As a child I disliked bananas. As an adult I love them. Funny how tastes change. For me, going gluten-free and mostly Paleo shifted how I used fruit: with refined sugar and many processed treats gone, fruits—especially bananas—became the go-to sweet. Smoothies and nut butter are great, but ripe bananas often pile up. What to do with them? Banana bread, of course. Introducing Grain-Free Streusel Banana Bread: a gluten- and dairy-free loaf with Paleo and nut-free options. It’s packed with banana flavor and topped with a cinnamon-pecan streusel. Save your ripe bananas so you can try this!
If your bananas aren’t fully ripe, you can speed the process in the oven at low heat (about 250°F / 120°C) for roughly 20 minutes—an easy trick when you’re in a pinch. When ripe, mash or puree bananas and move on to the batter.
For the base of this loaf I used cassava flour, which creates a texture similar to wheat-based breads and makes the recipe nut-free if you skip the pecans. Cassava lends a pleasant, mild flavor and works well in grain-free baking. Whisk the cassava and other dry ingredients together in a large bowl before combining with the wet mix.
I make a quick coconut cream “buttermilk” by combining the thick cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and letting it sit for about five minutes. Blend that with bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla until smooth. You can use a food processor or a blender for this step, then fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients to form a thick batter.
Stir until combined, making sure there are no large dry pockets. The batter should be dense but spreadable.
Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil and transfer the batter to the pan. Prepare the streusel by combining melted coconut oil, coconut sugar (or brown/raw cane sugar), chopped pecans (optional for nut-free), and cinnamon. The streusel adds a crunchy, spiced contrast to the moist loaf—sprinkle it generously over the batter.
Bake the loaf until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Loaf breads take time; check at about one hour since oven performance varies. My loaf took about 1 hour 20 minutes. While it bakes, enjoy the warming aroma of banana and cinnamon filling your kitchen.
The finished loaf is warm, moist, and dense, with a crisp, cinnamon-sweet streusel top. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a rack. If you can wait, allow 30 minutes for the crumb to set; it’s easier to slice and enjoy. But a slightly warm slice is irresistible, so indulge if you must.
Enjoy a slice (or two) of Grain-Free Streusel Banana Bread—perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert. Happy baking!
- 3 ripe bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 can coconut milk, cream only
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups cassava flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Streusel:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil.
- Make coconut cream buttermilk by scooping the cream from a can of coconut milk and mixing it with apple cider vinegar. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Add bananas, eggs, coconut cream buttermilk, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined; the batter will be thick. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
- Mix streusel ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter.
- Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check after one hour.
