Paleo Banana Bread
This a healthy, allergy friendly take on classic banana bread uses blanched almond flour and tapioca or cassava flours.
This recipe is Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar Free and Paleo. You can make it Vegan by subbing eggs for flax or chia seed eggs.
All you need to get started is a loaf pan and 4 ripe bananas.
GRAIN-FREE QUICK BREAD
This recipe was developed for my clients who follow a gluten-free, lectin-free and anti-inflammatory diet. They know the foods that cause them allergies, and prefer baked goods made with blanched almond flour.
To make this recipe light and less dense, I used a combination of blanched almond flour with tapioca flour. Tapioca is the same as cassava flour. Both made from a tuber native to Central and South America.
I use Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour and Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour. You can find both flours in most grocery stores on the baking aisle.
Tapioca and cassava flour are traditional flours, having been produced in small batches for hundreds of years. They are not a modern, processed flour.
SUGAR FREE BANANA BREAD
I add no sugar to this bread. It is naturally sweet from the bananas. If you prefer a touch of sweet, add the following:
- 1/8 cup date sugar, maple crystals, coconut sugar raw cane sugar
- A pinch of stevia or 5 drops liquid vanilla stevia
- A tablespoon of monk fruit or other alternative plant-based sugar
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING WHEN I MAKE THIS RECIPE
“Amazing. We loved it and our son couldn’t tell he was having a healthy version of this classic treat. Can we have it again next week?” – Jennie, Huntington Beach, California
CUSTOMIZE YOUR QUICK BREAD INGREDIENTS
I keep this recipe simple when I bake it for my clients. I always like to make a base recipe before adding to it.
Try the recipe first and then decide what you want to add next time. I like the following combinations.
- 1 tsp cinnamon and/or nutmeg
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, sliced almonds or macadamia nuts
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup shredded coconut
HOW TO SWAP INGREDIENTS FOR WHAT YOU HAVE
- Sub blanched almond flour for another nut flour, coconut flour or nut flour mix
- Sub tapioca flour for cassava flour
- Sub eggs for a flax or chia egg to make paleo banana bread egg free
CHEF TIP FOR MAKING ALMOND FLOUR BANANA BREAD
Use clips or clothes pins to hold the parchment paper in place to make it easier when you add the batter to the bread pan.
To avoid over browning, cover the loaf with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes of cooking.
Do not oil or butter the parchment paper or loaf pan. The coconut oil in the recipe plus the use of parchment paper will prevent any sticking to the loaf pan.
Not all ovens are calibrated to the right temperature. If you feel like the temperature of your oven is off, increase the heat by 25 degrees and loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes of baking to prevent over browning.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, TRY THE FOLLOWING
- Grain-Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Carob Avocado Mousse
- Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Balls
- Shredded Coconut Balls Dipped in Dark Chocolate
Paleo Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This is a healthy Paleo banana bread using blanched almond flour and tapioca or cassava flour. Grain-Free, Gluten-Free and refined Sugar Free it is a great recipe for picky eaters and those with dietary restrictions.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe organic bananas, plus 1 for garnish
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanillas extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour / cassava flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
OPTIONAL
- 1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, sliced almonds or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a traditional loaf pan with parchment paper. Do not grease.
- In a large bowl, mash 4 bananas. Whisk in your wet ingredients, including eggs, vanilla extract and coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix your dry ingredients, including blanched almond flour, tapioca or cassava flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and optional add ins. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients till fully incorporated. Poor into loaf pan. Slice remaining banana in half and place seeds side up in the pan.
- Tent the bread with foil and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove foil after 30 minutes to let the bread lightly brown. The loaf is done baking when you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from the loaf pan.
Notes
- To avoid over browning, cover the loaf with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes of cooking.
- Do not oil or butter the parchment paper or loaf pan. The coconut oil in the recipe plus the use of parchment paper will prevent any sticking to the loaf pan.
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Hi! I’d love to try making this, but I have a nut sensitivity. Do you have a recommendation for a different flour such as coconut?
Hi Linda,
Try cassava flour. It is a great 1:1 ratio substitute. Hope that helps.
This is a REALLY YUMMY recipe. I added just a little bit of monkfruit sugar. Just a heads up, I tried putting the batter into a muffin tin instead of making a bread and I would say that it’s not ideal 🙂 I had to pull them out early because the outside was dangerously crisping but the inside was still a bit mushy. BUT they are still DELICIOUS.