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.
22 Comments
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.
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!
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 🙂
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)