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This is the best Coconut Flour Banana Bread you’ll ever try. It’s easy to make, not overly sweet, and reminds me of the real thing– without using gluten or dairy.
What You Need to Know About Coconut Flour
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Coconut flour is SO tricky to work with. You’d think by now, after developing recipes like my Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread, Coconut Flour Carrot Cake, and Coconut Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, I would have a pretty good idea of how to make practically any baked good with coconut flour.
However, it still took me 6 different attempts to get this recipe right. My picky toddler has deemed this coconut flour banana bread to be the “best ever,” so I suppose my effort was worth it!
How to Sweeten It Naturally
The resulting Coconut Flour Banana Bread is moist, without being gooey in the middle, and is also not overly sweet. It could still pass as “normal” banana bread, which is why I added just a touch of natural sweetener, but you could definitely omit the coconut sugar entirely if you don’t mind having a less-sweet bread for your family.
(See the notes below the recipe if you are interested in using maple syrup instead. I tested that, too, but the results are more moist.)
Keep in mind that the riper your bananas are, the sweeter the banana bread will be, so be sure to use bananas with LOTS of black spots on their skin for best results.
How to Measure Coconut Flour
When making this recipe, be sure to use the “scoop and swipe” method for measuring. I dip the measuring cup into the bag of coconut flour to get a heaping scoop, then use the back of a knife to swipe the excess off the top.
This should leave you with a measuring cup of coconut flour that has a perfectly flat and leveled top.
I’ve also included the weight of the ingredients in grams in the recipe below, if you prefer to measure using a food scale.
This Coconut Flour Banana Bread recipe is:
- Gluten-free and grain-free
- Naturally sweetened, with the option of using NO added sugar if you prefer
- Oil-free
- Nut-free (technically coconut is classified as a fruit)
- Fast to prepare! The batter can be ready in just 10 minutes before baking it.
- Higher in protein
- Super-moist and delicious!
Why You Need So Many Eggs with Coconut Flour
Like most coconut flour recipes, this one does require more eggs than a recipe using any other type of flour. Coconut flour is freakishly absorbent, and because of that it requires eggs for both structure and moisture.
Trust me when I say that I used as few eggs as necessary to produce a good result. On the bright side, the eggs do give this bread more protein in each slice.
If you need a vegan recipe, check out my Vegan Almond Flour Banana Bread recipe, or the Vegan Buckwheat Banana Bread (which is nut-free) found in my first cookbook.
Tip for Stick-Prevention
Coconut flour tends to stick to pans more than other varieties of flour, so I like to line my loaf pan with parchment paper to guarantee the banana bread will easily release from the pan later.
To make your life easier, spray the pan with a little bit of oil, then press the parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. The light coating of oil will hold the parchment paper in place, so it doesn’t wiggle around while you pour the batter in!
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas (344 grams; not including peels)
- 3/4 cup coconut flour (87 grams)
- 5 large eggs (250 grams)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (50 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 gram)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (6 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add in the coconut flour, eggs, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Use a whisk to stir the batter well, breaking up any lumps so a smooth batter is formed. (You can also use an electric hand mixer to do this.)
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake until the center of the loaf has risen and started to crack, feeling firm to the touch, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Because this loaf is moist, be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for best shelf life. It should last at least a week when stored in the fridge, though you might eat it all before then!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1 of 10 slices. This information is automatically calculated, so it’s just an estimate and not a guarantee.
Recipe Updated: 6/30/2020
I slightly modified this recipe to help prevent the soggy middle that some readers were reporting, and I added the weights for those who like to be exact with a kitchen scale.
If you are still in love with the original version, I only changed 3 things: I reduced the number of bananas from 4 to 3, I added a teaspoon of baking powder to help it rise even more, and I increased the coconut sugar from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. Feel free to change these things back if you prefer the original recipe.
Substitution Notes:
- There is no substitution for coconut flour, so if you’d like to use another flour please see my two suggestions that I mentioned earlier in this post.
- I did test this recipe using 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and the result was slightly sweeter and much more moist. I thought it was “too moist” to serve to company, but the results were just fine if you’re only serving this to your family. You can also omit the sweetener entirely if you don’t mind it tasting less sweet.
- I don’t think flax or chia eggs would work in this recipe, because they would result in a very gooey center. Feel free to experiment, if you like, but I also mentioned my two vegan banana bread recipes earlier in this post if you’d prefer to start with those.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know what how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I would love to hear about that, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite quick bread that I haven’t covered yet? Be sure to check out my Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread and Vegan Pumpkin Bread, too!
Megan, I’m a long time fan, and this was SO GOOD! I have a 20 mo, and I made it for her and she LOVED it. I actually didn’t add any sugar, and added some fresh spinach-I made the whole batter in the vitamix. It’s green, but she didn’t care 🙂 IT was also plenty sweet!
Thank you for all the awesome food!!
Came out good! I used 6 medium eggs and one tsp of honey, tsp splenda (Didnt have vanilla extract). I used monkfruit instead of sugar. Baked for 55 minutes and was tasty! My first time baking with coconut flour. Wasn’t sure how it would come out since my mixed texture looked like applesauce. Baked even throughout.
shouldn’t this recipe include coconut oil too?
Nope, it’s oil-free!
Mine came out too moist in the centre. I’m wondering if my bananas were too big? It was delicious otherwise, I also added some walnuts. But I would appreciate any advice on what I can do to make the center not be so moist/soggy.
I baked it for about 45 minutes.
The bananas could have made it more moist, or you might just need to bake it a little longer. I’d try 5-10 more minutes next time!
Mine came out the same, very moist in the center and a spongy texture, reminded me of the Easter dish, Torrija from Spain. Tasted great, but was very floppy/moist/smushy. I’m not sure if baking it longer would have done the trick because it was looking burnt on the sides- I’d love any suggestions too. I may try letting the batter sit for a minute or two before putting in the oven as a different commenter suggested.
Bake it longer. I had to bake it for 55 min. It didn’t over bake and was the perfect amount of moisture, not gooey at all.
HDo you know if this bread would freeze okay and still fresh tasting for guests later? Thanks for all your awesome recipes!!
Is this properly combined?
This looks so good. I have both your cook books.
Looking for a properly combined muffin or bread.
Thanx?
This one isn’t, but the Banana Coconut Muffins in Everyday Detox and the Pumpkin Spice Bread in No Excuses Detox would be properly combined!
I have never made this recipe with bananas. I substitute an equivalent amount of sweet potato. No sugar needed. I put in some nut butter instead. So yummy.
So happy to find such a simple recipe! Linda- when you use sweet potato, do you blend them up raw? Or do you boil or bake them at all first?
Hi Linda, I was thinking of using paw paw instead of banana. I have some paw paw to use and I only have coconut flour. I hope it goes well
I’ve probably made every one of Megan’s banana bread/cake/muffin recipes, and although I love them all, this is probably my favorite. I was worried that five eggs would be too egg-y for me, but the texture is perfect, and it’s just the right level of sweetness. And the best thing is that this is probably the easiest gluten free banana bread I’ve ever made since there is just one flour and no grinding is required. I had intended to slice up some strawberries and finally try my hand at coconut whipped cream, but I don’t think it’s going to last until I get around to that. Guessing it would also make a pretty good french toast, as well.
Any suggestions on how to adjust the ingredients to make it in a 10″ loaf pan? I added an extra banana and extra egg and a little bit more of the rest of the ingredients. Even though it came out good, it wasn’t great as it was too moist! Would appreciate any suggestions!
Thanks so much!
Can this bread be frozen?
Yes! Freezes very well.
I omitted the coconut sugar but added 1/2 c. of dark chocolate chips. My husband and I both thought it was very good, especially for a healthy option.