Grain-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
gluten-free | grain-free | dairy-free option | tree nut free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | September 21, 2023
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This grain-free chocolate chip banana bread features all the essentials of a classic banana bread! It is soft, moist, light and fluffy, and full of banana flavor topped off with just the right amount of delicious chocolate chips! Every bite leaves you wanting more, at least I know it did for me! Not to mention the texture of this bread is amazing for using grain-free flours and the bread is super easy to make. This allergy-friendly banana bread recipe is definitely popular on my homestead!

Modern Pioneer Recipe

For the earlier pioneers, homemade bread would have been a staple on the homestead. However, they probably were not making chocolate chip banana bread. For one, bananas would have been hard to come by since they aren’t exactly something you can just plant in the homestead garden. Second, chocolate chips were not a common pantry item back then. Sourdough breads would have been the bread of choice since they didn’t require any yeast and used minimal ingredients that the pioneers either had access to or could grow and make themselves.

However, chocolate chip banana bread is a great modern pioneer bread recipe! This grain-free version is the perfect bread recipe to test out your bread making skills. Making bread is a great modern pioneer skill, but it can take some mastering. Starting off with a soft, moist, and more sweet-based bread could give you just the boost you need to encourage you to try making other, more difficult breads.

As if bread making wasn’t hard enough to start with, having dietary restrictions can make it even harder! When I first went on my anti-inflammatory diet, I despaired of ever having bread again. Over the years though, I have come to adapt my cravings to grain-free bread versions. With this grain-free chocolate chip banana bread recipe, I hit the nail on the head! The taste and texture is spot on and this recipe could rival traditional banana bread recipes any day!

Not only is the taste and texture perfect, but this banana bread is also fairly allergy-friendly. This chocolate chip banana bread is….

• grain-free
• gluten-free
• tree nut free
• corn free
• refined sugar free
• anti-inflammatory

Why are bananas healthy?

I am a banana lover. I like bananas with just about anything. Banana on my oatmeal, yes please! Homemade granola and banana slices, sure! Banana slices on my waffles, yes! Pancakes made with banana, oh yeah! So when I got a craving for banana bread, I knew I had to come up with a grain-free version that was as close to my memories of original banana bread as possible. This grain-free chocolate chip banana bread was perfect!

Being a fruit, bananas are naturally sweet (which may be one reason why I like them so much), but they also contain some health benefits that actually vary depending on when you eat the banana. In general, bananas help…

• provide energy to replace muscle glycogen and are a great pre- and post-workout food.
• with creating healthy intestinal functions because of their high fiber content.
• provide brain power thanks to their potassium content!
• moderate moods and help us stay happier because of the presence of vitamin B6 and the substance tryptophan (gets converted into serotonin in the brain).
• with anemia and blood health because of their iron content

However, when you eat your banana plays a big role in how many health benefits you get from it! I found all this very fascinating, so check it out:

• under ripe bananas– highest in starch but also contain prebiotics for good gut health
• barely ripe bananas- high in fiber and low in sugar
• ripe bananas- highest levels of anti-oxidants and have a good fiber content
• very ripe bananas- lowest in vitamins and minerals
• over ripe bananas- highest in sugar and lowest in fiber

Personally, on the banana scale, I range between a ripe banana and a very ripe banana for eating preferences. Now that I know the different health benefits, I may start eating my bananas when they are closer to the barely ripe to ripe stage. When do you like to eat your bananas?

Ideas for Serving Banana Bread

Of all the problems you may have with this banana bread (which you shouldn’t have any) the least of them will be figuring out how serve this banana bread, but I wanted to give you a few ideas just in case.

I love banana bread so much that I could have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in-between (and maybe, just maybe, even for dessert!). But that’s just not practical. So instead, I’ve come up with these other ways to enjoy my banana bread in a more moderate way.

Side-Dish: Grain-free chocolate chip banana bread makes a great side dish to accompany meals like soups and salads. I especially like a nice thick slice of banana bread with a delicious bowl of warm soup for a cozy fall meal. There is one caveat to serving banana bread with a meal though, fruit and meat don’t metabolize well together. For folks with a sensitive digestive system, banana bread and a meat based dinner may not pair well together. Don’t worry, there are other options!

Can’t have banana bread with your meal? Try this grain-free cinnamon swirl bread instead! It’s just as delicious and is another family favorite in my house!

Breakfast: I also love having this banana bread for breakfast! It gives me some quick energy to start the day off with and helps me start the day with a positive attitude. I like having a slice of banana bread with a fried egg, a bowl of homemade granola, or a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

Snack: Grain-free chocolate chip banana bread also makes a great snack! Energy boosting, mood boosting, and brain boosting…. bananas make for a great snack, so I’m convinced that banana bread does too!

I enjoy eating this banana bread both warm and cold. It’s delicious toasted with some butter spread on it (the melted chocolate chips are amazing)! However, I also enjoy having a slice of this bread fresh off the loaf and cold. The sweet banana flavor really shines through! So, whether you are a cold bread person or a warm bread person, this banana bread adapts to both!

Banana Bread Recipe Tips

Grain-free chocolate chip banana bread is a super simple bread recipe to make! From simple ingredients to an easy, nearly fail-proof process, I am confident that you can master this bread recipe. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Banana Ripeness– The bananas for this recipe can range from just barely ripe to slightly over ripe.
• Dairy-free- I have only tried butter in this recipe, but I’m sure that melted coconut oil would work too.
• Sugar– You can substitute any granulated sugar for the coconut sugar, however, I prefer coconut sugar or maple sugar because it is a healthy sugar that is slow metabolizing and rarely causes a blood sugar spike.
• Flour Substitutes– I do not recommend substituting different flours in this recipe. The ratio of tapioca flour to coconut flour is just right to allow for this bread to not be stretchy (too much tapioca) or taste like coconut (too much coconut flour).
• Egg Free– I have not tried making this recipe with an egg substitute, however, I think it might be possible thanks to the bananas in this recipe.
• Chocolate Chips– For the chocolate chips, I like to use Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips as an allergy-friendly option or Lily’s chocolate chips for a sugar-free option.
• Storing– This grain-free chocolate chip banana bread can easily be frozen after it has cooled completely. You can freeze it in the whole loaf form or cut it up into slices and freeze it.

This grain-free chocolate chip banana bread was a huge hit in my family! Even my dad, who doesn’t have dietary restrictions, enjoyed this allergy-friendly version of banana bread. When I make something that is allergy-friendly that even my dad likes, I know I’ve stumbled across something good. So, go ahead and give this bread recipe a try!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Anthony’s organic coconut sugar
• Simply Organic vanilla extract
• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Nutiva coconut flour
• Otto’s Naturals baking powder
• Simply Organic ground cinnamon
• Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
• Lily’s dark chocolate chips
• Supplies: 8×4″ loaf pan, unbleached parchment paper

Grain-free chocolate chip banana bread is an excellent modern pioneer recipe that is easy to make, uses wholesome ingredients, and is allergy friendly! I enjoy serving it to my family with a warm bowl of soup or I enjoy having it as an energy and mood boosting breakfast. Snacking on a slice of soft, moist, and flavorful banana bread is sometimes the highlight of my day! A loaf of grain-free chocolate chip banana bread never lasts long on my homestead!

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