Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

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.

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!

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.

*To substitute oat flour, you’ll need to use 2 1/2 cups, for reasons elaborated in my guide to oat 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.

Healthy Banana Bread

With this healthy banana bread recipe, you’re only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It’s made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten free—check the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf (about 10 slices).

Prep: 10min

Total: 1h5min

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 1 slice

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice, calories 233 calories, Sugar 18 g, Sodium 260.6 mg, Fat 8.9 g, Saturated Fat 6.5 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 36.3 g, Fiber 3.1 g, Protein 4.6 g, Cholesterol 37.7 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (75 grams) melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
• 1/2 cup honey (168 grams) or maple syrup (155 grams)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (225 grams) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 medium or 2 large bananas)
• 1/4 cup (56 grams) milk of choice or water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
• 1 3/4 cups (220 grams) white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour**
• Totally optional: 1/2 cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.

The Best Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

This healthy banana bread is truly the best! It’s so moist, full of rich banana flavor and incredibly easy to make. This bread freezes well for quick breakfasts and snacks; see the notes below for storage instructions.

Prep: 10min

Total: 70min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 /12 loaf

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 /12 loaf, calories 193 kcal, Carbohydrate 33 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 39 mg, Sodium 200 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 15 g

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
• ½ cup honey (or pure maple syrup)
• 1 ¾ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 ½ large or 5 medium bananas)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 grams) white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Lay a sheet of parchment paper across the bottom and up the sides of the pan (see photo in post above).
2. Melt the butter in a large glass bowl in the microwave (or melt butter in a pot on the stove and transfer to a large mixing bowl).
3. Add the honey and mashed banana to the bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs.
4. Add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until very well combined.
5. Add the flour and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. You want all of the flour to be incorporated into the batter, but try not to over-mix.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Check on the banana bread after 35 minutes and loosely cover with foil as needed to prevent the top from over-browning.
7. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Healthy Banana Bread

This EASY Healthy Banana Bread recipe is made with low sugar, no oil and is just over 100 calories per slice. It still yield incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, and delicious bread!

Prep: 10min

Total: 45min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 slice

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice, calories 137 kcal, Carbohydrate 26 g, Protein 2 g, Fat 2 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 18 mg, Sodium 209 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 9 g

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas (, about 1 1/3 cups, mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ((white or white-whole wheat))
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (, melted (or substitute applesauce))

Instruction:

1. Grease a standard 9×5” loaf pan (I also like to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make sure the loaf doesn’t stick).
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Add egg, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon and stir well to combine.
3. In a separate small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir to combine.
4. Gently stir in melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 few minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.

Best Ever Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

Delicious healthy banana bread made with whole wheat flour, protein packed greek yogurt and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. Made in one bowl, easy to make and perfect for brunch or snacking. Everyone loves this healthy banana bread recipe because it can easily be made into muffins, too!

Prep: 10min

Total: 70min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 slice

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice, calories 178 kcal, Carbohydrate 28.4 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 5.8 g, Saturated Fat 4.2 g, Fiber 3.4 g, Sugar 9.9 g

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cup mashed banana)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature (very important to be at room temp)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (do not use honey)
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt (whole milk or 2% is best)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled (you can also use olive oil or melted and cooled coconut oil but I prefer butter)
• Optional add-ins:
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, for sprinkling on top

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pan with parchment paper and grease the inside of the pan to prevent sticking.
2. In a large bowl mix together the mashed banana, eggs, maple syrup, greek yogurt and vanilla extract to a bowl until well combined. (OR if you prefer, you can add all the wet ingredients to a blender to combine — I prefer to mix in a bowl.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
4. Next, mix in the melted and cooled butter (or coconut oil). At this point you can fold in an of the following: ½ cup chopped walnuts or ½ cup chocolate chips (or both!).
5. Add banana bread batter into prepared pan. Optional but not required: split a banana down the middle vertically then add on top of the batter or just add banana slices on top, side by side. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
6. Once bread is cool, cut into 12 slices. Serve with nut butter spread on top for a healthy snack or breakfast on the go.

Healthy Banana Bread