Almond Flour Banana Bread (Paleo, gluten-free)

gluten-free banana bread sliced on a white platter with a serrated knife and green towel, sitting on a blue table runner

5 from 6 votes

Almond Flour Banana Bread (Paleo, gluten-free)

This Almond Flour Banana Bread tastes just as good as the traditional version! It's light, fluffy, moist and slightly sweet. It's the perfect snack as is, toasted, or sauteed in ghee until caramelized and crispy. Plus it's Paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

Total Time1 15

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

cooking spray (like avocado oil spray or coconut oil spray)
¼ cup palm shortening
2 cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
¼ cup arrowroot starch/flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed bananas (from about 2-3 large bananas)
2 eggs, room temperature
¼ cup maple syrup, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

First, please make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. If your eggs are fridge cold, submerge them in a bowl of very warm water. If the maple syrup is cold, measuring out 1/4 cup, put the measuring glass in a bowl and fill the bowl with very warm water until it reaches the height of the maple syrup.
Heat the oven to 350°,
Line the long sides of a 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper with some coming up just past the top of the pan. Spray the short sides with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, melt the palm shortening in a microwave, about 1 minute. Or you can melt it in a small saucepan over medium heat, then scrape into a small bowl. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, arrowroot, cream of tartar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
In a medium bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas until fairly smooth. Measure out 1 cup.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, melted and cooled palm shortening, vanilla and 1 cup of mashed bananas.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth and well-blended. The batter should be thick but pourable. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top into an even layer.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is dry and golden brown. Let cool completely.

Notes

Make ahead and storage

The bread can stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. And is it very moist, place a paper towel directly on top of the bread to absorb moisture.

The bread can also be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

If the bread is already sliced before freezing, place a small square of parchment paper between each slice before wrapping it up as a whole loaf.

Variations and substitutions

Add 1/2 cup of your favorite add-ins, like chocolate chips or chunks, blueberries, cacao nibs, your favorite nuts or dried fruit like raisins or chopped dried cherries.
Slice a ripe banana in half lengthwise, then lay the slices cut-side up on top of the batter before baking. You can also sprinkle the slices with a bit of coconut sugar for a more caramelized topping.
Or slice a ripe banana into thin coins and place on top of the batter before baking.
The cinnamon flavor here is very subtle (but don't leave it out or the bread will taste bland). If you want a more spiced flavor, double the cinnamon. You can also add ground ginger, nutmeg and/or cardamom.
Instead of maple syrup, you can use honey.
Instead of vanilla extract, you can use vanilla paste or the seeds of 1 vanilla pod.
I have not tried using anything else in place of the palm shortening. If you make this with ghee, coconut oil or something else, please let me know how it turns out!

Nutrition