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Recently we feel like we’ve been hearing a lot about the Paleo diet. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a health plan that encourages people to go back to our Paleolithic roots, before people had access to processed or refined foods.

This means a diet where fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats and natural sugars are all okay (in the correct quantities), but processed grains, dairy and/or refined sugars are not.

We decided to try out a Paleo recipe for fun and are happy to report that it’s really, really good and still sticks to the Paleo regimen!

It’s nice to be able to satisfy our cravings for sweet treats with a recipe that’s still healthy and composed of good ingredients, and this paleo banana bread doesn’t disappoint! Plus, we paired it with a delicious caramel sauce that also follows all the rules and is actually easier to make than traditional caramel sauce– bonus!

If you feel like checking it out, this is a tasty snack that has great flavor and is great for you, a win-win if you ask us!

Paleo Banana Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup almond butter (or nut butter of your preference)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Caramel Sauce:

  • 1 (13.66 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup all-natural honey
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or nut butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt.
  3. In a separate bowl or mixer, mash your bananas, then add in eggs, nut, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract, and mix together until incorporated.
  4. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and mix until just incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into your loaf pan and use your spatula to level the top.
  6. Place in oven and bake for about 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
  8. If making the accompanying caramel sauce: combine your coconut milk, honey and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
  9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until reduced. Stir occasionally.
  10. Once thick and syrupy, stir in almond butter and vanilla and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until mixture is a deep golden/amber color.
  11. Pour into a glass bowl and remove from heat. Whisk vigorously for 5 minutes until you’ve achieved a glossy ribbon-like consistency.
  12. Serve immediately (be careful not to burn yourself) or transfer to a re-sealable mason jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
  13. Drizzle caramel sauce over banana bread and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Bakerita