This low carb and keto banana bread is truly incredible (at 2g net carbs a slice!)!! Totally flavorful and moist, you’ll surely be hard-pressed to notice the actual lack of bananas.
The Incredible Keto Banana Bread
Completely Sugar-Free & Banana-less!
Just like our ‘apple’ muffins (and pie!), this keto banana bread is bound to fool everyone! Super moist and bursting with an incredible banana flavor, its dense yet cakey texture is truly spot on.
So whip it up as a loaf or make as muffins (and of course, cupcakes!). Make solo or add pecans, walnuts or chocolate chunks(!!). I’m thinking a pat of butter and drizzle of our keto salted caramel will go nicely too ;)!
Honestly, truly incredible at just 2g net carbs a slice!
The Banana Extract
A high quality banana extract is an absolute must! Out of the handful I’ve tried, the Pure Banana extract from Olive Nation is the one I’ve liked best (not sponsored!).
It simply tastes like ripe bananas (ideal!) and is completely sugar-free and nil carbs (super ideal!). But if you’ve tried other good ones, be sure to drop them in the comments (always love your recs!)
The Sweetener
You’ve got good options here! Allulose is my favorite for best texture and no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though), Lakanto Golden (baked goods with erythritol can have a slight hard texture, still not big deal here though), xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
Pyure (an erythritol and stevia blend) is also a good one for muffins and quick breads, particularly if you’re trying to limit your sugar alcohol consumption (it’s added stevia makes it twice as sweet as sugar… i.e. you add half!).
Oh, and if not restricted by sugars, simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
Also note that adding a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses adds that brown sugar kick (i.e. a tonne of umami and improves browning!). Keep in mind that blackstrap molasses is considered a low glycemic sugar. One teaspoon (7g) adds 5g net carbs, so just 0.4g net carbs a slice (i.e. half the sugar of a strawberry!). But carbs aside, it’s also known to be a nutritional powerhouse rich in vital vitamins and minerals; such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium.
Fun fact: Molasses contain high amounts of chromium, which has been studied to increase glucose tolerance levels.
But if it’s still not your thing, just leave it out or do a brown sugar sub (such as Lakanto Golden!)!
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 
The Flours
I like a mixture of super fine almond flour, psyllium husk, coconut flour and golden flaxseed meal best. (Click through for the exact brands I use).
Just keep in mind that for best texture and rise, you’ll always want to regrind your flaxseed meal in a dry blender or bullet. And be sure you’re either using either very finely ground psyllium powder or to regrind your husks!
The Incredible Keto Banana Bread
This low carb and keto banana bread is truly incredible (at 2g net carbs a slice!)!! Totally flavorful and moist, you'll surely be hard-pressed to notice the actual lack of bananas.
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion.
Ingredients
- 114 g grass-fed unsalted butter
- 128 g almond flour
- 46 g golden flaxseed meal finely ground*
- 18 g psyllium husk finely ground*
- 14 g coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs
- 2/3-1 cup golden erythritol allulose, xylitol or coconut sugar, to taste (I use 3/4 cup)**
- 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses totally optional!
- 2-3 teaspoons banana extract I use 3 tsp***
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 90 g full fat Greek-style yogurt or sour cream
- 2/3-1 cup roughy chopped pecans or walnuts optional
Instructions
Heat up the butter in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Continue to simmer the butter, stirring once in a while, until fully browned (about 4-6 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest. Note: browning the butter is totally optional, but it does add a tonne of flavor so it comes highly suggested!
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line (or grease and flour with coconut flour) a 8.5x4.5" or 5x9" loaf pan. I used the smaller size, but the larger one will work just as well (just expect a shorter bread!).
Whisk together in a medium bowl almond flour, golden flaxseed meal, psyllium husk, coconut flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Set aside.
Add eggs, sweetener and molasses (optional) to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until airy and lighter in color. With the mixer on, add in the banana and vanilla extracts, apple cider vinegar and browned butter.
Add in the dry flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the yogurt. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes until fully incorporated and elastic, the batter will thicken as you mix (think cookie dough!). Fold in the nuts (optional).
Distribute batter evenly into pan, smoothing out the top with a wet spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until deep golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check in on the bread after minute 15, and cover with aluminum foil as soon as it begins to turn golden (about minute 20 for me). Alternatively, feel free to make 12 muffins out of a batch (bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean).
Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing, and cool completely in a rack before glazing or cutting. Keep in mind that your banana bread will continue to cook while it cools, so don't slice it before!
Recipe Notes
*For best texture and rise, always regrind your psyllium husk (or powder) and flax meal in a dry blender or bullet.
**The perception of sweetness changes for all of us while on a keto diet, which is why I always like to give you a range for the sweetener (i.e. so you can adjust it to your new taste buds!). The higher amount will give you equivalent sweetness of traditional baked goods, while the lower the least amount of sweetener you can get away with (at least imo!).
***A high quality banana extract is an absolute must! Out of the handful I’ve tried, the Pure Banana extract from Olive Nation is the one I’ve liked best (not sponsored!). It simply tastes like ripe bananas (ideal!) and is completely sugar-free and nil carbs (super ideal!). Also note that you can add it to taste: with 2 tsp giving you a mild banana flavor and 3 tsp a more intense one (my pick!).
Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per slice, assuming a yield of 12 (2g net carbs!).
Forgot to rate it
So awesome! It really turned out looking good, having great texture and flavour. Thanks. It is definitely a keeper. I think the brown butter makes a good addition. So nice to have a large serving not some little slice.
Is it possible to make this without flax? What would you substitute?
Thanks!
I make banana bread with actual BANANA PEELS. 3 ripe bananas, washed well, tips removed, peeled (freeze the inside of the banana for someone else’s smoothie). Then cut the peels into 1 inch pieces and place in a pan with about 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil for several minutes, stirring. Add to blender with other wet ingredients before proceeding to mix with dry.
Banana peels are COMPLETELY CARB FREE and you would never know you aren’t using the whole banana. Really a REVELATION.
A lot of the world, South America, Asia, etc use banana peels in cooking, so why shouldn’t we? Seems like a huge waste discarding them.
Ooooh interesting thanks for sharing!! I believe most banana extract comes from peels in fact! Xo!
This recipe is a winner! I was skeptical at first, so made this with 2 real overripe bananas (not Keto ~13gm net carbs that way), which was delicious. Then I took the plunge and ordered the Olive Nation banana flavor and made it with that. I crossed my fingers, because I tend to dislike flavorings, but lo and behold, the keto version was also delicious. Hats off to you on developing such a great recipe!
Oooooh good to hear!! And yup, olive nations extract really is good!
i was a bit sceptical because the last recipes I tried (donuts/ churros) were a fail 🙁 But this one, THIS ONE, oh dear. I did swap banana for coffee, and my BF is asking me to make this every day xd Thanks a lot!!!
Elsa that’s wonderful to hear here! But I can probably help you diagnose the donuts/churros fail too (did they collapse? too eggy?). And if you left a comment about that fail in the past couple weeks, I’m sorry- I was away for health and I’m just getting back (to over 800 comments :-S!) xo!!
Unbelievably delicious! Totally worth buying a grinder to make all the dry ingredients as fine as possible. Another 5 star recipe from this blog… I’m in love!
Hi Paola
This banana bread is terrific and a great go to if I’m poorly. I’m now dairy free and lots of your recipes do have dairy free swap outs.
So can I swap out the Greek yoghurt for plain coconut yoghurt.
Thanks in anticipation
Daisy
Paola, thanks again for all of your work. Your recipes are simply the best!
So, I mentioned before that I experimented making banana nut spiced ice cream using this extract and your ice cream base. Well, I have another hack I’ve been enjoying so much: keto banana bread bread pudding!
Here’s how we do it: save the heels of the loaf, maybe 3/4 an inch on each end. Cube the heels, soak them in a couple tablespoons of melted butter. Then mix up an egg, about a half cup of heavy cream, a couple tablespoons of Erythritol, a dash of salt, a dash of cinnamon, a splash of bourbon. Pour that over the cubed, buttered banana bread heels. Let soak overnight at least (or best result was about a day and a half!) then pour into two buttered ramekins and add sugar free chocolate chips and some pecans and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Soooo delicious and even better with a little whipped cream or keto vanilla ice cream.
Thanks again and excuse my oversharing, but thought you might get a kick out of it!
xo
Kevin, thank you so much for sharing. The keto community is awesome 😀
It really is (and Kevin shares great insight throughout!)
p.s. I realized I didn’t answer (THANK YOU KEVIN!!!) 😉
Hi. This banana bread has become a staple. I always make sure I have a frozen one and a fresh one. One quick question. Can I/should use powder sugar? I never seem to be able to dissolve it fully into the eggs. Thank you!
Another excellent recipe. Just like banana bread made with wheat flour. Delicious!
This bread is AMAZING!! Thank you for all the work you put into your recipes!!
This is one of the few Keto+GF baked goods recipes that I’ve made that could be fed to anyone with no qualifiers about what it is/is not, but instead just shared as yummy bakery. Loved it! I used all of your suggested brands, used the blackstrap molasses, browned the butter, and used the 1 cup of Lakanto Golden as the sweetener. I did bake it in a Pyrex bread pan and I think that made it a little crustier than preferred, but that’s the only load pan I’ve got right now. Thank you for this recipe!
This recipe is BOMB! I don’t have any banana extract (would like to buy it in the future…apple too!). So, I thought I would try some different extracts and see how they would come out. I made two loaves. The first one maple cinnamon (with maple extract) and the second one with almond extract. They were both delicious!! I accidentally forgot the psyllium husk powder in the first loaf ( I was so mad at myself lol) It still came out great for not having it. When slicing it the day it was baked it was a bit crumbly while the other one was not. But the next day it firmed up quite nicely! YAY! I was even tempted to try this exact recipe without sweetener/extract to see if it would make a good bread loaf. 🙂 Thanks again, Paola!
Just baked this today and it’s sooo good. I added a couple of green cardamom pods while I browned the butter to flavor and it was really good…. thank you for this recipe- can’t wait to share the banana bread to work tomorrow…
Ooooh! Mimi cardamom banana bread is one of my absolute favorite!! ❤️
Another home run – thanks!
Second timer this week making this recipe…so delish. My daughter took 2 to work and now I am baking for a co worker….she wanted sugar free chocolate chips added. My daughter wants more but with peanut butter. All will be good. Paola, your recipes are my good to…made the quiche last week also.
So good to hear Janet!! And omg on the peanut butter… I just though of banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and a drizzle of caramel 😍!!
Love the taste and the texture!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipes!
My absolute pleasure Georgina!! Xo!!
Made these for the hubs….loved them. Did muffins…makes it so easy. Next time I will up the banana extract…used Watkins but not enough banana flavor….texture is terrific.
I have missed banana bread so much since going low-carb 20 years ago. I am so happy that I tried this. Other low-carb mock banana bread recipes have been a huge disappointment over the years. This did not disappoint! It was fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Ohhh how wonderful to hear you enjoyed Yolanda! Not gonna lie, this one surpassed my expectations by a mile 😂
I had been combing the internet for a good keto banana bread/muffin recipe. I had tried some others and was so disappointed. Then this recipe arrived in my inbox yesterday and I made this today. I’ve always been a home baker before keto, so it’s been an important personal challenge to find replacement recipes that are just as decadent and enjoyable as the traditional recipes. And this recipe is just the best hands down, the-density-texture and flavor is truly unbelievable. I can’t even imagine the time invested in formulating this recipe but thank you so very much.
Absolutely fabulous! As good as any banana bread – low carb or not – I’ve ever had.
Thank you, Paola! You are a genius. I always look forward to your new recipes.
I am so excited about this recipe! I love all of your recipes I have tried; your cauli mash is my current obsession. My daughter and I are doing keto together. She’s 22. It has been a tradition since 5th grade to make banana muffins before the first day of school. Now, our tradition will live on in a healthier lifestyle! Thank you!❤
Hello, I just love your recipes. When I click US cup, the page goes to the top of the webpage, you go back down the page, it goes back to the metric system. Can you help me? Thank you and take care…
Hi Laura! A few of you have complained since last week but we honestly cannot figure it out (including the plugin developer!). Could you help us out by providing us with your browser/device/or operating system?! Thanks so much! P
Whoops! Forgot to rate this recipe. 5 stars!