Paleo Banana Bread

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This is the best Paleo Banana Bread recipe! It’s easy to make, moist with a beautiful crumb and tastes like it’s from a bakery but it’s grain-free & dairy-free, with no refined sugar.

a loaf of paleo banana bread with 4 slices cut out of it

Banana bread is always in season!  And this bakery-quality paleo banana bread recipe is the best you’ll ever try!

It truly is the best grain-free banana bread I have ever eaten. Here are a few reasons why I love this recipe, and you will too:

  • It’s so moist with a beautiful crumb.
  • The ingredient list is short, and consists of items you probably always have on hand (including overripe bananas – which, let’s face it, we all usually have sitting on our counter or in our freezer)!
  • It’s a healthy and nutritious treat that doesn’t taste like it – it’s truly decadent and delicious.
a loaf of paleo banana bread with 4 slices cut out of it

Paleo Banana Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions 

Here are a few potential substitutions that can be made in this recipe. I do not recommend altering the amount or type of flour at all. Paleo baking is truly a science, and the ratios & kinds of flours used in this recipe were carefully tested and chosen.

overhead photo of the ingredients in this Paleo Banana Bread recipe
  • Coconut oil. Grass-fed butter or ghee are good substitutes.
  • Almond butter.  Cashew butter is the best substitution, but any nut or seed butter can be used in this recipe.
  • Maple Syrup. Honey is a great substitute.
  • Mix-ins. These are optional but recommended. You can use baking chips, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, etc.

Paleo Chocolate Chips & Bars

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which chocolate chips are Paleo, so here are some of my favorite healthier chocolate options.

front view of a loaf of Paleo Banana Bread with two slices cut out of it

How to Make Paleo Banana Bread

Let’s walk through how to make paleo banana bread step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video for additional guidance.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, line an 8×4โ€ loaf pan with parchment paper and grease. Set aside.

Note on pan size

I prefer an 8×4″ loaf pan, however, you can use a 9×5โ€ pan but your loaf will be thinner. You will also need to decrease the baking time by 5 minutes.

an 8x4" loaf pan lined with parchment paper and greased

Then, combine coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside.

Then, in a large, glass mixing bowl melt together coconut oil and almond butter (for about 1 minute on high), stir until combined.

Next add the mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla extract stir until combined. I like to add these ingredients before the egg to make sure the mixture is cool and the egg doesn’t get cooked when added!

Then, stir in the egg until the mixture is smooth.

Next, add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until completely combined. Let it sit for 2-5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Once the paleo banana bread batter has thickened, stir in your desired mix ins ( we always choose chocolate chips). Here are some suggestions:

  • Chocolate Chips (milk, dark, light, etc.)
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans
  • Cinnamon chips
  • White chocolate chips
  • Blueberries
  • Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.)
  • Swirl of peanut butter or Nutella 
  • Unsweetened coconut

Then, evenly spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the paleo banana bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before gently removing the loaf from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting and serving.

a loaf of Paleo Banana Bread on a wire cooling rack

Serve

Serve this bread warm with a slather of grass-fed butter (or cinnamon honey butter), almond butter (homemade vanilla almond butter), or peanut butter.

a loaf of Paleo Banana Bread with two slices cut out of it

Store

Store this paleo banana bread recipe in an airtight container or plastic bag to ensure it does not dry out. If you plan on eating the entire loaf in a day or two, you can store it at room temperature. If it will take longer, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator. 

a slice of chocolate chip Paleo Banana Bread with butter spread on top

Freeze

This paleo banana bread freezes very well. I recommend freezing it in slices in an airtight container. That way you can pull out a slice at a time to enjoy.

front view of a slice of Paleo Banana Bread with butter on top and a bite taken out of it

Paleo Banana Bread Recipe FAQs

Are my bananas ripe enough to make banana bread?ย 

Make sure you use overripe, brown bananas. They have the best flavor, maximum sweetness, and are the easiest to mash! They should be very dark brown or almost black and soft to the touch.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can double this recipe and bake it in two loaf pans.

Can I turn this into muffins?

Yes, fill the wells of a standard muffin tin with 1/4 cup of batter and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

overhead view of 4 slices of Paleo Banana Bread cut out of the loaf

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Best Paleo Banana Bread Recipe

Laura
This is the best Paleo Banana Bread recipe you will ever try! It's easy to make, moist with a beautiful crumb and tastes like it's from a bakery but it's grain-free & dairy-free, with no refined sugar.
4.97 from 85 votes
Course bread, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 10 slices
Calories 205.1
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×4โ€ baking pan (you can use a 9×5โ€ pan but your loaf will be thinner and baking time will be less) with parchment paper and grease. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl combine coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a large, glass mixing bowl melt together coconut oil and almond butter (for about 1 minute on high), stir until combined.
  • Add mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla extract stir until combined.
  • Stir in egg.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until completely combined. Let it sit for 2-5 minutes to thicken slightly.
  • Gently mix in chocolate chips.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before gently removing the loaf from the pan to a wire rack to cool.
  • Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Notes
  • Coconut oil.ย Grass-fed butter or ghee are good substitutes.
  • Almond butter.ย  Cashew butter is the best substitution, but any nut or seed butter can be used in this recipe.
  • Maple Syrup.ย Honey is a great substitute.
  • Mix-ins. These are optional but recommended. You can use baking chips, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, etc.
Paleo Chocolate Chips & Bars
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which chocolate chips are Paleo, so here are some of my favorite healthier chocolate options.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 205.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.3g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 37.2mg | Sodium: 143.7mg | Potassium: 99.7mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 11.1g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

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4.97 from 85 votes (39 ratings without comment)

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131 Comments

  1. Would you mind sharing if you used the 8×4 inch or the 9×5 inch loaf pan for the banana bread shown in the photos?

  2. 5 stars
    Just made these. The taste is very good! But I had same issue with mine being too moist in the center. I actually made muffins thinking this would help prevent the problem but it didnโ€™t. They were dark brown on top borderline burning so I couldnโ€™t bake them any longer.

    But otherwise the recipe was great! Hoping I can figure out how to make them less moist. Maybe more coconut flour?

    1. Itโ€™s possible your oven bakes warmer? Are you using convection, if so, decrease the temperature by 25 degrees F. Maybe you have large bananas? If you increase the coconut flour Iโ€™d only do it by 1-2 TBS.

  3. 5 stars
    This truly is the best paleo banana bread recipe. It was delicious and I have found many recipes online do not live up to what they claim. This one did. I doubled the recipe because I had so many frozen bananas and it worked out beautifully. Highly recommend this recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    We love this recipe! This banana bread is moist, filling, and something I feel good about my teens snacking on!

    I doubled the recipe and used 3/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour as I find it a little too dense with a 50/50 ratio of the two flours.

    Thanks for sharing this gem!

  5. 5 stars
    We have made this recipe at least 3x in the last week. We used cassava flour instead of coconut because thatโ€™s what we have in hand. My only complaint is each of the 3x weโ€™ve made this, itโ€™s very wet seemingโ€ฆ almost like bread pudding or possibly undercooked (my toothpick comes out clean). Perhaps this could be because Iโ€™m not using coconut flour? Or Is this the way it should be? Because of this, we store it in the fridge and itโ€™s otherwise fantastic!
    Also, the second and third time, I used my own homemade walnut butter.
    I added walnuts to a loaf, fresh blueberries to another, and fresh raspberries to another. Yum!

    1. Coconut flour is extra absorbent, so if you are substituting cassava, I feel pretty certain that you would need to increased the amount of the flour.

  6. 5 stars
    Unbelievable no sugar, used Rice chocolate chips and moist and yummy couldnโ€™t use almond flour or almond butter as my mother in law is allergic

  7. 5 stars
    I have been making this recipe often for years. Itโ€™s my go to baked good for my family and they love it. I have a 6 and 3 year old and one on the way. I have made a few changes here and there depending on what I have. I sub the almond flour for chestnut or tiger nut sometimes and Iโ€™ve done a few other flours. It always turns out great. The chestnut flour is really nice. I also use pb most of the time since itโ€™s cheaper. Lately Iโ€™ve been adding 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds for an extra nutritional boost.
    This recipe is moist and delicious as long as you donโ€™t over cook it. I usually make muffins and the second they start to show some browning on top I pull them out.

    Fantastic recipe!