A delicious, gluten-free, paleo chocolate chip banana bread recipe that’s made with almond flour and sweetened with pure maple, and dotted with dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds and pecans. So guilt-free and packed with lots of flavor!
Banana breads are such a staple at the Tan household, mainly because my little boy loves bananas so we always have a stash of riped bananas in our kitchen counter. This banana bread has a nutty flavor, and has chocolate chips in every bite. I also added pumpkin seeds and chopped pecans for some extra healthy fats in there.
Paleo baking means that we substitute the regular white flours with almond flour or other nut and plant sources (coconut, tapioca, chickpea, sweet potato), and also use natural sweeteners like coconut sugar, pure honey, pure maple instead of the refined white sugars.
GROCERY LIST FOR THIS PALEO CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD
- ripe bananas
- almond flour
- eggs
- coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- honey or pure maple syrup
- tapioca flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- dark chocolate chips
- pumpkin seeds
- pecans (or sub with walnuts)
TIPS TO MAKE THIS PALEO CHOCO CHIP BANANA BREAD
- Use very ripe bananas.
The kind that has brown spots on it and has been sitting on your kitchen counter for days. If at all your bananas are not ripe yet, a simple hack is to pop them in the oven or microwave for a few minutes to get them to caramelize.
Ripe bananas will give your banana breads the natural sweetness and also the moist texture. ‘Coz dense banana breads ain’t no fun to eat at all!
- Use blanched almond flour.
There are different kinds of almond flour and the ‘blanched’ ones will give your banana breads a better texture as well. Almond flour is just ground almonds and the blanched almond flour has the almond skin taken off prior being ground.
- Add some crunch.
I’ve made plain banana breads but nothing beats having that extra crunch from chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds or pecans), and seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Nuts and seeds are also rich in omega 3’s and fiber so they give your banana breads more nutrient value.
- Don’t over-mix.
Just like most baked goods, over-mixing the batter is the sure way to get dense breads! Making this banana bread is as easy as mixing the dry ingredients, then mixing the wet ingredients, and then combining both. Use a wooden spoon and gently mix the two just until there’s no more flour streaks in the batter. In that way you get super-moist banana breads every time. Yum!
CAN THIS BE MADE VEGAN?
I haven’t tested this recipe to replace eggs with flax eggs or other egg substitutes but if you do try to replace the eggs, please let me know down in the comments below on how it goes.
OTHER BANANA BREADS YOU’LL LOVE
CHOCOLATE BANANA ZUCCHINI BREAD
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe banana mashed
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted, cooled at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons pure honey or maple syrup
- 1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
- In a bowl, whisk the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a larger bowl, mash the bananas and add the eggs, pure maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until well combined. Don't over-mix as the bread will come out dense. Fold in half the chocolate chips, seeds and nuts.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips, seeds, and nuts. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted at the center of the bread.
- Let it cool on the loaf pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
If you tried this recipe, let me know or tag me in your stories in Instagram @fitfoodiemommy
xo,
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