These Banana Bites are easy 5-ingredient moist, melt-in-your-mouth banana balls perfect for using one ripe banana. Plus, they are healthy and packed with proteins, refined sugar-free, oil-free, and gluten-free.
I love using bananas in my baking because it brings sweetness, delicate flavors, and a perfect texture, like in my 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes. This recipe is a great little snack, rich in protein and potassium.
While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!
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Banana Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Almond Flour - (note 1)
- ½ cup Mashed Banana - (note 2) about 1 medium banana
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Optional
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Sugar - (note 3)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup - to brush
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a mini-muffin pan with mini paper liners, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease them using cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- Mash banana and pack the mashed banana in a measuring cup to get 1/2 cup.
- In a mixing bowl, add mashed banana, coconut sugar (optional if you use an ultra-ripe banana), almond flour, cinnamon, and vanilla extract if desired.
- Divide the dough evenly into 12 portions, lightly oil your hands with low-flavor oil, roll each portion into a small ball, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the bites for 12-14 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until the edges are golden and dry.
- Let the bites cool down on the tray for 5 minutes, then gently transfer them to a cooling rack. I used a teaspoon to remove them gently from the muffin pan without breaking. They are still a bit soft and firm up as they cool down.
- Meanwhile prepare the cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, stir coconut sugar, and cinnamon.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the bites, then roll them in the bowl filled with cinnamon sugar. Repeat until all banana bites are coated.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
You only need 3 ingredients for the balls and 5 in total with the coating. Here’s how to pick them.
- Almond Flour – To form the base of the banana bites, providing a gluten‐free, protein-rich, and nutty foundation. You can also use almond meal (which will be a bit grainier and darker), or swap with cashew or sesame flour for a nut-free option. Avoid oat flour as it tends to make the bites hard and rocky.
- Mashed Banana – This acts as the natural sweetener and moist binder, giving the bites their melt-in-your-mouth texture. Measure carefully to ensure the right consistency. Any extra banana can be frozen for later use.
- Cinnamon – Form more warm flavors.
- Coconut Sugar – It’s optional in the dough but adds extra sweetness if your banana isn’t ultra-ripe. You can swap it with any granulated sweetener like raw cane sugar, brown sugar, or allulose if you’re aiming to cut calories further. I also use it in my cinnamon sugar to create a crunchy, flavorful coating that adds an extra layer of sweetness without refined sugars.
- Vanilla Extract – It’s optional but enhances the overall flavor profile. For a different twist, swap it with almond extract for a marzipan-like taste.
- Maple Syrup – Lightly brushed over the baked bites to help the cinnamon sugar adhere, adding some extra sweetness and a glossy finish.
How to Make Banana Bites
Making these bites is really easy, here’s how in pictures.
Mash the banana in a bowl and measure the amount needed precisely.
Add the other dough ingredients and stir the batter with a silicone spatula.
When the batter is consistent, preheat the oven and oil your hands.
Roll 12 small balls with your hands and place them in a mini muffin tin.
Bake the bites for 12-14 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C and let them cool down.
Make the cinnamon sugar, dip each ball into the maple syrup and in the cinnamon sugar to coat them.
Carine’s Baking Tips
Let me share a few more tips that will help you make the best banana bites.
- Measure Precisely: Pack the mashed banana into a measuring cup to ensure you’re using exactly ½ cup—this balances moisture without making the dough too wet.
- Achieve the Right Dough: When mixing the almond flour, mashed banana, cinnamon, and optional ingredients, if the dough is too wet, add a bit more almond flour; if too dry, add a splash more lemon juice or mashed banana.
- Cool Gently: Let the bites cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them carefully to a cooling rack—using a teaspoon can help if using a mini muffin pan.
- Flavor Variations: For extra flavor, fold in ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or chopped walnuts/pecans into the dough. Alternatively, skip the sugar in the dough if your banana is very sweet.
- Optional Extract Swap: You can swap the vanilla with almond extract for a delicious marzipan flavor.
- Enjoy Plain or Coated: The cinnamon sugar coating is optional and the bites are delicious on their own if you prefer a less sweet treat.
Can I use regular flour in this recipe? I am not gluten-free and typically use whole wheat pastry flour. Thank you!
Unfortunately no, almond flour has very different properties, it makes baked goods moist and soft. Flour will make the bites hard and dry.
Just made these and they are sooo good! I added walnuts and they were perfect! I was looking for what to do with ripe bananas and this was super easy and fast to make. I feel like I could eat the whole recipe they are so good
Thank you!
I am trusting your recipes more and more! You have the best desserts!
Thank you so much, it makes me extremely happy!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE
Banana Bites
Thank you!
I love the look of this recipe but just wondered if I can use frozen bananas because my freezer is full of them?
Many thanks
Frozen banana should word. But, I would first thaw them, squeeze them a little to remove the juice that come out from the freezing process. Then, mash and measure. You might need a little more oat flour to firm up the dough if the frozen bananas add more moisture than the fresh ones.
So good…unfortunately I at them all within two days.Do I regret it? Maybe. Will it happen again? Probably, but it’s a better alternative…Oh Oh add walnuts and pecans to them and it literally tastes like banana bread thats full of the gluten.
That’s amazing, and I think you did the right thing! Thanks for such a lovely feedback.
These are really good and love how there isn’t too much sugar in them. I only used a 1/4 cup of coconut sugar for the coating and still had some leftover.
That’s amazing! thank you for baking my recipes.
could we use standrd flour in this recipe
Not for this recipe, it will be hard and not moist. Try my banana donut hole for a bites recipe with flour and banana.
Can you add egg for extra binding and protein?
It bind without eggs, and I never bake with eggs, so I have no idea how you could add egg, without changing the texture too much.
Hello, can these be frozen? Thanks for the recipe
Not this recipe, but the batch is very small and store 4 days in the fridge.