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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 flour – Bob’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:
- Flourless Chickpea Banana Bread
- Flourless Oatmeal Banana Bread
- Paleo Poppy Seed Almond Banana Bread
- Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Paleo Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 cups Super Fine Almond Flour*
- 5 Tbsp tapioca flour**
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg optional
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
Nutrition
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I had really high hopes for this recipe because I have an almond flour blueberry muffin recipe I love. The bread turned out super moist (sorry just the best word for it haha) and good texture, but it is not sweet at all. Not even an tiny hint of sweet here. The only thing different from the recipe was that I used frozen bananas. But it is nearly inedible. Not sure what I could have done differenty
Hi Brad,
I’m so sorry you didn’t like the way the bread turned out. Were the bananas very ripe before you froze them? Because the banana bread is sweetened mostly with bananas, it won’t taste sweet unless the bananas you use are very ripe. If you’re accustomed to sweeter breads/cookies, you can always add more pure maple syrup or even coconut sugar (or cane sugar if you’re fine with it) to make the bread even sweeter. Also, did you wait until the bread cooled off completely before you tried it? I’ve noticed the bread tastes sweeter as it sits. The reason I ask these questions is I’ve found this bread to be incredibly sweet (I, myself, have made the recipe countless times). Let me know if you end up trying it again, and thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is excellent. Truly. Simple, but the bread comes out perfect. I added 2 TSP of coconut flour and slivered almonds on top. Undoubtedly bookmarking this. Thanks so much.
I’m so happy to hear it!! I love the idea of adding slivered almonds on top. Thanks for the kind note!
I just made a loaf of this and my husband, 5-year-old and I have already eaten half of it. I have another in the oven with walnuts in it to take to dinner at my in-laws tomorrow. Hopefully, they like it as well as we do. I have already added ingredients to my shopping list to repeat. Delicious!
That’s awesome, Alisha! I hope your in-laws enjoy it as well! xo
I’m another one that had difficulties with this recipe. I’ve made it twice now, with much the same result. The first time, I made it exactly as stated in the recipe and it was VERY wet. I baked it for another 10 minutes and it was still wet. I sliced it and baked the slices for another 5 minutes per side. My 88 year old mother ate the entire loaf! The second time, I used only 2 bananas and 2 tblsp maple syrup. It was still very wet, so I again sliced it and baked the slices for another 5 minutes per side. It tastes wonderful, but I don’t know if I will try it again. I’m sure that my mother will eat this whole loaf as well! 🙂
Hi Connie,
Ohhh this is too funny! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out, but I’m happy to hear your mom got enjoyment out of the bread. A couple questions may help us troubleshoot what happened: 1. How large were the bananas you used? – 3 bananas when mashed up should be about 1 to 1/4 cups. 2. What type of almond flour did you use? I use a finely ground almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill (http://amzn.to/2wnkfzT) for all of my almond flour recipes, and I’m wondering if it’s the grind on the flour that’s making the difference. I’ll re-test the recipe this week and make any necessary adjustments as well 🙂
Absolutely the easiest and most delicious banana bread I have made! I am so glad I found your site. Amazing ????
Thank you so much, Trudy! xoxo
Hi I just made this and it’s the bomb ( moist bomb). I made the almond meal even finer by running it through the NutriBullet, and it’s not crumbly at all after doing what you suggested and not cutting it right away.
When I was a teenager in the 70’s my parents took to using the word “beaut” total cringe!! Now my daughter has a list of hated words which we love to tease her with…spleen, liver, phlegm are a few but moist is the top of the table. Never heard of pamphlet will try it out! My theory is it’s the way your tongue move over uour
Sorry that was moves over your lips
LOL I’m in stitches over here at spleen and phlegm! Those definitely give me shudders, too! I’m so glad you like the banana bread! Thanks so much for the laugh! xo
Hi my banana bread batter was very doughy after blending, I am not sure why?
Hi Hibaq, the batter should be very thick, but not overly dough. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
I made this over the weekend and the flavor was excellent but the loaf didn’t rise at all! I I used 3/4 cup almond pulp from making almond milk – would have have weighed it down?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I’d love to make this again with some fluffy height!
Hi Jess,
I’m sorry the banana bread didn’t turn out for you! I would definitely say the almond pulp was the culprit. I use finely ground almond flour, which provides that light and airy texture. My experience with almond pulp is it’s too dense and moist to use as a 1:1 replacement in a recipe calling store-bought almond flour. I think you definitely could use almond pulp to make baked goods, but the recipe itself would need to change to accommodate the moisture and heaviness. I hope you can find that golden recipe to make the most of your almond pulp! Definitely let me know if you do! xo
I made this bread with applesauce instead of maple syrup. It was indeed moist! I have been enjoying it for breakfast, dessert, and for a late afternoon snack. I love it!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I’m so happy you like the bread, and that it worked with applesauce as a replacement! That’s such a genius idea! I’ll have to give the applesauce version a try, for sure! xo
How much applesauce did you use ?
Hello! I am making this today, but want to add for the people having trouble, it could be because 3 mashed bananas should be about 1 cup – not 1/3 as stated.
Hi Stephanie,
My apologies for the confusion! Go ahead and proceed with the 1 cup of mashed bananas – I must’ve meant 1/3 cup per banana, so I can definitely see why the recipe was confusing. I went ahead and edited it 🙂 I hope you love the banana bread! xo
Tried this. Was a dry mess? I made it exactly as you wrote even had 2 more banana’s. It literally clogged my blender.
Hi Kim, did you double check the measurements? What type of almond flour did you use?
I’m a college students so i rarely have time in the morning to prepare breakfast and this recipe looks like it would make amazing nutritious breakfast muffins. So i was wondering would it stay fresh for a whole week if i kept it in an airtight container? Thank youu .
Hi there! Yes, the muffins should stay fresh in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
How Many caloríes Does a sílice has? I bebe mande it Every 3 days since i saw the recipe and my Kids and vía am love Them but es y yo know the caloríe content .. thankssss a lot !!
It’s 1738 kcals for the whole loaf (i calculated it using caloriecount.com) .
What a great recipe!! Just had a piece and had to have another – it’s that good 🙂
Hi there! I’m wondering about the almond meal…can we use the almond pulp (from making almond milk)? If yes, does it have to be dried first, or can it be used slightly wet?
Made this last night using Sunflower Seed Flour (ground the seeds in my coffee grinder). We’ve got a nut allergy in the house (and tapioca intolerance) so a lot of the paleo treats have been off the table. Coconut flour has its place, but I didn’t love a previous attempt at coconut flour banana bread. I just stumbled across the sunflower seed flower a couple weeks ago – have to keep the treats in check now.
How I’ve missed banana bread. It was near the top of the recipe list my mom taught me growing up and it was what I baked for the maternity nurses when kids born – a lot of good memories.
The bread came out really good. I eyeballed the sweetener (subbed agave and honey for the maple), and came in a touch low. Now I’ll just serve it with honey butter instead!
(and I never said the “m” word – but it was)
Aaaah I’m so glad to hear you liked it, Brian! I’ve never used sunflower seed flower, and now I’m anxious to try it out. Sounds like a brilliant substitution. Thanks so much for the the feedback 😉 Hope you have a great weekend!
HI
I also just tried the sunflower seed flour. I made bread and it came out amazing. This recipe sounds great and I’m so glad you tried the other flour. Thank you. I made one mistake. I forgot to roast the sunflower seeds so I toasted the flour it’s self in a skillet and I can’t tell you how good the flavor was. One draw back it brings out the oil more so it would have been less greasy if I had cut back on the butter. Live and learn. It was so good that I’m going to try and toast my almond flour. I’m also making pumpkin seed flour. I don’t know if this makes it have more carbs or not but I hope not.
I can’t wait to make this amazing banana bread. Thank you for all the hard work of testing all your recipes.
That part was for Julia lol. Please email me if you comment.