Gluten-Free Banana Bars Recipe – Gluten-Free Palate (2024)

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Wendy Stoltz

/ Last Modified On January 15, 2023

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Grain-Free Banana Everything Bars are my go-to paleo banana bars recipe when I only have one banana left. These paleo bars are healthy, easy to make, and taste amazing fresh out of the oven.

I often find myself with a random assortment of ingredients. The best thing about these bars, you can make them anyway you like.

How about Gluten-Free Brownies? They're scrumptious. My Gluten Free Blueberry Banana Muffins are also delicious.

Table of Contents

Banana Bars Recipe

Have you ever wanted to bake something but only had a little of each ingredient?

Yesterday I had one banana left, a little almond flour, a smidgen of almond butter, some left over coconut shreds ... you get the point. I needed a one banana recipe!

The good thing about having a small amount of various ingredients is that you can experiment and make it into something delicious.

These healthy banana bars have been such a huge hit for that fact. They are so incredibly simple (and you'll see me say that a million times here) and they taste amazing.

Kids and adults race for these banana everything bars.

Banana Bar Recipe

These banana bars are made from a little bit of everything (hence the name) and are nutritious to boot. You start with the base ingredients and add in one to three other ingredients to make your preferred banana everything bars.

These everything paleo bars are a hit with kids, they travel well, and make a great breakfast or a healthy snack. I've gotten such amazing response to these bars because of how easy and versatile they are.

My girls like split the batter into two, so they can add there own ingredients. When they do this, I fill half the pan with one girls batter, and the other half with the rest of the batter.

Sometimes I use two small pans, depending on the ingredients, because my youngest daughter daughter is intolerant to peanuts and my oldest daughters just loves peanut butter.

How to make banana bars

Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until combined. You don't need to separate the dry and wet ingredients for this recipe.
Pour batter into your prepared 8"X8" pan.
Bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until the top starts to darken and the center is set (always start with the lowest time).
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

That's it! Super easy. For the full list of ingredients in these banana bars, please see the recipe card below.

Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?

Yes! I’s not a 1 to 1 but if you’re in a pinch you can use baking powder to help your grain-free banana everything bars. To substitute the baking soda with baking powder, use 4 teaspoons for every teaspoon of baking soda called for in a recipe.

Just a heads up, baking powder is often cut with corn starch so depending on what kind you use it may not be considered grain-free.

A couple of tips for baking with Almond Flour:

If you store almond flour in the Freezer, make sure to bring it to room temperature before you bake with it otherwise it will absorb too much moisture from the wet ingredients.

Spoon your almond flour into your measuring cup, don’t scoop.

Almond flour is not a 1-t0-1 for regular gluten-free flour or coconut flour.

If you make these Banana Everything Bars, please stop back by and let me know what you think!

Gluten Free Banana Recipes

More gluten free banana recipes for those who love baking with banana.

Banana Toffee Cupcakes

Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

Paleo Hummingbird Cake

The most important part of this banana bar recipe is to follow the directions and use high quality ingredients, and to make sure you cook these paleo bars until they are done in the center.

If you make these banana bars, leave a comment below and let me know what add-in's you used.

Yield: 16

Grain-Free Banana Everything Bars are my go-to recipe when I only have one banana left.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

For the base:

1 medium banana, overripe and smashed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any oil you want to use)
¼ cup honey
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Add in 1-3 of the following:

½ cup raisins
½ cup gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
½ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup nut or seed butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8″X8″ baking pan; set aside.
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until combined. You don't need to separate the dry and wet ingredients for this recipe.
Pour batter into your prepared 8"X8" pan. Bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until the top starts to darken and the center is set (always start with the lowest time).
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 231Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 18gNet Carbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g

This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.

did you make this recipe?

Tag @glutenfreepalate on Instagram and hashtag it #glutenfreepalatebaker so we can see all the deliciousness!

Thanks for sharing!

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Note on Questions and Comments: All comments and questions are answered in the order they are received. I aim to answer all questions within 48 hours. There may be a delay on weekends and holidays.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Raia
July 18, 2015 at 5:35 pm
My kids are gonna love these - if I share. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing them at Savoring Saturdays, Chrystal, I'm featuring them this weekend. Hope you'll stop by and share with us again. 🙂
Reply
- chrystal
  July 18, 2015 at 5:37 pm
  Hello Raia,
  Thank you so much for hosting it! It's fun sharing recipes and I love trying out the recipes others share.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
- Hanriela
  December 10, 2020 at 7:52 pm
  Hi I was looking at the nutritional breakdown. Is this correct??
  See Also
  Danish "Mandel Kager" Almond Cookies Recipe - Food.com Gluten-Free Gingernut Biscuits Recipe [Step-By-Step]40 Kid Friendly Holiday Recipes From Around The World The Best Chewy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
  Reply
  - chrystal
    December 11, 2020 at 6:31 am
    No, it's not correct. Thanks for the catch. I just fixed it.
    Best,
    Chrystal
    Reply
Cheryl K
January 28, 2017 at 12:27 pm
I'm going to try this recipe...just waiting for my one banana to ripen a little more. Question: What are chia eggs???
Reply
- chrystal
  January 29, 2017 at 6:39 am
  Hi Cheryl,
  Chia eggs is where you mix chia seeds and water to make a egg substitute. It doesn't work as eggs in all recipes, but will work in this recipe if you can't have eggs.
  Enjoy!
  Chrystal
  Reply
chrystal
April 25, 2017 at 5:16 am
Thank you Priya! I don't count macros, but I am looking into an app that will have populate nutritional info.
Best,
Chrystal
Reply
Tanya
April 26, 2017 at 5:26 pm
Would you be able to use things like blueberries or apple for a sweet treat? Would i need to up the amountnof flour if i use something like this?
Reply
- chrystal
  April 28, 2017 at 9:31 am
  You can add diced apples or blueberries as an options (not both at the same time). If you add apples, I'd add 2 extra tablespoons of almond flour.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Hemma
April 29, 2017 at 1:35 pm
Hi
can you use buckwheat flour instead of almond flour?
Thanks
Reply
- chrystal
  April 29, 2017 at 3:58 pm
  This recipe was designed using almond flour.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Geordia
April 29, 2017 at 2:22 pm
Do you think it'd work if I used coconut flour instead of almond flour??
Reply
- chrystal
  April 29, 2017 at 3:57 pm
  I haven't tried. If you know the conversions, and it works out, let me know!
  Reply
- April
  May 04, 2017 at 8:33 pm
  I used a gluten free flour mixture because it was all I had on hand. They turned out great.
  Reply
  - chrystal
    May 05, 2017 at 6:00 am
    So glad they turned out! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
    Reply
  - Samina
    February 18, 2021 at 12:00 pm
    Hi Chrystal,
    Can I use Bob Red Mills 1:1 baking flour in this recipe?if yes how much?
    Would an 8×8 glass baking pan work?
    What is quantity of bananas in cups required for this recipe?
    Reply
    - chrystal
      February 19, 2021 at 12:16 pm
      Hi Samina,
      This recipe was designed with almond flour. Bob's 1:1 won't work. Sorry!
      Best,
      Chrystal
      Reply
Jenny
June 21, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Could you use apple sauce instead of the oil?
Reply
- chrystal
  June 21, 2017 at 8:39 pm
  Yes. In this recipe you can use applesauce in place of oil 🙂
  Reply
Celeste Noland
July 02, 2017 at 2:55 pm
We've made these three times already and the whole family loves them! Love how easy they are to toss together and that we can all feel good about eating them, too. I subbed maple syrup for honey in the last batch and we liked the flavor that way, too. Thanks for the great recipe!
Reply
- chrystal
  See Also
  Maple Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
  July 02, 2017 at 3:09 pm
  Thank you for letting me know 🙂 I'm so glad you like them.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Latha Ranjani
August 06, 2017 at 1:41 pm
I have made this recipe at least four times and my family loves it. But all the time the centre is moist and a little runny compared to the sides.I bake 25 mins and scared if I would do it longer I might burn it. Can you tell what I should be doing differently to get the perfect result. Thanks Latha
Reply
- chrystal
  August 06, 2017 at 2:26 pm
  Hi! I'm sorry to hear its still soft in the center. If you followed the recipe exact, than the only thing I can think of is that either you are at a different elevation or your oven isn't staying a stable temperature. With that said, you can cover the bars with foil after 10 minutes, and that should help the top from getting too dark.
  I hope that helps,
  Chrystal
  Reply
  - Latha Ranjani
    December 28, 2017 at 11:05 am
    I follow the exact same recipe but I use a square glass baking dish, I am not sure if that makes it any different. I tried the Following today, at the end of 25 mins I checked the Centre was soft so I left it in the oven for 5 more mins and after that I wrapped the glass dish with aluminum foil, turned the oven off and let it stay in the oven for 10 minutes. And then I let it cool like that outside for another 10 minutes. I opened the foil and the Centre feels firm than before, so I am hoping that it will be good this time.
    Reply
    - chrystal
      December 31, 2017 at 5:10 am
      Hi Latha,
      The glass dish "might" cause a change in baking time because glass conducts heat differently than metal. It also could be how big your bananas were, or how you measured your almond flour, assuming you didn't alter the recipe. Let me know if they turned out!
      Best,
      Chrystal
      Reply
Lynn
November 30, 2017 at 4:57 am
Can you freeze these delicious looking banana bars?
Reply
- chrystal
  November 30, 2017 at 5:32 am
  Yes, they can be frozen 🙂
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Natalie
December 02, 2017 at 9:46 pm
YUM! These bars look delicious ♥
Reply
- chrystal
  December 03, 2017 at 8:05 am
  Thank you!
  Reply
Stefany
December 05, 2017 at 4:49 am
YUMMY!! I was nervous because I made the batter and put it in the pan/refrigerator the night before to bake early in the morning. It was fantastic at 22 minutes!
Reply
- chrystal
  December 05, 2017 at 6:16 am
  Yay! So glad you liked them 🙂
  Reply
Dawn
December 05, 2017 at 9:14 am
These are delicious but my center was not as firm as my edges. Can you please tell me what rack in the oven to use? Thanks!!
Reply
- chrystal
  December 06, 2017 at 5:10 am
  Hi Dawn,
  I'm not sure why your centers wouldn't be the same as the edges, the texture and firmness should be equal. Did you substitute any ingredients?
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Carm
January 26, 2018 at 4:29 pm
How can I substitute coconut sugar for the honey?
Reply
- chrystal
  January 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm
  You can sub it in 1:1 🙂
  Reply
Diana
March 16, 2018 at 1:31 pm
I just made these for the first time today (I'm new to your website), and these are absolutely delicious! I was out of raisins, so I used a combo of dried blueberries and cranberries instead. Also I didn't know if you used unsweetened or sweetened coconut, so I used 1/4 cup of each. For the nut butter I used almond butter. Also I used Trader Joe's 72% chocolate that comes in the one pound bars and just chopped up the amount called for. These will definitely be in the rotation now! Thanks for a great recipe! I also have the gluten free cinnamon sugar donuts on the menu plan for this week. 🙂
Reply
- chrystal
  March 16, 2018 at 2:46 pm
  Hi Diana! I'm so glad you like it. Thank you for letting me know. The cinnamon sugar donuts are a huge hit at our house. I hope you like them as much as we do.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Angela
January 29, 2019 at 6:31 pm
Maybe I measured wrong but seemed salty or too much soda? Good otherwise so I will definitely try again. I added vanilla, chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips.
Reply
- chrystal
  January 30, 2019 at 8:01 pm
  Hi Angela,
  They shouldn't be salty. So glad you liked them though! Maybe try leaving out the salt next time, or cutting in it half to see if that suits your taste buds more.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Amanda
November 01, 2019 at 11:02 am
Am I reading this correctly that there are 3,402 calories in a single bar? And 262 grams of fat?
Reply
- chrystal
  November 01, 2019 at 11:11 am
  Hi Amanda,
  I just updated the nutrition info. It was off from when I updated the plugin I use to show the recipe. Thank you for the catch. Please note that the nutrition info will vary depending on what add-ins you add to the recipe.
  Let me know what you think of them!
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Gia
October 11, 2020 at 10:18 am
Love love love this! I am now making it without any sweetener because it is just great without. And one of my sons has gone completely sweetener free. I consider this a new staple recipe.
PS I use more than three of the optional choices at once and it is great.
Reply
- chrystal
  October 11, 2020 at 4:10 pm
  I am so glad you like them. We often add multiple options as well. I love how versatile they are.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Nancy Belz
May 17, 2021 at 2:35 am
Hello, and thank you for your delicious recipe. I made it today for the first time and it smelt so beautiful I could not wait till it totally cool down. So, I sliced it while it was still a little warm. And it tasted absolutely delicious! The extras i used were walnuts, sugarfree dark chocolate chips, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla extract. I was just wondering do you think it would still work without any oil whatsoever? I ask this because once it had totally cool down and then a few hours later I got back to it to slice it into portions, it was very moist, and a little tricky to slice even with a super sharp knife. It was fully cooked because once the skewer came out it was totally clean when I tested it prior to taking it out of the oven.
Reply
- chrystal
  May 17, 2021 at 8:22 am
  You can leave out the oil, if you liked but they will be on the dry side.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Jean
May 22, 2021 at 7:12 am
It is so salty-is the salt necessary for the leavening reaction?
Reply
- chrystal
  May 23, 2021 at 6:24 am
  Hi Jean,
  They shouldn't have been salty at all but you can leave it out if needed.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Samina
August 12, 2021 at 8:52 am
Hi Chrystal,
How can I sub the 2 eggs in this recipe?
Reply
- chrystal
  August 13, 2021 at 7:07 am
  Hi Samina,
  You can use flaxegg in this recipe, just note that the bars will be a little softer.
  Best,
  Chrystal
  Reply
Lisa
August 04, 2022 at 7:20 pm
Hi Chrystal,
I made the Grain-Free Banana Everything Bars. I love the texture and that they're made with almond flour. They are just sweet enough but don't raise my blood sugar and trigger cravings. I added 1/2 cup of coconut and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. I did not use the honey. I don't like the way honey tastes in baked goods. I used 1-1/2 bananas. My only problem with the recipe is it tastes salty. Not sure if that's from the salt or the baking soda. Maybe if I used the honey it would have neutralized the baking soda? But I will be making these again! The next time I will use 1/2 the salt and baking soda. I may try it with the honey just to see if that was the problem.
Reply
- Lindsay
  August 06, 2022 at 7:51 am
  Hi Lisa! It could be that there was salt added to the nuts that you used, or if you used nut butter there can also be salt added to that. Try it without the salt added next time and see how you like it! I don't suggest reducing the amount of baking soda, as that will affect the texture of the bars.
  Reply
Staucia
January 18, 2023 at 2:16 pm
Every time I cover these, they become overly moist and soggy. I weigh out ingredients according to the measurements given. Should I just leave it out uncovered? I love the flavor but always double recipe to have at least three days. Thanks so much!
Reply
- Wendy Stoltz
  January 18, 2023 at 6:11 pm
  Hi Staucia,
  I have not experienced that, but it could be location dependent. I suggest you use a paper towel on the bottom and one on top to absorb the moisture. See if this helps.
  Reply

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