Paleo Morning Glory Quick bread made grain-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free. This flavorful, healthful bread includes all the flavors of morning glory muffins, and is easily prepared in your blender. A marvelous go-to treat.
The older I get, the more importance I attach to life’s little comforts…
Whether it be relishing my steamy morning beverage, sweating it out in a hot yoga class, or setting aside a moment to enjoy a slice of quick bread alongside a good read, these are the little “me” sessions that, while small and seemingly insignificant, make waves in helping me stay relaxed and focused.
Everyone has their own approach to treating him or herself, but the key for me is to keep my daily comforts well-conceived, uplifting, strengthening, or healthful…
Wise indulgences, as I like to think of them.
In my late twenties, I would have needed to justify or earn any of these little pleasures before slowing down and taking a breather.
You know, because: guilt, self-loathing, self-imposed pressure to embody perfection while still remaining cool, but not displaying any of the effort that goes into it.
Ohhh momma has that changed.
Being human is challenging enough as it is…we deserve to throw ourselves a bone.
Enter: Dis bone.
All the trappings of a morning glory muffin, but in the form of a loaf.
What is “Morning Glory” Quick Bread?:
What exactly is a Morning Glory Muffin (or in this case, Morning Glory Quickbread)? It’s a sweet baked treat filled with grated carrots, applesauce, walnuts, shredded coconut, sometimes raisins, and sometimes pineapple?
Quite honestly, morning glory baked goods are very similar to carrot cake!
Depending on your approach to either, the two can be one and the same. Which quite honestly is fine by me, because I love both so dearly. Way I see it, whatever adventure you choose, you’re bound to end up with a comforting result.
You’ll observe the recipe here is similar to the Paleo Carrot Cake I showed you last week.
Same awesome concept, just a few minor tweaks, and in the form of a quick bread rather than a tiered cake.
Psst! If you want to frost this loaf to give it an extra pizzaz, I 200% recommend my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting!
What Does This Bread Taste Like?:
This bread is everything a good quick bread should be: tender and moist, dense, but airy, sweet but not too sweet, fluffy, full of flavor, the perfect accompaniment to your mug of coffee or tea.
Just like carrot cake, there are plenty of ways you can make this recipe your own by customizing the recipe.
For me, breads like this are that slow morning or afternoon experience, where you cut off a thick slice, pair it with your favorite hot drink, and slowly savor each bite while surfing the internet for quality information or reading a great book, researching getaways, etc.
I’ve also been known to down a huge hunk lickety split after a sweaty hot yoga class, so there’s always that option, too.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add applesauce, subtract oil
- Incorporate up to 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple, subtract oil
- Add 1 large ripe banana, subtract pure maple syrup
- Hazelnut flour in place of almond flour? Sure, we can dig!
- Pecans in place of walnuts, or go nut-free
- Add raisins
- Whip up that Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting I showed you last week and frost the dang thing!
- Easily turn this bread into muffins by baking the batter in a muffin tray.
Looking for more healthy grain-free quick breads? Here are some reader favorites.
More Quick Bread Recipes:
- Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Paleo Strawberry Banana Bread
- Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Paleo Cranberry Orange Bread
Throw yourself a loaf of morning glory quick bread!
Paleo Morning Glory Quick Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup avocado oil see note*
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
- 1/2 cup grated apple about 1/2 an apple
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts chopped
- 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper. You can also oil or spray the pan if you don't have parchment paper.
- Add the first 11 ingredients (eggs through salt) to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients until the batter is well-combined. Note: if you don't have a high-powered blender, use one large mixing bowl to mix all of the ingredients together.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the bread is firm in the center. The best way to tell if quick bread is fully baked is by taking its internal temperature. To do so, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread and wait until the numbers stop moving. The ideal temperature is 190 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 1 hour before cutting. When you're ready to slice the bread, pull the loaf out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper (or if you sprayed the pan with oil, run a knife along the edge of the bread and turn it out onto a cutting board). Use a sharp knife to cut thick slices and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I’m totally going to give this a try with the hazelnut flour- it sounds so tasty!
I’m so happy to hear it, Shelby! Enjoy! xo
This bread is amazing. It tastes just like carrot cake but without all the sugar and nasties. It is regularly baked in our home and is a favourite! thanks
I’m so happy you like it, Kellie!! Thanks so much for the sweet note. xo
Cannot wait to make this. It looks wonderful.
Can I substitute almond meal for the almond flour?
Many thanks.
Hi Nicki! Yes, absolutely! Hope you enjoy 😀
Sooo good! Didn’t have tapioca starch so I used coco and almond flour to replace it, and it worked, but it’s just a tad crumbly. I’ll definitely go for the tapioca next time as well as some crushed pineapple for added depth. I love how you can basically do whatever you want which whatever you have on hand, and it still taste amazing!
I can’t wait to make this bread! You think I could add zucchini maybe half zucchini half carrot? I have so much zucchini to use up.
I wasn’t able to find nutritional information…especially the carb count. Can you help please?
Thank you for this recipe, I’m looking forward making it! Does it freeze well?
Hi Darlene,
Yes, it freezes super well! I wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then put it in a zip lock bag to avoid freezer burn 😉 Enjoy!
Perfect!!!
Thanks!
We enjoyed this! I made it 2 times in one evening! The first time, I made it as written except I subbed applesauce for the oil and I omitted the walnuts (for the kids). The 2nd time, I omitted the apple, subbed applesauce for oil again, added walnuts and a banana and a little maple syrup! I also added extra cinnamon and some nutmeg. We liked this version better. It was super moist and flavorful! Thanks for a wonderful recipe that our whole family can enjoy! The kids went to bed asking if they could have some in the morning. ?
All of that sounds amazing! Thanks for letting us know your adaptations! So happy you and your family enjoyed the bread! xx
@Christin, I was wondering how it would be with banana, since I love banana bread! I’m going to try your version. 🙂
Hope you enjoy it, Angela!! Feel free to circle back and tell us how it went once you make it 🙂
Hi Julia!
This looks delish! Have you substituted coconut oil instead of the olive oil or other oils you suggested? I just happen to have that on hand today.
I haven’t tried an oil substitution, but any oil like coconut, avocado, or almond oil would work great! 🙂
Could this be made in a mini muffin tin?
Hi Sarah! Absolutely! The muffin version would be awesome! I would bake the muffins at 350 for 18 to 22 minutes, then allow them to cool at least 20 minutes. Hope you enjoy!! xo
Could I use monk fruit instead of maple syrup? Or would that dry it out? Thanks!
Hi Kristine,
I wish I could give you an easy answer, but I’ve actually never worked with monk fruit before 🙁 I would say you could try it and add some oil to make up for the loss of liquid. Let me know if you give it a go! xo
What can use in place of the shredded coconut? I love coconut oil, but have never been a fan of the shredded coconut. Thanks in advance for the awesome recipe! I’m making this tonight for tomorrow morning.
Hi Misty! No worries, you can simply omit the shredded coconut and add just a touch more almond flour (say 2 tablespoons). The coconut is mainly for flavor, so leaving it out won’t effect the recipe. Hope you enjoy! xo
Can you just use the almond flour and leave out the tapioca flour?
Hi Kim,
I’ve never tested the recipe with almond flour only, but my guess is it would work. It may turn out a bit crumbly, as tapioca flour helps bind the bread together. As long as you’re okay with the texture being a little dense and/or crumbly, I’d say give it a go! Let us know how it turns out! xo
This looks amazing!
I’ve given up refined sugar just over a year ago and I’m very much enjoying the journey of discovering the healthy sweets and desserts.
Could not live without them and frankly why should I if they’re good for me?!
Is there anything I could use instead of tapioca flour, please?
Thank you!
Hi Joanna!
I’m so glad you’re interested in baking the bread! I haven’t tested the recipe without tapioca flour yet, but my guess is it can be made using more almond flour as a replacement. Tapioca flour works as a great binding agent, so my only concern is the bread may be a bit crumbly without it. If you can do grains, rice flour may work, too! I’ll update the post once I test the recipe again using an alternative to tapioca flour 🙂 Hope you enjoy! xo
I totally hear you on life’s little comforts. I think we get more and more routine as we age!! Morning glory muffins are my absolute fave, so I am SO looking forward to trying this one out. Happy Friday!
How much pineapple do you use if you want to leave out the oil?
Hi Sonia! You’d replace it in a 1:1 ratio. So you’d use 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple and omit the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Hope you enjoy! xo
What can you use instead of tapioca flour?
Hi Lynette, You can use arrowroot flour, potato starch, or more almond flour. Just note if you use almond flour, the muffins won’t hold together as well. Hope you enjoy! xo