Paleo Banana Bread
Posted Jan 04, 2018, Updated Jun 17, 2024
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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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
- Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
- Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
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 8×4” 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 9×5” pan but your loaf will be thinner. You will also need to decrease the baking time by 5 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Paleo Banana Bread Recipe FAQs
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.
Yes, you can double this recipe and bake it in two loaf pans.
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.
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Best Paleo Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large overripe bananas (1 cup, mashed)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup creamy almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×4” baking pan (you can use a 9×5” 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
- 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.
- Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
- Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
- Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you ever tried this recipe with peanut butter?
Hey Mckenzie! I have not tried it with peanut butter, however I imagine it would still be delicious! If you give it a whirl let me know how it turns out!
I halved the recipe and made 6 muffins. It was A M A Z I N G. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this yesterday and it was sooooo good! I think it’s the best Paleo banana bread I’ve tried. Thank you for the recipe! I need to find one like this that is nut free, so my son can eat it too!
Idk if I read they too fast but can you direct me to the nutrition facts per serving
I made this yesterday for Easter. I was a little nervous to serve my family a brand new recipe but this looked so good I couldn’t resist. I was not disappointed. This is sooooooooooo good. The best banana bread you will ever taste. My family today has been harassing me for the recipe. I am making it again today for my small
Group. Thanks for the recipe. It’s making me look good 🙂
While the recipe tasted good, it didn’t cook well at all. I followed the directions exactly and am not a novice baker, but I had to bake it an extra 20 minutes over the maximum cooking time. Finally when my knife came out clean, I ran a knife around the edges and gently shook it out of the pan with a platter under, and the top layer fell off and the rest completely stuck in the pan, and there were a few areas that were still a little undercooked. I had to scrape it out in chunks. :(. I definitely sprayed it and have never had anything stick in this pan before. It was such a bummer. The layer that I got out tasted yummy with some grass fed butter, and my husband was quite happy to eat the pan crumbles, but all in all, it didn’t turn out for me. Maybe I messed up an ingredient, I’m not sure. Oh well. At least it tasted pretty good!
Hey Jennifer! I am SO sorry this happened to you! It is always such a bummer when a recipe doesn’t turn out the way you hoped it would! I wish I could’ve been in your kitchen with you to know what happened! One piece of advice is to let it cool in the pan before you try to remove it. Most quick breads will crumble if you try to remove them when they’re warm! 🙂 If you didn’t make any substitutions then I really am unsure as to what went wrong! We make it all the time around here! One thing to note is that ovens can vary widely in their ability to bake evenly and hold an even temperature! I always use the convection baking setting on my electric oven!
Did you let it cool? I baked mine for 30 minutes and then cooled it for an hour. It baked the rest of the way in the cooling process.
WOW this looks so good! I absolutely love baking breads — not only do they taste amazing but there is something so relaxing about baking a bread to share with others. I love banana bread & zucchini bread!
Thank you Brie!! I totally agree! It’s so much easier to make than cookies since it’s done in a single batch!
Wow this looks soooo good! I love making breads because they taste so good homemade and there is something so relaxing about baking breads. I love banana bread & zucchini bread!
Those are my two favorite quick breads too! YUM!
With your super delicious baked goods, I think I would definitely not mind asking for some of this banana bread for dessert Laura; have you always liked to bake and cook?
Thank you Emily! 🙂 I have always enjoyed baking…but I didn’t start cooking until I got married! Then I just started following recipes until I learned enough to venture out and be more creative! 🙂
The texture for this looks unreal!! I love that your little one is in awe of it too. Yay for healthy baked goods <3
Most of the time my kids can tell (even if just a little bit) that something is healthified….but this time they had no idea! 🙂