Well, well… my baking adventures continue and I must say, I am extremely proud of this Easy Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread! It’s rich, decadent, paleo-friendly, and a total crowd pleaser!
I shared this recipe with friends recently and every single person I shared it with immediately texted me for the recipe and all of them couldn’t believe that it is gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free!
Whether you are making this for a make-ahead and on-the-go breakfast, an afternoon pick-me-up, or even an after-dinner sweet treat– you can’t go wrong with this recipe. It’s also a fun treat to toss into lunch boxes for your kiddos that is refined sugar free and only sweetened with maple syrup and banana! Perfection!
So set those bananas aside and let them get nice and brown– then put them to great use and make this delicious and Easy Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread.
If you love this recipe and are looking for other delicious and healthier baked goods, here are a few of my favorites that are similar!
Easy Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed, over-ripe banana 3-4 bananas
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup liquid coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 ¼ cup superfine almond flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips *I use Hu Chocolate for Dairy-Free and Paleo compliant
- ½ tsp flakey sea salt such as Maldon, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with a parchment paper sling and lightly spray with cooking oil spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the banana, maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract and whisk together until very well combined.
- Add the cinnamon, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, tapioca flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until very well combined and there are no lumps. Fold in ½ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan into an even layer. Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp of chocolate chips over the top and sprinkle with the flakey salt, if using.
- Transfer the loaf to the middle rack of the oven, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently removing the loaf from the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice with a serrated bread knife to serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
46 Comments
Kelsey
May 22, 2023 at 8:13 pmdelicious! extra great warmed up and served with a scoop of ice cream. i’ve made this several times (most recently i forgot the tapioca flour and it was still good) and will continue to have on rotation!
Heidi C.
April 15, 2023 at 3:08 pmDelicious and so easy to make!
Anna Vincent
February 18, 2023 at 11:38 pmDelicious! Rich and chocolaty with a beautiful texture. This will be on repeat!
Megan Pecilunas
February 5, 2023 at 4:08 pmI can’t even tell you how much we love this bread! I am gluten free and egg free and was able to easily substitute the eggs for two flax eggs. Alex, I have made a TON of your recipes and there isn’t ONE that we didn’t want to make again. You are INCREDIBLE!
Alex
February 5, 2023 at 11:41 pmThank you so much! Glad flax eggs were a simple swap too for anyone needing to make this egg-free.
Jill R
January 25, 2023 at 1:36 amOH MY GOSH. I love made this as muffins and used the extra batter in my waffle maker. YUM my 5 year old is obsessed. Thank you!
Alex
January 25, 2023 at 10:17 pmOkay YUM! I bet this was delicious as a waffle!
Kelly
January 9, 2023 at 9:50 amAny idea how many calories per serve in this delicious recipe ?
Maria
October 31, 2022 at 6:07 pmThis is the best paleo banana bread I have ever made. What a great recipe! Thank you!
Alex W
September 18, 2022 at 6:53 pmThis is so delicious!! I’ve made it at least 5 times and shared with friends and family as well. I make 12 muffins instead of a loaf and baked for 20-25 minutes. I accidentally left out the coconut oil one time and was so sad but the muffins still ended up being delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Katie
June 27, 2022 at 9:42 pmDo you have a brand of superfine almond flour your recommend? In general, I find such variation in results with different brands so I’d really appreciate knowing what you use!
Alex
June 27, 2022 at 10:10 pmI always use the Bob’s Red Mill superfine almond flour in recipes.
Katie
June 28, 2022 at 9:19 pmThank you!! ❤️ And thank you for your incredible recipes – couldn’t be a bigger fan of your cookbooks and your site!
Kellie
June 8, 2022 at 4:07 pmWhat could you substitute for the eggs in a vegan version
Alex
June 8, 2022 at 4:43 pmI have not tried this egg-less but maybe someone else has and can share!
Bailey
May 29, 2022 at 9:26 pmDelicious!! Do you think this recipe would work as muffins?
Alex W
September 18, 2022 at 6:56 pmIt does! I baked 12 muffins for 20-25 minutes and they turned out wonderfully.
Alex
September 22, 2022 at 7:18 pmyay! glad it worked well for you!
Kensie
May 4, 2022 at 3:16 amThis bread is perfection!
Alex
May 4, 2022 at 11:53 pm🙂 I agree!!!!
Rhonda Brown
March 31, 2022 at 7:53 pmDon’t wait!!!! Make this!!!! It’s absolutely DELICIOUS!!! My husband almost ate half after dinner…no kidding . The texture, moistness, taste,…it’s definitely one of my favorites …what am I saying? I Love all of your recipes Alex. So happy I found out about you.
Ann Opinion
March 25, 2022 at 3:18 amThis recipe is a keeper for us.
It tastes delicious and has a nice texture.
It came together quickly and baked + raised beautifully.
I learned to test for doneness in paleo baking by using a kitchen thermometer at 200 degrees and it worked perfectly with this bread.
I cut the cocoa in half for our personal taste and used an herbal coffee alternative in the same amount with the wet ingredients since I don’t have coffee in the house.
Next time I’ll add nuts for texture.
I’m a big fan of The Defined Dish paleo and whole30 recipes. Thanks for all the great recipes 💕
Ann Opinion
March 25, 2022 at 3:06 am5 out of 5 stars
Allison
March 16, 2022 at 1:18 pmHi! I would love to try this – what are your thoughts on using flax eggs instead of eggs? We have an allergy in this family. Thank you!!
Alex
March 17, 2022 at 2:58 pmI have not tried this with flax eggs but maybe someone else has who can share!
Michele
March 15, 2022 at 1:21 pmLove this bread. We typically don’t eat gluten free bread, but my kids did not notice a difference in taste or texture. I’m so excited to have a healthier alternative to a traditional chocolate banana bread. I used arrow root 1:1 replacement for the tapioca flour and avacado oil for coconut oil (that’s what I had in the pantry) without issue.
Erin
March 7, 2022 at 4:15 pmI made this a few days ago and it is the BEST paleo loaf I have ever made. I need to make some dietary changes for thyroid support, but I always miss baked goods and feel deprived and binge on unhealthy choices. A lot of paleo loafs end up eggy and squishy. Not this one!! This loaf is my new go-to. Breakfast with some berries and Turkey bacon, dessert with a squirt of whipped cream…. Thank you for this! My kids love it so it’s such a win for me!
Alex
March 10, 2022 at 7:24 pmso happy it was a hit!!! 🙂 yay!
Emily
March 4, 2022 at 11:56 pmI made this as instructed, minus the espresso powder. It turned out AMAZING. Not mushy like some GF breads, it has a great crumb and great flavor. The chocolate chips even dispersed through the loaf. Tastes like the regular ch banana bread my mom made back in the day.
Julie
March 4, 2022 at 1:39 amHi Alex! What do you recommend as a substitute for almond flour? Thanks!
Alex
March 4, 2022 at 8:15 pmall of the grain-free flours can be pretty fickle– and I haven’t tried with alternative flours yet so I can’t say with 100% certainty that something will work as a 1:1 ratio! I am sorry! (i’ll report back when I have the time to get some alternatives figured out). Out of curiousity, is this due to a nut allergy?
there are a ton of great chocolate banana breads out there that are not paleo that I am sure you can find in the meantime.
Rachel
June 28, 2022 at 2:48 amDifferent commenter—but I have the same question! Allergy mom over here and I’m always trouble-shooting and struggling to accommodate my gluten-free husband and nut-allergic kids without making completely separate things all the time.
Jocelyn
January 30, 2023 at 5:09 pmThoughts on substituting the tapioca flour for cornstarch? I saw online it’s a good alternative to use but to use half the amount as directed. Anyone tried this?
Alex
January 30, 2023 at 5:20 pmI have not tried this but maybe someone else has made a swap and can advise!
Allison
March 3, 2022 at 11:18 pmDo you think this would work as banana muffins? 🙂
Dianne Ferguson
March 4, 2022 at 3:29 pmI don’t have almond flour at this time. Can I use coconut flour instead?
Alex
March 4, 2022 at 8:10 pmDon’t use coconut flour as a sub here, it is too dense and won’t work the same in this recipe.
Claire
March 2, 2022 at 11:53 amWanting to try this delish looking recipe! Can I leave out the espresso powder or replace it with something? Or is it necessary?
Alex
March 4, 2022 at 8:12 pmit just helps amp up the chocolate flavor– you can use instant coffee powder, too. omitting it is fine though and it will still turn out great!
Jen
June 27, 2022 at 9:47 pmCould I use 1 to 1 GF flour in this?
Alex
June 27, 2022 at 10:11 pmohhh it *might* turn out right but i know that flour swaps can be testy, and i haven’t yet tried this alternative.
Caroline Waligura
March 1, 2022 at 3:48 pmHi! This looks AMAZING! Any subs for tapioca flour??
Thank you!
Alex
March 1, 2022 at 6:25 pmYes, Arrowroot Flour is the only sub I recommend here 🙂
Alex W
September 18, 2022 at 6:55 pmI didn’t have quite enough tapioca flour so I filled the gap with arrowroot flour and it turned out great 🙂
Shari Nielsen
March 1, 2022 at 3:36 pmHi! This looks so delicious! Are you using coconut oil that stays in liquid form, or are you melting it? Thanks!
Alex
March 1, 2022 at 6:26 pmHi Shari, yes I am using the “liquid coconut oil” in this one (you can also opt to melt and cool if desired or sub for avocado oil)