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)
I’m new to Paleo and just made this bread yesterday, it’s amazing. I just added raisins, dates, and some nuts that I had, 1 banana, it was delicious. I will certainly make it again.
Thanks Rose ๐
Can i substitute almond flour with coconut flour ? If so, do you have recommendations of proportions of coconut flour? Thank you and i look forward to making this :)!
I don’t work with coconut flour enough to be able to advise you Nicole, sorry. I know that coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so you would have to alter the recipe to accommodate that. Sorry I can’t be of more help, I think you would need to experiment to see how coconut flour would work in this bread.
I’ve been making this every few weeks since I discovered your recipe last November. I try to stick to dried fruits that don’t have added sugar (raisins, currents, apricots, apples, dates…) but at Christmas I added dried cranberries and candied peel (along with a teaspoon of vanilla) and called it Christmas fruitcake. So good! Regarding seeds, I didn’t know if you meant 2 Tblsp whole or ground flax seeds, and have been using ground. I do mix pepitas and sunflower seeds in among the nuts though. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for that great feedback Andrea — I like the idea of adjusting it for the holidays, I’ll definitely try that next year. I actually used whole flax seeds because that’s what I had and I think they’re so pretty!
Doesn’t dried fruit have a lot of sugar? Or is there a certain kind of dried fruit you buy that has less sugar?
Fruit naturally has sugar in it and when you dry it it gets concentrated. Most dried fruit is sweet because of that. I think they do add sweetener to dried cranberries, though.
This bread looks so much like the breakfast bread from Publix I think I will have to try it out. Not only am I a thousand miles from the nearest Publix, this looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it!
Just put this in the oven in 9×13 stone pan. Had three bananas so adapted the recipe to that. I used craisins, apricots, cherries and cashews, pecans, almonds, and peanuts. Anxious to see how it does. Sounds so delicious
Made this yesterday and it was moist and delicious. My 3 year old loved it. I omitted the bananas and added banana exctract instead with 2 packets of splenda as I’m watching my sugar. I made another batch with 60% cocoa chips. Thank you for recipe.
If you are working on a healthy diet, please take some time to read about how Splenda is made and possibly consider using Stevia instead. I also wonder what unnatural ingredients might be in the banana extract.
Hi, Made the bread this week and it is absolutely delicious. I am not a nut person, so I substituted with grated coconut and some chocolate chips.
I’m really glad it worked out for you Mariane, and now that you’ve put the idea of chocolate chips in my head…I think I need to make another loaf ๐
Delicious! I love that this is a great way to use up odds and ends of dried fruit and nuts. 100% kid approved in my house. My 4 and 7 year old gave it 2 thumbs up!
Yay!!
Hi Sue, I have cold milled golden flax seed, will that work for the Paleo Breakfast Bread? I have printed the recipe and written down some of the comments at the bottom for a variety. Very Anxious to pull it together and get it in the oven. I look forward to seeing more of your recipes. I just found out that I have high cholesteral so I’m searching high and low for a new way to cook. Thanks again.
Hi Dianne- I’ve never used milled flax seed in that bread, maybe you could start by using part flax seed and part almond flour. I’m not sure how it would affect the texture. If you do try, please check back in and let us know how it comes out. Another thought if you want to use flax seed is to use the whole seeds in the bread. Good luck!