This healthy chocolate banana bread is extremely moist and tender and has a rich chocolate flavor. It's made with cassava flour and lightly sweetened with maple syrup; making this loaf gluten free, nut free and paleo friendly.
Yet another banana bread recipe, because I will never stop baking with bananas!
If you know my recipes, then you'll be very familiar with the fact that I love using fruit as a sweetener. Everything from ripe bananas and applesauce, to dates and figs. Fruit is nature's candy and I love incorporating it into my baked goods whenever possible.
As for this healthy chocolate banana bread, it's sweetened with bananas and a little maple syrup. You can omit the maple syrup if you want to, but it really brings all the flavors together.
In addition, this loaf is made with cassava flour, which makes this bread gluten free, nut free and paleo friendly. I have a ton of cassava flour recipes on my website, and even a guide to cassava flour if you want to learn more about it!
Why You'll Love this Chocolate Banana Bread
- gluten free and paleo friendly - made with simple, wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about
- nut free - since this loaf is made with a blend of cassava flour, tapioca starch and cocoa powder it is completely nut free
- healthy - low in added sugar and made with minimally processed ingredients.
- soft and moist - this loaf is not dry by any means! It has a soft, moist and tender texture that you'll love!
Ingredients
The full recipe for this chocolate banana bread can be found in the recipe card below, but here's a list of what you'll need:
- ripe bananas - I recommend bananas that are yellow with many brow speckles
- large eggs - I don't recommend an egg replacement for this recipe
- yogurt - you can use any type of yogurt for this recipe. I used unsweetened coconut yogurt.
- maple syrup - this ingredient is optional, but adds a little extra flavor and sweetness to the loaf.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- cassava flour - this paleo baking flour is not only grain free, but nut free as well. The best swap would be a gluten free flour blend, but I have not tried it myself. My favorite brand of cassava flour is from Otto's Naturals.
- tapioca starch - needed for texture purposes. The best swap would be arrowroot starch.
- cocoa powder - I love using organic Dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe.
- baking powder - you can use any baking powder, but I like to make my own paleo baking powder.
- baking soda - needed for the rise.
- salt - enhances all the flavors.
- instant coffee - an optional ingredient, but it brings out the chocolate flavor of the bread. My favorite instant coffee is from Four Sigmatic.
How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread with Cassava Flour
This is a one bowl chocolate banana bread - just whisk ingredients, pour into a lined loaf pan and bake! Here are the step by step instructions:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet bread ingredients.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into your lined loaf pan.
- Place the loaf in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the loaf is cooked through.
- After baking, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
- Cool to room temperature before slicing.
Tips and Tricks
- Measure ingredients by weight: I provide weight measurements (in grams) for some ingredients. This is far more accurate than measuring by volume and will produce better results.
- Mix in instant coffee: Instant coffee provides a richer chocolate flavor, without any coffee taste. I like Four Sigmatic's instant coffee.
- Use ripe bananas: Use bananas that are yellow with many brown speckles for best results and flavor.
Storage
Let the loaf cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. This loaf will last in the fridge up to two weeks.
For longer storage, you can cool the loaf, slice it and then wrap it up in parchment and place it in a large Ziplock bag. Keep this chocolate cassava flour bread in the freezer for up to two months.
FAQ
While I have only tested this recipe with cassava flour, a gluten free flour blend should work as a replacement. Be sure to measure at a 1:1 ratio by weight.
I don't recommend an egg replacement for this recip. Eggs really help with the structure and texture of the bread. Without them, this loaf will most likely have a gummy texture after baking.
No, these ingredients are not interchangeable in baking. They serve very different purposes. The best swap for tapioca starch would be another starch like arrowroot.
More Recipes Using Cassava Flour
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these healthy cassava flour recipes:
Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread (Gluten Free, Nut Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8" x 4" loaf 1x
Description
This healthy chocolate banana bread is made with cassava flour and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It's super moist and tender, plus gluten free, nut free and paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana (360g)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup yogurt (I used coconut yogurt)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup (optional for added flavor)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup cassava flour (90g)
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch (40g)
- ⅓ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (33g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant coffee (optional to enhance the chocolate flavor)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet bread ingredients. This includes the mashed banana, eggs, yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients. This includes the cassava flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and instant coffee.
- Pour the batter into your lined loaf pan.
- Place the loaf in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the loaf is cooked through.
- After baking, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
- Cool to room temperature before slicing.
Notes
For best results, measure ingredients by weight (when given). I like to use a small kitchen scale to do this. It's affordable and more accurate than measuring by volume.
Katie
My family and I love this chocolate banana bread and we hope you do too! Enjoy!