This buckwheat banana bread has been a long time coming. I started writing the introduction to this post in winter and it is now almost summer. In my introduction, I mentioned I had tested the recipe 8 times already. The naivety! Many more than 8 tests later, I am thrilled to publish this buckwheat banana bread recipe.
A note, before we begin. Buckwheat has quite a specific taste that not everybody will enjoy. I get a few comments on my buckwheat recipes asking what the unusual flavour could be (it’s buckwheat lol). If you are new to buckwheat and not particularly open to an earthy flavoured baked good, I would recommend my gluten free sourdough banana bread or my gluten free dairy free banana bread.
Ok, let’s chat about this recipe specifically! It uses light buckwheat flour and tapioca flour for a base that retains that classic buckwheat flavour but with added elasticity and texture. Ripe mashed bananas are added to our flours along with eggs, yoghurt and oil. The banana bread is leavened with baking powder and flavoured with cinnamon powder. Sugar adds sweetness, flavour and browning.
This easy buckwheat banana bread is nut free, xanthan gum free and easily dairy free.
Why this recipe works
I want to chat briefly about the mechanics of the recipe so you understand how it works. Light buckwheat flour has quite a lot of elasticity compared to other gluten free flours. With that said, I still find it works best with some tapioca flour here. The combination provides elasticity and the hydration of the dough is calculated to factor both of their absorbencies in.
Buckwheat flour requires a lot of moisture to form a pliable yet sturdy and soft banana bread with a lofty crumb. As a result, we need to add quite a bit of moisture from the ripe banana, sugar, oil, eggs and yoghurt.
Of course, this means that the banana bread takes a long time to cook. We need to cook all that moisture out without the banana bread becoming too brown. This is why the banana bread uses baking powder instead of baking soda.
Baking soda creates browning in baked goods with an acidic ingredient like yoghurt. Because we have to cook this banana bread for a long time, it is already quite well browned. Using baking soda as the leavening agent would create a banana bread that is too browned/burnt.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Buckwheat flour is 100% gluten free and related to the rhubarb family. It is not related to wheat.
- I have only tested this recipe with light buckwheat flour at the time of publishing. I promise I will tested dark buckwheat flour but I need some more bananas to ripen.
- Sugar is a wet ingredient. You cannot substitute it or drop the sugar content back without altering the liquid content of the recipe.
- I don’t recommend coconut sugar as it contains less water than light brown sugar. Maple syrup is a liquid ingredient and will also throw off the liquid content of the recipe. I have only tested regular sugar and that’s all I can recommend here.
- If you need an egg free recipe, there is a gluten free egg free buckwheat banana bread in my buckwheat flour e-book.
- You can use any neutral oil and any yoghurt that you like. Keep in mind the allergens of the yoghurt if need be.
- I will say that I thought the version with dairy based yoghurt was a bit drier and finished cooking more quickly. I’d recommend checking that version at the 1 hour mark and then again every 10 minutes.
- The cinnamon is optional but I think it adds a nice warming flavour.
More gluten free buckwheat recipes
- Gluten free buckwheat wraps
- Gluten free buckwheat muffins
- Gluten free breakfast muffins
- Gluten free buckwheat pancakes from my buckwheat e-book
- Gluten free buckwheat sourdough bread
Buckwheat banana bread (gluten free)
Equipment
- 21.5 x 11.5cm (8.5 x 4.5 inch) loaf tin (mine is USA Pan)
Ingredients
- 200 g light buckwheat flour see notes
- 75 g tapioca flour/starch
- 175 g caster sugar
- 10 g baking powder not baking soda
- 5 g cinnamon powder
- Pinch of fine salt
- 350 g ripe banana, mashed (weighed after peeling)
- 40 g neutral oil (I used olive oil)
- 150 g coconut yoghurt I tested Coyo, Cocobella and regular (dairy based) plain Greek yoghurt (see notes)
- 2 extra large eggs
- Butter regular or dairy free for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Thoroughly grease an 21.5 x 11.5cm (8.5 x 4.5 inch) loaf tin with a small amount of butter (regular or dairy). Don’t be too generous or the bottom of the bread will be oily, but be sure to get in all the crevices of the pan.
- Rearrange the oven racks so you can place a piece of foil on the top rack above the banana bread to protect it from over-cooking. Place the bottom rack down the bottom of the oven so the bread has room to bake upwards.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Initially the mixture will be very stiff but will loosen slightly as the sugar dissolves. The consistency should be quite sticky and like a stiffer pancake batter or Greek yoghurt in thickness.
- When the batter is completely mixed and uniform in texture, use a silicon spatula to scrape/pour it into the prepared tin. Place the tin on a tray to protect the bottom of the bread and place the a medium/large piece of foil on the arranged top rack if you haven't already.
- Bake for anywhere from 1 hour to 1 hour 20-30 minutes. The bread using coconut yoghurt tends to take longer than the dairy based yoghurt, so check the loaf for doneness at the 1 hour mark. It should be baked through, golden all over and have a nice domed top.
- When the loaf is baked through, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before carefully running a knife around the edge and removing the loaf. Place it onto a wire rack to mostly cool.
- Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and eat within a few days for best texture. The banana bread can also be sliced and frozen and defrosted. Reheating in a steamy environment (microwave or oven with a small pot of water) can help restore the soft texture.
Notes
- Use ripe bananas with brown spotty skin for the best flavour here.
- For a low FODMAP buckwheat banana bread, use ripe sugar bananas and a lactose free yoghurt or coconut yoghurt without any inulin or high FODMAP ingredients. As of November 2026, ripe sugar bananas are low FODMAP in serves of up to 191g serves per person. This recipe uses 350g banana in total.
- I have only tested this recipe with light buckwheat flour. I intend to test a version with dark buckwheat flour when I can.
- Sugar is a wet ingredient and adjusting the sugar content of a recipe can have unintended results. I do not recommend using an alternative sugar like coconut sugar or allulose – neither of these have been tested. Maple syrup is a liquid ingredient and is not easily substituted here.
- I don’t have an egg free option but my buckwheat banana bread recipe in my buckwheat e-book is egg free.
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