Giada De Laurentiis' Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe Has A Nutty Twist

Banana bread was the single most searched-for recipe in the U.S. in April 2020, as Americans sought stress relief in this comfort food in the early weeks of the pandemic (via CNN). Now, banana bread is still going strong, thanks in part to a new twist on this old recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

The De Laurentiis Instagram account @thegiadzy posted her gluten-free banana bread recipe on February 21, although the recipe has been on her giadzy.com website for more than a year now. The recipe is one De Laurentiis developed for her new cookbook, Eat Better, Feel Better, which is scheduled to come out in March (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet).

The recipe is great for people who can't tolerate gluten, as De Laurentiis has substituted almond and rice flours for the standard wheat flour. "The blend of rice flour and almond flour, along with bananas and almond butter, work together to make a seriously perfect texture and crumb in this banana bread. If you didn't know any better, you'd probably never guess that it's totally gluten-free," De Laurenttis wrote in her introduction to the recipe on Giadzy.

Those with nut allergies won't touch this banana bread. In addition to almond butter and almond flour, the recipe calls for almond milk and chopped walnuts. The recipe is dairy-free, too, but it falls just short of vegan because it includes a single egg. You're not going to please everyone.

We haven't even mentioned what might be the best selling point of Giada De Laurentiis' gluten-free banana bread recipe. It's loaded with bittersweet chocolate chips. "You can omit the chocolate chips if you want, but to me, they're a non-negotiable addition!" De Laurentiis said on Giadzy.

While the chocolate chips may be the most popular ingredient in De Laurentiis' banana bread recipe, the hidden gem may be the almond flour. In addition to being a friend to those who see gluten as the enemy, almond flour is all-around healthier than plain-old wheat flour (via Healthline). Almond flour has significant amounts of protein, vitamin E, and minerals. With a lot of magnesium and fewer carbohydrates than wheat flour, almond flour is good for people with type 2 diabetes because it helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. For a lot of reasons, then, it's no wonder De Laurentiis included the recipe in an upcoming cookbook that will focus on healthy eating habits.