Grain-Free Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread sweetened almost entirely with bananas. This easy, healthy, unique take on banana bread is prepared easily using your blender, and is sure to please the whole family.
Sometimes all you need in life is a moist, warm, perfectly textured loaf to really put things back into perspective. You know, bring your mind, body, and soul into divine homeostasis. Quench some cravings. Satisfy your hunger. Feed your need. Whet your whistle.
Enough of the loaf porn, let’s talk details.
This grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free carrot cake banana bread recipe is a cinch to make. You simply blend the banana bread base in a blender, fold in the carrot cake elements (carrots, raisins, shredded coconut, you catch my drift), and send it off into the ol’ oven for some baking.
A riff off my classic Paleo Banana Bread recipe, this loaf combines the comforting element of your much-coveted banana bread with the tasty features of carrot cake. The banana bread is sweetened mostly with bananas, yielding a lower-carb naturally sweet treat perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll love warming up a thick slice of this bread with some melted butter and a drizzle of almond butter and/or pure maple syrup. Each bite is super comforting, and the bread itself is very filling, making it ideal for tiding you over between meals.
The way I see it, is this carrot cake approach to banana bread can be your new overall approach to banana bread if you are so inclined. It’s a beautiful change-up from the ush and is an absolute crowd pleaser.
In addition, if you’re super into quickbread recipes, check out these other gems!
More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes:
- Paleo Cranberry Orange Banana Bread
- Paleo Maple Walnut Bread
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread with Chai Glaze
- Paleo Almond Fig Bread
- Grain-Free Almond Butter Banana Bread
- Paleo Morning Glory Quick Bread
Get your loaf on!
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If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9" x 5" Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas about 1.5 cups when mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp (45ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (8 oz) finely ground almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (5.6 oz) unsweetened shredded coconut plus more for sprinkling
- 1 large carrot grated (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts plus more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the first 8 ingredients (bananas through sea salt) to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Fold the remaining four ingredients into the batter (shredded coconut through walnuts) until well-combined
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut and walnuts if desired. Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil from the loaf pan and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the bread tests clean. A great way of testing whether or not quick bread is fully cooked is by inserting a digital thermometer in the center of the bread. If the thermometer reads 190 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the bread is cooked through.
- Allow bread to cool at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
OMG! It looks so tasty and I needed to pin it on my Pinterest Board ” Healthy Meets Tasty ” xoxo
This is some serious loaf porn! lol I’m all about carrot cake inspired food right now and this delicious loaf is calling my name. I love the idea of warming it and serving it with almond butter!
OMG! This bread is just warm out of the oven. Can you hear the moaning? It’s like eating “real bread” and it is scrumptious! My hubby will devour it with coffee. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. ❤️❤️❤️
I’m so happy to hear it, Geege! Thanks so much for the sweet note!! xo
Amazing! Just made this now and it tastes delicious!
Thank you for the inspiring recipe!
Hi Kirsty, I’m so happy you like it! It’s been one of my favorites lately. xo
I followed your recipe to a T (same ingredients, cooked 50 minutes then sat in oven for 10 minutes) but my muffins turned out gummy and almost raw-seeming. What did I do wrong? Did you pack the almond flour? I did not.
Hi Amy,
I didn’t pack the almond flour. What type of almond flour did you use?
Same here!! I could not get it to cook through even with more time =\ so good around the edges but middle is so dense and falling apart. Please help I want to try again
Hi Tarin,
Which brand of almond flour do you use? I recently discovered that different brands of almond flours have varying absorbencies. I use Bob’s Red Mill. Also, it could be the amount of banana being used if your bananas are quite large. When I make the recipe, my three bananas equate to about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups when mashed.
Hi there, may I know measurement of gram of almond flour in the cup?
I have been experimenting with almond flour muffin recipes and have found separating the egg yolks and egg whites and beating the egg whites until soft peaks then folding into the batter results in a lighter texture. Sometimes I add extra egg whites (2-3 whites to one yolk) and find the texture and taste is angel food cake-like. I am going to try the same experiment when I make this recipe.
That sounds awesome, Susan! Let me know how it turns out!
Do you let the loaf cool for the entire hour in the pan?
I do! You can pull it out before if you’d like, but I always leave it in. xo
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Is there another substitute for the almond flour? I’m running low and only have about one cup but I do have coconut, tapioca and whole wheat flour!
Ooh, I haven’t tested the recipe with any other flour combinations, so I can’t be sure. If it were me, I would use the 1 cup of almond flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour OR 1 cup tapioca flour. I really can’t be sure without trying it myself, but that’s where I would start…I hope it works out! xoxox
So Delicious! I was just about ready to give up on finding a clean eating/paleo recipe. But this one is so good. Thank you.
I’m thrilled to hear it, Margie! Enjoy!! xo
This loaf is delicious! So full of flavour and healthy too!
I’m so happy you like it, Debbie! Thanks for the sweet note! 😀 xoxo
Made this several times. My husband — who is not GF— calls it cake. 😊. While not at all like traditional banana bread, I’m thankful for this recipe that we ALL can enjoy. Thanks for putting it out here for us. BTW. I find I need to bake it 60 to 65 minutes. All ovens are different.
I’m so happy you and your husband like it! Isn’t it funny how it tastes like dessert? Bananas are magical in producing tons of sweetness without the need for a lot of added sugar. Thanks so much for the sweet note and your feedback! xoxo
This is the most amazing bread! Perfect for the time of year and absolutely guilt free. This will be on repeat for sure.
I’m so thrilled you like it, Dianne! it’s a classic in my household as well 😀 xoxo
This is hands down my favorite bread. I make it all the time. I love that it’s lower on added maple syrup/honey and lets the bananas shine. I actually have never added the carrots. 🙈. I didn’t have them the first time around and it was so good without that I just make it the same way. One day I’ll add them in. I do add dried cherries or cranberries sometimes. It the perfect r dessert! I toast it as a snack at night. Thank you!
I’m so happy you like it, Dianne! Dried cherries sounds divine! Thanks so much for the sweet note! xoxo
I just made this and its yummy…loving it. I used oats flour instead of almond and 1tbsp stevia instead of 3 tbsp maple syrup and still everything was just perfect. Thank you so much.
So happy you like it! Thanks so much for the feedback 😀
This bread is AH-MAZING! And I can’t get over how healthy it is too! Thank you for this recipe!!
Wahoo! It’s one of my favorites too 🙂 I’m so thrilled you like it, Lindsay! xoxo
I usually make your paleo banana bread which is also delicious but today I made this using flax egg (egg sensitivity). It taste like dessert and it’s quick and easy to make with ingredients I seem to always have on hand. I freeze brown bananas by taking the peel off and cutting in chunks and putting in ice cube trays. When they are frozen I remove and put in freezer safe bags. The flax eggs didn’t create any weird texture and the bread isn’t too dense. Thank you for the inspiration.
This is by far the best banana bread ever! I have made it at least 20 times and everybody who eats wants to finish the whole loaf. Well done and thank you for sharing xx
WAHOO! I LOVE hearing that! So happy you enjoy it, and thanks so much for the sweet words! xoxox 😀
Absolutely delicious just started gluten free, dairy free and first time baking this, it was a winner!
I didn’t have just almond flour just had to use a sub of almond/coconut flour blend and it turned out perfect. I used the same qty as the recipe.
Perfect with a cup of tea.
This is so helpful, thanks for sharing your substitution! I’m asked frequently about coconut flour substitutes so it’s good to know a blend works well 🙂 Glad you enjoy the bread! xo
I just baked this bread, and sadly it also didn’t bake through for me either. It’s dense and uncooked looking in the middle. I’ve put it back in the oven but it still doesn’t seem to cook in the centre and now I fear that it will loose it’s moisture. I used finely ground almond flour and followed the recipe. I think this is always going to be an issue/risk when using ‘cups’ instead of exact measurements when baking. Would it be possible to convert the measurements to metric (for us Europeans) or even imperial measurements instead of cups?
Hi Kim! I updated the recipe to hopefully help with the issue. It sounds to me like the bread didn’t bake long enough. Bake times can vary greatly depending on the oven so the best way of troubleshooting the exact bake time is to check the internal temperature of the bread using a thermometer. Nevertheless, I added the flour weight to the recipe and hopefully that will help as well 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
I live at 7,000 feet elevation, would you recommend altitude adjustments?
Hi Mandy! You may need to bake the bread longer, so I would cover the loaf pan in foil and bake the first 40 minutes with it covered. After the first 40 minutes you can remove the foil if you’d like and continue baking. This will just prevent the top of the bread from becoming too dark. Baked goods are fully cooked once they reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees F – use a meat thermometer to test the temperature of the center of the bread. Keep it baking until you get that result.