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!
Best Ever Coconut Flour Banana Bread
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!
Could you substitute Swerve for Coconut sugar?
I loooove this recipe. I have made it countless times and everyone I gave it to loved it too! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Can you add chocolate chips or and nuts to this recipe/
Smell delicious but still has a soggy center even though its been in the oven for more than an hour.
Turned out perfect!
I have a whole bunch of dark chocolate, so I added dark chocolate chunks to it, and I greased the pan instead of using parchment paper…
It’s just the right amount of sweet and I don’t think it will last a week in the fridge, it will likely be gone by the end of the weekend 🙂
I loved this recipe. I modified it for my smaller oven. 6 eggs, and added about a teaspoon and a half of honey. I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and I loved it!
This bread never rose in the center as described in the recipe. It also never cracked. I excluded the sugar and made no other changes to the recipe. The flavor was OK.
What is another sweetener I could use please ? Honey , brown sugar? I do not have coconut sugar
I added 1/4 chopped walnuts to my recipe and loved it!!
This is very tasty!
I’ve been making this recipe over and over since the first time. About six weeks of it now!
I was very careful with measurements and the only substitution I made on the first try was using golden granulated sugar because I didn’t have coconut sugar.
Since then I’ve tried several variations and they’ve all been really good! The only thing I haven’t changed at all is the 3/4 cup coconut flour, 5 eggs, 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp baking powder.
It definitely was moister and a bit too wet with maple syrup, and for some reason the egg flavor was much stronger, but still delicious.
The most recent one is my favorite yet. I added a tablespoon of walnut flour, a tablespoon of molasses, a little less than a quarter cup of the golden sugar (still don’t have coconut sugar), and a teaspoon each of turmeric and cardamom in addition to the cinnamon and vanilla. And I only had 2 bananas so I put a banana sized amount of canned pumpkin in as a replacement.
This recipe is BS! Obviously measurements are wrong, like this was just made up to irritate people!
Soooo, it became delicious and what a easy peasy cake is this! I am gonna make this when I need something urgent, just keep some bananas in freezer!
I used frozen bananas (after thawing), 4 eggs (all I had), some ground flaxseed as a replacement for 1 egg. Yummm, thanks!
I tried this recipe twice, pretty amazing! Adjusted slightly for the 2nd loaf. Used erythritol instead of coconut sugar with an extra 2 TBS, let my eggs sit out until room temperature (which I’m convinced gave the loaf a little height!), didn’t mix too much, and let the dough rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a baking pan, baked for 55 minutes at 350 in the middle rack of the oven instead of at the bottom. Also, no peeking in the oven while baking 🙂
very good! only reason I gave it 4 stars vs 5 was I found it a little too moist. I omitted the sugar and substituted fresh mango instead of banana, yum! The mango was so sweet that no sweetener was needed. My bake time was 45 mins.
Great recipe as is, I tried adding a 1/4 cup dried figs and a 1/4 cup raw walnuts both chopped up finely. I guess I made banana/fig/nut bread. It was also really great.
Hi! Can I prep this batter and refrigerate overnight? Would appreciate your help. Thank you.
I added walnuts and used a little (very little) brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. Came out super tasty. My wife likes sweeter so she added a little honey on top. Excellent results for a first-timer!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it today and the whole family loved it! I used King Arthur Baking Sugar Alternative instead of coconut sugar.
Delicious flavor! I don’t know how this banana bread could have such a buttery flavor without any oil at all but it was delicious! (The batter was also amazing.)I didn’t have much luck with it rising but believe this was because my oven is not stable / holding temperature. It was set for 350 but towards the end I noticed it was only at 325. I live in the tropics so added a bit more banana so I added a couple of spoonfuls of almond flour hoping that would help it not be soggy. It seemed to work. I also doubled the vanilla and skipped the coconut sugar, added two tiny spoonfuls (maybe 1/4 t.) of pure monk fruit powder. Also added 1/2 cup of coconut flakes. One of the best rich-flavored banana breads I’ve ever had! Thank you for all your care in creating this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread! Adding coconut flakes sounds like a delicious addition.
Hello. What can I use in place of all the eggs? I don’t have chia eggs either.
Maybe try a recipe using a different flour? Coconut flour is pretty mushy and grainy without using eggs, so I haven’t had much success using it in egg-free baking.
This coconut flour banana bread IS absolutely the best I have ever made or eaten! I used 2 1/2 duck eggs because that is what we have. It was amazingly moist. Best recipe I’ve made with coconut flour. I look forward to trying more of your recipes Megan.
I used slightly less coconut flour (like a tablespoon or two) and threw in some psyllium husk, for a bit extra fiber, and used allulose instead of the coconut flour and made muffins instead of a loaf. This recipe was a huge hit! My “these will last for 2 breakfasts” muffins were devoured in less than an hour! Thanks!
No need butter or coconut oil?
Thanks for this recipe! It turned out really nicely, even though I think my oven is running a little hot and I overcooked it a tad. Nothing a pat of butter won’t fix! 😉
Newbies to coconut flour should realize that it can be very inconsistent from brand to brand, and even two different batches of the same brand. I get it at a bulk food store and I’ve learned to buy pretty big batches, now that I’ve had lots of practice. That minimizes the ‘tinkering’ with my tried n’ true recipes.
Love this recipe. I double or triple it each time. Great way to use over ripe bananas. I use mapl syrup instaed of dry sugar. Very moist.
I used this recipe except used regular sugar in place of coconut sugar. Also I baked it in the Ninja Foodi @ 325° for 25 minutes.
It looked like it was burning so I removed it from the Foodi, the middle was set but the bottom was slightly wet in the middle but I didn’t notice until I flipped it out of the pan. I frosted it with cream cheese frosting.
Delicious!
Hi Megan, Just tried your banana bread recipe and, Yay! Success (although I used 1/3 cup of brown sugar because i didn’t have any coconut sugar, so not strictly paleo here) I am allergic to to dairy and looking for a recipe higher in protein for which it ticks the boxes. You def do need to be mindful of ratios with coconut flour as it sure sucks up the liquids! My teenage daughter gave it the nod and that’s something!! BTW – She just came back for another slice, Winning!! . Thanks for your trials. I followed the recipe as above, except for the alternative sugar and I greased and lined my pan. Cooked for 40 mins all together – 30 minutes at 180 deg C fan forced (Aussie here) and then 175 C for the last 10 mins. It turned out really well. Perfect for lunch boxes. Thanks Lindal
Great recipe! I’ve done it with no sugar at all, 4 bananas, and added chopped walnuts and vegan chocolate chips
Oh and Ive added raisins a few times as well!
I tried this today with minor adjustments:
1. Added 3/4 cup of cocnut oil
2. Used 8 large eggs instead of 5
3. Reduced the sugar amount to only 2 tablespoons.
I left the rest of the ingredient quantities the same.
The bread came out looking and feeling soft. It is still tasty – at least to my liking. I don’t like a lot of sugar in my baked goods.
Thanks for the recipe.
Liked it but the 1 teaspoon (5g) 1 teaspoon (6g) 1 teaspoon (1 gram) situation confuses it
Teaspoon is a volume while gram is mass (weight); the different ingredients weigh more or less for the same volume, that’s all.
No butter?
All other recipes call for 1 stick of butter?
You can certainly experiment with adding butter to this recipe if you want to, but I’m not sure how it will turn out with that addition. Maybe try adding a tablespoon or two? I don’t think a whole stick would be necessary for this.
Your recipe for banana bread turned out perfect.! I substituted the coconut sugar for brown sugar and add it some r
aisins..
I’ve made this 8 or 9 times by now. It comes out great every time.
I bake it in a 9×9 glass dish and it makes 16 snack sized squares. I also leave out the salt.
Usually I do it as written, but I’ve tried these variations:
– changing spices to a combination of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg
– changing from 3 bananas to 1 banana + canned pumpkin for the rest of the grams needed
– adding a teaspoon of coconut oil and a couple tablespoons of turmeric
– using 1/4 cup brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
honestly every variation is good
I’ve used up an entire bag of coconut flour and need to order more!
I used 4 bananas as you suggested, along with the extra coconut sugar and baking powder. I also used one less egg. The consistency was perfect for me, definitely holds shape and has enough density, but still moist. Thank you so much for this recipe!
It truly is the best ever coconut banana cake! My picky eater gave a thumbs up and didn’t notice the difference with a normal banana cake made with refined flour. You are a lifesaver, truly… God bless.
Do the eggs need to be room temperature or can the be straight from the fridge?
You can use them straight from the fridge, but the batter might thicken up a little! It will still bake fine, though, it’s just a little surprising when it thickens up, and you’ll need to spread it out in the pan.
My toddler and I love and appreciate this recipe!
The modifications that I used that came out successful in texture and flavor-
used 2 large bananas, four eggs, and omitted the added sugar by adding just a couple chopped dates, and a chopped up quarter of an apple laying on my counter. We added chopped walnuts and some pumpkin pie spice.
Thank you!!
I can’t have eggs, do you think if I use a commercial egg replacer, it’ll be fine? Maybe just omit the baking soda since they usually have it in them already?
Made this with the only difference in using regular sugar as I didn’t have coconut sugar and it was delicious.
Best banana bread recipe. I live in Florida I grow my own bananas and experimented with different oil and flower free recipes but this one is the best.
Best banana bread. My sisters thought I bought it in a bakery. Local bakery charges 12.99 for Gluten free banana bread. I made this one for roughly 3.50 and it is yum!! I added mixed nuts and sprinkled some seeds on top. Thank you.
Absolutely so delish. I let the batter sit a bit before I add the raising agents, this I feel, causes it to be moister, as the coconut flour has time to absorb the liquid. I also add walnuts, and dated instead of sugar.
Delicious! Lots of flavor. Not too sweet. My 4 year old can’t get enough, either 🙂
I made this, tbh the end result was pretty rubbish. Kind of eggy and coconuty at the same time. Not dense
1 star
Super delicious recipe…I added one more banana, and only three spoonds of monk sugar… and it is delicious..thanks for this easy recipe..
Insanely DELICIOUS. So moist but still a bread texture. Tastes so similar to my mom’s white flour recipe that is a childhood favorite. I used four tablespoons of honey instead of coconut sugar and it is tasty!
Awesome recipe!