Nut Free Paleo Banana Bread (Dairy Free)

This simple Nut Free Paleo Banana Bread is comforting, delicious, and free of gluten, grains, nuts, refined sugar, or dairy. It's soft and moist, just like classic banana bread, but made without almond flour, making it perfect for anyone who is grain free and avoiding nuts.

This is a staple recipe in my house and one I make repeatedly when I have some leftover, over-ripe bananas. Since it's relatively low in sugar, it's great alongside some eggs at breakfast, as part of an afternoon snack, or for dessert with some ice cream or whipped coconut cream. It's so easy to make, it's the kind of recipe you will come back to again and again.

What Makes This Paleo Banana Bread Different:

• Nut free: most paleo and grain free banana bread recipes use almond flour, but this recipe does not. If you’re grain free and avoiding nuts, options are limited. This recipe solves that problem.
• Low sugar:​ my recipe calls for just a ¼ cup of maple syrup, an unrefined sweetener that is low glycemic index. We rely on the natural sweetness of the bananas instead of extra added sugar.
• Dairy free: this paleo banana bread isn't just grain free, it's also completely dairy free.
• Great texture: a lot of grain free desserts can turn out gummy, but we use a mix of flours to achieve the perfect texture with this paleo banana bread recipe.

Paleo Banana Bread without Almond Flour

• Most paleo recipes rely on almond flour because it works well as a grain free flour replacement. Its high fat content keeps the bread moist and tender, but not everyone can eat almonds and it can leave the bread feeling dense.
• Tigernut flour works similarly to almond flour, so we are able to use that as a nut free alternative in this recipe. It provides a light, more traditional crumb. Despite the name, tigernuts are actually a tuber or root vegetable.
• Tigernut flour and cassava flour work to replace the structure gluten filled flours provide. These two flours together work well to mimic traditional baked goods without the gluten or grains and provide a light, airy, and moist texture that isn't heavy. Using cassava flour on its own can result in a gummy texture, but using multiple flours in grain free baking ensures a result more similar to regular banana bread.

Nut Free Paleo Banana Bread Ingredients

• Bananas: you want to use overripe bananas- make sure your bananas have black spots. The riper the banana, the better for baking!
• Applesauce: applesauce replaces some of the oil to reduce the fat content and add a little natural sweetness.
• Olive oil: a healthy fat that keeps the bread light, but moist.
• Eggs: helps with rise and binding.
• Maple syrup: this is the main sweetener for this recipe. Maple syrup is both delicious and refined sugar free!
• Tigernut flour: a nut free paleo flour alternative to almond flour. Tigernuts are a tuber, not a nut, so using tigernut flour keeps this recipe nut free.
• Cassava flour: a great grain free flour substitute in paleo baking.
• Tapioca flour: a little bit of starch adds lightness and prevents density, which is essential in grain free baking. Arrowroot starch will also work.
• Coconut flour: we use a little bit of coconut flour to achieve the best texture in this banana bread.
• ​Baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract

How to Make Grain Free Banana Bread

• Preheat oven to 350F. 
• Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Mash the bananas in a large bowl then add the remaining wet ingredients and mix in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until well combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes. The batter should be on the thicker side. You don't want a runny batter and it should need to be scooped into the pan.
• Line a loaf pan with parchment paper while you let the batter sit then scoop batter into the prepared loaf pan and even out the top. Slice the leftover banana in half lengthwise and gently press it into the top of the batter (this is purely for aesthetics and doesn't need to be done).
• Bake for 60-65 minutes until golden brown on top, a toothpick comes out clean, and the center lightly bounces back to the touch.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Let cool completely before cutting! This is key.
• This bread tastes even better the next day, so if you have the patience to let it sit at room temperature overnight before cutting, that's the best way to do it!

Substitutions and Variations

• Applesauce: if you don't have applesauce on hand, you can just use an extra ¼ cup of oil. Yogurt should also work (dairy free or regular).
• Olive oil: the olive oil in this recipe can be replaced with melted coconut oil (just make sure all ingredients are room temperature) or melted butter.
• Tigernut flour: if you don't have a nut allergy, almond flour will work just fine.
• Variations: if you tolerate nuts, you can of course mix some walnuts into the batter or chocolate chips. Add a cinnamon swirl by mixing 2 tablespoon of coconut sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together and swirling it through the batter before baking.

How to Store Paleo Banana Bread

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5.

You can also slice and freeze this banana bread for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple hours.

How to Serve Nut Free Paleo Banana Bread

This healthy banana bread can be eaten as is, but I love warming it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or yogurt on top. You can also add a smear of butter, any nut or seed butter you like, or jam. It tastes great with a spread of nut butter (or seed butter or granola butter to keep everything nut free) and a drizzle of honey.

How to Make the Best Paleo Banana Bread

• Use a mix of flours: to keep this gluten free and paleo banana bread moist and not gummy, we are using 4 different grain free flours in this recipe. This helps achieve the perfect texture with paleo ingredients.
• Measure flour correctly:​ be sure to scoop your flour into the measuring cup then level it off so you don't end up with too much flour which can result in a dry banana loaf.
• Don't over mix: if you over beat the bananas into the wet ingredients, the mixture can become too wet and result in a gummy banana bread. The same can happen if you over mix the dry ingredients into the wet, so mix until just combined.
• Don't over bake: it's easy to over bake paleo and gluten free baked goods. You want to keep an eye on the oven towards the end of baking and take your baked goods out just as soon as a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. This banana bread takes a full hour to bake, but depending on your oven and altitude, you may want to start checking it at 50 minutes. If you are at a higher altitude, definitely check it sooner.

FAQ

More Gluten Free Banana Recipes

If you love a good banana recipe, then you'll love these options:

My Gluten Free Banana Bread with Walnut Crumble is more like a traditional banana bread, but with a delicious crumble topping.

Gluten Free Chocolate Walnut Banana Muffins are for my chocolate lovers! Double chocolate banana, baby.

Love the chocolate and banana combo? Try my Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bars.

If you love banana pudding, try my Banana Pudding Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gluten and Dairy Free), Gluten Free Banana Pudding Muffins, or Gluten Free and Vegan Banana Cream Pie.

I'd love to hear how you enjoyed this recipe. If you try it, leave a rating and review below and tag me on social media!