Keto Banana Bread Recipe
Learn how to make a Keto Banana Bread Recipe that is moist and flavorful. This has the perfect secret ingredient to give you the banana flavor you know and love. Also, this easy low carb banana bread has only 3.7 net carbs per piece!
When I started eating on a low-carb diet, I was worried that I would never get to taste my scrumptious banana bread again. Or banana anything.
Great news! You don’t have to give up the sweet, yummy flavor of bananas after all. Yes, bananas still aren’t low carb, but with my special secret ingredient, you can enjoy all sorts of banana-flavored baked goods. Any guesses what it could be? Yep…good old-fashioned banana extract.
Now you can enjoy keto banana bread and everything else banana! I can’t tell you how happy some banana extract has made me. The first taste is pure heaven.
Are you a banana lover? Make sure to try my gluten free Keto Banana Cake and Keto Banana Pudding.
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese – Cream cheese works well in this to create a flavorful sweet bread.
- Butter – I use salted butter to balance the sweetness in baked goods. If you only have unsalted butter make sure to add a pinch of salt
- Sweetener – I use my blend of xylitol (or allulose), erythritol, and stevia.
- Eggs – Large eggs are the binder in this recipe. I have not tried egg substitutes.
- Almond Flour – Almond flour has a mild flavor and gives baked goods a great texture. I think almond meal could work in this as well.
- Coconut Flour – I use coconut flour along with almond flour to balance the natural oiliness of the almond.
- Baking Powder – Check the date to make sure it is fresh.
- Coconut or Almond Milk – Either carton coconut milk or almond milk work well in this recipe. Make sure to choose one without added sugar.
- Banana Extract – The secret ingredient in making keto friendly banana recipes. Add a little vanilla extract too to boost the flavor.
- Cinnamon – We like cinnamon in our banana bread but you can swap pumpkin spice, nutmeg, ginger, or a combo.
- Pecans – The pecans are optional, you can sub in another nut like chopped walnuts, go for chocolate chips instead, or leave out the mix-ins entirely.
See quantities in the recipe card.
How To Make Keto Banana Bread
1️⃣ Prep
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 9.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease it with some cooking spray.
2️⃣ Make the Batter
Using your stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, and sweetener until it’s smooth and creamy. Next, add in the flour, eggs, baking powder, banana extract, and cinnamon and mix until combined. Pour in the pecans and mix well.
👉 Tip: You can also use a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer.
3️⃣ Add the Batter to the Pan
Add the banana bread batter mixture to the loaf pan. It is thick.
4️⃣ Bake the Bread
Bake for 55-65 minutes until the center is firm. The edges should be a dark golden brown color.
5️⃣ Cool & Serve
Cool completely on a cooling rack, remove from pan and enjoy!
Storage
Low carb banana bread should always be allowed to cool to room temperature before storing it. Wrap the keto bread in plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil, then put it in a ziplock bag or airtight container. It keeps for a day or two at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
You can also freeze it. Wrap the loaf as a whole or cut it into individual slices. Use plastic wrap or aluminum foil to tightly wrap the bread. Place the pieces of bread in a freezer-safe bag. It will last around 2 months in the freezer.
Variations
- Chocolate Chips – you can add sugar free chocolate chips to this bread in addition to the pecans or in place of them.
- Walnuts – prefer walnuts to pecans? Go ahead and swap them out. You can even use macadamia nuts or sliced almonds. Love the banana peanut butter combo? Spread it on slices.
- Nut-Free – if you need this keto bread to be nut-free the best sub for almond flour is sunflower-seed flour. And then just leave out the pecans or replace them with chocolate chips or sugar free dried cranberries. Or try these Coconut Flour Banana Muffins.
- Dairy-Free – I have not tested this but I think subbing in coconut oil for the butter and coconut cream for the cream cheese would work. If you try this variation, please let me know how it turns out!
- Protein – For a higher protein recipe, try my Protein Banana Bread Recipe.
Try my Keto Zucchini Bread for another take on a healthy, quick bread!
Common Questions
Can I add a fresh banana?
That is completely up to you. I chose not to since overripe bananas are not a ketogenic diet food. If you want to add a mashed banana, I would recommend cutting back on some of the almond milk.
Is Banana Bread Keto?
Traditional banana bread is definitely not keto or suitable for a keto diet. Real banana bread typically has wheat flour, cane sugar, and plenty of mashed bananas. There are 51 grams of carbs in 1 cup of mashed bananas. None of those ingredients are keto friendly. That is why I take my favorite classic recipes and turn them into low carb recipes for both myself and my readers. I don’t like missing out on old favorites any more than you do.
How Can You Tell When Banana Bread Is Done?
This keto banana bread recipe will have a dark golden color along the edges when it’s done. Additionally, the center should be firm and not jiggle when you lightly shake the loaf pan.
One way you can check is by inserting a toothpick in the center. If you notice batter on it when you take it out, then it’s not done baking yet — Cook for a few more minutes.
You can also lightly take your finger and touch the top of the bread. If it sinks in or leaves an indent, it’s not done. If it bounces right back up, then it’s good to go.
The edges of the bread will pull away from the sides of the loaf pan too. These are all indicators that the banana bread is done.
Can I Make This Into Muffins?
Yes, absolutely! My Keto Banana Muffins use a very similar batter.
How to make keto banana bread muffins: You’ll need to follow the recipe, except use a muffin tin instead. You can use liners or grease the muffin pan. I prefer to use liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Start by baking them for 15-18 minutes then check to see if they are done. Bake longer as needed.
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Keto Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup carton coconut or almond milk
- 1 tbsp banana extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and grease well with cooking spray.
- Combine the cream cheese, butter, and sweetener in a stand mixer. Mix until smooth. Add the eggs, flours, baking powder, banana extract, almond milk, and cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Add the pecans and mix until they are evenly distributed in the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 55-65 min or until the center feels firm when lightly pressed and the edges are deep golden brown.
- Cool completely to make it easier to remove from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published December 19, 2019. Revised and Republished November 19, 2025.
Will it work to use a banana? I’m not concerned abt it not being kept. I have bananas to use up.
I think so but haven’t tested it. I’d suggest adding an extra egg to balance it out.
Both my husband and I LOVED this! I made a couple of minor adjustments. I didn’t have almond milk so I used 2 T heavy cream + 2 T water. I also use Ceylon cinnamon, which isn’t as strong as the stuff typically sold, so I used 1.5 t. Ceylon cinnamon.
I made this last night. About ½ way through, I checked the crust and decided to put a foil tent because I didn’t want the crust to burn. I also used walnuts instead of pecans, and put in 1¼ cup Swerve, and added a light dusting if powdered Swerve on top. Its tastes amazing, but every time I cut a slice it crumbles so it’s impossible to put butter on it, or even pick it up whole. What didbI do wrong? I’m relatively new to cooking and especially baking, so any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for all of your keto recipes, they make staying on track so much easier. 😀