Cassava Flour Banana Bread (No Sugar Added, Nut Free)

This is the BEST Cassava Flour Banana Bread Recipe!  It is Paleo friendly, nut free, dairy free and only sweetened with bananas.  In addition, this Paleo cassava bread recipe is flavorful, moist, soft and not gummy.

There's nothing quite like a fresh loaf of Paleo banana bread.  Better yet, one that is only sweetened with bananas, grain free, nut free and gut friendly...like this cinnamon and ginger cassava bread.

This healthy grain-free banana bread recipe is:

• Paleo
• nut free and dairy free
• only sweetened with bananas
• yeast free
• easy to make
• full of flavor - contains spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

It is the BEST cassava flour banana bread recipe - no bias here 😉

Cassava flour is one of my favorite paleo baking flours, but can be tricky to work with if you're unfamiliar with it.

If you follow my blog, you know I use quite a bit of cassava flour in my baking.  From yeast free cassava bread, to cassava flour cookies, and muffins made with cassava flour, this grain free flour makes a frequent appearance.

What is Cassava Flour?

First thing's first: what exactly is cassava flour? 

Cassava flour comes from from the cassava (or yuca) root.  The cassava root is peeled, dried and ground to make cassava flour. 

You can probably guess that cassava flour is grain free and paleo friendly since I use it in so many of my recipes.  It can be substituted at 1:1 ratio (by weight) for all purpose flour and some gluten free flour blends.

Is Tapioca Flour the Same as Cassava Flour?

Now, it's important not to confuse cassava flour with tapioca starch.  Yes, they both come from the cassava root, but they are very different. 

Tapioca is the extracted starch of the cassava root.  Whereas, cassava flour comes from the whole cassava root.  They serve very different purposes in baking and cooking and are not interchangeable.

Best Brand of Cassava Flour

My favorite brand of cassava flour is Otto's Cassava Flour.  They have the highest quality cassava flour and it works better for Paleo baking than any other brand I've tried. 

Otto's Cassava Flour peels, dries and then grinds their cassava into a very fine flour.  They also ensure that every batch is free of the top 8 allergens.

Best Tips for Using Cassava Flour

As much as I love baking with cassava flour, it can be tricky to use.  Here are some helpful tips when baking with cassava flour:

• Combine cassava flour with other flours: I find that using cassava flour in combination with other flours (coconut, tapioca, almond, cocoa powder) provides the best results. Often times, using ONLY cassava flour in a recipe will result in a gummy texture.
• Measure cassava flour by weight: I've measured 1 cup of cassava flour more times than I can count and nearly every time it has a different weight.  (It varies because of how packed the flour is in that 1 cup).  As a solution, I like to use a simple food scale to weigh cassava flour for all of my recipes.
• Pair with nut or seed butters: cassava flour bakes really well when paired with nut and seed butters, especially when creating egg free cassava flour recipes.  Many of my recipes use cassava flour in combination with almond butter, tahini or sunflower seed butter.  For instance, my mini chocolate muffins, tahini banana collagen bread and chocolate donuts.

Ingredients in Cassava Flour Banana Bread

This ginger banana bread is made with ripe bananas and a blend of cassava and tapioca flour.  It is flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; which gives this loaf a naturally sweet, earthy and flavorful taste.

Here's a list of what you need to make this low sugar Paleo banana bread:

• ripe bananas
• eggs
• avocado oil
• vanilla extract
• cassava flour
• tapioca flour
• paleo baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• cinnamon (optional)
• ground ginger (optional)
• nutmeg (optional)

Bananas

This easy cassava banana bread recipe calls for ripe bananas.  I used bananas that were yellow with a few brown spots.  Completely yellow or extra ripe bananas should work as well.

Eggs

No egg substitutions or replacements have been tested for this Paleo banana bread.  Substituting the eggs will most likely result in a gummy banana bread with an undesirable texture.

Avocado Oil

I do not recommend removing the oil from this recipe. However, the avocado oil may be substituted with another oil such as olive oil. I have tried many variations of this cassava bread without oil, or using less and found that the texture was too dense and dry. So please stick to ¼ cup for best results.

Grain Free Flours

I used a combination of cassava flour and tapioca flour to create the perfect grain free, nut free banana bread recipe.  These two flours are necessary for texture purposes; creating a fluffy but not gummy cassava bread.

Spices

A combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are used to provide a delicious, flavorful and earthy banana bread.  This is a lovely flavor combination, but all spices are optional.

How to Make Cassava Flour Banana Bread

The only equipment required for making this banana bread batter is a bowl and a whisk.  Aren't one bowl recipes just the best?!

Here are the steps for making this paleo cassava banana bread:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Next, peel and mash the bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Whisk in the eggs, avocado oil and vanilla.

Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and whisk until the batter is a smooth, consistent texture. You may also add mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts or dried fruit.

Next, pour the batter into the lined baking pan.  Pop the bread in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.  The loaf should be just slightly under-baked when done.

After baking, remove the loaf from the oven, cool 10 minutes in the baking pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Storage

This cassava flour bread recipe is best stored in the fridge up to one week, in an air tight container.  You can also slice the bread and store it in the freezer up to one month.

How to Eat Cassava Flour Bread

You can enjoy this unsweetened cassava flour banana bread a variety of ways:

• enjoy as-is by slicing and eating plain
• toast a slice and top with nut butter or honey
• use to make French toast
• toast and top with something savory such as cream cheese or mashed avocado

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use tapioca flour?

Yes, this particular cassava flour banana bread recipe requires tapioca flour (or arrowroot starch) for texture purposes.

Can this recipe be made oil-free?

I do not recommend removing or substituting the oil in this paleo banana bread recipe. However, any oil that is liquid at room temperature (like olive oil) will work as a substitute for the avocado oil.

Is cassava flour good for baking?

Cassava flour is great for baking and cooking. It can be used as a thickener in soup, gravy and sauces. It's also excellent for making muffins, breads, cookies, pancakes, etc. Basically anything you'd want to make with all purpose flour can be made with cassava flour instead.

Is cassava flour healthier than white flour?

Yes! Cassava flour is naturally gluten free and more easily digestible than conventionally processed white flour. Even better, purchasing an organic cassava flour ensures that no glyphosate was used, which is a huge gut irritant and microbiome disrupter.

More Paleo Recipes using Cassava Flour

All of the recipes on my site are Paleo friendly, and many use cassava flour.  Here are a few of my favorite Paleo cassava flour recipes:

 Enjoy!

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