Everyday I am approached with the question of how to make banana bread healthy. This delicious and healthy snack is very popular in the US and I hear questions about healthy alternatives for this snack almost everyday. Let me just start off by saying this: homemade banana bread is not a diet food, it’s a naughty food that you should eat ONLY on occasion. But if you are going to bake banana bread, then it’s important to do so while making it as healthy as possible.
Healthy Banana Bread!
Want to make someone’s day? Bake them some banana bread! Just yesterday, I said, “I’m going to bake some banana bread,” and watched a full-grown man’s eyes light up like a kid’s on Christmas morning.
Banana bread is one of those classic, all-American comfort food recipes that fills the whole house with warmth and makes everything better. Banana bread is magic.
I perfected this banana bread recipe for my cookbook and wanted to share with you here. This recipe has all the hallmarks of classic banana bread—it’s fluffy, moist, infused with sweet banana flavor, and beloved by toddlers and adults alike.
Bonus? This recipe requires just one bowl, a few measuring cups and some basic ingredients.
What makes this banana bread healthy?
- This banana bread recipe is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour, unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined flour and lots of processed sugar.
- This banana bread is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which offer some trace nutrients that white sugar does not.
- Lastly, this recipe calls for a reasonable amount of unrefined oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from virgin coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil).
As you can see, my homemade banana bread has plenty of redeeming qualities, chief being that it won’t send your blood sugar levels for a loop. You can keep them all to yourself, though. No one will be able to tell that this is healthy banana bread!
Banana Bread Flour Options
This recipe is flexible! Any of the following flours will work well. I love to use white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour—they offer all the whole wheat nutrients, without the characteristically nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- Oat flour*
- Spelt flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- White whole wheat flour
Want to make your banana bread with almond flour? You sure can, but it’s not a simple substitute, so follow my almond flour-based banana bread recipe instead.
Tip: How to Measure Flour
For best results, it’s important to measure your flour properly. Here’s how to measure flour in cups using the “spoon and swoop” method:
- Gently stir your flour with a large spoon to loosen it up.
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it in!).
- Level off the excess with a butter knife.
Healthy Moist Banana Bread
This no-fail recipe makes the best moist and tastiest banana bread you will find! It contains no sugar or butter!
It’s finally here! We are a huge fan of banana bread. Somehow, we always end up with 3 to 4 very ripe bananas just sitting on the counter. Bananas that are too ripe to eat, but are perfect for baking. You know what they say, when life gives you ripe bananas, make banana bread.
But seriously, ripe bananas are a dream in banana bread and make the best banana bread ever. This healthy banana bread is everything you want in banana bread. It’s moist and dense and full of flavor. I made a batch shared a few slices with my friends and they could not believe it was “healthy”. This recipe is a keeper for sure and I’m sure your family will love it as much as we do!
To make this banana bread healthy, The sugar is replaced with honey and for the butter, we opted in for coconut oil. As for the flour, whole wheat flour works wonders.
Another very important ingredient is the ripe bananas. Ripe bananas are super sweet so the riper the better. If your bananas are not yet brown or soft then you can place them in a 300F degree oven for 20 minutes or until dark brown. I swear this method will produce the ripest bananas that are perfect for banana bread.
healthy Moist Banana Bread
This no-fail recipe makes the best moist and tastiest banana bread you will find! It contains no sugar or butter! 4.73 from 268 votes Print RateCourse: BreakfastCuisine: American Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 55 minutes5 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Servings: 12 3/4” slices Calories: 238kcal
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup milk or Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas about 2-3 medium bananas
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour or plain all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, raisins, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, honey, milk and vanilla for 2 minutes. Stir in the bananas, flour mixture and chocolate chips (or any other add ins of choice.
- Pour batter into greased pan, sprinkle with some more cinnamon, raw sugar, or banana slices (optional) Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, slice and enjoy!
Notes
To make this bread gluten free: Use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour. For dairy-free/vegan: use almond milk and flax eggs and maple syrup. *Trader Joe’s has white whole wheat flour that is also great in this bread.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg
The Best Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
The best moist banana bread that is so delicious you won’t know it’s healthy! You are going to love this easy to make healthy banana bread recipe.
This is my all-time favorite banana bread recipe. It is moist and full of rich banana flavor. Your search for the perfect healthy banana bread recipe stops here!Healthy Banana BreadPlay Video
I try not to label recipes as, “The Best,” unless I really mean it. I confidently call this healthy banana bread the best. It has the sweetness, moisture and flavor that you are looking for in a loaf of banana bread, healthy or otherwise.
I can’t even tell you how many times I have tested this recipe to make sure it is just perfect before sharing it here. I’ve tried out different amounts of banana, butter, sweetener and flour. I’ve made this banana bread with and without milk. I’ve found the perfect balance of ingredients and can’t wait for you to try this healthy banana bread recipe for yourself.
Banana bread and banana muffins are my favorite way to use up over-ripe bananas. I like to make both ahead of time for quick breakfasts and snacks for my family.
HOW TO MAKE THIS HEALTHY BANANA BREAD RECIPE
This whole wheat banana bread is made in one bowl, except for mashing the banana. I always mash my bananas in a separate bowl using a fork. You can also mash the bananas in a stand mixer.
To make this banana bread, you will start by whisking together your wet ingredients: melted butter, honey, mashed banana and eggs. I always start by melting the butter in my large glass mixing bowl in the microwave. Then I add the other wet ingredients to the bowl with the butter.
Once the wet ingredients are well combined, you will add baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla to the bowl. I like to add the vanilla last so that I can use the same measuring spoon that I used for the dry ingredients without washing in between.
Use your whisk to mix the batter up really well before adding the flour. You want to make sure that there are no clumps of baking soda or salt left in the batter.
Finally, add the flour to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix in the flour until it is just combined. Mix until you don’t see any more streaks of flour and then stop. Over-mixing the batter will make your banana bread dense instead of light and soft.
When I bake quick breads like this banana bread, I prepare my loaf pan by cutting a sheet of parchment paper to fit in the pan, as you see in the photo above. Lining the pan with parchment will make sure that your banana bread comes out of the pan easily, without sticking to the bottom of the pan.