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Keto Friendly Coconut Banana Bread
- by S R
Coconut Flour Banana Bread with Palm Sugar & Pink Salt
A properly moist, deeply flavoured gluten free banana bread made with coconut flour, naturally sweetened with palm sugar and finished with a pinch of coarse pink salt. No almond flour, no compromise.
Gluten free banana bread has a reputation problem. Most recipes are gummy in the middle, too eggy, or weirdly dense. This one is none of those things. The secret is using very ripe bananas — black-skinned if you can bear to wait — combined with coconut flour, psyllium husk and a proper amount of fat so the crumb stays moist for days.
The other secret is the sweetener. We use palm sugar in place of refined caster sugar and the difference is remarkable. Palm sugar brings a deep, almost caramel-like richness that works with the banana rather than simply making it sweet. A pinch of on top before baking pulls everything together.
Coconut Flour Banana Bread with Palm Sugar
- 3 large very ripe bananas (approx. 300g peeled)
- 80gcoconut flour, sifted
- 5 large eggs
- 80gcoconut sugar, grated or crumbled
- 2 tbsp cane sugar (for top, optional)
- 60ml melted coconut oil or butter
- 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
- 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine pink Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp coarse pink Himalayan salt, to finish
- 1Preheat your oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / 325°F. Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on each long side.
- 2Peel the bananas and mash thoroughly in a large bowl until completely smooth with no lumps. A fork works well, but a potato masher is faster.
- 3Add the eggs, melted coconut oil, palm sugar, apple cider vinegar and vanilla to the mashed banana. Whisk together until well combined and the palm sugar has mostly dissolved — about 1 minute.
- 4Sift the coconut flour into the wet ingredients, then add the psyllium husk, sodium bicarbonate, cinnamon, nutmeg and fine pink salt. Stir until you have a thick, smooth batter. Let it sit for 2 minutes — the coconut flour and psyllium will absorb moisture and thicken further.
- 5Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Scatter over the coarse pink salt and the cane sugar if using — this creates a beautiful, lightly crunchy top.
- 6Bake for 48–55 minutes until deep golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cover loosely with foil after 35 minutes if it is browning too quickly.
- 7Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing — this is essential for coconut flour bakes, which firm up as they cool.
Per slice. Based on 10 slices. Nutritional values are approximate.
Why Palm Sugar Changes This Recipe
Coconut Sugar & Cane Sugar
Coconut sugar is made from the sap of coconut palm trees and has a deep, complex sweetness — closer to brown sugar or jaggery than refined white sugar, but less processed and with a lower glycemic index. In banana bread it adds warmth and a subtle caramel note that ordinary sugar simply cannot replicate. We use a little cane sugar on top purely for that lightly crisp, golden crust — its fine crystals caramelise beautifully. Both are available in our natural sugar range.
Ways to Make It Your Own
This loaf takes well to variations. Here are four worth trying once you have the base recipe down:
Chocolate Chip
Fold 80g of dark chocolate chips (70% or above) into the batter before baking. Palm sugar and dark chocolate are made for each other.
Walnut & Cinnamon
Add 80g of roughly chopped walnuts and double the cinnamon to 2 tsp. Press a few walnut halves on top before baking for a bakery finish.
Dairy Free
This recipe is already dairy free if you use coconut oil instead of butter. No other changes needed.
Spiced Loaf
Add ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp mixed spice and a pinch of cardamom alongside the cinnamon. Warming and deeply fragrant.
How to Serve It
This banana bread is delicious at room temperature but extraordinary warm. Here are our favourite ways:
- Warm with butter and a pinch of coarse pink salt — the contrast of sweet, salty and warm is absolutely perfect.
- Toasted with nut butter — almond or peanut butter on a toasted slice is a brilliant breakfast.
- With a drizzle of melted palm sugar — warm the palm sugar gently with a little water until it forms a loose caramel. Pour over thick slices and serve warm.
- As a dessert — serve slightly warm with a scoop of coconut ice cream and a scatter of toasted coconut flakes.
- Posted in:
- coconut flour
- coconut sugar
- dessert
- easy
- Easy Recipes
- keto-friendly
- moist banana bread
- organic
- Organic Sugar
- quick and easy
