Toasted Coconut Banana Bread

This toasted coconut banana bread is moist, fragrant, and full of flavour. Ripe bananas bring natural sweetness, while golden toasted coconut adds subtle texture and a gentle tropical note. Made with almond flour for extra nuttiness, it’s a simple loaf that feels just a little more special than the classic.

Toasted Coconut Banana Bread

Golden, fragrant, and perfectly banana-rich.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Serving Size: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

5 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan

½ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut, or shreds if you prefer

3 very ripe bananas

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1½ cup gluten free flour blend

½ cup almond flour

1 tsp salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat of the oven to 175 C (350 F). Grease a 6 cup loaf pan generously with butter. If your breads tend to stick in your loaf pan, you may place a cut piece of parchment at the bottom of the pan, but still ensure it is greased well

2. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Once melted, remove from the microwave and cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add coconut, and toast undisturbed. Once you start smelling the coconut, shake around the skillet or move the coconut around using a spatula. You should see that the coconut it turning golden brown. Be sure to keep a watchful eye as once the coconut begins to toast, the process goes pretty quickly. Once golden, turn off the heat and cool slightly. (If you want your banana bread extra coconut-y, toast extra, reserve it on the side and sprinkle on top once the batter is in the loaf pan!)

4. To the slightly cooled butter, add the 3 peeled bananas and, using a fork, mash the bananas into the butter. I like to make sure it is mostly mashed, but leaving behind a few small chunks of banana. Be careful as the butter may still be warm. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the toasted coconut, to the bowl and mix to combine.

5. Add the batter to your greased loaf pan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. At this point, check your loaf, if your oven tends to run high or if any toppings are getting too dark, you may need to cover the banana bread at this point with a tented piece of foil. If it is not golden enough, keep uncovered. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick, once inserted, come out dry. Let the banana bread cool 30 minutes before flipping it out of the pan.

Notes & Tips

1. If you do not need to eat gluten free, you can simply substitute all purpose flour for the GF flour! Be sure to still add in the almond flour for a little extra nuttiness and flavor. It can be admitted, however, for any nut allergy, simply increase the amount of GF or AP flour used.

2. Use very ripe bananas. The darker and softer they are, the sweeter and more flavourful your loaf will be.

3. Watch the coconut closely. Toasted coconut can go from golden to burnt quickly — remove it from the pan as soon as it turns lightly golden.

4. Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until combined to keep the loaf tender.

5. Tent with foil if browning too quickly. If the top is colouring before the centre is cooked, loosely cover with foil for the remaining bake time.

6. Let it cool before slicing. Cooling allows the crumb to set and prevents crumbling.