The Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bread of your life is here friends!
But a Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bread that is also nut-free?!
I know, shocker that there is an actual nut free recipe over on my blog AND it is paleo!
But if we’re being honest, if there is one thing I cannot live with out, it is peanut butter. Or really all nut butter for that matter.
Because ever since I was younger, I was obsessed with anything peanut butter related. Reese’s Cups, Reese’s Pieces, PB&J, Peanut Butter ANYTHING! And don’t even get me started on a classic PB&J sandwich anytime of the day. But then when my brother was born, that all changed. My parent’s couldn’t figure out why he didn’t have same some love for peanut butter like I do. Well, it turns out that my brother is highly allergic to all NUTS! What are the odds right?
Growing up was a little challenging for me in the kitchen since my Mom (being the amazing Mother she is, hey mom!), was totally neurotic about utensils carrying traces of peanut butter and my brother having a reaction. I didn’t eat peanut butter near him and always had to be careful to not get it anywhere. And I also had to disinfect the counter and wash everything before putting it in the dishwasher.
…Too many obstacles to spoon my beloved peanut butter!
But then, my Mom found out about sunflower seed butter and it was a game changer for his nut-free lifestyle. And my baking obsession. Sunflower seed butter is 100% peanut free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, gluten free, sesame free and is made from purely sunflower seeds. It is such an amazing alternative to any nut butter if you have an allergies to peanuts and tree nuts.
One of my biggest goals for myself this year is to branch out and make more recipes out of my “comfort zone”. Nut-free recipes are a huge part of this. I also want to make more paleo recipes, which so far is off to a great start. But then, I said to myself “how about a nut free AND paleo recipe?”. From a sweets perspective, that is pretty challenging since nuts are a major ingredient in most paleo treats, but this banana bread is officially a game changer.
I am beyond excited to share that this healthy chocolate chip banana bread is NUT FREE.
But the nut-free recipes don’t stop here friends. I have rounded up a whole blog post on some other nut-free recipes here from my kitchen. We have so many options to choice from. Some paleo, some vegan but no nuts are used. Plus if sunflower seed butter isn’t your thing, you can also use tahini as another great alternative for creaminess.
And don’t forget to check out the other banana recipes here on the blog and share with me which ones you love!
Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (Nut Free)
- Yield: 8-10 slices 1x
- Category: paleo, nut free, gluten free, grain free
- Cuisine: dessert, snack, breakfast
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 3 medium/large ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup creamy nut butter
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted & cooled coconut oil
- Splash of vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
Topping:
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line or spray a loaf pan with parchment paper (I used 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5)
- Place wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix with kitchen aid
- Once mixed well, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and continue to mix with kitchen aid
- Fold in dark chocolate chips once everything is mixed well (I also saved some to sprinkle on top)
- Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes (or until ends are golden)
- Finally, enjoy with your toppings of choice or deliciously as is
- You can keep in fridge for about 7 days or freeze for longer!
xx, Rach
122 Responses
This bread looks phenomenal!! Love that it’s paleo-friendly and filled with banana-y flavor. Thanks so much for sharing <3
Aw thank you, Marina!! I hope you try it 🙂 It is one of my favorites! xx
I love paleo banana bread! I currently have three ripe bananas I need to use up at home as well! So I might just have to try this recipe out! Love that it is free of most allergies too!
Sitting in class wanting to eat my screen. Thanks Rach! You’ve done it again 🙂
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Haha, anytime ad! xx
Why didn’t it turn green!? All my sunbutter baked goods do :0)
I’m not sure if this is a St. Patty’s Day joke 😉 But I haven’t experienced a green color with SunButter! I’m not sure.. xx
Nope! It’s not a joke!
From http://sunbutter.com/faq/
When substituting SunButter in your existing recipe, you may have to reduce the baking soda/powder by about one-third. The chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in sunflower seeds reacts with the baking soda/powder when baked, causing the green color when the cookies cool. This is completely harmless! Depending on the recipe, a splash of lemon juice may also help. You can also check out our tried and tested SunButter recipes.
How interesting! It hasn’t happen to me in my baking with SunButter but I will definitely keep that mind 🙂 Thanks for sharing! xx
I cannot imagine a life without peanut butter. Srlsy, what’s the point?! Ok that might be a leeetle bit dramatic, but I’m willing to give sun butter a try. This looks delish!
Haha FOR REAL. I feel you! This definitely is delicious and its less overpowering than PB in recipes! xx
Giirrlll this looks amazing! This must have been the one you were talking about. You’re inspiring me to make more coconut flour banana bread I think… I’ve got a huge jar of nuttzo I could use 😀
Gluten free for the win!! This bread looks amazing!!! <3
xoxo Cailee!!
Thank you so much, Cailee! It is definitely one of my favorites now 🙂 xx
Definitely making this today!!! This looks AMAZING – you nailed it again 🙂
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Thank you so much, Leah! I have been making banana bread on repeat lately, it is so so amazing. Plus I love making lighter paleo treats 🙂 Let me know what you think! xx
I love sun butter! It’s such a great alternative for those who can’t have nut/peanut butter. This bread looks delicious! I have a couple of over ripe bananas so I might need to whip up a batch of banana bread!
Agreed! Plus the flavoring isn’t overpowering in recipes so it’s so perfect to add for that creamy consistency. I hope you try this! It is such a delicious and light banana bread! xx
Did this work with just 2 bananas? I only have 2 large ones 🙁
worth a try! if batter is too dry just add more nut butter or a splash of nut milk
Love that you used sun butter! I can imagine how amazing this tastes with a huge cup of coffee for breakfast!
Thank you, Rachel! SunButter is so so delicious, I love baking with it too since it’s not too overpowering! xx
Drooooling over here! This bread looks amazing!!
Thank you, Brie!! it is my favorite recipe yet! xx
Ohhh how I love banana bread – must make ASAP! And I would totally slather it in nut butter, too 😉
Me too! It is such a favorite, always! Coconut flour is too delicious as the flour in this! So so yummy! xx
This looks so delicious! I am excited to try baking with SunButter, as I have some relatives with peanut allergies so thank you!! And recommendations for adapting this to not use eggs? I haven’t had much experience with egg-free / vegan baking.
Love seeing all the Paleo recipes. Your blog is so lovely and makes me want to snack ALL THE TIME!! xo
Hi Meri – thanks so much! I personally love eggs and with coconut and almond flour you usually need them when baking because of the density. I haven’t tested this without eggs, sorry! And thank you so much for your kind words about my blog. I love sharing all my new recipes with you! xx
Haven’t tried it with this recipe yet, but I’m allergic to eggs and use chia eggs all the time! (Chia seeds soaked in water to give them the right consistency, google it!) flax eggs work too. The texture seems the same if you get the water to Chia ratio correct.
I want to try this recipe, but I don’t have maple syrup. Could I use either honey or coconut sugar in place of it?
I recommend honey instead! A liquid sweetener would be better 🙂
I made this bread this morning and OMGoodness it is wonderful! I subbed Nuttzo nut butter for the sunflower butter but WOW this is amazing! Thank you for the recipe-love so many of your wonderful recipes!
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Thank you so much, Corey! I am so happy to hear that! Hope you enjoy! xx
I tried this tonight, and it turned out great! It’s my first time trying paleo anything but, I am taking on a healthier lifestyle and wanted to try a sweet with a little less guilt! Also, I did mine with almond butter instead as I did not have sun butter. Question, this may be dumb…but what is the best way to store it in order to keep it fresh?
Thank you so much for the recipe!
P
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Hi Liv! Not a dumb question at all! I say 2-3 days on counter but if you keep in fridge up to 7 days! xx
Hi! I want to make this recipe but I do not have sun butter. Do you think using peanut butter would over power it too much?
I also do not have coconut flour but I have unsweetened shredded coconut from trader joes, could I blend this to make a flour?
Let me know if you can- this recipe looks AMAZING!!! I need to make!
Any nut butter will work but I do highly recommend coconut flour for this. You can find it at any grocery store 🙂
Hey Rachel – bouncing off of this comment, do you happen to have flour alternatives for coconut? Turns out I have a moderate intolerance to it 🙁
hi kavya! i do not but you can make a handful of my other banana breads that use almond flour or oat flour! they are here on the blog 🙂
Just made this recipe last night and substituted almond flour for the coconut flour and it was PERFECTION! Seriously, this whole loaf is almost gone ??????
Thanks for the recipe, Rachel!!
YAYYYYY!!!
I am making this asap! Love how there is no added sugar, I think I’ve got all these ingredients in my kitchen already.
Found this on Hummusapien’s website and thought it sounded good (and healthy). Made it with PB and it turned out delicious. Perfect for something filling and sweet, but won’t leave you sluggish.
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instead of coconut flour could i use oat flour?
No, I do not recommend subbing any other flour! Coconut flour is very different. Check out my strawberry banana bread or oatmeal raisin for oat flour ratios! xx
Making this this morning! So thankful for your life-saving gluten free/paleo recipes! <3
I’m a lover of coconut flavor, but my fiance and his family not so much. Does using coconut flour create a powering coconut flavor, or do the other ingredients overpower?? Can’t wait to try regardless… Even if I’m the only one eating the entire thing 😉 Thanks!
shouldn’t be overpowering at all!! i think they will love 🙂
I just made this recipe, and want to take it back to college with me! How long does it last in a refrigerator, or keeping it in the freezer? Thanks!
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hi connor! please see recipe for details !! so happy you enjoy! xx
Made this bread last Friday, it was gone on Sunday. I have another batch in the oven, it is delicious!
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YAY!
Hey Rachel!
Love your blog so so much!! I tried this tonight but used almond butter instead of sun butter. Its pretty good but for some reason it took more like an hour + and its a little mealy. Any suggestions? 🙂
Thanks!
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hi kira! happy to hear you love it! bake times can vary based off of the type of bread loaf/pan you use. also if your almond butter was more oily than the sunbutter that can effect the bake time 🙂 as for the “mealy” texture, i haven’t heard this before. make sure the ingredient measurements are the same as above and it should be great! xx
I LOVE this recipe! My banana bread loving husband was also a huge fan and he didn’t even act weird that it was paleo! I’ve made it several times (once with peanut butter back when I tolerated it) and now with coconut butter and I wanted to stop by and confirm that you can use coconut butter in place of the nut/seed butter! I am sensitive to nuts and seeds as well as legumes so I use coconut butter in anything I can, but I wanted to let you and your readers know that this still comes out great with coconut butter AS LONG AS it’s very liquid-y and melted. If it’s not liquid enough it clumps up a little, just the way coconut oil does when it starts to cool, but it’s totally an option if you get it warm and liquid enough and it tastes great so FYI and thanks for an awesome recipe! (Oh coconut butter also subs well in your apple bread, too!)
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Hey! I’m planning to make this bread this afternoon and I’m so excited! Was wondering if you think it’d be okay to add a scoop of vital proteins collagen powder? Would I have to add/subtract anything else? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try! Xx
100%!! should be ok to just add
making this right now! i cannot wait to see how it turns out! xo
Would this work with oatmeal or oat flour???
no coconut flour is not a 1:1 sub for any flours. feel free to make some of my other banana breads that use oat flour
This bread is so delicious!!! I put 80% dark chocolate and half the amount of maple syrup (ran out of it). My boyfriend and I had to stop ourselves from eating the whole loaf and trying to stretch out throughout the week! We shall see if that will work 😉
Thank you so much for the recipe!
awww YES same. always demolish the whole thing in like two days ha! xx
This bread looks very good- like all your recipes! I’m all out of any nut butter though. Do you think this bread will hold up without it?
it definitely needs nut butter !
Looks yummy! Can I use melted coconut oil in replace of liquid coconut oil?
melted and cooled!
Can I use flax seed to substitute the eggs?
i don’t recommend it! flax egg and coconut flour don’t mix as well but i have a variety of vegan/egg-free recipes on the blog! xx
Just made this with peanut butter and it was delicious!!!
Could regular AP flour be substituted instead?
nope, coconut flour is a very unique flour (as are most grain free options!)
This is easily my favorite paleo banana bread recipe!! So easy and so good! Plus, adding chocolate chips is always a good idea— thanks for the recipe!
Hi! I love your recipes! I want to make this, but was wondering if you could just use egg whites instead of whole eggs?
Hi there! I’m on the SCD diet for autoimmune issues, and I can’t use baking powder. Subbing baking soda might be tricky. What would you recommend??
sub half the amount of baking powder with baking soda (it should work!)
How have I lived without this recipe all my life? So good!!
AW yay thank you!!!!
Looks delish and am going to make tomorrow!! Do you have the per serving breakdown of carbs, protein & fat?
hi there! no i don’t count macros. feel free to input into online calculator if you need.
Absolutely love this recipe! We love making this either in bread or muffin form.
(Also, I’ve accidentally used oat flour instead of coconut, and it still turned out amazing)
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Delicious! Best Banana Bread I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
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omg thank you!!!
Made this tonight with my roommate! It was the perfect fix for the Sunday scaries!! So easy and delicious. Thank you! 😊
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woohoo!!!
Made this to have on hand for breakfast last week – so yummy!
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YAY!!