Summer has been crazy. It seems like all the sudden everything is moving really fast. The school year is over, and I can’t believe in less than two weeks the movers will be here and we’ll be shipping out of Philadelphia. I think it hasn’t totally set in that the whole California thing isn’t just a vacation. It’s happening. It’s such an adventure and I’m so excited about it.
Last weekend I woke up craving banana bread. It was such a staple for me growing up and although I have a double chocolate banana bread recipe on the blog, I wanted a more traditional and less chocolatey version (wait, who am I?). It happens from time to time.
Naturally I didn’t do a complete traditional banana bread because I can’t resist but to throw my own little twist on it. You know how I do (insert sassy emoji).
But this banana bread is so moist and dense and has those pockets of warm melty, chocolate chunks, and a bit of a coconut crunch. It’s really so amazing if you drizzle EXTRA almond butter on the slices. I won’t name names but someone ate the whole loaf, maybe only sharing a bite or two. Ok ok it was me. I ate probably 90-95% of the loaf. Ain’t no shame. It’s not like it was all at once or anything. It was a slow progression of a slice here, a slice there. You know, the normal unfolding of banana bread consumption.
If you want to browse recipes by flavor, check out these banana recipes, apple recipes, pumpkin recipes, and blueberry recipes!
Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the almond butter and agave
(honey or maple syrup to make paleo). Sometimes natural almond butter is thick and not easily stir-able. Just microwave it for 30 seconds to loosen it up so everything can be mixed together properly.
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, unsweetened coconut shreds
, baking powder, and sea salt.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Then, fold the chocolate chunks into the batter, reserving some for the top. I really like these chocolate chunks
because they are gluten free and paleo.
Line a bread pan with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the sides to keep it in place.
Pour the batter into the lined pan, spreading it out evenly. Press the remaining chunks into the top.
Pop it in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Recipe
Coconut Almond Banana Bread
The best low carb + gluten free banana bread! Who doesn’t love a slice of this traditional treat drizzled with some extra nut butter?!
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds (optional but fun)
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks (any type of chips work! I used minis once and it was AMAZING!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, almond butter, and agave. If needed, microwave the almond butter for 15-30 seconds to loosen it up so everything can be mixed together properly.
- In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, unsweetened coconut shreds, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Then, fold the chocolate chunks into the batter, reserving some for the top.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the sides to keep it in place.
- Pour the batter into the lined pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Press the remaining chunks into the top.
- Pop it in the oven and bake for 30-35 or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove the banana bread from the oven and pull on the edges of the parchment paper to remove it from the pan.
- Place the banana bread (and parchment paper) on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting into slices.
Tips
- sub in honey or maple syrup for agave to make paleo!
- Per serving: Calories 366; Fat 26.6g (Sat 8.8g); Protein 9.8g; Carb 31.6g (net carbs 25.7g); Fiber 5.9g; Sodium 197mg
Nutrition Info:
- Serving Size: 10
This bread is bananas, y’all!! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!! (like, in a good way) Enjoy!! xo
This banana bread is SO GOOD!! I was looking for a good banana bread recipe and I tried a different one and then realized it called for TWO CUPS OF SUGAR FOR ONE LOAF!!! Can you even believe that? And on top of that, there was hardly any flavor. This recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons of agave as sweetener and doesnt rely on refined sugar to provide the bulk of the flavor. Its also gluten and dairy free which is amazing. Just make this already. I did skip the coconut the first time I made it but maybe next time I’ll try it out.
★★★★★
ah thank you so much for the amazing review!! I’m so happy you loved it!! xo
I’ve made this with almond or peanut butter and without coconut. Made MANY thru quarantine, so good!
★★★★★
haha aw I’m so glad your quarantine banana bread was my recipe!! Sending you love!!
I’ve made this bread so many times, usually with peanut butter and without choc-chips. Tastes amazing. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy you love it!! It’s one of my faves! xo
I did not use this Agave Nectar you speak of. I’ve never used it before. I did however, had some Stevia on hand and used that instead. (I don’t know if it’s a Canadian thing, lol).
After making the recipe, I came to find out Stevia has no sugar AND no calories – unlike Agave Nectar. I’m not trying to lose weight, just eat healthy but surprisingly, 3 tbsps of Stevia might have been too sweet since there was already chocolate chips (and bananas) in the mix. So next time I’ll use 2 tbsps.
I skipped the coconuts also and used 3 bananas instead of 2.
So overall, I can’t truly rate the recipe honestly since it was altered but I think it’s safe to say it’s the best darn HEALTHY Banana recipe I’ve ever eaten. (And there was even no vanilla in it!) It was very moist!
Thanks for sharing!!
haha thanks so much for your comment!! I’m so happy this banana bread recipe brought some yumminess to your life! Sending you love!! xo