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The Best Paleo Banana Bread

The Best Paleo Banana Bread Recipe that only requires a handful of basic ingredients! This easy healthy banana bread recipe is so easy to make using your blender or a mixing bowl and turns out just like the real deal.

Paleo Banana Bread - grain-free healthy banana bread recipe that is dairy-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free.

Made with almond flour and pure maple syrup, this comforting banana bread is grain-free, oil-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free.

If you’ve been around my site a while, you know I have a ton of recipes for banana bread. Some classic, like my The BEST Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe, some flavored with different goodies like my Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread

It goes without saying that my love for banana bread runs deep.

This recipe for Paleo Banana Bread is a classic for anyone who eats grain-free or follows a paleo diet!

Just like traditional banana bread, it has a tender crumb and is exploding with banana flavor with warm hints of cinnamon.

It’s a tried and true reader favorite from October 2014, and has been made hundreds, if not thousands of times!

And for a good reason! It’s grain-free, dairy-free, oil-free, has AMAZING texture, is so moist and fluffy yet dense, loaded with natural sweetness and banana flavor. 

I’m willing to bet your friends and family won’t even realize it isn’t regular banana bread.

There is just nothing cozier than a big hunk of fresh-out-of-the-oven banana bread. And healthy banana bread that tastes like the real deal without a lot of added sugar and just the right amount of sweetness? Even better!

Two wooden plates of paleo banana bread

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this healthy banana bread recipe.

Ingredients for Paleo Banana Bread:

Almond Flour & Tapioca Flour: The combination of almond flour and tapioca flour yield a texture that is very similar to regular all-purpose flour. It holds together well, and is nice and light and fluffy!

If you don’t bake using tapioca starch, you can replace it with 1/3 cup of additional almond flour or arrowroot starch. I recommend using fine almond flour for the best texture.

Ripe Bananas: The all-star here! Overripe bananas bring the sweetness and moistness to the banana bread without needing oil! They do a marvelous job of generating rich, flavorful banana bread, and we hardly need to add any additional sweetener.

Be sure to measure the mashed banana (you’re looking for about 1.5 cups) for the best banana bread because bananas vary in size. I also recommend using regular ripe bananas at room temperature rather than thawing previously frozen banana for the best results.

Eggs: That element that helps fluff up the banana bread and hold everything together! If you can’t do eggs, check out my Chocolate Chip Paleo Vegan Banana Bread, which uses flax egg.

Pure Maple Syrup: We add just a touch of pure maple syrup to bring out more sweetness and richness, but not much is needed! If you go entirely sweetener-free, feel free to skip the pure maple syrup!

Note: if you replace the pure maple with honey, keep a very close eye on the bread while it bakes, because honey burns at a lower temperature than pure maple syrup, and your bread can turn out a little overdone.

Replace the pure maple syrup with coconut sugar or brown sugar if you’d like.

Baking Powder and Sea Salt: Baking powder helps leaven the bread and sea salt enhances the flavor and brings out the natural sweetness.

There are some folks who don’t love to bake with baking powder – if this is you, skip it and add an extra tablespoon of tapioca flour.

Optional Add Ins: Pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, chopped walnuts, chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks

While these ingredients aren’t mandatory, they definitely enhance the experience!

This recipe is made super quickly and easily using a blender. You can also fashion up the bread batter in a mixing bowl, but I find just tossing the ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth is the simplest way with minimal cleanup.

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe sliced into individual slices

Tip For The BEST Paleo Banana Bread:

The bananas. They make all the difference, since we’re using so many and they make up the majority of the volume of the bread.

The key to a stellar banana bread is using bananas that are so brown they’re practically fermenting. Overly-ripe bananas are real moist-makers.

How to Make Paleo Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.

Mash the bananas in a measuring cup to be sure they come out to about 1 1/2 cups when mashed. Adjust as needed.

Add all of the ingredients (including the mashed bananas) to a blender and blend until smooth. 

How to make paleo strawberry banana bread

Note: You can also prepare the banana bread batter in a large bowl by first mashing the banana until it’s nice and creamy.

Pour the banana bread batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the banana bread is firm on top, golden brown, and baked through.

Cassava flour banana bread batter in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper, ready to bake.

If the banana bread becomes too dark on top at any point, you can cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil.

Allow the bread to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve warm with almond butter, peanut butter, and fresh fruit for a delicious afternoon snack.

Loaf of paleo banana bread cut into slices on a wooden cutting board

Recipe Tips/Troubleshooting:

When I initially posted this recipe in 2014, I would periodically get a comment or email letting me know the banana bread turned out under-baked in the center.

This can happen for a number of reasons, so here are some tips to ensure your loaf turns out nice and fluffy (and baked all the way through!)

1.) Mash the bananas and measure them – Make sure your bananas are measured out to be 1 1/2 cups when mashed.

2.) Use finely ground almond flourBob’s Red Mill fine almond flour is my favorite, and is the only flour I have used to test the recipe. Other brands may be used, but other brands have different absorbencies, so you may need to make alterations to the amount of liquid if you go with a different brand.

3.) Line the loaf pan with parchment paper – I find my quick breads (regardless of the recipe) fall flat when I don’t line my loaf pan with parchment.

4.) Bake until the center of the bread rises up and feels firm when gently poked. Depending on the elevation at which you bake, you may need to adjust the bake time. You can test the internal temperature of the bread.

Quick breads are considered fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. Simply insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread to ensure it is fully baked.

5.) Don’t over-mix in your blender – If you feel more comfortable using mixing bowls for preparing batter, simply beat the wet ingredients (bananas, eggs, pure maple syrup, vanilla) together in a mixing bowl, then add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

That’s it! An easy banana bread recipe with great texture for a healthy breakfast or snack that the whole family can enjoy.

Store any leftovers in a zip lock plastic bag or airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

If you would like to make this recipe in a muffin pan, make my Paleo Banana Muffins, or bake fill a muffin tin with the batter and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Prefer using coconut flour over almond meal? Make my Coconut Flour Banana Bread!

The next time your sweet tooth is talking to you, whip up a batch of this grain-free banana bread!

If you love baking quick bread recipes, here are some of my favorite recipes for banana bread.

More Delicious Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipes:

Loaf of paleo banana bread cut into slices on a cutting board.

Paleo Banana Bread

Fluffy, moist and delicious Paleo Banana Bread made with almond flour and sweetened mostly with banana. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
1 loaf

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper. 
  • Pour banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan and use a spoon or spatula to spread the batter into an even layer.
  • Bake for 50 to 55 minutes on the center rack of the preheated oven, until the edges of the bread are golden-brown. Turn off the oven and allow bread to sit in the still-warm oven another 10 minutes. 
  • Allow bread to cool for 30 minutes before releasing it from the loaf pan and cutting into slices.
  • Cut thick slices of bread and enjoy!

Video

Notes

*You can also use hazelnut meal
**You can also use arrowroot flour or replace the tapioca flour with 1/3 cup additional almond flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 10Calories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 6gFat: 12gCholesterol: 38mgSugar: 9g
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free banana bread, gluten free banana bread recipes, grain free banana bread, healthy banana bread recipe, paleo banana bread, refined sugar free banana bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories: 192kcal
Author: Julia

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

Healthy Almond Flour Paleo Banana Bread made grain-free, dairy-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free
Recipe Rating




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sheila

Monday 22nd of November 2021

Hello sorry to bother you I really need to know what I can cook for thanksgiving I do have sibo ok let me tell you first what I'm planning on cooking first collard greens with cornbread I really hope I can eat the cornbread what I'm plan on putting in the bread is cornmeal baking soda salt eggs pure maple syrup and almond milk oh some olive oil and I do want a little mac and cheese not really sure just a little maybe lol maybe the pasta is not good for sibo or just a little won't hurt I really don't know and some bake chicken.Can I have any dessert like pumpkin muffin or any sorry for the long right up I really need your advice thank you so much God Bless!!!

Anamaria

Monday 25th of February 2019

Do you think I could add more almond flour in place of the tapioca flour?

Julia

Tuesday 26th of February 2019

Hi Anamaria - yes, absolutely! Hope you enjoy! xo

Megan

Friday 15th of February 2019

Thanks for your reply. I did line the pan with parchment, and I let the flax eggs sit. They don't seem to get super thick, though. I have Trader Joe's flaxmeal right now. Maybe it's not so good for egg substitute? I use Costco's Kirkland superfine almond flour.

Julia

Sunday 17th of February 2019

Hi Megan,

I would say the flax eggs were the culprit then. The flax eggs do need to be the consistency of actual eggs or the bread won't fully cook through or bind together well. I've never used Kirkland almond flour, but I imagine it would work similarly...it may not have presented a problem. I would give it another try with different flax seed and be sure the flax "eggs" are nice and goopy before using them. Let me know how it turns out!! xo

Megan Espenshade Vinande

Wednesday 30th of January 2019

I made this bread and got a tasty, flat loaf that was baked on the edges but partially raw in the center. I used 2 flax eggs (1 T flax to 3 T water per egg).

I'm wondering if I over-blended the ingredients. I have a high-powered Ninja blender that has a square jar. It was tough getting all the dry stuff out of the corners and blended well. Can the recipe be made with good results by mixing/whisking by hand in a bowl? Trying to troubleshoot my banana bread woes, I read if you overmix when hand-mixing you will get a flat, dense loaf.

I used 1 tsp baking powder as per the recipe, but I read another comment that said to use 1 T baking powder. Was the 1 T before the addition of the tapioca flour? Thanks for your help; I'm newer at this type of baking and don't yet know how to troubleshoot my mishaps very well.

Julia

Wednesday 30th of January 2019

Hi Megan!

Oh no, I'm sorry it didn't turn out well! I have a few questions - did you allow the flax eggs to set up all the way (did you let them sit and thicken for 10-15 minutes) before adding them to the blender? Did you line the loaf pan with parchment paper? And what type of almond flour did you use? Based on the answers, I may be able to troubleshoot what happened :D

Jess Pearson

Wednesday 28th of November 2018

I tried this recipe and also substituted a can of pumpkin for the bananas in another. Both came out like a very dense pumpkin pie filling instead of a bread. Any suggestions??

Julia

Wednesday 28th of November 2018

Hi Jess,

I would try using less pureed pumpkin. Instead of a full can, try 2/3 cup and see where that lands you. :D

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