This deliciously moist and flavourful paleo cranberry banana bread is made without grains and no extra sugar. It is packed with cranberries and walnuts and it’s sweetened only with bananas. Boost your energy levels already at breakfast or as a snack between meals.
If you are like me and you’ve always just looked at pictures or read about banana bread, but have never tried it, then you HAVE to make it. It will blow your mind. It is moist, packed with flavour, smells incredible and it stays fresh all week long. I am practically obsessed with it! Wink.
I can tell you that this cranberry banana bread has been my breakfast for three weeks now. Oh yes, I baked it once a week for three weeks. It gives me energy for a great start to the day and it keeps me full until lunchtime. Sometimes, I enjoy it with a glass of coconut milk, or orange juice, it pairs wonderfully with plain yogurt as well.
Besides being a great breakfast, it also makes a lovely snack for school or work or in the afternoon.
Banana
Since this banana bread recipe is sugar-free, ripe bananas are a must. The riper they get, the sweeter they taste. In fact, when ripe, bananas contain mostly sugar. More, you’ll recognise a ripe banana by its yellow peel covered with brownish spots and an intense banana smell.
Also, a banana is a lovely and happy fruit. It is very low in fat and protein and it contains a decent amount of fiber. You can pair it with a savoury dish, too, just like this banana-turmeric chicken.
To keep the bread fruity, I added dried cranberries. Also, to keep this recipe paleo, try to use dried fruits without any added sugar. Dried cranberries are sweeter than fresh ones and are available in almost every grocery shop. However, you can also keep it simple and bake a loaf of plain banana bread. It tastes fantastic. Or, add some dark chocolate, blueberries, coffee or any other spice or fruit.
For some more baked goods (not all of them are paleo), you might like this chocolate zucchini cake, paleo nut and seed bread, Italian chocolate tenerina or this olive oil orange cake.
Furthermore, the next ingredient that makes this banana bread healthy is coconut flour. Coconut flour is a wonderful wheat flour substitute because it is gluten-free. It has a high amount of fiber and is a great source of protein.
Almost all baking recipes ask for butter. But, since this recipe is a paleo recipe, I used coconut oil instead. Because coconut oil is a great anti-inflammatory cooking fat, it is used in so many paleo recipes. Make sure you get organic coconut oil.
In addition, I added ground hazelnuts and some chopped walnuts for the crunch. Different textures make your food more interesting and fun to eat.
Ingredients for one paleo cranberry banana bread:
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 2 eggs
- 60 g coconut oil (melted)
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 40 g coconut flour
- 70 g ground hazelnuts
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder (paleo or regular)
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 80 g dried cranberries (no sugar added)
- 10 roughly chopped walnuts
To begin, preheat the oven to 180° C. Then, in a medium bowl, mash the banana, using a fork. Add the cinnamon, melted coconut oil and two eggs. Mix to combine.
Then, stir in the coconut flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and baking soda.
Last but not least, add the dried cranberries and roughly chopped walnuts. Stir to evenly distribute them. Transfer the batter to a loaf pan lined with baking paper. Place it in the oven and bake for 38-45 minutes.
Finally, take the bread out of the oven, remove the pan and cool it on a wire rack. This healthy paleo cranberry banana bread makes a great start to your day,
Enjoy.
