Coconut Flour Banana Bread – No Sugar added, Paleo Option

This amazing Coconut Flour Banana Bread Recipe is gluten free and only sweetened with bananas (no added sugar). This banana loaf can also be made paleo and tree nut free.

I’ve been promising you a recipe for banana bread made with coconut flour ever since I posted this coconut flour bread recipe. That’s been over a year now – so it was high time for the banana bread version!

But I had kind of forgotten about it, until I was visiting my mom in Canada recently and saw they were selling bags of overripe bananas for baking in the supermarket. I thought those would be perfect for banana bread which brought me back to my old promise.

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To be honest, I expected it would take several rounds of recipe testing to get this banana bread recipe just right. Because that is what happening with the original coconut flour bread.

But to my happy surprise, it came out perfect on the first try! Of course I tested the healthy banana bread recipe again just to make sure that wasn’t beginner’s luck and then I made it another time for photos and to shoot a quick video for you (see below).

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Can you use coconut flour for banana bread

For the longest time I thought coconut flour could only be used to make small baked treats like cookies and muffins. When I first started using coconut flour, everyone said it makes dry and crumbly baked goods.

So I found a way to use it for soft and moist recipes. So moist in fact, that I didn’t think they could hold up in larger things like cakes or quick breads.

But like I already mentioned, once I figured out how to make sandwich bread with coconut flour, I knew banana bread was possible too.

The 2 ingredients that I use in this no sugar banana bread (and not in muffins or cookies) are flax meal and peanut butter. Both of these help to give structure while still allowing for a moist texture.

Tips for making this easy banana bread recipe

• Use super ripe bananas! Because this is a healthy banana bread with no sugar added (not even unrefined sugar or syrup) you want to get as much natural sweetness from ripe bananas as possible. Bananas with lots of brown spots are a really good thing for this recipe.
• Use just one bowl for everything! For this simple healthy banana bread recipe there is no need to mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls first.
  Use an extra large bowl and start with mashing the bananas. Then stir in the wet ingredients and finally the dry ones in the end.
• Be sure to use a deep loaf pan. A regular 8×4 or 9×5-inch size works well, but it should also be 3-4 inches deep to be able to hold the batter with room to rise during baking.
• Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. It’s easiest to use 2 strips – one that covers the width and another long and thin strip to cover the length of the pan.

How to make this recipe paleo/tree nut free

Paleo:

To make paleo banana bread simply use another nut butter that isn’t peanut butter. Almond butter works great in this recipe.

Tree Nut Free:

If you are using coconut flour because you need gluten free and nut free recipes, then you still have ways to make this bread.

Use a seed butter! Tahini (sesame butter) would be my first recommendation. Just give it a try to make sure it isn’t too bitter, which would give the banana bread a slight bitter flavour note too.

You can also try sunbutter (sunflower seed butter). But be aware that sunbutter reacts with baking powder and soda. As the banana bread cools it might turn a shade of green, which may be a little startling but the banana loaf will still be totally safe to eat.

How to store coconut flour banana bread

Because this gluten free banana bread is quite moist, I recommend storing it in the fridge after it first cools down to room temperature. Store it in a airtight container and it will last about a week.

Let the slices come to room temperature before eating or pop them in the toaster to warm up.

At room temperature this healthy banana bread lasts about 2 days.

You can also tightly wrap the loaf in parchment and plastic wrap to freeze it for a later time. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Products I used for this Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

I used an extendable loaf pan at about the 9×5 inch size setting. You can use any regular 9×5 or 8×4 pan just make sure it is a deep pan. About 4-inches so that it can hold all the batter with room to rise without overflowing into your oven.

When it comes to paleo and allergy-friendly baking I love using the Enjoy Life chocolate chips. Especially their dark morsels.

I love using parchment paper when baking with coconut flour. It keeps the banana loaf from sticking to the pan and helps with removing it easily.

Coconut Flour eBook

As you might have gathered from this post that I love cooking and baking with coconut flour – simply because it is a healthier alternative to other flour. Which is why I wrote an eBook dedicated to all things coconut flour.

It focuses on sweet recipes for baked treats. You can get a copy of it HERE!

If you like this, you’ll love these coconut flour recipes as well:

• Coconut Flour Cookies
• Coconut Flour Nut Butter Mug Cake
• Coconut Flour Biscuits

Video: How To Make Coconut Flour Banana Bread

5 from 4 votes

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Coconut Flour Banana Bread - One Bowl Recipe

This amazing Coconut Flour Banana Bread Recipe is gluten free and only sweetened with bananas (no added sugar). This banana loaf can also be made paleo and tree nut free.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Coconut Flour Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 10 -12

Calories 169 kcal

Author Regina

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter or any other nut or seed butter (*see notes)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup walnuts and/or chocolate chips optional (I do 1/3 cup each)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x5 inch (or 8x4 inch) loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Add the eggs and break them up lightly with a fork.
3. Add the peanut butter and melted coconut oil and stir everything with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
4. Now add the coconut flour, flax meal, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. Stir until combined and no pockets of flour remain.
5. Finally fold in the walnuts and/or chocolate chips.
6. Fill the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top and sprinkle with a few more walnuts/chocolate chips (optional)
7. Bake the loaf for about 50 minutes. Then remove from oven and leave loaf cool in the pan until completely cooled.
8. Then turn the pan over to remove the loaf and remove the parchment paper.
9. Enjoy at room temperature or lightly toasted.
10. Store the coconut flour banana bread in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will be fine at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Recipe Notes

*Nut Butter - To make the recipe paleo use almond butter or any other nut/seed butter.
To make the banana bread nut free, I recommend a seed butter like tahini (make sure it doesn't taste too bitter) or sunflower seed butter. Keep in mind though that sunbutter reacts with baking powder/soda and the loaf might turn a shade of green as it cools. It will still be totally fine to eat, the colour just might be a turnoff for some.

Sweetener - If you want to add more sweetness to the bread without adding many more calories or sugar, I recommend Lakanto Sugar-Free Monkfruit Sweetener. They have syrup as well as granulated options.

**Nutrition info excludes walnuts/chocolate chips

Nutrition Facts

Coconut Flour Banana Bread - One Bowl Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 slice (entire loaf makes 12 slices))

Calories 169 Calories from Fat 91

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10.1g 16%

Cholesterol 46mg 15%

Sodium 128mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 14.1g 5%

Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16%

Sugars 5.3g

Protein 5.2g 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.