Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread is one of my favorite gluten free sourdough discard recipes. Not only does this recipe use up those ripe bananas taking over your counter, but it also helps clear out a jar of sourdough discard from the fridge. It's a frugal person's dream, really.
This banana bread is ultra-moist, tender, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon. The sourdough discard doesn’t add noticeable tang unless you’re using older discard (2+ weeks). Chopped pecans or walnuts are a classic addition, adding texture and nutrients.
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If you don't have a gluten-free sourdough starter yet, you'll first need to make one and can find out how with my guide: How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter.
Looking for more gluten free sourdough recipes?
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- Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe | Dutch Oven Method
- Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Crackers | Best Gluten Free Cracker Recipe
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies | Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza Crust - Best Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Gluten Free Sourdough Pie Crust - Sourdough Discard Recipes
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is the inactive portion of starter removed before each feeding. Instead of throwing it away, it’s stored in a jar in the fridge. At this point, the wild yeast and bacteria have already consumed their food (the flour and water), making the discard inactive.
Because it no longer has the same leavening power, sourdough discard is perfect for recipes that don’t rely on yeast to rise—think brownies, cookies, banana bread and other quick breads, crackers, and more.
What are the benefits of eating gluten free sourdough?
Sourdough is well known for its digestive benefits. While it does contain gut-friendly bacteria like lactobacillus, these probiotics are killed during baking, so they don’t provide probiotic absorption. That said, sourdough is still a fermented food. During fermentation, the wild yeast and bacteria help predigest the starches in the flour, which can make baked goods easier to digest and may help keep blood sugar levels more stable. For these reasons, sourdough is often considered gentler on the gut.
For those living with Celiac disease (like myself), we often rely heavily on rice-based products. Sourdough offers an opportunity to incorporate a wider variety of gluten-free grains, such as sorghum, millet, or buckwheat, adding both diversity and nutritional value to a gluten-free diet.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread:
- Gluten-free sourdough discard (the unfed starter, up to two weeks old)
- Overripe bananas
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag). I recommend avoiding GF flours that contain chickpea/garbanzo bean flour, lentil flour, or pea protein in sweet recipes.
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Pure vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Neutral oil, such as canola or coconut (melted)
- Salt
- Chopped pecans or walnuts, or additions such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc.
How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a muffin tin, mini loaf pan, or regular 9x5 loaf pan by greasing with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add in the GF sourdough discard, oil, eggs, vanilla, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until well-combined and smooth.
- Add in the GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix (it's okay if there's some flour streaks at this stage.)
- Fold in the chopped nuts, using a silicone spatula, until evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
- Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. (A great time for some kitchen clean-up!)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. For mini muffins or mini loaves; bake 20-30 minutes, and for a 9x5 loaf pan; bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy!
Equipment
To make gluten free sourdough banana bread, I recommend:
- A silicone muffin tin, mini loaf pan, or a 9x5 pan
- Wire cooling rack
- Don't want to make a starter from scratch? This Sourdough Starter Culture packet gives you a head start with a dehydrated gluten-free sourdough starter culture and directions to follow to maintain it for years to come. I love this website because there's also cheesemaking, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetable kits. (Use the code WONDERS15X on Cultures For Health's website to get 15% off!) The GF starter is also available for purchase on Amazon here.
How to Store Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread:
Store gluten free banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Tip: Line the container with paper towels to absorb excess moisture the banana bread will produce over time. Freshen the paper towels each day. This prevents muffins from getting soggy.
Notes
- For best results, let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking. This allows the starches to fully absorb the liquid, preventing any grittiness.
- If you don’t like or can’t have nuts, feel free to add chocolate chips or dried fruit instead. This banana bread is also delicious on its own. Once, I even made a cinnamon streusel to put on top.
Tried this Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread? Leave a 5-star rating below!
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Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread | Sourdough Discard Recipes
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Equipment
- mini loaf pan or muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups overripe bananas mashed
- ½ cup gluten-free sourdough discard (unfed starter, up to 2 weeks old) tested with a brown rice and sorghum flour discard
- ½ cup neutral oil such as canola or coconut
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum tested with Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 (the blue bag)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin tin, mini loaf pan, or a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray or butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add the wet ingredients along with the sugars, and whisk until smooth and well combined.1 ½ cups overripe bananas, ½ cup gluten-free sourdough discard (unfed starter, up to 2 weeks old), ½ cup neutral oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix. A few streaks of flour are okay.1 ¾ cups gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gently fold in the chopped nuts with a silicone spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. A great time for some kitchen clean-up!
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Mini muffins or mini loaves: Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.9×5 loaf pan: Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread or muffins cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm or at room temp.
Blair
I’ve made this twice. Once as a loaf and once as muffins. Both times it was great!
madison
So glad you enjoyed!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
MW
Delicious and easy. This is a perfect recipe for gf sourdough discard and over ripe bananas! Tasty. Light. I used grape seed oil and added some chocolate chips. Came out moist and flavorful!
Kaela
So good! Just started on the gf sourdough train and have been loving your recipes. This turned out great. I cut the sugar a bit just for personal preference and did half walnuts half chocolate chips. The bread came out fluffy and perfect.
Mel
This recipe is excellent. I followed it exactly except for using 1/2 cup avocado oil for the oil. It made 12 muffins and a tiny loaf. They were soft, fluffy, and delicious. This is not my usual description of store bought gluten free bakery items. This is my new go to recipe for over ripe bananas now.
madison
I'm so glad to hear it, Mel! Thanks so much for sharing!