This deliciously hearty yet soft and moist Paleo banana bread is made with no grains, dairy, and no added sugar. Β It’s gluten free, Paleo, sweetened only with bananas and perfect for breakfast or a snack with your favorite spread. Β Kid approved and easy to make!
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So…it’s not the first time I’ve posted a banana bread recipe on this site, that’s for sure. Β There’s the nut-free banana blueberry breakfast bread, almond butter chocolate chunk banana bread and cassava flour banana bread, to list just three. Β BUT, for whatever reason I always just assumed that to make banana bread truly what I wanted it to be, I had to add some sort of sweetener. Β The bananas couldn’t be enough, could they?
Well, as it turns out, banana-only sweetened banana bread can be just as delicious as any bread with added sweetener. Β My kids actually had no idea I did anything different with this bread and the two loaves I made were gone within a couple of days.
As usual, I had a few goals/rules in mind when approaching this bread. Β First, no added sweetener besides the bananas. Β Told you that one already, I know π Β Second, no nut butters. Β I LOVE nut butter and bananas together, and nut butters works really well in paleo breads, doing the job of eggs, oil, and even leavening in my opinion.
But, sometimes we need to let our nut butters rest, because let’s face it – using 1/2 or 3/4 cup of our precious (and pricy) nut butter on a banana bread isn’t always desirable. Β Almond flour is pricy enough, adding nut butters on and the loaf starts to seem…not worth it, perhaps.
With this recipe the ingredients are simple – way overripe bananas (the softer/browner the better for this one), coconut oil (refined or unrefined) a grain free flour mixture of almond and tapioca, cinnamon, salt, leavening agent. Β To get a bit of a better rise on this bread, I used a homemade paleo baking powder made of baking soda and cream of tartar, however feel free to use regular baking powder if you aren’t concerned with keeping this paleo in the strictest sense.
On the topic of rise, make sure you don’t make this bread (or any other quick bread) in a blender or with an electric mixer. Simply stir the dry ingredients into the wet until you get a lumpy batter with no flour spots – no need to try to make it smooth – in fact doing so will ensure you get a flat bread. Β The bread will have great texture and rise to it if you’re nice and lazy with your mixing π
I went totally “naked” with this bread with just the addition of a bit of cinnamon for flavor, but feel free to add any of your favorite mix-ins, including chopped nuts, chocolate chips, blueberries, cranberries, or anything else you can think of. Β It’s a great basic paleo banana bread recipes that’s quite forgiving, versatile, and always delicious!
It’s perfect toasted with a little butter or nut butter (oops, nut butter again) and good totally plain, too. Β I recommend storing it loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, and covered in the refrigerator after that. Β You can also freeze the loaf and defrost in the refrigerator once reader to eat.
I hope you guys are ready to bake something super easy, tasty and satisfying! Β Preheat your oven and peel your bananas! Β Let’s go!
Hearty Paleo Banana Bread {Banana Sweetened}
Hearty Paleo Banana Bread {Sweetened with Bananas Only!}
Ingredients
- 4 small/med very overripe bananas or 3 larger ones, mashed well
- 4 large eggs room temp
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled to almost room temp
- 1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder or make your own paleo baking powder*
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
Instructions
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Whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a medium loaf pan with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and mashed bananas, then vanilla and coconut oil until well combined.
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Slowly stir the dry mixture into the wet (donβt use an electric mixer - you will overmix the batter and prevent it from rising properly) just until moistened and no visible flour remains.
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Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the loaf pan resting on a wire rack, then remove using the parchment paper to help you, slice and serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
*To make paleo-friendly (corn free) baking powder, mix 1 tsp baking soda with 2 tsp cream of tartarfollow. For this recipe, you will need just 1/2 tsp total of this mixture.
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Paleo Banana Bread:
Want more delicious Paleo quick breads? Β Try One of These!
Banana Blueberry Breakfast Bread {Nut Free}
Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Hearty Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Bread
Simple Pumpkin Breakfast Bread
Double Chocolate Tahini Banana Muffins
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What a great recipe! I subed casava flour for coconut since it was on hand and didnt have vanilla extract so used almond. The texturr ans consistancy was everything i love about bannana brrad without being so yicky sweet. And i feel so good adding this to our breakfast menu. I had two bags of overripe bananas languishing in my freezer, taking up valuable realestate. I had not commited to a recipe to use them until this one. I had basically all yhe ingrediants and was intrigued by your flour blend. I made two loaves one night and had easy slice and toast breakfast that my kids liked off their plates….thank you!
This recipe is perfect. Really. I thought I lost it this morning and I panicked lol! But I found it again and I’m off to make the most delicious banana bread. I’ll have to hide it from my hubby this time π He ate half the loaf the first day! π€¦ββοΈ
I’ve never reviewed a blog recipe in my life but this is the best gluten free banana bread I’ve found – it comes out perfect every time and I can’t believe it’s got no added sugar! Divine with almond butter. I make mine with cassava flour instead of tapoica and it works just fine. I’m on a medically restricted diet and this is such a regular treat. 10/10!
This has become a go to recipe for me. I love a treat for breakfast but I try to avoid added sugar. The banana gives this just the right amount of sweetness and goes so well with the almond. What I canβt get over is how light abs fluffy it is!!! This recipe is such a winner!
This is my go to banana bread recipe! Itβs so good and rises better than any other gluten free bread that Iβve made. Highly recommend!! Super easy to make, too.
Excellent gluten free banana bread recipe. I added 1/4 cup of toasted sugar (sorry), and only used 3 bananas the second time I made it and it’s even better than regular banana bread. You can’t tell it’s gluten free.
It turned out 100% so THANK you fir sharing recipe
I have made quite a few different paleo/gluten free banana breads over the past few years and most are more dense than this version. This is closest in texture and taste to traditional banana bread from a bakery or pastry shop, minus being so sweet. I love this version and am so pleased with how it came out, although I was skeptical it would have enough sweetness without any added sugars. Definitely making again!
I already made it again and I have NEVER made the same banana bread recipe two times in a row….so that says a lot! I typically warm a slice and top with nut butter and more bananas or other fruit, in case anyone is wondering π
This is the best banana bread I have EVER had.
Made… used banana flavoring in place of Vanilla and Applesauce in place of coconut oil. Very good texture, really good taste and applesauce made it alittle sweeter naturally and I added walnuts