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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I made this per the recipe and am enjoying it. I cut slices and toast them for about 10 minutes in the toaster oven till the surface gets a little crispy, then slather with some butter and enjoy. I might be tempted to add a little coconut sugar next time, but just from personal taste. I’ve made several of your recipes now, and they are all great!! I don’t usually buy cookbooks anymore, but I bought yours because I was so impressed with what I’ve made. Thanks!!!
You have the best paleo recipes I have found! This bread is delicious and I love that there was no sugar!
Best paleo banana bread recipe. I used to swear by civilized caveman’s recipe (which is fabulous!) but this is much more like the classic banana bread texture I remember. We added chia seeds, collagen powder and hemp seeds for extra fiber/fat and protein.
This was delicious! I did add two tablespoons of pure maple syrup but may try to roast the bananas next time for that extra bit of sweet and skip the maple. SO AMAZING! I have been missing baked goods so much.
We LOVE this banana bread! I’m about to make it for the 3rd time in three weeks π (We give most of it away ;). After reading the comments, I made sure to reduce the amount of banana so it didn’t turn out wet. I also added 2 TBS of maple syrup as my bananas were not super spotty. First time I cooked it 50 min and it tested done until I cut it and found a small undercooked band off center?!? I was short on tapioca so supplemented with a bit of arrowroot. It was perfect the second time with following tweaks: 2 + 5/6 largish bananas (Why doesn’t anyone just give a measurement of mashed banana? I’d rather waste some mashed banana than a whole recipe. Just me?), 2 TBS maple syrup, tapioca and some arrowroot to equal 1/2 cup, 1/2 C + chopped walnuts, cook for 60 minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe, Michele! You are a goddess and a wiz in the paleo kitchen! Banana nut muffins were always my favorite and now I get to enjoy a nutrient dense version π
i swear, i believe this is the BEST banana bread that i have ever tasted, let alone made on my own!!!! i don’t know how i’ll ever try another variation when this is perfection!
I love this recipe! I love it as written and I use it as a base for variations when I bake it every week. I enjoy having baked goods, but do much better eating grain free and without added sugar. I have used chai spices in place of the cinnamon, mixed part of the batter with cocoa powder to swirl, reduced a banana and added pineapple, coconut and pecans for a hummingbird bread…. So good!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Love this recipe! Between myself, my husband, and my daughter, a loaf of this bread barely lasts two days in my house! It’s so nutrient dense that we often have it for breakfast. I also sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on top before baking. π
this banana bread is so good and moist (i used 4 bananas)! Only reason for giving it 4 stars is because I felt it could have used a little sweetness. other than that it was delicious
Delicious! I love that there is no added sweetner. Turned out perfectly!