Amazing No Sugar Added Banana Bread Bars {Gluten Free, PCOS friendly}

No sugar added!

No sugar added banana bread- can it still taste good? Ah my friends, yes indeed! My version is also gluten free & easily dairy free. It contains NO added granulated sugar except for some sugar in the chocolate chips IF you choose to add those, but you can easily add no-sugar-added chocolate chips. See below.

This gluten free banana bread is sweetened only with bananas (and a few dark chocolate chips!). Most recipes available on the internet contain too much added sugar. However, I believe the bananas are sweet enough on their own! How do you make banana bread without added sugar? Just don’t add it! This no sugar added banana bread recipe is totally balanced. It’s not a sugar free recipe. Honestly, sugar free dessert always means sugar substitutes, some of which are detrimental for gut and metabolic health in the long run. Rather, this is a low sugar banana bread. It’s balanced with protein and fiber and a more moderate level of wholesome carbs. So it can be eaten as a dessert OR as a snack (or even as part of your breakfast!).

Give it a try! You may find that you enjoy the less sweet flavor and find yourself delighting in the banana & baked oat flavor. Kick those overly-sweetened recipes to the curb!

Gluten free dessert with no sugar added- perfect for PCOS & balanced blood sugar

My gluten free no sugar added banana bread is my go-to dessert recipe for PCOS and supporting blood sugar. The majority of women with PCOS have insulin resistance. Because of this, women with PCOS benefit from reducing added sugar and overall carb intake while keeping some wholesome, fiber-filled carbs. When we balance blood sugar, we balance our mood, energy levels, cravings, and hormones! And we finally allow our bodies to begin tapping into our body fat stores as fuel (we can’t do that while eating lots of carbs & with insulin resistance).

Oats provide quality carbs, meaning they are rich in fiber (which helps slow the rise in blood sugar, providing stable blood sugar) and many vitamins and minerals. They also provide amazing texture in combination with the almond which adds healthy fats and more fiber and nutrients. Sweetened only with bananas, you avoid blood sugar spikes that come from most desserts. And you reap the benefits of the added nutrients in bananas that come along with their natural sweetness. My PCOS-friendly banana bread is the perfect mildly sweet pick-me-up.

Dairy Free

This recipe is naturally dairy free (you can use dark chocolate chips!). Although not well concluded, some women with PCOS feel better when they remove dairy from their diet. Often this is the case with women with PCOS with acne issues. Dairy can cause inflammation and show up as skin issues for some women. The easiest way to test if you would benefit from going dairy free is to remove dairy for several weeks and note any changes in skin health, acne, or other symptoms.

The good news is that butter is still fine for most! If you want to get a nutritional boost, I recommend you use a good grass-fed butter like Kerrygold which provides CLA- conjugated linoleic acid which may help increase metabolism and body fat loss). In addition, coconut oil makes a great healthy replacement. Unrefined virgin coconut oil contains antioxidants & anti-inflammatory nutrients along with the medium chain fats that are very beneficial for metabolism.

Dark Chocolate Chips

Opt for a higher % cacao type of dark chocolate chip for a lower sugar option. Some brands like Nestle dark chocolate chips are about 55% cacao, whereas other brands like Ghirardelli have 72% cacao chips. As an easy substitute to dark chocolate chips, dark chocolate bars can be used since they are much easier to find at stores and have more options for higher % cacao. Simply break the bars into pieces as a swap for the chips.

For a sweet but no-sugar-added version, I like Lily’s stevia-sweetened dark chocolate baking chips. These do contain several grams of chicory root fiber as well as erythritol, which may aggravate a sensitive gut.

For an unsweetened chocolate taste, I love Trader Joe’s Organic Completely Cacao Chips. These are as “dark” as dark chocolate gets. Seriously, these are so good and healthy that I eat them as part of a snack. I don’t miss the sugar in these at all and love pairing them with nuts for a superfood trail mix.

Get creative with your own version of no sugar added banana bread

You can make this recipe with fun and tasty variations! I prefer the double flour combo as written. But you can make these bars solely with almond flour for a grain version. Add chopped nuts or a swirl of peanut butter added to the batter for an extra nutty twist. Or you can sub the bananas for 1 cup pumpkin puree + 3 Tbsp real maple syrup for a delicious twist & vitamin A immune boost!