This is the only Keto Banana Bread recipe you will ever need! Ground chia seed gives this bread the perfect texture with a fraction of the carbs. It has only 2.5g net carbs per slice!
It took me a while to perfect this Keto Banana Bread, but it was definitely worth the effort. After all, banana bread is very possibly the most comforting of baked goods. Who among us hasn’t had a grandmother or caring friend make us a tender loaf as a sign of their deepest affection?
And if you’re a mother, surely you’ve made numerous batches of banana bread for your own kids to let them know how much you love them.
Making this low carb version is definitely an act of love. All the more so because it won’t raise the blood sugar of you or your loved ones. Along with recipes like keto chocolate chip cookies and sugar free hot chocolate mix, baking up some Keto Banana Bread shows just how wonderful and caring you are.
Even if you plan to keep it all for yourself. After all, self-care is extremely important!
Why this recipe is so awesome
This recipe actually first debuted on my blog in May 2014. But I’ve recently updated it to make it easier and even lower in carbs. And I know you’re going to love it.
One of the things that makes this bread so special is that it really has a banana bread texture. But it contains no bananas at all! How is that possible, you ask?
The secret is ground chia seed. Chia seed swells up and and becomes a gel when mixed with water, and one day I realized that the consistency reminded me of mashed bananas. So I tried adding some to my keto banana bread.
Lo and behold, it added similar moisture and texture as real bananas. I was thrilled to pieces! Adding a little banana extract gave the bread just the right flavor too. And it has only 2.5g net carbs per slice.
Reader Reviews
“Made this yesterday and, WOW, I love it!! I followed the recipe exactly and am so happy with the flavor and texture, especially the outside has a bit of a sweeter taste and crust. Thanks, Carolyn!” — Karen L.
“By far the best tasting banana bread recipe that I’ve ever made! Know one believes it was made without real bananas!” — Susan M.
“I made this no banana keto banana bread today, and it’s so moist and delicious. I love the addition of ground and soaked chia seeds that produced the tell tale black flecks mimicking those left behind by bananas to it look perfectly authentic.” — Diane K.
Ingredients you need
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- Chia seed: You will want to grind the chia seeds before mixing it with water. I recommend doing this in a coffee grinder or small food processor, as large processors don’t catch the small seeds as easily.
- Keto flours: I use a combination of almond flour and coconut flour for the right consistency and structure.
- Sweetener: I love Swerve Brown in this recipe, because I think it works well with the banana bread flavors. But you could use other sweeteners as well. Do keep in mind that allulose may make the outside of the bread brown too quickly.
- Protein powder: The addition of a dry protein like whey protein powder helps keto baked goods rise properly and hold their shape. You can also use egg white protein powder.
- Banana flavor: I recommend a natural banana extract rather than an imitation flavoring.
- Chocolate chips: I love the addition of keto chocolate chips like ChocZero in my banana bread but you can also mix in chopped walnuts, shredded coconut or blueberries.
- Pantry staples: Baking powder, vanilla extract and salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the chia: Grind the chia seed in a coffee grinder or food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the water. Set aside.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, melted butter, chia seed mixture, banana extract, and vanilla extract, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the water to thin the mixture to a scoopable consistency. If it’s still very thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Transfer to a loaf pan: Stir in the chocolate chips, if using, saving a few for the top of the bread. Spread the batter in a grease 8×4 inch loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.
5. Bake the bread: Bake at 350ºF for 60 to 75 minutes or until golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch. Let cool in pan 20 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen. Continue to let it sit in the pan until cool, about 20 minutes more
Expert Tips
This is an easy, family friendly recipe, but here are a few added tips:
There really is no good substitute for the chia. You can omit it but you will need to add additional liquid to the batter and the texture of the bread won’t be the same.
Mix the ground chia and water first, and let it sit for a bit while you work on the other ingredients. When you’re ready to mix it in, it should be like a thick, gelatinous paste.
How much additional liquid you need depends on the chia gel, as well as other ingredients like the coconut flour. If the batter is overly thick, add water a little at a time until it has a scoopable consistency. It should not be pourable.
Brands of banana extract differ in strength. I like the Olive Nation brand and find 1 ½ teaspoons to be right for a good banana flavor. Some baking emulsions or artificial flavors may be stronger, so stick with about 1 teaspoon.
Sweetener options: You can use your preferred sweetener in this recipe but there are a few things to keep in mind. Allulose tends to brown very quickly and your bread may become very dark, particularly on the sides touching the pan. You could try using a silicone loaf pan.
BochaSweet would work well in this recipe. You could also use a mix of sweeteners, such as Swerve and some liquid stevia or monk fruit extract. That can help reduce the erythritol and minimize any aftertaste you may experience from either sweetener.
Frequently Asked Questions
While real bananas are not recommended on keto, you can still enjoy some treats and baked goods that have the same flavor. This keto banana bread recipe uses chia seed for texture and banana extract for flavor. And many readers swear you can’t tell it’s not the real thing.
Conventional banana bread recipes can have upwards of 40g per slice. But this keto banana bread has only 7g of carbs and 4.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.5g net carbs per slice.
This delicious bread freezes very well. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil . You can also leave it on the counter, covered or wrapped up, for 3 days. Refrigerate if you think it will be around longer.
Keto Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 8×4 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chia seed
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon banana extract (imitation would also be fine)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
Banana Bread:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan very well (you can also use 9×5 but your bread will bake faster). If your pan isn't very non-stick, you may want to line the pan with parchment, and grease the parchment.
- Grind the chia seed in a coffee grinder or food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, melted butter, chia seed mixture, banana extract, and vanilla extract, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the water to thin the mixture to a scoopable consistency. If it's still very thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, if using, saving a few for the top of the bread. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake 60 to 75 minutes or until golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch. Let cool in pan 20 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen. Continue to let it sit in the pan until cool, about 20 minutes more.
Amy Trosper says
So good. I didn’t have Carmel extract so I used a bit of almond and banana flavoring in the frosting. Served with keto chili. Big thumbs up from family. My son asked if it was one of my keto desserts and when I said yes he said it’s the best one yet. I don’t know. I’ve used so many of your recipes in the last 1.5 years and there’s so many good ones! I always come here for recipes. I know they will be good.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Amy!
Mirjana Milosavljevic Balevski says
Loved this recipe!! Kept tasting it until it had the right banana flavor. The kid said he liked the texture but not the flavor. Any suggestions on how to adapt this recipe if I wanted to use actual bananas instead? Most banana bread recipes use 3 bananas, maybe half or all 3. He’s not low carb. Everything else I love, the chia seeds definitely made the bread!!
Carolyn says
I am sure you can use 1 or 2 bananas and then cut back the liquids.
Sara-Jayne says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe!! My hubby has a sensitivity to almonds so I subbed out the almond flour for an additional 1/2 cup of coconut flour and added an extra egg. I also used maple extract in the frosting because I was out of caramel. It was amazing!! Hubby loved it, I loved it and my hardcore keto bestie loved it. A keeper for sure!
Nancy says
Hello…
What would be a good substitute for the whey protein powder?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Any protein powder would be fine (hemp or egg white protein). But it helps the bread rise and hold its shape so don’t leave it out altogether.
Michele Wunderlich says
Can chia seeds be ground in a Nutribullet or food processor? I don’t have a coffee grinder.
Carolyn says
Yes, but they don’t always get ground that finely.
Kris says
This was excellent! After cooling slightly, I wrapped my loaf while still a little warm. That pulled the moisture in and the next day I was really impressed with the texture and taste! It was good on day 1, but excellent on day 2. Next time I think I will add an extra tsp of banana extract. For the frosting, I actually put all the ingredients in a blender and then saved it to use as a “spread” for the banana bread the next day, (instead of only putting it on the top). Very good!
Annirefaire says
4 years after this post and I still love this recipe and so many more. Thank you Carolyn!
Patricia Clayborn says
Can I use gelatin instead of chia seeds???
Carolyn says
Noooo! It makes it really gummy and it’s gross. I tried.
Felicia says
The recipe is fantastic, the bread is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Patricia Clayborn says
I want to make this recipe, but am not sure if either of the banana flavorings that are available to me would make a good loaf. I can either use McCormick that I can get at Winco or Watkins which is avaiable at WalMart.
Kris says
I used Watkins and it turned out find. I am going to use a little more than the 1 tsp called for next time.
Penny Reveile says
So I made this recipe today. Looks like banana bread, but didn’t smell like it. BUT THE TASTE! Banana bread…I love you again! Now to try it with the frosting. Lol I admit, I couldn’t wait. Had to cut it while it was hot & slather with butter!
Carolyn says
Glad it satisfied!
Anne says
I love this recipe. I made it twice in about ten days. I want to make it again. I am out of chia seeds. Wgat do you think about psyllium husk powder to repkace it?
Carolyn says
I honestly don’t think it would be very good, they get very gummy.
Anne says
Haha youre right…i went out to get chia…i am addicted to this one.
Sheila says
Hi Carolyn, are the macros correct? The net carb count remains the same with or without the icing? I assumed the addition of cream cheese and shipping cream would add carbs.
Carolyn says
Yes, they’re correct. The icing isn’t enough to change it that much and these calculations were done on software that doesn’t do decimal points, so…
Christina says
I made this today. Minus the icing because it’s so good on it’s own! Who knew you could friggin have banana bread without bananas! Thank you for a great recipe. Turned out fantastic and I now have to try not to eat it all. In one day lol.
renee says
I notice you use Unflavored Whey Protein Powder in a few of your recipes.
Whey is known to spike insulin which makes it unfriendly for low-carb lifestyles.
Carolyn says
1. I use only 1/4 or 1/3 cup per recipe, simply to replace the protein from gluten and help the baked good rise. Spread over 12 to 16 servings, this amounts to very little in each serving so it is NOTHING to concern people.
2. You should read this article: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/69.full
3. You are free to use any protein powder you like, including egg white protein.
Sherri says
I saw this recipe and knew I had to make it. I couldn’t find Caramel Flavour anywhere so just used vanilla in place of it. I will probably order it online. My husband who won’t eat any of my healthy recipes (he can eat whatever he wants and never gain..hate him), told me I won’t have to worry about sharing because he knows by reading the ingredients he isn’t going to like it and he stated neither will the kids. Well so I made it and it came out exactly like the picture with one exception. My frosting didn’t smear as beautifully as yours did in the picture. Well as it sat there I took a piece and gobbled it up and I nearly fell on the floor. It was sooo good I felt like shoving the whole loaf in my mouth! My kids heard me moan how good it was and came running and wanted to try it and so I gave them a piece and they too were making the same sounds. So here comes my husband wanting to know what all the fuss was about. So he decided to try it. And to his surprise he loved it! He nearly took a bigger piece but I had to take some away because after all this was my cake!!!
Carolyn says
Oh my gosh, I love this. Love this! Thanks for sharing, I am so pleased we won everybody over!
Christy says
I know that it would change the texture a little, but what can I replace the chia seed flour with? I have almond flour, coconut flour, and physillium husk? I prefer to use all almond flour if I can. This cake looks awesome. Thanks for your dedication and hard work in helping people with yummy recipes. -Christy
Carolyn says
If you just want almond flour bread with some banana flavouring, use this recipe and don’t do almond extract or the almond on the outside. Add the banana extract instead. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/01/almond-crusted-butter-cake-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
Melissa says
Hi there! I’m getting currently getting my weekend baking goals in order, and as part of that, I plan on giving this recipe a try since my T1D hubby and I have absolutely loved all of the recipes that we’ve tried from your site so far. However, I haven’t made anything with that has called for unflavored whey so far for fear of dry baked goods. May I ask if you still prefer Tera’s unflavored whey? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Tera’s whey works well in my recipes. It’s a good one and I like to get the grassfed version.
Megan says
Was wondering if you thought Quest banana cream protein powder would work in this recipe instead of the plain whey powder?
Carolyn says
Sounds like a good idea to me!
Judy says
Have you tried freezing a unfrosted loaf? I love this recipe and have company coming and was wondering about cooking a few loaves up ahead Iof time for the freezer. What do you think?
Carolyn says
I am sure it would freeze well. I’ve frozen similar cakes and muffins.