This easy, healthy Paleo Coconut Flour Banana Bread is gluten/grain/dairy/refined sugar free & you’d never know it! The streusel is a WINNER!
This was the banana bread that started it all.
AKA: my very first banana bread recipe that I created from scratch and made me realize that I, in fact, LOVE banana bread.
I make a loaf almost weekly between Mr. FFF and I. My current fav is either my paleo banana bread with chocolate and almond butter (😍) OR my sugar free banana bread, while he likes high protein banana bread because he wants big muscles, and all that stuff.
BUT, you know what we both agree on?
This banana bread, with it’s streusel on top AND in the middle?
It’s a WINNER.
Why this is the BEST Coconut Flour Banana Bread
If you’re a regular around here, you know that I am a banana bread FANATIC. I make it all the time, I eat it all the time, and I have quite a few different banana bread recipes here on the blog: high protein banana bread, vegan gluten free banana bread, and sugar free banana bread just to name a few! I even have a mug cake banana bread recipe if that is your thing! Today’s banana bread made with coconut flour is absolutely delicious. It’s nice and tender, has the perfect amount of sweetness, is made with wholesome, better-for-you ingredients, and is paleo friendly! It’s everything you want in a banana bread loaf!
Ingredients Needed
To make this recipe, you’ll need to pull together a bunch of baking ingredients that you may already use on a daily basis! The difference when it comes to this gluten free banana bread coconut flour is that you won’t be using any dairy or overly processed sweeteners BUT it will taste fabulous anyways! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Coconut Flour
- Baking Power
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Eggs
- Coconut Oil
- Honey
- Mashed Banana
- Vanilla Extract
- Pecans
- Coconut Sugar
Everything you NEED to know about Coconut Flour
Ok everyone, coconut flour is not your typical baking ingredient, so before making a loaf of this banana bread recipe with coconut flour, there’s a few important things you need to know about if you don’t already:
- It’s hard to swap out: I often encourage swapping out ingredients and adding extra fun ingredients to make mealtimes fun and to suit your needs! That being said, when a recipe calls for coconut flour, that’s the flour you should use! If it doesn’t call for it, don’t try switching out another type of flour, as it mixes and bakes much differently than other flours.
- It needs moisture: Coconut flour absorbs moisture, and over time it will continue to absorb more. You may notice that recipes that call for coconut flour also call for more liquid ingredients, and that is why!
- It needs lots of eggs: A recipe with coconut flour often needs more eggs than a recipe that uses a different type of flour. This is because coconut flour really needs more agents that bind and add moisture to help hold together the finished product!
How to make Coconut Flour Banana Bread
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper, grease the sides, then set aside.
Mix
Add the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a bowl and mix well with a wire whisk.
Beat
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the honey and oil until smooth. Add in the mashed banana and vanilla and beat until everything is well incorporated. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and let the batter sit for a while to allow the coconut flour to start soaking in the moisture.
Make the Filling and Streusel
For the filling, mix together the pecans and coconut sugar and set it aside in a small bowl. For the streusel, in a separate small bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, pecans, coconut flour and cinnamon and set aside.
Assemble
Pour about half the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the filling mixture over top, then cover it up with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top of the second layer of batter.
Bake
Bake your banana bread until it is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when insterted!
Serve
Cool completely, then slice and DEVOUR!
Top Tips for making Banana Bread
- Since this banana bread doesn’t rise as much as traditional versions, make sure a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top and sides are a deep golden brown. This means your banana bread is done!
- This banana bread is best sliced and then kept in an air-tight refrigerator in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. It will last about 5-7 days this way! It also freezes wonderfully if you want to keep it longer!
Banana Bread FAQ
Over ripe bananas are best for making banana bread! I like to freeze mine when they are over ripe, then thaw them and use them for banana bread!
No, it is best to stick with coconut flour for this recipe. Other flours are very different in the way they absorb moisture and bake!
For this recipe, it will need to bake for about 45-55 minutes. I recommend setting the timer for 45 minutes, then checking it with a toothpick to see if it’s done!
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1/2 Cup Coconut flour sifted (50g)*
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 3/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 4 Large eggs
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1/4 Cup Coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/3 cups Mashed Banana (330g)
- 2 tsps Vanilla extract
- For the cinnamon pecan center:
- 1/3 Cup Pecans finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Coconut sugar
- For the Pecan struesel topping:
- 1/3 Cup Pecans roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsps Coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp Coconut flour (14g)
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil, and line the bottom with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, beat the eggs together with the honey and oil (for the bread)
- Add the mashed banana into the honey and oil mixture, along with the vanilla and beat, using an electric hand mixer, until the batter is smooth and the banana is well mixed. Set aside
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just moistened. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes so that the coconut flour can start to adsorb the liquid.
- While the batter stands, it's time to make the filling and streusel.
- For the filling: Mix the pecans and coconut sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- For the struesel topping: Mix the pecans, coconut sugar, coconut flour and cinnamon. Add in the melted oil and use your hands to mix until crumbly.
- To assemble the bread:
- Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle with the pecan/cinnamon mixture until the batter is totally covered.
- Spoon the remaining half of batter over top of the pecan filling carefully and smooth out evenly.
- Sprinkle the top of the pecan/coconut oil streusel, making sure it is evenly dispersed.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until dark golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the loaf pan COMPLETELY and then slice and DEVOUR!
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: SMART POINTS: 7 POINTS+: 5. OLD POINTS: 4
(per 1/12 of the bread)
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Sonya says
I absolutely LOVE this bread! The texture was about as close to the real thing as you can get and the flavor was outstanding. At first I questioned the amount of cinnamon, but it was perfect. I did make 3 adjustments just to let you know: I only had extra large eggs so I used 3 instead of 4; I used maple syrup instead of honey because mine was crystallized and I didn’t feel like opening a new bottle; then, I just stirred the chopped pecans into the batter instead of doing the pecan/cocnut sugar layer (to cut the sugar a little).
And the struessel topping? AMAZING. Thank you so much and God bless you!
Taylor Kiser says
You’re welcome, Sonya! So glad those adjustments worked and you loved it!
Chris Banzet says
I’ve been baking awhile now, but there’s definitely a magic one has to be ready for when switching from traditional flour, to one of the alternative flours. I thank you for your recipe. I’ve always mixed my walnuts into the batter, but I really like your idea of “layering” that added flavor and texture. And the pics of your end result looks esthetically pleasing.
I’ve added you to my favorites. I think my next venture will be following your Paleo Banana Pancakes. So long as I can sneak in some Blueberries of course…LOL
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you, Chris! Of course, blueberries for sure LOL!