It’s certainly no secret that I am kind-of-sort-of obsessed with Elana’s Pantry.
As much as I love to cook and be in the kitchen, I really find no reason to reinvent the wheel; so when I find someone who does it right, I roll with it. And Elana has mastered grain free baking, using almond flour and almond butter as the base of her recipes in place of traditional wheat flour.
I originally began baking Elana’s recipes when I was pregnant with my daughter (5 years ago!). During that time, I was very diligent about removing processed sugars, wheat and gluten from my diet. It wasn’t that I was restricting them, I was just so in tune with my body and how I felt during my pregnancy that all I wanted was crazy nutrient dense, nutritious foods, and as a byproduct, the sugar, wheat and gluten just kind of fell to the wayside. And I felt a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
I’ve noticed that since moving to New Jersey, a lot more processed carbs have entered our world. The kids get crappy snacks at school, there are tons of birthday parties and family events, and a bit too much pizza and bagel eating going on around here. I’m pretty sure this is a major contributor as to why my energy has been so low and why I’ve gained a solid 5 pounds since our move (although I’m also suspicious that the weather and lack of sunshine are also playing a role for me, but I think that deserves a post of its own).
So when my kids wanted to make banana bread last week, I immediately leaned on Elana for a more nutrient dense option without all of the processed sugar and flour.
The results were delicious. It’s still amazing to me that one can make bread without any of the traditional ingredients that usually go into it (i.e.. wheat flour and sugar) and have such a delicious result. This bread is super ‘banana-y’ and very light in texture.
The only change I made from the original recipe was to use coconut oil in place of vegan shortening (I just don’t keep it in the house) and to sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top.
You will have to play with cooking times depending on the size of your loaf pan. But somewhere between 45minutes to an hour will get you there.
If you haven’t worked with almond flour before you can usually find it at the grocery store by the oatmeal and other fancy flours. From what I’ve seen, Bob’s Redmill is the brand most readily available at grocery store.
But if you find yourself turning to almond flour often or think you may do some experimenting with it, you can also buy it in bigger quantities on Amazon. I usually buy Honeyville and store it in the freezer.
Other amazing recipes that I have tried from Elana and shared here on Clean+Delicious are the Gluten Free Brownies and Pear Snack Cake (I highly recommend them both!).
I would love to hear if you give this a try. It really is deeelish! Have you guys baked with almond flour yet? Do you like it? If so, what do you make with it? And what’s your favorite brand? I would love to hear from you guys down in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed about 1 1/2 cups
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place bananas, eggs, vanilla, honey, and shortening in a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse until all the ingredients are blended together.
- Add in almond flour, salt and baking soda. Pulse until well combined.
- Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter. Baking times will vary based on the size of your loaf pan. My pan was 9x5 and baked for 45 minutes.
- Once cooked through, remove from oven and cool before slicing. Enjoy!
- Nutrients per serving: Calories: 206; Total Fat: 14.1g; Saturated Fat: 2.2g; Cholesterol: 15mg; Carbohydrate: 19.1g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 14.7g; Protein: 6.7g
Comments
Tracey says
Does almond meal have to be stored in the freezer once opened?
Dani says
It’s best to store it in the freezer simply because the fats will go rancid a lot faster if left at room temperature.
Laurie says
Could I use the almond meal from your almond milk recipe in this recipe? Would I need to dry it out first or just use it moist?
Dani says
You know… I’m not sure. I am trying to do a little experimenting this with myself right now to figure this out. Once I have more clarity, I promise to share the info with you guys!
Katy @ All Sorts of Pretty says
Hey, I thought I would answer Laurie’s question above since I have an answer! You can certainly use the leftover almond pulp from making almond milk! In fact, I get so sad when people throw away their almond pulp after making milk because you can totally use it as almond flour! You just need to dry it out in the oven at a very low temp. I did a whole tutorial on my blog here if you want to see: https://allsortsofpretty.com/how-to-make-almond-milk-and-almond-flour-a-surprisingly-easy-diy/
Hope this helps!
Dani says
great! thanks for sharing Katy:)
Susan says
Dani I have a problem with eggs but would love to make this recipe. Is there a substitute I could use such as ground flax or chia seeds? Thanks for all of your Clean and delicious informative videos! They are terrific.
Susan from Brooklyn NY
Dani says
Susan – I have heard a lot about this but have never tried. I am going to do some research and see what I can learn. I feel a new video coming soon..
Kate Nelson says
Dani – This recipe came in just in time! I hosted a charity 5K last weekend and had sooooooo many bananas left over from the finish line that I didn’t know what to do with! This is perfect! Love love love it! Your website is my go-to when planning my weekly grocery list and menu. I always take my leftovers to school with me the next day and all of the teachers ask where I get these yummy recipes. I just direct them to your site. Thank you so much for making my life as a working mother of two that much easier when it comes to eating healthy, clean, and delicious!
Dani says
Thanks so much Kate! I never getting tired of hearing from people who are enjoying my work (and play!).
Ann says
I don’t have almond flour, can I use oats milled to make oat flour? X
Dani says
there is a big difference between almond flour and wheat – I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t work.
Amanda says
I made this…I loved it! Thank you!
Jane Casasanta says
I made this today. So easy & so delicious!
Liv says
I am allergic to all kinds of nuts and so almonds are a no no for me could I use another type of flour instead, maybe rice flour?
Lizzie Paredes says
Hi Dani:) I’m Lizzie, an ecuadorian fan of yours and I can’t give you the enough thanks for promoting this kind of healthy style of life!
On Guayaquil, the city I life in, we dont have much healthy restaurant options. In fact, I dont think we even have one at least. So it would be such a dream if you ever decide to open a franchise or a restaurant in here:) I assure you at least on loyal costumer (myself)
Tons of blessings for you and keep on posting those amazing tutorial videos 🙂 we all play them here in the city.
Congrats and hugs:)
Dani says
Thanks for writing Lizzie! I’m so glad you are enjoying the videos and finding them helpful! xo
zuby says
Hi dani, is there any replacement for almond flour. like for example coconut flour.
Dani says
Coconut and almond flour are really not ‘swappable’ – if you wanted to do a banana bred with coconut flour I may just search a new recipe b/c I think tweaking this recipe would take a lot of adjustments. Sorry I can’t be of more help with this one!
Kate Richter says
Is Almond Meal Flour Blanched Almond Flour?
Also, can you make the into muffins?
Thank you!!!
Dani says
Yes – they are they same. And I bet this could easily be made into muffins, you would just need to adjust the cook time.
Shelley says
I love this site. I have made many of the recipes and they are delicious. Unfortunately, the banana bread was not good. Maybe I did something wrong, but no one liked the flavor or the texture of this bread. On the other hand, Dani’s apple cake and cookie recipes are delicious. I especially like your soup recipes Dani. I make a pot or two every week.Â
Laura says
Can you substitute a different flour for almond flour in this and other recipes you have with it.  My child is allergic to almonds.  Do you have a flour you would recommend?  Thank  you!
Dani says
I haven’t done it, but I’ve heard that sunflower seed flour/meal can be a great substitute!
Lisa says
Hey Dani
Could I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Dani says
I’m sure you can do some type of swap, but not exactly sure what the measurements would be. If you decide to give it a try, I would love ot hear how it goes and what works for you!
Tim Solo says
Thanks for posting the nutritional value! My quiet is how much is 1 serving? I use my fitness pal to track my macros and most of my food is tracked by ounces. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
-Tim
Dani says
Hi Tim! The nutrtional value is for one slice of bread after slicing the bread into 12 thin slices.
The fans says
I just started cooking real food for my 10 month old. We loved this bread!! It was like a spongy banana and oh-so delicious! Perfect for the baby and mom & dad.
Thank you! Excited to try other recipes.
Dani says
I’m so happy you liked this recipe, it’s a good one!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂