to creatively use up that leftover quinoa or rice that I always seem to make too much of for one meal. 🙂 Pinned!
It has been far too long since I cooked quinoa! I made so much of it for Alex for the hospital that he needed a major break. But I bet he wouldn’t mind it baked!
Well you know I love cooking and baking with quinoa. Those double chocolate quinoa brownies are one of my favs. I love that you stuffed peanut butter in this!
That is so crazy that you can make bread out of cooke quinoa! I’m literally mind-blown! This loaf looks so moist and yummy!
I just heard someone talking about quinoa bread over the weekend and I didn’t even know that was a thing. Clearly it is–this banana version thooooo–so good!!
This idea seems pretty genius and delicious to me, I love your resourcefulness!
You know I love banana bread and this is so cool! I always think banana bread tastes amazing no matter what – it’s very forgiving so making it healthy is easy 🙂