Delicious paleo banana bread made with Kelapo coconut oil
I do a lot of experimenting in the kitchen. Some times things just don’t work. You don’t hear too much about those. And some times I hit it out of the park. Well, this is the case with this recipe. I found the right balance of sweet, moistness, and banana flavor with no grains, gluten, or dairy (even eggs!). Why the trouble? Some paleo recipes I have tried end up crumbly or don’t have good flavor. Not this one. I would say this is the best paleo banana bread I have had so far. Really. Not kidding.
I decided to start with something I knew; my gluten-free banana bread recipe from my cookbook, The Warm Kitchen. After experimenting with paleo off and on over the last year, this is what I did. I added 2 more eggs, kept the “flour” or dry ingredients about the same, ditched the xanthan gum, and reduced and substituted the sugar. One thing to note: this bread does not rise as much as my “regular” one; however I also reduced the amount of egg for my daughter.
My goal is to convert many of my gluten-free recipes to paleo without changing the flavor and texture. One of the ways to do that is to use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.
Thank you to Kelapo for sending me samples of coconut oil to use in this recipe. It was easy to use and tasted very good. My opinions are my own.
Let’s cut to the chase and give you the recipe. Enjoy! Please comment and share if you like it.
Paleo banana bread about to go in the oven
Paleo Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf or about 10 servings
Dry Ingredients:
½ cup almond flour
½ cup almond meal (or use all almond flour)
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup arrowroot flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon ground flax
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
3 packets Kelapo coconut oil, melted (about 3 ½ tablespoons, or just a little less than ¼ cup, melted coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts, chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F (preheat to 325F if using a dark metal pan) and prepare a loaf pan by greasing it with melted coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients well until most of the almond flour is broken up.
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs, banana, water, flax and chia seeds. Let rest 5 minutes. If you don’t have flax or chia, add 2 more eggs. Alternatively, for egg-free, use 1 additional tablespoon of both chia and flax seed as well as another ¼ cup of water.
- Add the coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and walnuts (if using) to the other wet ingredients and mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Do not overmix.
- Place in loaf pan, smooth out the top with a spatula, and then place in the oven.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes. If the bread is getting too dark (this can be caused by the color of the pan), lower the heat to 325F. Cook until sides are pulling away from the pan or when it feels firm. This bread does not rise very much but is absolutely delicious!
I’m a firm believer of banana bread, and your recipe looks absolutely divine. Have you ever turned it into French Toast? I bet that would be insanely good. 🙂
What brand almond flour do you use? I know that Bob’s Red Mill is more like a meal than a flour. I haven’t been able to find anything really fine in my local stores, so I am sure I will have to order something online.
That bread sounds amazing. I have been trying to use less grains in my baking, but I find coconut flour to be really weird. Anything I can find that uses nut flours, I mark to try!
I’m a HUGE banana bread fan and have been working a lot more with almond flour, so this is right up my alley. I think quick breads are one of my favorite things to make, so this will definitely be making it into my recipe rotation 🙂
I miss a good banana bread… This look so moist and delicious! Love all the added protein from the almond flour too.
What a lovely and healthy recipe! Thanks so much, I can’t wait to make some.
Everyone needs a good banana bread recipe. I love all the healthy additions and swaps you made in this one!
Yum! this looks really good! I love using coconut oil in baking. Gluten-free items seem to benefit from it, I can’t wait to try this!