Healthy Banana Bread
This recipe for healthy banana bread is super moist and tender with the most amazing banana flavor. So delicious that you’d never guess it’s healthy! It’s the perfect snack or dessert option and can be frozen for later use!
Seriously, this bread is the easiest to make and always gets rave reviews – even my kids can’t get enough! I love to bake up a loaf when I’m craving something sweet and chocolatey. Banana bread is a classic recipe, but when you add chocolate to the mix, you end up with an amazingly delicious quick bread that everyone loves.
How To Make Banana Bread Healthy?
Quick breads like this banana bread are actually really easy to make healthy. I honesty love this recipe just as much as a classic banana bread and I love that it’s lower in sugar, calories and fat. Let’s talk about those ingredients:
- Eggs: Using 2 large eggs in this banana bread recipe, gives it a tender texture and also adds protein. To make this recipe vegan, you can use flax eggs.
- Yogurt: Yogurt is a great replacement for oil and/or butter that you would typically find in banana bread. For a vegan and/or dairy-free banana bread, use a coconut or almond milk yogurt variety.
- Bananas: The bananas also help to add moisture and doing a great job of replacing oil in some baked goods. For best results, use extra ripe bananas that have some brown spots.
- White whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour works great in this recipe and is a healthier alternative to white flour. 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 just a tiny amount of brown sugar gives this bread the perfect amount 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 that’s actually sweeter than sugar. 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
This healthier banana bread recipe is very forgiving, feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients.
- For banana nut bread, mix in your favorite chopped nut. You could also add dried fruit, blueberries or slices of bananas.
- Spelt flour is a great substitute for whole wheat flour. If that’s what you have on hand, give it a try!
- I have successfully made this bread this bread vegan, dairy-free, egg free, and gluten free. See 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. Tightly wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw your bread at room temperature when you’re ready to eat. The other option is to wrap up individual slices in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable bag. You can then thaw your slices at room temperature or microwave them 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
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.
This recipe for healthy banana bread is super moist and tender with the most amazing banana flavor. So delicious that you’d never guess it's healthy! It’s the perfect snack or dessert option and can be frozen for later use!
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC), and lightly grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 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.
*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.
***This bread is best stored in the refrigerator. It will stay good in the fridge for five to seven days, or in the freezer for up to three months. Tightly wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable bag and freeze. Thaw your bread at room temperature when you’re ready to eat. The other option is to wrap up individual slices in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable bag. You can them thaw your slices at room temperature or microwave them for about 20-30 seconds.
****To make this recipe vegan, swap out the honey for maple syrup, use flax eggs and choose non-dairy yogurt.
*****To make gluten-free quick breads, I like to use Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free 1-to-1 flour blend.
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Such a good banana bread recipe! This is one that I’ll make again and again. Thanks for sharing.
This was amazing! I love banana bread and this one was so easy to make and delicious.
This banana bread was outstanding! I love how it is made healthier but still tastes so delicious!
This is such a great banana bread recipe! I left out the chocolate chips and added chopped walnuts… omg… so good!
New favorite banana bread, right here! Love the healthier ingredients, but it still has such great texture and flavor. Healthy and delicious…thanks!
I had a few overripe bananas on the counter and this recipe was perfect! I love that it’s lower calorie than most banana breads, but still tastes great! Thanks for sharing!
I made this for a neighbor as a thank you gift and they loved it! I’m so glad I can freeze some to always have some on hand.
This banana bread recipe was a winner for sure! My whole family LOVED it, it didn’t last but one day!
Hi! What modifications would be needed if using Old Fashioned Rolled Oats instead of quick oats? More liquid or longer cooking time? Should they be grounded? Thanks!! Great recipes! 👍🏻
Hi Susie,
I’m really not sure. I’ve never given the bread a try with whole oats. If I were to try it, I would probably ground them just slightly. Maybe a pulse or two in the food processor. Good luck!