This paleo plantain bread is made with ripe plantains and cassava flour. It's soft, tender and moist - a great gluten free bread for enjoying alongside breakfast or afternoon tea. This plantain bread recipe is not only paleo, but gluten free, dairy free, unsweetened and nut free as well.
Plantains are one of my favorite paleo baking ingredients and I'm so excited to share this easy paleo plantain bread recipe.
This plantain loaf is made in a food processor, baked in a loaf pan and ready to eat in under an hour.
And if that wasn't enough reason to try this healthy plantain bread, it also has no added sugar (just sweetened from the plantains) and my kids love it!
Plantain Bread
Here are all the reasons you'll love this paleo plantain bread recipe:
- paleo friendly - made with real, whole food ingredients
- gluten free and grain free - made without wheat flour
- dairy free and nut free
- no sugar added - this is an unsweetened plantain bread
- kid approved
- easy to make - just blend ingredients and bake
Ingredients
Here's a list of what you'll need to make this plantain bread. For the full recipe, see the recipe card near the end of this post.
- ripe plantains (yellow with many brown/black spots)
- eggs
- avocado oil (or olive oil)
- apple cider vinegar (ACV)
- cassava flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
While I have not tested any ingredient swaps, a gluten free flour blend should work in place of the cassava flour. Just be sure to measure at a 1:1 ratio by weight (in grams).
How to Make Paleo Plantain Bread
I made this paleo plantain bread in a food processor, but a blender would work too. You want to pulverize the plantains, so I don't recommend mashing by hand.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Peel and slice the plantain into ¼-1/2 inch slices. To do this, cut off the ends of the plantains, then cut them in half. Next, slice the plantain skin from end to end. Use your hands to peel away the skin, revealing the flesh. Then slice into ¼-1/2 inch "coins".
Place the plantain slices into your food processor and blend until nearly smooth.
Next, add in the eggs, avocado oil and apple cider vinegar. Blend until the batter is well mixed.
Lastly, add in the cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend until the batter has an even, smooth consistency.
Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan.
Place the plantain loaf in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, the loaf should be slightly firm to the touch and golden in color. It rises a bit, but not a lot.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and let it cool on a cooling rack to room temperature.
Tips for Making Plantain Bread
- Use ripe plantains - plantains that are yellow with many black/brown spots.
- Plan ahead - buy plantains ahead of time so they have plenty of time to ripen.
- Use a food processor or blender to blend the plantains, don't mash by hand. This bread is best when the plantains are fully pulverized, which is hard to do when mashing by hand.
- Cool the bread completely before cutting.
How to Eat Paleo Plantain Bread
This plantain bread can be enjoyed plain, or with sweet or savory toppings. Some of our favorite toppings include:
- mashed avocado or butter on a toasted slice of plantain bread
- almond butter and a drizzle of honey
- sunflower seed butter and jelly
Storage
Keep this gluten free plantain bread in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. It's best eaten within one week.
For longer storage, slice the plantain bread and store it in a plastic baggie in the freezer. Enjoy within one month.
More Plantain Recipes
FAQ
I recommend plantains that are yellow with many black/brown spots. They should be slightly firm to the touch, not squishy or rock solid.
Keep your plantains in the fridge to make them last longer and slow down the ripening process.
Yes, plantains are a tropical starchy fruit that's paleo friendly. Plantains are related to bananas, but starchier and lower in sugar than bananas.
While you can eat raw plantains, I would not recommend it, especially raw green plantains. Unripe (green) plantains have a very starchy texture and not much flavor. Ripe plantains taste similar to bananas but have a much different texture as well - kind of tough and slightly grainy.
Paleo Plantain Bread (Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8" x 4" loaf 1x
Description
This healthy paleo plantain bread is soft, tender and moist. It's made with ripe plantains and has no added sugar. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free and nut free!
Ingredients
- 3 cups sliced ripe plantains (450g) about 2-3 plantains*
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup cassava flour (75g)
- 1 tsp paleo baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the sliced plantains into your food processor and blend until nearly smooth.
- Add in the eggs, avocado oil and apple cider vinegar. Blend until the batter is well mixed.
- Add in the cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend until the batter has an even, smooth consistency.
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan.
- Place the plantain loaf in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, the loaf should be slightly firm to the touch and golden in color. It rises a bit, but not a lot.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and let it cool on a cooling rack to room temperature.
- Bread is best stored in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge, up to one week.
Notes
*For best results, measure the plantains by weight. Also, use ripe plantains - ripe meaning yellow with many brown/black spots. Slice the plantains into ¼ - ½ inch slices for blending.
Keywords: paleo plantain bread, gluten free plantain bread, plantain bread recipe, healthy plantain bread, easy plantain bread, bread made with ripe plantains, no sugar plantain bread
Katie says
★★★★★
Dayris Andrade says
Hi Katie... I am writing from Venezuela.. Here we have lots of plantains.. haha haha.. here they are called: platanos.. This recipe was amazing, but I've noticed that all bake goods with cassava flour ended up really wet, like it was under cooked.. Maybe is the cassava flour brand, but May I change the cassava floir for plantain flour?.. or maybe almond flour?.. I would love to here your opinion.. thanks..
★★★★★
Katie says
Hi! Thank you for writing in 🙂 It's possible that your brand of cassava flour bakes differently than the one I use, or it could be how it was measured. It could also just be the plantains. I'm sure you know, but not all plantains are equal and depending on their texture/ripeness that can affect the batter. And my last thought is that your oven bakes differently. Perhaps you do need a longer baking time?
Almond flour would not work as a substitute. It's possible plantain flour would work, but from my experience its very absorbent and drying, so you would need less plantain flour than cassava flour. If you are using cassava flour and you think the batter is too runny, you could always add a little more cassava flour, or even a tablespoon or two of coconut flour to the mix.