The Best Banana Bread Recipe (Paleo, Vegan)
I always have bananas in various stages of ripening in the kitchen. The majority of borderline ripe ones get frozen for later use in a smoothie. But recently, the far too spotty ones lingering on my countertop were just asking to be made into banana bread.
There are thousands of recipes on the internet — like this Tahini Date Banana Bread or Carrot Cake Banana Bread on my site for instance.
But sometimes I want something SIMPLE without the double chocolate chip, walnut, tahini, coconut, or zucchini added to the mix.
I just want a healthy, low sugar version of the classic unadulterated loaf my mom made growing up. I wanted the best banana bread recipe!
SO, with that in mind, I took a survey on Instagram and was actually able to honor almost all of thee requests!
This recipe is
Grain-free
Gluten-free
Vegan
Nut-free
Paleo
And — most importantly, it's absolutely delicious. A simple, perfectly textured banana bread that toasts + freezes beautifully.
My favorite way to enjoy?
Barely toasted with a good schmear of cultured vegan butter and a sprinkling of hemp seeds.
But macadamia butter is a close second…
The Best Banana Bread Recipe (Paleo, Vegan)
Makes 1 loaf (12 slices)
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. flax meal
1/3 cup filtered water
3 very ripe, medium-large bananas
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
1 cup cassava flour
3/4 cup TigerNut flour
1 1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil. Or use a silicone pan and grease lightly.
Whisk together flax meal with filtered water. Set aside for 10-minutes to thicken and gel.
In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas until only a few chunks remain. Add coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat until smooth and throughly combined. Next, incorporate flax + water mixture.
In the same bowl, add cassava flour, TigerNut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just mixed.
Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges are golden and pull away from the sides. Use a toothpick to test that the center is fully cooked — the crumb should still be a bit moist.
Let cool 5 minutes in the pan. Then transfer loaf to a cooling rack for rest at least one hour.
NotES:
Bread will keep well sealed at room temperature for several days or in the fridge for 5-6 days.
To freeze: Pre-slice and store between sheets of parchment paper for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and then place in toaster oven to warm through.
If you can’t find TigerNut flour, almond flour would be a suitable substitute.
For a no sugar added version, I image you could leave out the coconut sugar completely. Or swap it out by blending 2-3 softened medjool dates with the banana.
Blondies aren’t typically at the top of anyone’s “health food” list, but these peanut butter blondies with dark chocolate, flax, and almond flour are as good as they get.