Healthy Banana Bread

This healthy banana bread has a super moist texture, sweet banana flavor, and an incredibly soft crumb. It’s made without butter or oil, but so tender and delicious that you’d never be able to tell! It makes a great healthier alternative to the traditional favorite! Add in a handful of chocolate chips and you’ve got yourself the best banana bread recipe. It’s the perfect snack or dessert option and can be frozen for later use!

Seriously, this bread is the easiest to make and everyone will love it – even my kids can’t get enough! I love enjoying it when I’m feeling like I really need a treat. I pop a slice in the microwave for 10 seconds to reheat, then slather it with a little salted almond butter or peanut butter for a treat or snack under 200 calories. So good!

How To Make Banana Bread Healthy?

It’s all about the combination of ingredients when making banana bread healthy. This one is just as delicious as classic banana bread, but lower in sugar, calories and fat. Let’s talk about those ingredients:

• Eggs: Eggs supply baked goods with their structure and also help to give them a tender texture. You’ll need 2 large eggs in this banana bread recipe. To make this recipe vegan, you can use flax eggs.
• Yogurt: Yogurt adds even more moisture to this banana bread. I like to use yogurt as much as possible when I’m baking. Sour cream is a wonderful substitution for plain yogurt. You can use the two interchangeably in most baking recipes. For a vegan and/or dairy-free banana bread, use a coconut or almond milk yogurt variety.
• Bananas: You can’t have banana bread without bananas. In this recipe, we’re using about 2 bananas or 1 cup mashed bananas. The banana bread recipe will turn out best if you’re using ripe bananas with plenty of brown spotting.
• White whole wheat flour: We want some whole grains up in this! White whole wheat flour has more nutrition than regular all-purpose. It also adds a nutty delicious flavor to the bread. You can also use whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour. All are 100 percent whole wheat. The difference is in the variety of whole wheat. White whole-wheat flour is made from hard white spring or winter wheat, which has the exact same nutritional value of whole wheat flour, but because of the variety used, has a milder flavor and paler color. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled to a very fine texture. It is also lower in protein and gluten. Add all these things together and you have a flour that’ll yield a light and tender bread.
• Brown sugar: Adding in just a small amount of brown sugar gives this bread just a hint more of sweetness. This is completely optional, though. I actually had some Splenda brown sugar blend on hand and used 2 tablespoons of that. It was perfect.
• Maple syrup: Maple syrup is an all natural sweetener. It also adds moisture to the bread, and since it’s sweeter than sugar you can actually use less of it. There’s only 6 tablespoons in this entire recipe.

How Do You Make Healthy Banana Bread?

This banana bread recipe is super easy to whip up and only requires about 10 minutes of hands-on time. It starts with one bowl and 2 eggs. Whisk the eggs to break the yolks and then stir in the yogurt, mashed banana, maple syrup, brown sugar (if using) and vanilla.

Now time for the dry ingredients. Add in the oats, baking soda and cinnamon; stir to combine. Spoon in the flour and gradually stir until just combined. If you’re adding chocolate chips or other mix-ins, fold them in now.

Pour the batter in a greased loaf pan. I added a sprinkling of chocolate chips to make for a prettier presentation. Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes. My bread took the full 40 minutes.

Banana Bread Variations & Tips

Now that you’ve found the perfect healthier banana bread recipe, feel free to change it up and make it your own.

• For banana nut bread, toss some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter! Same goes for chocolate chips. You could also add raisins, chopped dried fruit, blueberries or slices of bananas.
• Want to use spelt flour, I’ve heard that works well in place of the whole wheat.
• Have diet restrictions? With a few easy changes, you can make this bread vegan, dairy-free, egg free, or gluten free. Check the recipe notes for details.

How To Freeze Banana Bread

If you don’t happen to finish all of the banana bread, or you simply want to save some for another day, you can easily freeze your bread. There are two different ways I like to do this.

1. Once completely cooled, you can tightly wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw your bread at room temperature when you’re ready to eat. Thaw at room temperature.
2. Instead of wrapping up the whole loaf, you can freeze in slices (grouped or individual). Wrap up individual slices in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable bag. I like to freeze banana bread in slices because the slices thaw much quicker! Thaw at room temperature or microwave slices for about 20-30 seconds.

Once you try this healthy banana bread, you’ll never want to go back to regular old banana bread. My kids love to take this bread in their lunch and with the addition of chocolate chips you can even call it a dessert.

More Great Quick Bread Recipes To Try

Healthy Rhubarb Banana Bread

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Low Fat Flourless Banana Bread

If you try this delicious banana bread recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re baking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

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5 from 15 votes

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Banana Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 157 Calories from Fat 28

% Daily Value*

Fat 3.1g5%

Saturated Fat 1.2g8%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 31.5mg11%

Sodium 121.2mg5%

Potassium 126.1mg4%

Carbohydrates 29.5g10%

Fiber 2.7g11%

Sugar 13.5g15%

Protein 4.6g9%

Vitamin A 1.5IU0%

Vitamin C 1.4mg2%

Calcium 2.6mg0%

Iron 6.7mg37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Servings:12 slices

Healthy Banana Bread

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

 

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (115 g) plain or vanilla Greek yogurt*
• 2 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed (200 g or 1 cup)
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup (50 g) brown or coconut sugar or 2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar blend
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (60 g) quick oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup (150 g) white whole wheat flour**
• Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips/dried fruit/nuts/etc.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC), and lightly grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until the yolks break apart. Whisk in the yogurt, mashed banana, maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
3. Stir in the oats, baking soda, and cinnamon. Finally, spoon in the flour and gently stir it in until just combined. If you're adding any mix-ins, fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. If you're making chocolate chip banana bread, add some to the top for a pretty presentation.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

*I used Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla.

**Nutritional information was calculated with the 2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar blend, Dannon Light & Fit yogurt and 65 grams of chocolate chips.
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This bread is moist, so it will keep for just about two days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for five to seven days, or in the freezer for up to three months. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by letting them rest at room temperature or lightly toasting them.
MAKE IT VEGAN: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy yogurt.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: Choose non-dairy yogurt.
MAKE IT EGG FREE: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend works best here.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: An equal amount of all-purpose flour can be used in place of the white whole wheat flour. You can also use an equal amount of whole wheat flour, but the texture may change some.

Author: Kim

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy banana bread, low calorie banana bread

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