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This Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is sweetened only with bananas for a guiltless treat that tastes just like traditional banana bread! This is an easy recipe you’ll come back to again and again. This paleo banana bread is also gluten-free, grain free, and sugar-free.
**2017 Update** This recipe has been a favorite since it’s initial publishing in August of 2014 – I’ve made it SO many times, always to rave reviews, and I know so many of you love it too! This well-loved recipe deserved some new photos, so it got a makeover!
Of course, the recipe remains the same as when it was originally published, as does the original post text below. If you haven’t tried this one yet…what are you waiting for?!
I originally was not going to post this recipe on Bakerita, not only because I already have way too many banana bread recipes on this site, but also because 80% of them include chocolate in some way. Oops. #sorrynotsorry
But…after I made it, and it got devoured within mere hours, with everyone having no idea it was grain-free and no sugar added (besides the chocolate), I decided it needed to be posted. And YEAH, you read that right – this banana bread has NO sugar added.
Because THIS banana bread is sweetened only with bananas. Of course, I ruined the sugar free thing by adding chunks of chopped chocolate (so much better than chocolate chips guys – try it), but who can resist big melted chocolate chunks in their banana bread?!?
Leave the chocolate out though (or make your own batch of paleo chocolate), and this stuff is totally paleo-friendly, grain-free, gluten-free, no sugar added, soy-free…I can’t think of any more “frees” but I’m sure it totally could apply to more diet categories too.
I was eating slivers of this banana bread with some of the chocolate coconut almond butter that I used in the recipe as well. It was so beyond good, guys. The banana flavor comes through better than most recipes I’ve made, and they also add so much moisture and keep the bread super tender. The touch of cinnamon adds that extra bit of warmth too. SO good.
I absolutely love how guilt-free this stuff is while tasting so insanely decadent. AND – it’s easy. I hate when quick batters take forever to come together, so it makes me happy that this one doesn’t take more than a few minutes of measuring and stirring ingredients together. No need to worry about overmixing either, since there’s no gluten in this recipe!
Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Recipe
This Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is a standout, even among all my other banana bread recipes. Since I posted this recipe back during my senior year of college, it’s been made countless times in my kitchen, in my sister’s kitchen, and in hundreds (maybe thousands?) of your kitchens! Tons of you have let me know that it’s a staple for you and your familys. I believe my favorite way to enjoy a slice is warmed up for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave, either plain or with a tiny bit of almond butter drizzled on top…swooooon!
If you’re one of the folks that haven’t yet tried this Paleo Banana Bread, I think it’s time to change that! You’re going to love this moist, flavorful, just-sweet-enough banana bread. Get the recipe below, get to baking, and enjoy each and every bite.
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Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 bananas, 2 ½ cups mashed or 575 grams
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup 140 grams almond butter, or any nut butter of your choice
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup 75 grams coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (see Notes for recommendation to keep 100% Paleo)
Instructions
- Grease one 9"x5" loaf pan (or 8"x8" square pan, which is what I used) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl or mixer, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract and nut butter until fully combined.
- Add the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes if using a square pan, and 50-60 if using a loaf pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and when you press down lightly on the loaf, it should spring back, not stay indented. If a toothpick comes out clean but the loaf isn't springing back, keep it in the oven until it does to ensure it's baked through.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 1/2 hour. Flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Want more banana bread?! Try these other outrageously delicious banana bread recipes…
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Paleo Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
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And it’s not quite banana bread…but I think you’ll love this Banana Bread Pecan Almond Butter!
I love that this is only sweetened with bananas (and chocolate chips) AND is grain free. Swoooooon!
I’m so happy I stopped by your blog today. I have a plethora of bananas that need using and all the ingredients to make this bread-heading to the kitchen right now!
This is the second recipe (first was a blueberry crumble, which I’ve made twice since it was so good!) I’ve made from your blog – loved this bread!
Thanks!
Awesome – so so glad you liked both recipes!! :) They’re two of my favorites as well.
This bread is divine. Makes one big loaf or two smaller ones. My kids love it, as do I and my husband!
So glad that you like the bread, Misty!! :)
I tried this recipe yesterday. I know the greatness of this recipe is that it doesn’t have grains in it, but I didn’t have any coconut flour on hand so I used 1.5 cups of all purpose flour (I guess you need different quantities of different flours). The bread was delicious and it felt great knowing it was good for me too. Next time I will try with coconut flour.
Good to know it works using AP flour as well! I have readers ask about that substitution for grain-free flours but because I’ve never tried it, I can never answer. Thanks for letting us all know it works in this recipe! So glad you liked the bread, Joelle!
Do you know if almond flour can be used as a sub for coconut flour?
I haven’t tried it, but coconut flour absorbs more liquid than almond flour does, so you might have to increase the amount.
Joelle Mae, I would love to make this with all-purpose flour since I don’t have any coconut flour. However, I’ve read that coconut flour requires the use of more eggs. Did you adjust the number of eggs with the AP flour? I assume you could substitute vegetable oil for coconut oil in this recipe?
Did you still use the same # of eggs when using all purpose flour or did you reduce them to 2? thanks
Hi Em – though I haven’t tried with AP flour, I’d keep the same number of eggs the same. Since Joelle Mae didn’t mention changing the number of eggs, I’d assume she didn’t adjust those and just adjusted the flour amount to accommodate the amount of liquid. I hope this makes sense, and that the bread turns out wonderfully for you!
Besides almond butter, Whay other types can I use? Thanks!
I’ve only used almond butter, but you could use cashew butter, pecan butter, pretty much any type of nut butter you have available to you! Sunflower seed butter would probably work as well.
Just came across this recipe on Pintrest…want to make it for my son, but he has allergies to almonds, can you use regular butter? If so, same amount? We could try sunflower seed butter as it is a seed and not a tree nut if regular butter does not work.
Hi Cindy! I would definitely recommend a nut or seed butter, so sunflower seed butter would definitely be best if he can’t have nuts! You can use the same amount. Be aware that sometimes sunflower seed butter can turn a bit green in baked goods, so don’t be alarmed if that happens. I hope your son likes it!
Omg!! This cake is amazing. I just ate a slice still warm from the oven and loved it, and it’s more enjoyable knowing there isn’t any added sugar (I’m not Paleo, just eating less sugar). Thank you for sharing, this is going to be my new staple banana cake recipe.
I’m so thrilled you’re enjoying it, Kristin! Thanks so much for your feedback.
Nice recipe ! I will surely try this at home.
Not sure where you get 2 bananas that weigh over half a kilo! I would need up to 8 to get that weight of peeled bananas!
Hi Anne, I know bananas vary widely in size, which is why I also provided volume and weight measurements so that the recipe will turn out most accurately for you.
I’m still learning how to bake without eggs (hubby is allergic). Would more bananas be a good egg substitute for this recipe?
Hi Courtney, egg provide structure in this recipe and I think more bananas would end up with a very mushy banana bread! I’d try flax eggs instead, or use this vegan banana bread recipe instead.
LOVE the civilized caveman recipe. It’s one of the best banana breads I’ve ever tasted!! Love your addition of the dark chocolate. I was thinking of trying that out myself too :)
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe, because I have made several other paleo-friendly bread recipes and this is so far the best base. I did make a couple adjustments. I upped the cinnamon and added nutmeg and ginger and I added a ½ c of walnuts for crunch. I find it best for all these dense breads to beat the eggs to get them frothy and to sift the flour, no matter what kind and how fine. Getting it finer makes it the bread more airy. I recently found sweet potato flour and will try it next time, though I hate to mess with a good thing, but I think since I am getting to know this recipe, trying it once, will help me know what sweet potato brings to the table, so to speak. I didn’t start making breads and using dark chocolate till I was over a year on paleo as I was afraid they’d become gate-way drugs back to my old way of eating. In fact, I’ve learned that my palate no longer craves all the chocolate and the amount in the bread makes it satisfying that I don’t consider the old ways. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the tips, Hunter! It’s good to hear how the recipe turned out for you and your recommendations. So glad you liked it!