My quick and easy paleo fruit and nut bread recipe is grain free and dairy free, with no added sugar. This delicious quick bread is loaded with dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, for a healthy breakfast or energy snack. It also happens to be absolutely fabulous toasted!

paleo fruit and nut bread is literally jam packed with nutrition
Made entirely without flour, added sugar, or dairy, this bread is almost too good to believe. It’s made with a base of almond meal, mashed banana, a couple of eggs and a touch of coconut oil — the rest is a boatload of chopped dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. And guess what? It’s really good!
The whole family loves this one. It’s dense and moist, with a subtle sweetness which comes naturally from the fruit. The coconut oil adds great flavor, too. Keep in mind this is not like any bread you’ve had before, the only thing I can liken it to is a very dense moist date nut bread, but without the extra sweetness. It makes amazing breakfast toast.
Dried fruits, nuts, and seeds are nutritional powerhouses
I turn to fruit and nut breads like this when I’m tired of my regular breakfast, and when I have lots of extra dried fruit and nuts cluttering up my cabinets. Nuts in particular can spoil if kept too long, so I like to keep them moving in my pantry. One loaf of paleo fruit and nut bread goes a long way towards clearing out my stash.
Dried fruit (fruit dried without added sugar) nuts, and seeds provide fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats as well as a great source of energy. This is a super healthy way to start the day, and I guarantee you won’t be hungry again for a long while.
You can use almost any kind of fruit, nut, and seed for this quick bread recipe. One of my favorite sources for all three is Trader Joe’s. A good assortment of add-ins results in a beautiful mosaic of fruits and nuts when you slice into this loaf. Each piece is unique!
suggested dried fruit ingredients
Use any combination, but look for fruit that has been dried without the addition of extra sugar.
- apricots
- figs
- cranberries
- dates
- cherries
- pineapple
- blueberries
- strawberries
- citron
- mango
- plums
- raisins
suggested nuts and seeds
use any combination, I prefer raw to roasted.
- almonds
- pecans
- pistachios
- walnuts
- hazelnuts
- cashews
- macadamia
- pine nuts
- flaxseeds
- pepitas
Toasting enhances this paleo bread
Definitely toast your bread, it makes such a difference ~ toasting makes the fruit jammy and brings out amazing flavor in the nuts. I also like to add a pat of butter, or a smear of cream cheese, which isn’t strictly Paleo*, but delicious. This is not a breakfast you will gobble down quickly; each bite begs to be savored!
*PALEO refers to an approach to eating that relies on the foods our Paleolithic ancestors had available to them, before the era of farming. The thinking is that our bodies and metabolisms weren’t meant to cope with grains, legumes, dairy, or modern processed foods and sugars. A paleo diet includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds ~ all things that our hunter gatherer ancestors would be able to forage.
tips for making paleo fruit and nut bread:
- Use fine almond flour in this recipe if you can find it. Rough almond meal will make the bread more crumbly.
- Remember all the fruits (except the banana) in this bread are dried, fresh fruit won’t work in this recipe. Just about any dried fruit will work.
- Raw nuts work best, but if you can only find roasted, that ok, but preferably unsalted.
- As for seeds, I used flax seeds and pepitas (pumpkin seeds,) but there are so many other choices out there, feel free to use what you like.
- I pureed my bananas in my food processor to get a smooth result. If you choose to hand mash yours, make sure they get really well mashed. You want the mashed banana to be a thick liquid.
- The bread is delicate, and I find that it works best to cool the bread, then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate overnight before slicing.
- The more finely you chop your fruit and nuts, the easier the bread will be to slice, but I like some chunkiness to the texture.
- A good sharp serrated bread knife works well for slicing without crumbling the bread.
- If you are toasting, be careful not to over do it, the bread will scorch quickly in a regular toaster. A toaster oven works well too.
- This bread freezes nicely, just be sure to wrap it well. First in plastic, then in foil.
Featured comment:
“This is the healthiest, tastiest and the best fruit and nut bread I have ever made (or had). Itโs easy to make and the texture is excellent, varying the dried fruit/nut mix is an added bonus. We have it with a dollop of organic coconut yoghurt. Itโs delicious warm or cold. I have never commented on any recipe sites, but in this instance it deserved a big round of wholesome applause. Thank youโ ย ~Tesia
Paleo Breakfast Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas (a scant one cup mashed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp flax seeds
- 2 cups chopped nuts
- 2 cups chopped dried fruits
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F. Lightly spray a standard loaf pan. I like to line it with a sheet of parchment so I can lift the bread out for slicing.
- Make sure your dried fruit and nuts are chopped fairly evenly.
- Mash the two bananas really well. I actually did this in my small food processor to get a smooth result. You should have anywhere from 3/4 to a scant cup of mashed banana.
- Put the banana into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs and coconut oil really well.
- Stir in the almond flour, baking powder, and salt and blend well.
- Fold in the fruits, nuts, and seeds and blend until everything is well distributed. Note: you'll think there are too many fruits and nuts when you start, but trust me, it will all blend in fine.
- Turn the batter into the loaf pan and spread out the dough evenly, especially into the corners. Make sure to spread the dough out flat and even.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until starting to turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. This bread does not rise, so it will still be flat. The exact cooking time will depend somewhat on the exact dimensions of your loaf pan, as even 'standard' ones can vary. Let cool briefly before removing the bread from the pan using the parchment paper to lift it out, and let it cool further on a rack.
- When the bread is almost completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This helps the bread firm up and hold together better when slicing. Note: use a very sharp serrated bread knife with a slight sawing motion to slice the bread neatly.
Notes
- almonds
- pecans
- pistachios
- walnuts
- hazelnuts
- apricots
- figs
- cranberries
- dates
- pineapple
- blueberries
- strawberries
- plums
Also try
- Gluten Free Vegan Blender Muffins
- Paleo Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bread
- DIY Instant Fruit and Nut Oatmealย (vegan and gluten free)
Do you soak the dried fruit before adding it to the recipe?
No, I just add it.
States a vegan bread but with eggs, I think it is not vegan. Did you try making with flax eggs? What is size of loaf pan?
I’m not sure where you’re seeing ‘vegan’ Carol. I don’t bill this as vegan, but it is Paleo. The loaf pans I use are a standard 9×5.
It says “This vegan quick bread is also amazingly versatile” I was wondering the same thing.
I found it, and removed it, don’t know how that snuck in!
I wasn’t sure how my family would respond to this “no sugar added” bread — our go to banana bread recipe is from the 70s and uses Crisco . . . . I was pleasantly surprised this was a HUGE hit. Thanks for such a great tasting recipe.
My family loved this bread, itโs so good toasted!
Thanks Judd! I think the toasting really brings out all those fruit and nut flavors.
I am on the hunt for sugar/grain treats and Iโm so happy this turned out so well! I cheated and added a little fresh strawberry because I only had dried cherries and dates and I wanted some additional color. I cheated again and very carefully sliced a warm piece before refrigerating. It held up just fine and was delicious. The loaf is now wrapped in the fridge and I canโt wait to toast a slice for breakfast. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi Sue! This is really tasty, filling, healthy – a good breakfast or tea time snack for the not so bright days of winter. Moreover, for me it is a home grown bread since all the ingredients (except for eggs and bananas) are grown at our orchard. I substituted butter for olive oil since this is the first year we harvested enough olives to fill a tank and have our own cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. It came out wonderful. Wish I could share this best-bread-and-olive-oil. Thank you Sue.
I can’t even imagine how good this must be with all those home grown ingredients Alexandra ~ you’re an inspiration!
Hello Alexandra,
Are you commenting on a different recipe? This recipe uses coconut oil – not butter; just thought I’d mention this to you. (and Sue didn’t pick up on it!!)
Have a good day ๐
This was amazing after I did as you said I was able to slice. Couldnโt wait. Lol. Nothing wrong with eating with a spoon right? Keeper recipe, again from you. Thank you
My friends were thrilled to have another one of your recipes. The taste was just perfect. Thanks again
Thanks Joan, I’m glad they were a hit!
Hi Sue. I made this last night. I roasted/cooled all of the nuts before adding. I followed your instructions to wrap when still warm and refrigerate over night. It smelled so good, it was hard not to try it!
My husband and I both had a slice with our afternoon tea and it was DELICIOUS! Iโll definitely be making this again and again!
THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL RECIPE!
Just made this yummy recipe. I put chia seeds, salted peanuts, walnuts and almonds in. I only had cranberries and golden raisins. Whenever I bake I always taste the batter, and this was so good. 6 mini cakes is what I have cooling right now. Baked 20 minutes, came out easily from the pan. Many of your recipes that call for all-purpose flour I use almond flour. I bake them in springform pans so it is easy to remove the cake.Thanks again for a healthy recipe. Really a “10”