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!
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.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Banana bread will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months, when wrapped well. Let the baked bread cool completely on a wire rack before freezing.
You can wrap and freeze the loaf of banana bread whole. Or, if you want to be able to grab individual servings of banana bread from the freezer, slice the bread and wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped slices in a larger storage container or zip-top bag for storing in the freezer.
You can thaw banana bread overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temperature for a few hours. Individual slices of banana bread can be thawed quickly in the microwave.
Baking Tips for Banana Bread
- The key to making the best sweet banana bread with rich banana flavor is to use very ripe bananas. You want your bananas to have lots of brown spots on them.
- If you are using bananas from your freezer, thaw them before proceeding with the recipe. Drain off and discard any excess liquid that separates from the bananas as they defrost.
- To make dairy-free banana bread, use coconut oil instead of butter in the recipe.
- You may substitute the white whole wheat flour with regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.
- Mix a few nuts or chocolate chips into the batter to make banana nut bread or chocolate chip banana bread. If you like blueberries in your banana bread, try my healthy blueberry banana bread recipe. If you’re craving chocolate try my chocolate banana bread.
The Best Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana about 3 1/2 large or 5 medium bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (250 grams), or regular whole wheat or all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5-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).
- 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).
- Add the honey and mashed banana to the bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs.
- Add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until very well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- To make dairy-free banana bread, use coconut oil instead of butter in the recipe.
- Store banana bread at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cool bread completely before freezing.
Nutrition
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Do you have any suggestions on how to alter the banana bread recipe for high altitude?
Hi Katie, I haven’t tested this recipe at high altitude, but this article has some information that might help.
Yum! I used 1/2 all purpose flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour. Left out the honey completely and added 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips instead.
How much grams in1 slice.
I do not know how many grams are in one slice.
Hi great banana bread.
I didnt have any ripe b ananas so I baked in oven till they went black and mushy ?? Not sure if it worked as well as over ripe ones.
Love this banana cake – I used coconut oil and gluten free plain flour and it turned out brilliantly.
Really moist and delicious. The cinnamon gives this bread an edge over other ones!!
Thank you, Holly! I’m glad you enjoyed this banana bread!
Can I make this recipe into muffins?
If yes, how long should I bake ?
Yes, you would bake muffins for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. You might also like my healthy banana muffins recipe, which is similar to this one.
Thanks! Making this now! I love that it’s healthy and easy to have all the ingredients on hand. 🙂 (I also love that the butter is melted lol, I always forget to set it out ahead of time)
I have the same problem with remembering to soften butter! You are going to love this banana bread! It’s my favorite. 🙂
Try replacing the Butter with a half cup of vegetable oil if you want healthier version of banana bread. I make it for all my clubs and it gets eave reviews. My recipe uses 1 cup sugar instead of honey as I have sugar handy as it sometimes goes on sale locally for 4 lbs. 99 cents.
Depending on what type of oil you use, vegetable oil is not necessarily healthier than butter. I try to minimize the amount of sugar in my recipes and use unrefined sweeteners, such as pure maple syrup and honey, as much as possible. We all need to do what works best for us. 🙂
Can I use almond flour for this recipe???
Hi Allie, I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour so I can’t say how that would work.
Mine is baking right now, I replaced eggs with apple sauce and I hope it turns out good since I don’t have any eggs. But I can’t wait:))
Hi there! How did it turn out with the applesauce? Did you use almond flour too?
Thanks!!
I made the first loaf with regular flour as the recipe called for…it came out amazing! The second loaf I tried out with almond flour…same measurements…it took about 20 minutes longer to cook but was really tasty, too! Definitely cover the bread around 35 minutes into cooking to avoid burning the top.
Hi Kristine! I made your Healthy Banana Bread today. It came out great! I used maple syrup and unbleached white flour (both organic) . I love that it’s not super sweet and very moist. My husband likes it too!
I started making banana bread in the 70’s. As you might guess, I have many banana bread recipes, some good, some not so good, and it’s been trial and error a lot of the time. This is by far the best recipe I’ve tried.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Wow, what a compliment! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! It’s my go-to favorite, too. 🙂
Woow! I’ve tried many banana bread recipes before, I’ve been looking for one that’s not too sweet and cakey, and this one is the best! Used 1/4 cup of honey as I ran out of honey but I could still taste the honey in the bread and it was all the honey I needed! Forgot to add cinnamon but was fine. Cooked a lot faster than I expected (after 35 mins), maybe I had the temperature on higher than I should’ve but it still turned out really good!
LOVED it!!! I added sugar free chocolate chips and walnuts. Super moist and yummy!! Thanks for sharing!! (Made all the way in COSTA RICA!) 🙂
Wow! I am so happy that you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Made this banana bread in South Africa this morning for my 1 year old who’s on a no sugar diet, she loved it, so did we! What a winner. Thank you x
It makes me so happy to hear that! Now I’m craving a slice. 🙂
How would the recipe work if I used salted butter ? It’s all I have right now.
You can use salted butter, but may want to reduce or omit adding the salt to the recipe. I recommend using unsalted butter when baking because it makes it easier to control the amount of salt.
I only have 3 bananas but I still want to make this recipe any suggestions ?
You can use applesauce to replace the rest of the banana. If you don’t have applesauce, you could try the recipe using 3 bananas, but it might be a little less moist and less sweet.
Great bread, turned out perfect! 🙂 From Canada, thanks for the recipe!
So dang yummy! I subbed half of the white whole wheat flour for spelt and topped with old fashioned oats and flax seeds. Kept everything else the same. Thanks for your fantastic recipe 🙂
Adding the rating
Hi! Can I sub honey for coconut sugar?
It’s hard to say without testing that myself, since you’re subbing a dry sweetener for a liquid one. I think it will turn out well, but can’t say for sure. If you try it let me know how it works. 🙂
Can we sub coconut flour or a mix of flours?
Hi Yanel,
I do not think coconut flour will work with this type of baking recipe. You could try other white or wheat flours.
have you tried adding macadamia nuts? It gives it a really yummy and crunchy texture!
Easy recipe and delicious. I was able to use up the frozen ripe bananas that no one had eaten. I find ripe bananas very sweet so only used 1/4 cup if maple syrup and it was sweet enough. Great afternoon snack for my husband to take to work.
Love that it uses wholemeal flour.
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Frozen bananas are a great option!
I live in the UK and made this recipe last night. Whilst I loved the taste the bread itself turned out to be very dense. Not fluffy or light at all. I’m wondering if using self raising flour as well as baking soda might help?
The bread will be a little dense, but it shouldn’t be really dense – that’s the nature of baking with whole wheat flour and honey instead of white flour and granulated sugar. It’s important to mix just until the flour is incorporated and no more. Over-mixing can lead to a dense bread. I haven’t tried making this with self rising flour.
I used Agave instead of honey or syrup and it turned out great!
me too, but I also added a 1/4 cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of non-fat yogurt and some pumpkin seed +flax granola. It had to bake for about half an hour more . I love it though!
I was wondering if I could use this recipe to make a cake? Would the time in the oven still be the same? Really excited to try this recipe!
I haven’t tried this as a cake so I’m not sure how it would turn out. The cook time depends on the shape and depth of your pan. The cook time will be less if you bake this in a cake pan because a cake pan is less deep than a loaf pan. I would start checking on it at 25 minutes, and go from there. You might need two round cake pans to fit the batter.
Do you have an exact measurement for what you consider “one slice”?
Hi Harmony, Since the recipe says it makes 12 servings, the nutrition information is for 1/12 of the banana bread.
I just made these, and they’re so good! I doubled the recipe, using ½ honey and ½ pure maple syrup. Then I baked them for about 30 minutes in jumbo muffin tins. Wow! Thank you so much. 🙂
Banana Bread was perfect! Very delicious
Thank-you Kristine! I used Robin Hood gluten free flour mix (one cup) and Quaker oats (ground in my coffee grinder to make one cup flour) instead of regular flour. I used honey, coconut oil and overripe bananas. I added 1 cup walnut pieces and baked it for 53 minutes. It rose beautifully and was delicious! I was so happy to find this healthy recipe (because I try to avoid using white sugar when I can). I used a glass pyrex loaf pan. This will now be my go-to banana bread recipe!
I’m so glad this turned out well for you! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Can you use almond flour instead of whole wheat?
Almond flour isn’t always an easy 1 to 1 substitute for wheat flour, so I can’t say how it would work in this recipe without experimenting.
I made the banana bread and tasted it as soon as it came out of oven and tasted delicious. However I left it overnight on the counter and found it moldy in the morning. Any ideas why that could be? The bananas were ripe but not off and the cake was left in room temperature (considering it’s winter it’s not very warm).
That is strange! I’ve never had that happen. Do you live in a humid climate? Did you let the cake cool completely before wrapping?
I am always looking for a new banana bread recipe- this is definitely top on the list & was delicious thank you!
Question can you leave it out or do you have to refrigerate it because of the eggs?
I have stored this after baking on the counter for a couple of days.
Is baking soda & baking powder the same?
No, they are different and act differently in recipes.
To use baking powder, use 3x the amount and cut the salt out of the recipe.
Example: 1 tsp of baking sode + 1/2 tsp salt = 3 tsp baking powder + 0 salt
I love this recipe so much! I’ve already made it twice. I followed the instructions exactly on the first loaf, but I added about 3/4 bag of dark chocolate chips and this bread tasted like a banana chocolate chip muffin! I wanted to experiment a little the second time and baked it at 325 degrees, like my other favorite banana bread recipe (not at all healthy) and it did not turn out AS good, but it is still delicious. I wont be messing with this recipe anymore haha. You have PERFECTED it and I appreciate you sharing it! I did have to bake it for about 75 minutes at 350 degrees, but I think that is just my oven.
Thank you!!
I’m so glad that you are enjoying this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Wow, made this with my kids and we all absolutely love it! I love the fact that it doesn’t use refined sugar. We mixed half butter and coconut oil and half honey and maple syrup and it turned our beautifully! Will be making it again for sure.
Can i replace the cinimon with walnuts
That should be great if you prefer walnuts.
I love this recipe! I subbed almond flour plus a little white for the wheat flour and added choc chips and pecans…and made muffins first and then mini muffins! Huge hit with my husband/son…I knew I’d love them 😍
This was great. I made them into muffins and used half whole spelt flour and half light spelt flour. I baked at 400 deg as the higher temperature helps the muffins rise higher. I love the minimal added fat and I didn’t have to cut down on the sweetener as I usually do for most recipes I find–half cup was perfect. This will be my go-to banana loaf/.muffin recipe for now!
I wanted to make this and then saw 15 grams of sugar per slice! How do you recommend cutting that back – a lot!
Some of the sugar is natural sugar from the banana. You can reduce the amount of honey to reduce the sugar.
Very moist and delicious, we split the batter into separate pans. We added blueberrys to one, and walnuts to the other. Turned out great.
Yum! Your additions sound perfect!
Hi! is 350 Degrees fahrenheit or celsius, Thank you!
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the uk do I use plain white flour or self raising please
Regular flour, not self rising.
Just tried this recipe for my first time baking bread. I really liked it, but I do think it could have been a little more flavorful. Maybe I just have to let it cool down a bit more to really taste it. I couldn’t find whole wheat flour (the shelves are currently bare in my local supermarkets) so I used all-purpose flour. I’m surprised that it didn’t rise more, but it’s very moist and I’m happy with the end result ☺️ Overall, it was fun and easy to make!
SO GOOD! And I don’t normally like banana bread
Fantastic recipe, despite the cup measurements (I’m a Brit). I used wholemeal Spelt flour and it’s worked fine. I’m not a baker so this was a leap into the unknown for me. Brits, follow this recipe exactly and don’t replace the baking soda with baking powder, they’re different. Baking soda is purely bicarbonate of soda. What a brilliant way of using up brown bananas. Delicious!!
Amazing recipe! First time making it and definitely not last. I used half spelt flour and half white organic all purpose flour. I only used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and two packets of stevia. It was plenty sweet for our taste buds. I added 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and a handful of pecans. I baked mine for 52mins. Sooooo good it was gone in an hour!
Have made this three times now with slight variations and it’s better every time! Thank you for this recipe!
Just made this with a little less banana and lots of chocolate chips (defeats the purpose of healthy banana bread)! But this is a super simple recipe and I will definitely be making it again! Thanks for making such a good recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe, turned out absolutely amazing & everyone in the family loved it! I substituted the butter with coconut oil & honey with rice malt syrup. So yummy & will definitely be making it again.
Hi, this isfirst time commenting on a food blog. But had to share that I made your recipe today and it turned out so great! I’m super new to the baking, but it was really easy. Only thing is it’s slightly over baked by a few mins since I put it there for another 15 mins. Still, I’m happy at at how delicious my banana bread turned out! Way better than my first time (with another recipe) which was dense, gummy, and bland. This version is so delicious AND healthy! I can’t wait to make this for loved ones. Thanks, Kristine!
Amazing recipe! Substituted with coconut flour (2/3cup) and golden syrup, added choc chips. This is a firm favourite and now my only banana bread recipe!
So disappoing…my son was so excited to bake this .it baked for an hr and its still all mushy inside …does anyone know what would of happened .?
I’m sorry you had that happen. It sounds like something went wrong either with the ingredient amounts or your oven temperature. It may need up to an hour and 5 minutes to bake, but shouldn’t be very mushy after an hour. I’ve made this recipe at least a dozen times and it always turns out great.
Same here, mushy & oily. I’ve made banana bread successfully a number of times before but thought I’d try this recipe based on the excellent reviews. I’ve checked back to see if I missed anything but it doesn’t appear so. I wonder if it would be helpful to give a measurement for the butter in grams, rather than tablespoons, which would be more accurate.
My rating 5 stars…
DeliciOUS! To make these vegan, I used coconut oil in place of butter, flaxseed in place of eggs and 1 c of almond flour, 1 c of oat flour. I added pecans and 1/3 c of vegan chocolate chips. I decided to make muffins. Took 22 min. YUM!!!!!
Success! And it was my first time cooking this recipe! Some tweaks: Subbed unsalted butter with organic ghee, 3 large bananas used instead of 3.5, 1 tsp cinnamon instead of 1/2 tsp, and added 1/4 cup semi-sweet (stevia sweetened 45% cocoa) baking chocolate chip. Came out moist, with a golden outer crust; not overly sweet. One loaf consumed by my family of 4 in 20 mins. I guess they liked it THAT much. I can’t wait to explore your other healthy recipes.
I can honestly say this is the best Banana bread recipe I have ever used! It turned out so deliciously and I had no troubles with the timing it had it be cooked at or any other aspects. I only changed one element and that was the flour as I used half buckwheat an half oat flour instead but it still turned out amazing and this will now be my staple recipe!!!
amazing! so moist and tasty. best banana bread recipe I’ve ever found.
I just made my banana bread recipe and came out delicious I replaced butter for coconut oil and used oatmeal flour. ❤️
I made this tonight and although it tasted good the texture was weird . I used half spelt flour and half plain as ran out of plain . I used coconut oil and followed recipe as stated .id heard rave reviews but was disappointed that I looked nothing like yours and a lot denser and flatter
I think the difference in texture and density was most likely due to the different flours being used. When made with white whole wheat flour, this bread comes out perfect for me every time.
Looks Delicious! I added 1/2 cup Lilly’s chocolate chips and I did 3/4 cup gluten free flour the remaining I did almond flour the did Walden farms maple syrup instead of honey or pure maple syrup. Thanks again hope it’s delicious!
I just made this and it was delicious! I finally found a recipe that isn’t too sweet! I felt much better using honey instead of sugar. This came out moist and flavorful. Thanks for sharing!!
How do you feel about using blue agave syrup instead of honey? I know honey has a distinct flavor and was wondering if it contributes largely to the taste of the banana loaf. I really don’t care for the taste of honey and all I have is blue agave sweetener.
I don’t use blue agave so I can’t recommend how it would work in this recipe. I don’t notice a lot of honey flavor in the banana bread, but I like the flavor of honey so it might not be as noticeable to me. Pure maple syrup is my favorite substitute when I don’t want to use honey.
This recipe was amazing. I followed it to a t and the banana bread turned out perfect. Because I used ripened bananas, the recipe was just to my liking. Sweet, but not too sweet. And iI love the use of whole wheat flour instead of bleached, it gives the bread so much more nutrition. Everyone should try this recipe!!!
This is so delicious! I follow the recipe exactly as it’s written, except this time I only had 3 bananas So I added in 3/4 cup applesauce and it tastes great! I’ve made this twice in the past week, and will continue making. Thank you for this healthy recipe without sugar!
Could I use gluten free flour instead of whole wheat flour? Thanks!
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tested it with a gluten-free flour. If you do, let me know how it turns out and any modifications you make. Thank you.
Hi! I made this with spelt flour and chucked in a few walnuts and a sprinkle of raisins and sweet baby squirrels was this delicious!
As most people have said here I also have tried lots of recipes but this is by far my favourite. I cut the slices in half so it serves 24 instead of 12.
I’m on weight watchers so a 12 slice is 8 points but halving it makes them 4 points which is much more agreeable and the slices are massive anyway so no problem with half!
Thank you so much I’ve shared it with my weight watchers followers and they all think it’s awesome!
I’ve written it down in my book of favourite recipes. Once again thank you so much for sharing xxx