This easy no-fail Healthy Banana Bread recipe makes the most fluffy and moist banana bread you will find at only 238 calories per slice. It contains NO processed sugar or butter and comes together in just a few minutes!
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, dense, and full of flavor. I made a batch and shared a few slices with my friends and they could not believe it was “healthy”. This recipe is a keeper, and I’m sure your family will love it as much as we do!
What Makes This Banana Bread Healthy?
To make this banana bread healthy:
The sugar is replaced with honey
For the butter, we opted for coconut oil. You can also use olive, avocado oil, or even apple sauce.
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.
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
Make this delicious banana bread by combining the dry ingredients and setting aside. Next, simply combine all the wet ingredients and add in the bananas.
Stir in the dry ingredients and add in your favorite banana bread add-ins. I like to add chopped chocolate, chocolate chips, or nuts.
Lastly, transfer the batter into a greased 9×5 pan, and bake for 50 minutes. You can also bake this banana bread in a small square 8×8 pan for just 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Is Banana Bread Healthy?
Banana bread can be made healthy with simple substitutes that also taste amazing! Replace the sugar with honey or an alternative sweetener, replace the oil with healthier sats, and use whole wheat or almond flour.
What is the difference between whole-wheat flour and white whole-wheat flour?
Whole-wheat flour is made with red wheat, which is darker in color. It has a slightly bitter taste and a coarser texture. White whole-wheat flour which lacks bran color. It also has a milder flavor and a softer texture.
What Mix-Ins can I add to Banana Bread?
There are a ton of things you can add to your banana bread each time to give it a new flavor. I like to add chopped dark chocolate, chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, dried fruit, Nutella, oats, or berries.
Recipe Tip
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.
How to Store Banana Bread
This banana bread will last at room temperature for 3-4 days. To store, place a paper towel in an airtight container or ziplock bag and top your bread with another paper towel. Be sure to seal the bag or airtight container.
To Freeze: You can leave the loaf whole, wrap it, and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container until you’re ready to eat it. You can also slice it and freeze it as well. To thaw, move it to the fridge for a short time or take it out of the freezer and set it out on the counter. It will unthaw quickly and easily.
More Delicious Healthy Banana Bread Recipes To Try
- Healthy Oatmeal Banana Bread
- Almond Flour Banana Bread
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread
- Healthy Coconut Flour Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Have some extra ripe bananas and want to try new banana bread recipes? here are a few of my favorite banana recipes:
Healthy Banana Bread
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!
Equipment
Notes
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.
Recipe inspired by allrecipes and cookie and kate
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
GET THE MUFFIN VERSION HERE!!
Healthy Moist Banana Bread Muffins
Can I substitute the gluten free flour or whole wheat flour with oatmeal? Your response is much appreciated. Thank you
Excellent. Kids (6 yo and 3 yo) loved it too. This one is going in the books!
I made this a few weeks ago. Fantastic. Very moist and the coconut oil worked great! Thanks 🙂
Made this yesterday, and it turned out so great! I would definitely make it again, although I used oat flour (ground up some rolled oats on a blender) and added heaps of cinnamon + raisins & cashews and it tasted really, really good. I also baked it in 160 C for 50 mins! Thank you for the recipe!
It did not disappoint! Definitely one for the books.
Wow, this bread turned out really well for me! Very moist and rich, not too sweet. I made a lot of tweaks (forgive me, I simply cannot follow recipes :p). My changes were: 1 cup WW Pastry Flour, 3/4 cup Coconut Flour. 4 Bananas. 3 Eggs. 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon and a generous grate of fresh nutmeg (I like spices but honestly, it did come out highly spiced). It fit perfectly in my pan measuring 9.25 x 5.25.
I used Greek yogurt, and Walnuts instead of Choc. Chips. otherwise I followed as written, including the temperature and baking time. I noted the comment regarding the low oven temp. but when I use Virgin Coconut Oil I always bake at 325 since it is prone to burning at higher temps.
whoops, I forgot I also added 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut. Yum!
What other flours can I use instead of whole wheat? Self raising or plain? Thanks
THE BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! FOOL PROOF!
Finally!
Finally I’ve found a wonderfully moist delicious Banana Bread Recipe. With NO sugar and NO white flour.
Thank you very much.
I think the cooking temp is too low at 325 degrees. At 1:15 it was too gooey in the middle and would not set.
Using my old family banana bread recipe as a go-by (which has the same volumes of bananas and flour), I would highly recommend 350 degrees for 1 hour.
The edge pieces were amazing tho.
Made this recipe today and after the bread baked for a half hour, I realized that I had completely skipped the coconut oil!!! I peeped into the oven and saw it was slowly rising and had this beautiful golden brown top. So I let it complete the suggested bake time & patiently waited for it to cool and finally sunk my teeth into a slice….let me just say, by far, this is the most delicious banana bread I have eaten…and I”m not a big fan to begin with. It was to die for..even without the coconut oil which makes it more fat free and healthy! Thank you for your awesome recipe. I would give this 10 stars.
Hi, I’m trying to leave the oil out of this recipe and just wanted to know exactly what ingredients you used? Maple or honey? Milk or yogurt? White flour or not? Thank you!
This bread was sooo good! Will be making it again.
I have tried various Banana bread recipes but by far this is the best one I made. I was looking for a recipe without sugar and the use of honey was brilliant. I used walnuts because i like the crunch. So i roasted the walnuts before putting it in the batter and it made it better. Took about 50 minutes to cook and it definitely was moist.
I just made this today and it turned out to be really soft used Greek yogurt and put walnuts and dark chocolate chips. I also used olive oil instead of coconut oil. On top I sprinkled left over walnuts and muscovado sugar.
Just made this and it was so good! We used yogurt and coconut oil and a few raisins and it was just perfect. Love that it takes honey and not sugar. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you so much xx
Thanks for sharing your experience, Elizabeth! We are happy you enjoyed the bread 🙂
I used this recipes to make muffins because I didn’t have a loaf pan. I cooked it for about 30 minutes before checking it and it already became too dry by that point. If you use this for muffins, I recommend checking with toothpick around 20 minutes to see if it’s ready. Not as moist as I’d like it but still good enough!
I’ve made it twice already.. However I do add a bit of brown sugar alongside the honey and coconut oil.. It’s absolutely divine! Love this recipe.. Thank you for sharing.
Came out gr88
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Sherry
Any recommendation for baking temp/time when baking in glassware? My bread turned out rather pale,dense raw/oily in the center as well. I used greek yogurt, maple syrup, coconut oil. Still tasted delicious but I want that beautiful B-bread color!!
I’ve never baked the bread in glassware but I would assume you need a few extra minutes or baking time.
What a nice suprise – a healthy version of B bread. We are moving back into our remodeled kitchen and the wheat flour has not been found yet. I used half unbleached white and half bran. I used coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and the rest as you recommended. I did add a half tsp of baking powder because of all the bran. I finished it with small bits of pecans and a half cup of craisins. The dough was very tasty (yes I have “licked the beaters” for over 60 years) and it baked up just like a normal B bread. We can’t wait to cut into the bread. Thanks Montana Marti
Just made this today! I used the stevia sweetened chocolate chips, almond milk and honey. Also, added 3TBS buttermilk (idea from long time favorite recipe). Loved it!
And….used coconut oil 🙂
Thanks for the tips, Sheri! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I just finished making it and it couldn’t be better. Very easy and healthy recipe. And it tastes yummmmm….. thank you.
Self Raising or plain flour???
Plain flour!
Wow just made this and it was perfection. Used coconut oil, maple syrup and greek yogurt. Thank you so much!! My new go-to!
Hello,
What size of baking pan did you use? Thanks!
I used a 9×5″ pan
I made this recipe yesterday using quality white flour with 1/4 cup more than wheat. I added blueberries ( I learned to dust them with flour before adding and cran raisins. I used maple syrup though expensive I happened to have a bottle and coconut oil. I mixed it in my nutribullet. The response was great!! Had several people over and they all raved. Thanks.
Bluebird
Hi, was just wondering whether it is plain or self-raising flour that is used?
Plain flour
Just made this and it tastes great! Thank you for the recipe!
Is the flour plain or self-raising?
Hi, did you get a answer to this qusettion?
I have just made this and was so looking forward to see how it turned out, but unfortunately was far too moist/greasy yet I followed the instructions exactly (I used extra virgin coconut oil and honey), I was so gutted 🙁 any ideas as to why this may be? Most banana breads I have had have not been this moist and oil like…
Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for a great recipe! I went with olive oil and maple syrup (had my doubts, but was out of honey so decided to try it), and it turned out perfect (and I am not a good cook by any standard and tend to under or over cook everything!). I didn’t have any vanilla so I added a pinch of nutmeg. Don’t know if this changed anything but it was delicious!
I tried a sugar free version of banana bread once before and it was dry and lacking flavour, got thrown in the bin, but this was a winner with the whole family. Thank you 🙂
Hello! This recipe sounds great ! I plan to make this bread, however, I recently read that heating honey can make it toxic. Keeping everything else the same, I will be making mine with the dreaded sugar since I do not have enough agave nectar. Here is a link about the possible toxicity: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/is-cooking-honey-unhealthy/
Thanks for the info about cooked honey. That’s a well-researched article and I for one will follow the advice and stick to eating it raw! I used Maple syrup in my last cake and it was delicious but definitely gave a strong maple flavour. I was hoping , with honey, to neutralize that and let the spices shine through (especially the tonka bean I added). I imagine heating maple syrup is fine…? I’ll research it.
Yes, I found confirmation that maple syrup can tolerate being heated to high temperatures.
(https://mockingbirdmeadows.com/2013/11/19/reasons-you-should-never-cook-with-honey/)
When I adapt a recipe to use it I follow these guidelines that I found on the internet some time ago: 1) 1 c sugar can be substituted with 3/4 – 1 1/2 c syrup depending on how sweet you want it. 2) for every cup of maple syrup you use a) decrease liquid in recipe by 2-4 T b) add 1/4 – 1/2 t additional baking soda c) decrease oven by 25 degrees.
I have had mine in the oven for 1 hour 20mins and it still seems to be a bit raw inside? What did I do wrong?!
I’m not sure where you went wrong. What type of flour did you use?
It was spelt flour, was that why? I used 4 bananas too.
Although I haven’t tried spelt flour for this recipe, in general, you can use spelt to substitute for up to half of the usual flour. Spelt is more water-soluble than wheat, so you may need less liquid than with whole wheat flour. The higher level of gliadin, the protein that makes dough stretch, also means that the dough can spread a lot. Using less liquid can help prevent this. You can try using 25% less liquid next time and see how it turns out for you.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Can you tell how many calories in a piece of this banana bread?
There are 212 calories per slice. All the nutritional info can be found under the recipe. It’s 3rd party so it may take a minute before it shows up. Enjoy!
Im a uni student and have used this recipe this morning to clear up some bananas. It smells AMAZING!! and tastes so good too! Its gone down a treat with everyone in my hall. Thank you
How long can we store this?? Going to make it tonight !!
up to 4-5 days in the fridge or 2 on the counter. I cut the bread and wrap each slice in plastic wrap (or place in ziplock bag). I then re-heat in the microwave for just a few seconds to melt the chocolate!
I did to variations of this. One with banana and raisins and one banana seeds and choco chips
Tasty…. ????????
In the oven now. Smells great. it rose a lot. I rechecked the recipe for pan size. It says 9×15. I think you meant 9×5? Zooming on the photo the pan appears to be labeled 9×5. Looking forward to tasting it!!
Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve went ahead and fixed it! Enjoy 🙂
Love this recipe. Made muffins instead of bread. A staple!
My toddler is the pickiest eater EVER, so I try to hide a lot of fruits and vegetables in bread. I was so happy when I found this one. It’s not loaded with sugar but the honey makes it just sweet enough. I sliced it, spread peanut butter on it, and he was asking for MORE! Great recipe, thank you for sharing.
My daughters are the same. I’m glad you and your son enjoyed this bread!
my fav banana bread so far…Thank you so much for sharing it.
nina
Just made this recipe today, and it turned out great! My go-to banana bread recipe involves a stick of butter and a cup of sugar (and regular flour), so I was a little nervous about this one! I used olive instead of coconut oil, and almond milk instead of cow’s. I skipped the chocolate chips and added sliced bananas and extra cinnamon on top. Husband and toddler approved! Thanks for a great recipe! 🙂