THE BEST HEALTHIER CLASSIC BANANA BREAD

Healthier Paleo Banana Bread - Olivia Adriance

5 from 8 votes

THE BEST HEALTHIER CLASSIC BANANA BREAD

This gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free banana bread tastes just like the classic loaves I made with my mom growing up, just healthified!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Banana bread, GLUTEN-FREE, Healthy bread

Servings:

Author: Olivia Adriance

Ingredients

2 large eggs at room temperature (see note 1 if egg-intolerant)
¼ cup nut milk at room temperature
¼ cup avocado oil
½ cup coconut sugar (see note 2)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups over-ripe bananas mashed (about 4 large bananas)
1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend (see note 3)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Grease a 1-pound loaf tin (mine is 8.5 in x 4.5 in) and set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, nut milk, avocado oil, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Whisk or beat together with a hand mixer until well combined.
Stir in the mashed banana.
To a smaller mixing bowl, add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir gently until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to your wet mixture (I like to sift them in to avoid lumps but this is optional), mixing until just combined and there are no dry lumps remaining. There will still be some lumps from the banana and that’s totally fine.
Pour the banana bread into your prepared loaf tin. If you really want to impress your tasters or guests, lay a thin slice of banana on top (see note 4).
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the outside has deepened in color and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (I bake mine for the full 60 minutes even though a toothpick typically comes out clean around 50 minutes).
After baking, allow the bread to cool on a wire rack. Once cool enough to handle, remove the bread from the loaf tin and continue cooling completely (see note 5).
ENJOY!!

Notes

Note 1: Unfortunately, I have not had success with an egg-free version. I have seen other recipes suggest simply omitting the eggs given that bananas act as a great binder. Whenever I tried this, it resulted in a very flat loaf.

Note 2: I don’t recommend subbing out the coconut sugar for liquid sweetener entirely. Using only liquid sweetener here results in a denser loaf with less rise. I have had success with using 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup and 1/3 cup coconut sugar if you’d like to go that route.

Note 3: I used @‌bobsredmill Paleo Flour blend. I have also had success with @‌bobsredmill 1:1 Baking Flour. Another great option is @‌kingarthurbaking Gluten-Free All-Purpose. Using just almond flour or oat flour (or whatever your preferred single flour is) will not give you the same lift and texture — you really want to use a flour blend here!

Note 4: The banana on top is purely aesthetic. I wouldn’t normally do it unless I was filming because it does inhibit the rise. If you’re going to use it, use a ripe but not over-ripe banana. An over-ripe banana (like the ones used in the bread) will become too dark once baked and won’t be as pretty as you’d like.

Note 5: As tempting as it can be, try to wait before slicing into the warm bread. You want it to be completely cooled, as this will keep it from having a soggy center and then drying out because the steam has been released.

Nutrition