Healthy Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread is a super moist grain-free, low carb version of the classic banana bread featuring a cinnamon swirl and crunchy walnuts.

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Best Banana Bread - Paleo, Low Carb, Grain-free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Dairy-free

Funny factoid about me:  I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and I hate bananas. Yup, hate them, with a resounding and emphatic passion to be quite precise. I really cannot abide the smell or the texture. Even faux-banana flavoring is abhorrent. Bananas, I just want no part. Super unfortunate, I know, given their immense health benefits and frequent use. 

My son, however, absolutely adores them. Sometimes he eats several per day, in fact. Now, I want to make this perfectly clear, I only peel them for him because I love him. Inside, I’m cringing. The sacrifices we make as parents…

So, why create and post a banana bread recipe? For him. My mother got him hooked on the stuff and he constantly asks for “nana bread”. Given that I do not stock flour or sugar in the house, I had to create a version that worked with the ingredients that I do have on hand. 

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread is grain-free, gluten-free, and depending on whether or not you use sugar-free maple flavored syrup, it can also be sugar-free. In my original recipe, I use maple syrup since my son loves that too. I caught him drowning his oatmeal in it yesterday. The recipe is paleo and keto-friendly (depending on your personal macros, of course; for some, banana is simply not an option). 

But now for the biggest question of all:  have I tried this recipe? No. And I am comfortable admitting that to you. I just cannot do it, and I’m sorry, dear reader. But if you need a guarantee that this is not a waste of ingredients and time, a picky toddler gives you his empathic endorsement. He ran away with the entire mini-loaf and devoured it all.

How to make Low Carb Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral tasting oil (avocado or coconut), plus additional for greasing the pan(s)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup , if sugar-free use Choczero
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup banana, mashed; about 2-3 medium bananas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup blanched ground almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus additional for top
• 2 tbsp finely diced walnuts

Paleo Banana Bread Recipe Tips & Tricks

Overripe bananas are a must. The skin of your bananas should be spotty and brown. As bananas ripen, the natural sweetness increases. If you have particularly ripe bananas, you might consider cutting down the sweetner to 1 tbsp or even omitting it entirely. It all depends on your desired sweetness level. My son and husband love it as is.

Eating sugar-free? No problem! Swap out the maple syrup for Choczero Sugar-free Maple Syrup. I use it on pancakes, waffles, or in my Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies.

Make sure the middle of your banana bread is set and firm before removing from the oven. Almond flour is naturally more moist than other “flours”, so you do not want any kind of giggle in the middle before you take it out of the oven. Why? A. It will collapse during the cooling process. B. You will have a soggy middle with a super unappealing texture, especially as the bread sits. Almond flour baked goods actually get softer with time; totally contradictory to wheat-based flours, but you do not want to invite any more moisture to the party here. In fact, that leads me to another point…

Store any left-overs in the refrigerator. Again, that moisture will wreak havoc on your bread. I really would not leave it out on the counter overnight. Wrap it up tightly, put it in a ziplock bag or plastic/glass container and keep it cool. You’ll preserve the freshness and texture.

Hate walnuts? No problem. Take ‘em out. You should not see much difference in the overall product, but you will lose that little bit of crunch factor. Nuts are not necessary in banana bread, but they really do elevate the recipe.

Other Low Carb Breakfast Treats you'll love:

• Low Carb Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Scones

Yield: 8 servings

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A grain-free and refined-sugar free banana bread with a cinnamon swirl and walnuts.

Print

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral tasting oil (avocado or coconut), plus additional for greasing the pan(s)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup , if sugar-free use Lakanto Sugar-Free Maple Flavored syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup banana, mashed; about 2-3 medium bananas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup blanched ground almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus additional for top
• 2 tbsp finely diced walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease/oil one standard sized loaf pan or two mini-loaf pans. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and maple syrup. Whisk to combine. Add eggs and beat until combined and incorporated. Add vanilla and mashed banana. Stir to combine.
3. Add baking soda, flours, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until incorporated. Gently fold in walnuts.
4. Pour the batter into your loaf pan(s) and sprinkle top with additional cinnamon. Run a knife through the batter in a figure 8 pattern if you'd like to create a swirl effect.
5. Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes (if using standard loaf pan) or 30-35 minutes (if using mini loaf pans). Use a tooth pick to check if the center is cooked through; if it comes out clean, you're all set. The middle should not shake or wobble. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pans. Allow additional cooling time before slicing.
6. Because of the additional moisture in almond flour and banana, store and leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow time to come to room temperature before eating leftovers.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cookie + Kate's Healthy Banana Bread

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and make sure to join the @noshinandnumnums community on instagram or facebook and tag me in your cooking pictures! 

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