These 2-ingredient Almond Flour Banana Cookies are easy, healthy vegan banana bread cookies perfect for using many ripe bananas. Bonus, these banana cookies are also gluten-free, paleo, and grain-free.
I have been making this almond flour cookie recipe for years! I used to add coconut oil and maple syrup to the recipe until I realized that I could simplify the recipe using just two ingredients. And you know I love 2-ingredient recipes like my 2-Ingredient Donuts, 2-Ingredient Fudge, or 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes.
The trick to making these cookies taste amazing without added sweetener is to use ultra-ripe bananas, the ugly ones, with dark black spots all over their skins. The ones I use in my Banana Protein Cookies. They deliver the best sweetness and moisture to the cookies.
I also found the recipe lighter without the coconut oil, that’s why I’ve rewritten it this year. The old recipe option is still available below if you’re a fan.
If you love my almond lemon cookies, you will love this banana version. They are a gluten-free variation of my banana bread cookies, with a heavenly moist texture that reminds me of banana-flavored marzipan.
Ingredients and Expert Tips
- Ripe Bananas – You don’t have to use overripe bananas for this recipe. But, if you want sweet banana cookies without added sweetener, use the ripest bananas you can find. I mean the ugly ones, with many black spots on their skins. My expert tip: If your bananas are yellow, add the optional maple syrup to add sweetness.
- Blanched Almond Flour – This refers to ultra-fine golden almond flour. It is a fine ground of skinned almonds and different from almond meal. Almond meal is made of ground raw almonds. It has a darker color, the meal is coarser, and even if it works in this cookie recipe, it adds a gritty texture to your cookies. It also changes the cookie color to a dark brown, so I don’t recommend this option in this soft banana nut cookies recipe. My tip is to scoop the almond flour from the bag in your measuring cup, then sweep the top to remove excess. This prevents adding too much almond flour, which makes the cookies too dry.
Optional Ingredients
A few years back, I wrote this recipe with some extra ingredients that I think are legit but unnecessary if you want to simplify or lighten the recipe.
- Maple Syrup – Or any plant-based liquid sweetener you love, like agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or date syrup. My tip is to add the sweetener only if your bananas are not sweet enough. Taste the raw cookie dough. It’s totally safe since it’s made from ground almonds, not flour. If you think it’s not sweet enough now, then add the sweetener.
- Coconut Oil – You can use refined coconut oil to avoid the coconut flavor from the oil. Other oils can be used, like canola oil, but this option makes super soft banana bread cookies. The goal of adding coconut oil is to crisp the sides and on the top of the cookies. It makes the cookies a little less soft and tastes more buttery. It’s totally optional, and the cookies hold their shape without.
Note that this gluten-free banana cookie recipe doesn’t need baking soda or baking powder. Gluten-free baked goods made of almond flour won’t rise, so the raising agents are useless.
How To Make Almond Flour Banana Cookies
- First, peel and mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher in a large mixing bowl. Mash until it forms a smooth puree with small lumps of bananas. Then, measure the mashed bananas precisely by packing the banana puree into measuring cups to measure the amount required by the recipe. Freeze the extra to make a pineapple banana smoothie.
- If you want to use the extra optional ingredients, stir them now. Fold in melted, cooled coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir to incorporate.
- Then, stir in the almond flour to form a thick banana almond cookie dough. If it’s too difficult to combine, use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough. Otherwise, you can make the dough in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Lightly oil your hands to roll 1 tablespoon of banana cookie dough between your hands. This is a grain-free paleo banana cookie dough. As a result, the dough is wet, sticky, and soft, and that’s normal!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with oiled parchment paper.
- Then, place each cookie dough ball onto the baking sheet, leaving 1 thumb space between each gluten-free banana cookie ball.
- Finally, press each cookie ball to flatten it into a 2-inch wide cookie (5cm).
- These cookies bake fast. Place the baking sheet in the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 13 to 16 minutes. You know they are ready when the outside is slightly golden brown.
- Cool the cookies for 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Then, slide a spatula under each cookie and transfer them onto a cooling rack. They will slightly get crispy on the border, but overall they are soft banana bread cookies.
Create A Range Of Flavors
These easy soft banana cookies are made of 2 ingredients, but you can boost their flavor by adding some optional add-ons.
My favorite add-ons are:
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
- Finely chopped walnuts or pecans – stir 1/3 cup into the cookie dough.
- Dark vegan chocolate chips – stir in 1/3 cup into the batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
These banana almond flour cookies are soft baked banana cookies with a light and fluffy texture.
They are soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a strong banana almond flavor similar to banana marzipan. It’s like eating a healthy vegan banana bread into cookie shape!
No, you can’t replace almond flour with coconut flour with the same ratio.
In fact, coconut flour is 4 times more liquid-absorbent, and you can’t swap one flour for the other.
This recipe only works with almond flour, and I don’t recommend other flours.
Storage Tips
Banana cookies must be stored in a cold place. You can refrigerate the cookies in a sealed box for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies 1 hour before eating at room temperature.
More Vegan Banana Cookies
I love to use my ripe bananas in vegan banana cookies. Below I listed my favorite healthy banana cookie recipes for you to try:
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Almond Flour Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Almond Flour - scoop, lightly packed, sweep (note 1)
- ¾ cup Mashed Banana - a bit less than 2 large peeled bananas (note 2)
Optional
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup - (note 3)
- 2 tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil - (note 4)
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly grease the paper with coconut oil to avoid the cookies to stick. Set aside.
- Peel, mash the bananas in a mixing bowl until it forms a smooth puree with small lumps of banana.
- Pack the mashed bananas in a measuring cup or weigh the amount required by the recipe, then return to the large mixing bowl.
- If you choose to add the optional ingredients, stir them now (note 5).
- Stir in the almond flour with a spatula at first. When it starts to be difficult to stir, knead the dough with your oiled hands until the dough is consistent. It should be wet, soft, dense, and sticky but easy to form balls.
- Wash and dry your hands, and lightly oil them with coconut oil. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough between your hands to form a ball.
- Place each cookie dough ball onto the baking sheet covered with parchment paper, leaving one thumb of space between the balls.
- Slightly oil your finger again and flatten the cookie.
- Repeat until all cookies are formed. The recipe makes 16 cookies. They won't expand in the oven, but you flatten the ball, and you don't want the cookies to touch each other.
- Bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until slightly golden brown on the edges and bottom.
- Let them cool down on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. The cookies are soft banana cookies and won't firm up much.
I really liked these! Mine were very small but the outside had a harder texture than the inside which was like a soft nougat. I added mini chocolate chips to half and I enjoyed both. Perfect texture, excellent taste, and super easy to make!
Ma famille a adoré ça !
Merci !
These were delicious! I added vanilla, cinnamon, 3 T monk fruit / allulose blend, and a pinch of cloves and nutmeg.
Thank you!!! Great tweak, I’ll have to try!
How do you make the cashew caramel? I don’t see a recipe for it.
I stir 1/2 cup cashew butter with 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and a teaspoon vanilla extract
Fun recipe with a lot of variations that can be applied. I loved the way they turned out- I did add the 2T of coconut oil- crisp on the outside soft in the center.
Thank you!! <3
This recipe is not just easy but very delectable. And not to forget healthy too. Thanks @Carine for this recipe !
Thank you!!!
What brand and where I can get blanched almond flour ?
There’s a good one at Costo, but you can find many options at Whole Foods Market.
These are fabulous. What a great way to use over rip bananas. I did add the maple syrup, Vietnamese cinnamon and coconut options, as well as vanilla. I also added a small pinch of sea salt. I had not added more flour so they took extra time in the oven. Everyone in my family loved them! Soft warm texture and lovely banana flavor not expected in a cookie. Thank you for the recipe and I will make these regularly!
Good morning,
I am going to make these this weekend.
I can’t wait. Thank you
Just made these with the inclusion of maple syrup, cinnamon and some sugar free choc chips and I’m amazed at how yummy and banana’ish they are!! These will be a staple in our home for sure!!!