Gluten Free Banana Bread Cookies (Vegan + Easy!)
These gluten free banana cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts, naturally vegan, and ready in under 30 minutes. They have crispy edges, a gooey center, and taste just like banana bread in cookie form.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup very well mashed ripe banana (about 1½ medium bananas)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted (or dairy-free butter for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten free all-purpose baking flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 recommended)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Mix-Ins
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
For Topping (optional but recommended)
- Flaky sea salt
- Extra crushed walnuts
- Extra chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the mashed banana, brown sugar, white sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add the gluten free flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl.
- Beat until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (if using) with a spatula.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1½ tablespoons) to portion the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing a few inches apart. Place only 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 11–14 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers look just slightly underdone. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than each cookie and swirl it around each one to create perfectly round edges.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- While still warm, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and press extra walnut pieces and chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegan option: Use dairy-free butter (such as Earth Balance or Miyoko's) and dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Flour substitute: Regular all-purpose flour can be used in place of gluten free flour in the same amount.
- Banana ripeness matters: Use spotty, very ripe bananas for the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Don't overbake: Centers should look slightly soft when you remove from the oven - they firm up as they cool.
- Storage: Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Do not use an airtight container - cookies may get mushy due to banana moisture.
- Freezing dough: Scoop into balls and freeze. Bake from frozen at 325°F for a few extra minutes.
- Freezing baked cookies: Cool completely, then freeze in a zip-lock bag. Reheat at 300°F for 5–8 minutes.