Banana Bread Mini's: Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, No added Sugar

A gluten-free, dairy-free banana bread with no added sugar? Does this even exist?
I’ve been on the biggest healthy baking kick ever, and I’m excited to report that everything coming out of the oven lately is turning out pretty damn good. Though there are days where I’m throwing cookie sheets across the room in utter horror, and moments when my kitchen is shall we say….”not very zen”, but I do feel like I’ve found some pretty good combinations of flavors and ingredients that not only taste good, but actually benefit the body rather than the other way around. I don’t want to just feel “guilt free” about consuming food, I want to feel excited about it. Yep, it's true these Banana Bread Minis are gluten free, dairy free, and contain no added sugar. Crazytown!

Ingredient All-stars
This recipe is kept pretty simple. I feel like so many banana breads these days don’t even taste like banana. This recipe uses 3 of them, which is more than average for a bread. The bananas in this case are adding moisture as well as sweetness to the bread, and one of the reasons you don’t need to add sugar.

The flour
I used paleo flour for this bread which is a gluten-free flour made with a combination of coconut flour, arrowroot, almond flour, and tapioca. In most of my baking I use almond flour, buckwheat flour, and coconut flour, but this particular flour has been performing quite well in the kitchen so decided to opt for this alone. It is gluten-free, and saves a lot of time since you only have to add one flour to the bowl. I used the Bob’s Red Mill Brand since it's a great line of flours, and Bob’s a pretty cool guy (I met him ;)

The sugar
Just like my latest gluten free chocolate cupcake and vanilla ricotta cookie recipes, my sweetener is good ole date paste, and it’s been working perfectly in all of my latest recipes. Not sure how to make date paste or what it even is? Click here for the lowdown.

Dairy-Free Note
There are eggs in this recipe, and though eggs are not technically dairy, they are of course byproducts of animals, so this recipe is not vegan. As far as allergies are concerned, I’ve found that many adults and children who have sensitivities to dairy, do just fine with the addition of eggs, while some do not.

The additions
Because I did this recipe using mini loaf pans, I had the opportunity to use different additions with each one, and I’m always sure to leave one or two with just pure banana for the kiddos. I use pure banana for Tommy’s lunches as it’s super toddler-friendly. Other amazing additions include:

¼-½ cup
Chopped pecans
Sugar free chocolate chips (or regular organic chocolate chips)
Carob chips
Unsweetened coconut
Chopped Walnuts
Hempseeds
Chia Seeds
Flaxseeds
Mini Chocolate Chips

Gluten Free Banana Bread: no sugar added

Dry ingredients

2 cups paleo flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground sea salt

Wet ingredients
1/2 cup date paste
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (I use this)
1/2 cup plain coconut yogurt (or coconut cream)
1/4 cup almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you like)
½ tsp vanilla
3 bananas, pureed or mashed well

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 4 mini loaf pans or line 12 muffin tins with baking cups.

In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. In a stand up mixer, or large bowl using a beater, combine the date paste, eggs, coconut oil, yogurt, almond milk and vanilla. Begin to slowly incorporate the dry ingredients alternatively with the pureed banana until just combined.

If you’re adding additions to the mix, now’s the time to fold them in. Using a scooper or tablespoon, fill the tins until about ¾ the way full. (If you’re doing a mixture and you want a few straight up banana, be sure to pour a few into tins before adding the additions.)

Bake 25-30 minutes or when toothpick comes out clean

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