Banana Breads Not Like The Other. Paleo & Regular Banana Bread Recipes
It’s no secret I’ve used bananas in a variety of recipes before. Cookies, banana bread, some very odd savory bread. But among the oodles of ripe bananas in my possession, I knew I wanted to try out something new.
With the internet searched, recipes picked out, and my endless love of baking, I went to work on pleasing those lacking banana bread.
Those would just happen to be my cousin, her kids, the boyfriend, and my sister (who were around to check out the Gilroy Garlic Festival this weekend). Those were them in need of moist and delicious banana-filled bread. Baked with sugar, butter, flour, and love.
I, however, wanted banana bread, too! You see, I don’t like being left out of those and them’s. And I do like banana bread. Thus, I had other ideas for a decadent loaf.
Witness two recipes yielding the same thing, yet complete opposites.
Does such a thing even exist? Yes. With amazing results.
The first recipe, after searching the internet and asking Facebook, found a recipe for Flour’s Famous Banana Bread from FoodNetwork.com. I followed the ingredients pretty closely, using half whole wheat flour and half white and using butter and Greek yogurt instead of oil and creme fraiche. This was the real banana bread that was made.
If you’re looking for a recipe that both promises and delivers some outstanding banana bread, this is the one.
Recipe numero dos was free of grains, gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and is deemed Paleo. It’s easy, incredible, one-bowl worthy, incredible, tasty, incredible. There are only a few Paleo Banana Bread recipes out there so picking one to alter wasn’t that hard of a job. I went with this one and performed some addition and subtraction to get this perfect loaf.
Cherry-Zucchini Paleo Banana Bread
[makes one 9-inch loaf. servings are up to you]
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 5 eggs
- 1/6 cup olive oil (yes, 1/6th)
- 1/6 cup maple syrup (honey, agave, etc.)
- 1/6 cup NuNaturals Baking Blend (for lower sugar. You can use more maple syrup, totaling 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
- 2 large, very ripe bananas
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup crushed walnuts
- 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cherries, *halved
*If using fresh cherries, half cherries with a peering knife, twist cherry halves in opposite directions and pull apart. They should easily come apart and you may easily remove the pit from whichever half is holding it.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients into one large bowl.
Pour into a greased baking loaf pan, spreading the batter evenly and topping with extra crushed walnuts for decoration. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out semi-clean.
Let cool completely before removing from baking loaf or cutting into it.
Check out the nutritional stats! Click here!
It was hard, hard work waiting for those breads to cool, let me tell you. They smelled A-M-A-Z-I-N-G sitting there cooling… taunting me… looking all crispy and moisty…
My mouth is watering now…
Anyway, make banana bread, people! Either one. Both.
What is your favorite banana recipe? I’ve still got a lot left!
Hmmm… do I taste a smoothie recipe coming…?
Wondering how to measure 1/6 cup. 1/4 is 4 tbls & 1/2 is 8, so is 1/3 cup close?
[…] was supposed to be straight up Paleo Banana Zucchini Bread- adapted from this recipe to celebrate our ongoing health kick and to well, try some gluten-free, Paleo baking just to see […]
[…] 11. Cherry-Zucchini Paleo Banana Bread […]
That lucks amazing… I am totally stealing your recepie.. Yum
[…] 6. Cherry-Zucchini Paleo Banana Bread This zucchini bread has a lot going on. First, it’s not content to just be zucchini bread, it has a sort of identity crisis and it thinks its banana bread too. Now, you may not have ever thought that zucchini and banana go together, so you might still be trying to wrap your head around the addition of cherries as well. But somehow they all go together great, and you end up getting a triple dose of nutrition, because cherries are known for having antioxidants, zucchini is a healthy vegetable, and bananas are notorious for their potassium levels. Coconut flour is also used, adding yet another flavor to the overall profile. […]
I just made this and it came out DELICIOUS!!! Only small difference for me was I did 1/3 cup agave nectar in place of the 1/6 syrup, 1/6 baking blend. I almost never leave comments for recipes…I will be saving this one for future batches without a doubt.
Thanks for sharing! So glad you liked it!
[…] have been working on gluten free carrot snack cake recipe (Based on Lori’s insanely awesome cherry zucchini paleo banana bread!)for my friend Tina’s blog! Tina wrote a […]
Amazing recipe!!! I didn’t have any cherries or walnuts, so I decided to put in cocoa powder and chocolate chips! Yummy! Tastes like what I used to get at the farmer’s market!
REALLY??? That’s a huge compliment then! Thank you!
Hey there! This looks amazing! I was wondering if you could leave the cherries, nuts, and zucchini out if you don’t have any or if you would need to sub something in their place? Also, could you omit the sweetener? I find banana bread sweet enough with just bananas. 🙂
Then what you’re wanting is a banana bread recipe, not this one!
Lori,
I was wondering if you could tell me what the nutrional breakdown of this bread would be? (Calories/Fat/Carb/Fiber/Protein content)
Thanks!
~Amy
This was out-of-this-world!!!!! LOVED IT! Thank you so much 🙂
that looks yummmmmmy!!
I just tested out a carrot cake version of this recipe! I hope the adaptation comes out looking just as delectable as your original! It’s in the oven now! Can’t wait to share the outcome with you! 😀
Oh my! Please do share the outcome!!
This looks fantastic, too bad they don’t sell coconut flour here. 🙁
[…] Cherry-Zucchini Banana Bread […]
Doing a 21-Day cleanse that is brown rice only for grains… SO STOKED to make this so I can have yummy banana bread for breakfast!
yum! my mom makes the best banana bread, it is not paleo friendly, but so good, your recipe sounds wonderful!
Wow those both look great and I love the pictures! Keep it coming with the recipes- I’m bound to try one at some point! Or if someone wanted to send me some… ; )
Lol thanks for leaving the garlic out of the recipe!
i LOOOOVE banana bread, and this recipe looks awesome! love that you added zucchini to it!
I love your description of making for ‘them’ and for ‘you’–I make for ‘them’ all the time and am just starting to think about making for ‘me too.’
My most recent blog post has a little banana cookie recipe. Banana and cherries though–genius!
Guys, I’ve just finished preparing this SUPER YAM banana bread…it tastes great!! You have got to try it!!!
So interesting! Wow, 1/6 cup, I’m a chef and I don’t even know offhand what that comes out to! I’m on a self-imposed low-grains, low-to-no sugar diet right now, so I might actually be able to fit this bread in!
Some of my favorite banana recipes I’ve blogged about are: muffins, brownies, cupcakes, and PB bread 😀
Feel free to send me some! 🙂
You’re knocking out some awesome grain-free bread recipes lately!! It still looks so fluffy and light.
Banana recipe…I love banana bread with peanut butter! Or maybe a carrot-cake-esque loaf 🙂 And yes, then of course there’s the old banana soft serve!
bananabread with Paleo that’s something i’ve never ever tried before. I have some zucchini going bad in the fridge so it’s going into one of these TODAY.