Keto Banana Bread

Name: Keto Banana Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 185 min
Ingredients: Cooking spray for the pan (I use avocado oil spray); 3 large eggs; 2 large bananas (well mashed, 1 cup; three bananas or 1.5 cups for a paleo version); 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons sugar-free sweetener (or honey for a paleo version); 2 cups almond flour (8 ounces); 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or a pinch of any other salt); 1 teaspoon baking soda (or a tablespoon of baking powder, gluten-free if needed)

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Fragrant, delicious, and comforting, this keto banana bread is perfect as a tasty breakfast or a filling snack.

The keto version is made with two bananas and a sugar-free sweetener. I also offer a paleo version with three bananas and honey.

Keto banana bread slices are served on a white tray.

This keto banana bread is amazing. It's fragrant and not too sweet—the perfect breakfast or snack bread. As I was baking it, my house was filled with the wonderful fragrance of sweet roasted nuts, bananas, and cinnamon.

My starting point when creating this recipe was my pumpkin bread. It's basically the same, with mashed bananas instead of pumpkin. I also use less sweetener because ripe bananas are so sweet.

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Ingredients
Variations
Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Keto Bread Recipes
Foodie Newsletter
Recipe Card
Comments

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, including this one.
Bananas: Very ripe and well-mashed. Two for a keto bread, three for a paleo version.
Vanilla extract: Please use the real thing - pure vanilla extract.
Ground cinnamon: I use a whole tablespoon. You can use just a teaspoon for lighter-colored bread. But the cinnamon does add wonderful flavor.
Sweetener: A sugar-free sweetener for the keto bread, honey for the paleo version.
Almond flour: I use blanched, finely ground almond flour in this recipe.
Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
Baking soda: You can replace the teaspoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of baking powder (gluten-free if needed).

Variations

The best way to vary this recipe is by adding chopped raw nuts (like pecans or walnuts) or dark chocolate chips to the batter. You can add ⅓ cup of any such addition.

Instructions

Making this keto banana bread is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here's an overview of the steps:

Whisk all the ingredients in a medium bowl, starting with the wet and adding the dry.

Mixing the bread's wet ingredients in a bowl.

The dry ingredients were added to the batter.

Transfer the batter to a parchment-lined and greased small loaf pan.

Bake the bread in a 350°F oven. The exact time depends on your oven. When it's done, a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf should come out dry. The keto bread will need 30-40 minutes in the oven, and the paleo bread will need 40-50 minutes since it contains more bananas.

Cool the bread completely before enjoying it. This is the hardest part! You will want to dig in right away as it smells so good. But the bread will be too soft and gooey when it emerges from the oven. Its texture and flavor will dramatically improve as it cools. Look how moist and lovely it is:

Expert Tips

Use ripe but not spoiled bananas. See the image below - you want deep yellow bananas that have plenty of black spots on the outside and are very soft on the inside. Just make sure there are no white spots on the inside and that the inside is not runny - this means the banana is spoiled.
Use a small loaf pan. A standard-size loaf pan, 9 X 5 inches, will make the bread come out very flat. So make sure you use a small loaf pan measuring 8.5 X 4.5 inches.
Let it cool completely. The bread emerges from the oven with a gorgeous dark crust. It smells heavenly. You will want to dig in immediately (or maybe let it cool for 10 minutes). Please don't! This bread is too soft and gooey when it comes out of the oven. It really does need to cool completely. I cool it for two hours on a cooling rack, and only then do I slice it - and it's perfect. In the past, when I was impatient and sliced it after 20 minutes, it was still delicious - but too gooey and crumbly. Its texture and flavor greatly improve after it's cooled.

Two bananas that are not ripe enough for banana bread and two that are just right.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make bread with just almond flour?

Absolutely! This delicious bread is proof, and I have several more that I make with just almond flour (like this almond flour bread), and they turn out well. Combining almond flour with eggs and a leavening agent creates beautiful breads.

Can I substitute baking powder for baking soda?

Yes. Use 3-4 teaspoons instead of 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Make sure your baking powder is fresh—it doesn't last as long as baking soda.

Also, keep in mind that baking soda promotes browning, so the crust will be paler if you use baking powder.

What sweetener should I use?

For the keto banana bread, use stevia or a granulated sweetener. For the paleo version, use honey or coconut sugar.

If making the paleo version and using three bananas, the sweetener is optional. I recently made a version of this bread with no sweetener, relying on the fruit for sweetness. I thought it was perfect - just the right amount of sweetness.

Serving Suggestions

I like this bread just as it is. It's perfect with coffee or iced coffee! My kids enjoy it with a pat of unsalted butter, as shown in the photo below. It's also excellent with cream cheese, almond butter, peanut butter, walnut butter, or keto hazelnut spread.

A buttered banana bread slice on a plate.

Storing Leftovers

Once the bread is completely cool, slice it. Then, place the slices in an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper. You can keep them this way in the fridge for up to four days.

You can also freeze the slices in freezer bags. Again, if layering, separate the layers with wax paper.