A delicious low carb banana bread that uses real fruit in a moderate amount to keep carbs low. Each slice only has about 8 grams of net carbs.
Since developing the basic quick bread recipe, I have been enjoying all kinds of variations. However, I have not yet made a banana nut quick bread.
Although bananas are something many low carbers shy away from, I felt a true banana bread needed this ingredient. A medium banana has about 29g carbs so adding one of these to the basic quick bread recipe only adds less than 2g carbs per slice.
The added carbs are definitely worth it when it comes to taste. I have tried using banana extract in place of the real fruit, but it just isn’t the same.
I always have trouble when it comes to baking banana bread. It seems the time needed to fully bake the batter is so long that the outside tends to burn before its done. Therefore, I turned down the oven temperature a little and baked this bread a bit longer.
Don’t be surprised if you need more time in the oven. Just keep the low carb banana bread in until it passes the toothpick test and no longer has any soft areas. Another option is to divide the batter into muffin or donut molds so the baking time won’t have to be so long.
Baking the quick bread in mini muffin tins would also be a terrific way to watch portion. Just one little muffin is enough for a quick snack.
I’ve also made banana nut muffin donuts which bake up quicker. You can find that recipe here.
My banana nut muffin donut recipe uses a mix of almond and oat fiber. However, I thought the donuts were a bit large. Mini size would be better.
This is a wonderful treat to make for your friends who are still on a high carb diet. They’ll never know it’s a low carb banana bread. Maybe you can win them over to eating better when they realize how delicious the food is!
If you enjoy this low carb quick bread recipe, you may enjoy some of the other. I recommend giving the Key Lime Coconut or Cinnamon Swirl low carb bread recipes a try!
I ended up serving this low carb banana bread to family and friends. They couldn’t believe it was low in carbs.
You could lower the carb count even more if you omit the banana and add in an extract. But, it just seems wrong to me to do that.
If you’re allergic to nuts or dislike them, simply leave them out. I think they make it a heartier bread. And, they provide some extra protein and nutrients.
I’d like to thank Slate Plate for the beautiful slate serving tray featured in the photo. If you’d like one for yourself, check them out at SlatePlate.com.
Do you prefer low carb banana recipes that use extract flavoring or real fruit? I think some recipes, like bread, really need the fruit for the best taste and texture.
Low Carb Banana Bread Recipe
Low Carb Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana mashed
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil liquified
- 6 eggs see note
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder or 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit 50% extract powder
- 1/2 cup low carb sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
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In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, salt, stevia, erythritol, and baking powder).
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Set aside.
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Add mashed banana, butter, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract into a food processor.
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Process until well blended. Add dry ingredients and process until uniform batter is formed.
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Mix in chopped walnuts.
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Pour batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
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Bake at 325F for 70-75 minutes or until top is browned and toothpick inserted comes out dry.
Recipe Notes
As stated in the comments, eggs can be reduced to 3 and 1/4 cup low carb milk added.
Banana extract can be used in place of all or some of the banana to reduce carbs
Net carbs per slice: 9g
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Sandra says
No stars yet as I haven’t yet made this. But I do have a question after reading the comments here. So many object to using the banana as it is a high sugar fruit.
Using banana extract isn’t really a solution either as the flavor isn’t just the same as the real thing. So, my question is could one just use 1/2 of a very dark or black banana instead? Just a theory, but don’t the really ripe bananas have a stronger banana flavor? If this would be done, one probably would have to use a Tbsp. or two more of the almond flour to compensate for the other half of the banana.
Lisa, your opinion, please.
Sandra
Lisa says
Half a banana is good for flavor. I used a very small banana.
Ranjit says
Hi!how long do I cook it if I use a muffin tins?thanks
Lisa says
I’d start checking them at 15-20 minutes until they test done.
Lindy says
I found this recipe tonight and I can’t wait to try it out. I tried one tonight and it wasn’t sweet enough for me, it wasn’t as low carb as it should have been. So I’m really excited about trying this one.
Lisa says
Hope you love it! The real banana does give it sweetness and better taste than other low carb friendly recipes.
Heather Zubiate says
Keto is low carb, not no carb. This is a treat, so splurge a little. Not like you’re going to eat this everyday, are you? Bananas have fiber as well as carbs. A 7″ banana has 27g of carbs and 3g of fiber, so that’s 24g of net carbs. Not to mention all of the vitamins and minerals bunched together in them. Are there vitamins and minerals in banana extract?? Buy organic bananas and you’re even more golden! Nutrition should be the main diet concern, even, or especially, concerning sweets, so lighten up people, and consume one banana divided into 12 servings!
Thuy Nguyen says
well said
Lisa Nguyen says
Hey Lisa!
I followed all of the recipes and used the same ingredients as you except for the sweetner I used erythritol. For some reason after adding everything in my fitness pal it is saying 8g of net carbs per slice. I used 100g of mashed bananas because i think anything less is too little 🙁 Am I doing something wrong?
My FitnessPal:
Cal: 162
Fat: 15g
Carbs: 10g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g
Lisa says
I just recalculated and got similar numbers.
Wendy says
I substituted 1 cup of Paleo baking mix and did 4 eggs with the 1/4 cup of half and half. Turned out beautifully! So good! Thanks!
Kayla Nicole says
I followed the recipe, except for the two sweeteners it calls for I did 1/4 powdered Stevia, and 1/3 Brown Sugar Stevia. It turned out amazing! I love the Brown Sugar that Stevia makes! I’ll be saving this recipe to make many, many more times in the future!!
Angela says
You mean 1/2 cuo and 1/3 cups? Thank you.
Jamie says
I have the stevia powder but I don’t have any of the regular sweetener. Can I just use extra stevia powder do you think ?
Lisa says
You could try an extra 1/2 tsp of stevia powder as that should equal about 1/2 up of bulk sweetener.
Jennifer says
Hello not sure if this was covered. I know it says it makes 16 pieces but what is the weight per slice to be a serving? Also my regular nana bread I make , btw took me a year to finalize is amazing but I can’t eat it on the Keto. I can’t wait to try this but I’ll have to add chocolate bits to it too. Many thanks.
Lisa says
The calculator I use does not do serving weight. I just try to keep the pieces about equal.
Jenny says
Hi; Wondering if I could use a mixer rather than a food processor? Or why a food processor is called for?
Have a loaf in the oven! Thanks, Jenny
Lisa says
Yes. A mixer works just as well.
Jodi Stephan says
I used my ninja and it did just fine!
These are in the oven at the moment. The batter tasted awesome. I can ignore wait for them to be done. I used 3 eggs and 1/4 c creme fraiche, the creme (our use sour cream) always made my banana bread super moist.
GENEVIEVE says
Can I use HWC instead of milk to use less eggs? And if I mixed small amounts of xylitol, splenda, and brown sugar stevia, would you be able to suggest a ratio? I’m excited to try this recipe! I miss banana bread!
Lisa says
Overall, you’ll need about 3/4 cup of sugar equivalent. And, yes, heavy cream can be used instead.
Kayla Nicole says
Hi! I used Brown Sugar Stevia + powdered stevia, and it turned out amazing! Brown Sugar adds such a delicious moistness to them! I did 1/4 powdered stevia, and for the 1/2 sweetener it calls for I added the Brown Sugar sweetener, I did 1/4 but you could add up to 1/3 depending on how sweet you want!
Drew says
I followed the recipe except I used two medium bananas and minus the nuts. The six eggs are worth it. Heavenly! It’s 135 calories per serving; 6 carbs, 11 g of fat. Worth the carbs. Could not tell the difference. Thank you!!
Lisa says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results. 🙂
Martha says
Is the macros accounted for 3 or 6 eggs?
Lisa says
Macros are for 6 eggs.
Sunny says
I made this with a few adjustments. As suggested, I used 3 eggs (instead of 6) and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. I also added cinnamon and 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed to the batter. I divided it evenly in a 12 count muffin tin (because it’s what I had) and baked it at 325F for about 25 mins. They came out with a great, bready texture. Super tasty on their own, but they were even tastier with a homemade, low carb cream cheese frosting. Thanks for the delicious recipe! Yum!
Lisa says
Love the added frosting!
Elizabeth says
Made these twice now into cupcakes… your recipe made 12 cupcakes . Frosted them with a nocturnal cream cheese frosting they are wonderful thank you so much . I like cupcakes because it helps me with portion control.
Lisa says
The instructions for dry roasting are in this post.
Lisa says
Good to know! Sounds really delicious.
Michele says
Loved it! Used a muffin top pan to make individual servings. Following tips will try 4 eggs instead of 3 next time and a little less coconut oil. Definitely hit the spot for something cakey.
Michele
Lisa says
Glad this one worked out for you! 🙂
Hayley says
Yum, Yum, Yum!!! Made this today and it was amazing! Added in a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate chopped up, and it’s amazing slathered in butter. Our new go to – I have missed banana bread so much! Thank you!!! 🙂
Lisa says
I’m glad you enjoyed the banana bread! Although banana is high carb, the small amount in each slice of this bread doesn’t seem to cause an issue for me.
GG2F says
I love banana bread! It is my favorite bread! I made this today and used KerryGold butter. I think it made it too buttery for me. I’m not a big butter person. But next time (very soon too 😂) I will use regular butter next time and maybe less. I also did the 3 eggs 1/4 almond coconut milk.
I shared this on my fitness group page and IG page! Gave you a shout out too! One of my favorite pages to
follow now. ❤️ GG2F
Lisa says
Thanks for the shoutout! You should be able to cut back on the fat a bit without issue.
monika says
I’m glad you commented (the way you did) because “too buttery” just won me over! I am making this as soon as my banana goes black!
Thanks!
CanadaMom44 says
This turned out very delicious.
However, it didn’t rise as much as a regular high carb flour banana bread, but that doesn’t really matter.
Mine required to be baked for 85 minutes until a toothpick cane out clean. But it still seemed too moist once put out to cool. So I wrapped it in foil for another 15 minutes and it was still more moist then regular banana bread but very good.
However, I used 2 bananas, because it was for my children and my husband and I are in a maintenance phase of our diet and eat up to 50 g carb a day. I really wanted real banana flavour.
I also have an egg allergy so I substituted ground chia seeds and water for 3 eggs and used 1/4 cup almond milk.
This is probably why mine was so moist and took so long to cook.
But really excellent.
Lisa says
I’m sensitive to egg whites and I found that baked goods can get too moist. I’ve found that psyllium is a better sub than chia for baking. And, the psyllium does help provide a much better rise for breads and cakes.
nat says
This is really nice, I did the 3 eggs version, but it is a little dry. I only used the 1/2 cup oil ( dairy free) not the extra oil spoonfuls after reading the grease comments, but it was very dry and crumbly. Mabye needs another egg? or banana, its the only recipe i have seen with 1 banana, tastes like it needed more? 🙂
I did add a small amount of cacao powder and carob nibs as well as hemp, so likely the reason, so may add an extra egg and banana next time….
Lisa says
Definitely another egg and more oil will get rid of dryness.
Tanya Dufour says
I’m don’t understand why this calls for both 1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder 1/2 cup Swerve? Aren’t they both artificial sweeteners? I use Splenda for baking. How much of that would I use to replace both of these?
Thank you!
Lisa says
Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia and Swerve are produced from natural sources. You’d need about 3/4 cup Splenda granular to replace both.
Johanna says
I don’t have walnuts, can I use pecans?
Lisa says
Pecans are a good sub for walnuts.
Jim says
Does this need to be refrigerated ? I’ve never put breads in the fridge until I started Keto baking.
Lisa says
The bread should be fine left out for a few days. However, I like to store it in the refrigerator. Sugar is a preservative and when making things without sugar, I worry about leaving them out.
Angela says
Great recipe, thank you! I LOVE banana bread (and bananas in general) and am always disappointed at the lack of low-carb recipes that actually have bananas listed in the ingredients! It can be done, if done wisely! I actually made these into muffins and added some cinnamon (baked for about 25 minutes); used 3 eggs and 1/4 almond milk as suggested. The final product left my fingers a bit greasy so maybe I’ll use less oil next time. Otherwise, fantastic recipe. Definitely bookmarking this one. Thanks again!
Lisa says
Thanks Angela! I get a lot of criticism for adding in a real banana, but I find it’s worth the small amount of carbs added.
Darlene Sirrine says
this is the first time I have used a low-carb recipe. I had the coconut oil, harden in the bottom of the food processor bowl. I had melted it before adding to the liquid mixture. I’m wondering if I didn’t let the oil cool enough if that is the reason it hardened when I mixed it up. Any tips would be appreciated. thank you
Lisa says
It shouldn’t have hardened if all ingredients were at room temperature.
Robin says
This recipe is so good!
Just made it and it taste awesome.
Lisa says
Agree!
jill says
Hi, I could not find pure stevia in powder form. I did find in in liquid form. I searched for a conversion, and all I could find is 1:1 for liquid vs powder. Do you agree with that for this recipe? And will the liquid be okay to use? Thanks in advance!
Lisa says
I find the powder is twice as strong as the liquid. So, for me it’s 2 times powder amount for liquid.
Rachel says
Low carb milk? How is this accomplished? Ty!
Lisa says
You can buy a low carb milk mix, but I typically just use unsweetened almond or coconut milk.
eastclif says
Low carb milk ? AKA 4% ? or cream ?
Lisa says
Either coconut milk, almond milk, or heavy cream diluted with water.
TheaMaria says
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I can’t remember the last time I had banana bread. I made several tweaks based on feedback from others (used 5 eggs, cut back on oil/butter) and left out the walnuts so the kids would like it too. The taste and texture are superb. My only dilemma is that the loaf rose beautifully then sank… Based on an article from Fine Cooking, I think this happened because I used too small of a pan (8 x 4) and greased the sides of it, not just the bottom. Regardless this recipe is a keeper!
Lisa says
I always bake in a 9×5 so the 8×4 may have been too small.
Sherry says
Hello what can I use in place of Stevie powder? I don’t have any. Thanks!
Lisa says
You’ll need about 1/4 cup sugar equivalent sweetener. Any sweetener will do.
Milton says
I followed the recipe exactly and while the outside had a nice crust on it the inside seemed like it was under done. I wrapped it in foil and baked it another 20 minutes and it made no difference. What did I do wrong?
Lisa says
It sounds like you may need to bake at a lower temperature longer because the outside browned up faster than the inside.
Lauren says
Can you sub the coconut flour with only almond flour?
Lisa says
In this recipe it should work out okay.
catherine says
is there something i can replace the xantham gum with? was planning on making this with my son today but cant find xantham gum anywhere!!
Lisa says
It’s not required in this recipe so I would just leave it out.
Yvonne van der Westhuizen says
Love your recipes ++++!!!!
I’m a bit confused re the sweeteners, I don’t have Swerve, but I have powdered Stevia, and Erythritol.
How can I use them in the banana bread please
Thank you in advance.
Lisa says
You can use erythritol in place of Swerve. They are very close, but Swerve is a bit sweeter.
Sheeba says
I would like to make this but without banana as I am on keto diet….what are the options?
Lisa says
You can omit the banana and add banana extract. I’d say 1 to 2 teaspoons.
Erica says
As long as you watch the rest of the day this is still low enough to keep you under 25g total and in ketosis.
Aw says
Thank you for this recipe! I made muffins last night but only used three eggs and used 1/4 milk and they came out great and hold together well. I am enjoying one right now! AW
Lisa says
My pleasure! Glad they worked out for you! 🙂
Jessica says
Hi Lisa!
Came across your Low Carb Banana Bread via Pinterest…. is there a way to make this with less eggs? I found it to be too eggy for my liking….and if so….will that change the way the loaf holds together???
Delicious nonetheless!
Thanks in advance!
Lisa says
It should be fine if you want to cut out an egg or two. You could add some chia and water if needed.
Katy says
I made this delicious bread tonight and found that leaving out two eggs still held together very well! Next time I’m going to try reducing the butter a bit since it was more greasy than I prefer. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thanks for the tips Katy!
Jan says
I am dairy-free. Can I substitute additional coconut oil for the 1/2 cup butter?
Lisa says
You could use either coconut oil or ghee (typically safe for those on a dairy-free diet).
Kelly in OK says
Hi Lisa! I made this today and it is Delicious!! I was just wondering if you store leftovers in the fridge?? Or I thought I could freeze individual slices for mornings on the go?? Thanks so much!!
Lisa says
I store half in the fridge and the other in the freezer for later. It freezes well!
Alien says
I cooked this in just 40 mins very brown on top. I
Like mine quite moist. This was in fan forced. 70 mins mine would have been burnt
Lisa says
Thanks for the tip! I also use a convection oven and typically take things out early too.
TheaMaria says
I’m so glad i saw this note!!! I often find that I need to bake your recipes longer than specified, and this may be why. I’m going to make this recipe again now and see if I have better results with my convection fan on.
Lisa says
I do bake in the convection oven on a reduced temp, but it probably still cooks faster than a conventional oven.
Mary says
Hoping I won’t eat it all before my hubby gets home. This is so delicious. Haven’t had banana bread in over ten years. Thank you, thank you!
Lisa says
You got me thinking that I need to make this banana bread again soon!
Jean says
Can I replace half the eggs with flax seed meal plus water?
Lisa says
I’ve usef chia seeds and water before to replace eggs and it works well. Flax and water may also work.
Abdallah says
Thanks Lisa for this WONDERFUL blog, I really loved it. my question is what is the amount of chia seeds or flax and water to add to replace an egg? thanks again
Lisa says
I believe it’s 1 tablespoon chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water to replace each egg.
Abdallah says
Thanks Lisa for your quick response and care 🙂
Lisa says
Any time!
jessica says
hi could you clarify something for me? Is the stevia extract powder something different than the stevia sweetener? and the swerve, is that different than a big bag of stevia
Lisa says
Jessica, sweeteners can be very confusing. Stevia extract powder is pure stevia with no additives like erythritol and flavoring. Because stevia is so sweet, it can be difficult to measure so a lot of stevia has added fillers.
Swerve is a particular brand of natural sweetener that is made with erythritol, oligosaccharides and natural flavors. It is much better tasting than plain erythritol. Swerve measures one for one in place of sugar.
Sue in CA says
Hi, wondering if you have a substitute for almond flour or similar nut ingredients, my SIL and grandson have nut allergies. Maybe flax seed meal? And chia seeds for walnuts?
thanks, love your blog which I found cuz of Pinterest. So happy to find YOU. My lifestyle of eating is the Belly Fat Cure which is low sugar, low carb but not as low as Atkins.
Lisa says
You could try flax seed meal, whey protein powder, or oat flour. Those are just some of the alternative things I use to replace wheat flour.
Sue in CA says
Thanks Lisa for the reply. When I make this for me and hubby I will definitely put in the nuts. When making it for my dd/family I’ll do a substitution for the nut stuff.