Healthy Rhubarb Banana Bread
This yummy Healthy Rhubarb Banana Bread has been sponsored by Bounty Advanced Paper Towels. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.
Rhubarb is one of those intriguing foods you see in recipes here and there, but it’s not wildly popular like blueberries or apples. You can only seem to find rhubarb in a very narrow time period and when you see it in the produce department of your grocery store, you can rest assured, spring is here. I like to challenge myself to try new foods and, in my opinion, everything pairs well with bananas, so rhubarb banana bread was born.
My daughter loves to get in the kitchen with me when I’m baking, especially when the recipe is sweet and comforting. Baking bread is a great opportunity to get your kids helping in the kitchen. There are great teaching opportunities to be had- measuring ingredients, chatting about the ingredients being used and learning to use common kitchen tools.
Learning to keep the kitchen tidy while working is also a good lesson to teach and rhubarb can get a little bit messy, as the red from the stalk likes to come off on your hands and the countertop. Bounty Advanced Paper Towels are a must for quick and easy cleanup when I’m creating baked goods and whipping up meals. And when you have kids in the kitchen, there are bound to be some minor messes, so the paper towel roll is always within reach.
This particular recipe was really fun to make with my daughter because we were both new to rhubarb. I did some research and learned that rhubarb has a very short season (April through June), so grab it up while you can. It looks like bright pink celery and has a zesty flavor that is perfect for balancing out the sweetness in pies and other desserts. It freezes well and can be saved to enjoy later in the year.
Madelyn’s favorite thing to do when we’re baking or cooking is to crack the eggs and that can definitely get a little messy. For cleanup, I choose Bounty Advanced Paper towels, whether it be in the kitchen or another room in the house. The select-a-size option is wonderful because many times only a small section of the paper towel is needed.
It is strong, durable and gets the job done! I would suggest getting a large section wet before even beginning a cooking or baking adventure with your child, especially when egg-cracking is involved. I also like to have a dry section laid out to set messy ingredients and tools on.
This loaf smelled heavenly while baking. I couldn’t wait to enjoy a slice. The rhubarb and banana keep the loaf moist and add a nice sweet/tart flavor combination. Just be sure to use very ripe bananas- they will be so sweet, you’ll never miss the sugar.
Rhubarb banana bread is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack or even dessert. Because there is no oil or butter needed to moisten this bread, the calories are kept really low. One slice is just over 100 calories, so feel free to enjoy several!
This healthy rhubarb banana bread is a very tasty way to celebrate rhubarb season. This loaf only lasted a day and a half. My whole family was pretty fond of the zesty, comforting flavors. My husband and I especially appreciated that it didn’t send us into a sugar coma and paired really well with scrambled eggs for a complete breakfast meal.
Even though, butter is not necessary to add into the batter, there’s nothing quite like warm bread with a small pad of butter spread over the top. Oh my… incredible! Someone stop me before I eat the whole loaf!
I can’t wait for you guys to get out of your comfort zone and give rhubarb a try! When you do, be sure to snap a photo and tag @kimscravings on Instagram. I have so much fun seeing what you make!
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour spelt flour and whole wheat pastry flour also work
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large bananas mashed (this should be over 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup finely chopped rhubarb about 1 large stalk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare an 8x4" loaf pan** with cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda salt and all spice, in a medium bowl and set aside.
- ***Use a stand or hand-held mixer to beat eggs on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Mix in vanilla, banana and honey until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and stir on low speed until just combined. Gently fold in rhubarb. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides with a knife and remove from pan. Enjoy!
*You will want to make sure your 3 large bananas, mashed, measures over 1 cup. 1 1/2 cups would be great- this way the bread won't be too dry.
**An 8x4" loaf pan is slightly smaller than the typical 9x5" loaf pan.
***Alternatively, you can beat and mix by hand. However, I find it easier to use my stand mixer.
****Alternatively, this recipe could be used to make muffins. I'm not sure how many it would make and cook time should be shortened to about 20-25 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
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I picked up Bounty Advanced at my local Costco- my family goes through paper towels like crazy, so I like to stock up!
Looking for other recipes similar to Healthy Rhubarb Banana Bread, check out my favorites!
Whole Grain Strawberry Banana Bread
Zucchini Banana Bread with Protein
Something to think about….
Have you ever cooked or baked with rhubarb? Do you have kiddos that love to help in the kitchen?
This looks so good! I love creative spins on banana bread!
Thanks, girl! It’s hard to go wrong with banana bread. 🙂
rhubarb in banana bread is something i am yet to try! love it!
Oh it’s such a great flavor combo! Hope you get a chance to give it a try!
Man! All thse rhubarb recipes I’ve been seeing lately makes me regret not taking any of the rhubarb we had growing at home in the garden back with me since I had used up everything I had had frozen from my last trip ;(
What a unique combination of flavors! Rhubarb has such a short season that I’m always keeping an eye out for it so that I don’t miss it. I love that this recipe has no added sugar, and just a bit of honey or maple syrup. It looks and sounds wonderful!
Thanks so much!! Hope you get a chance to give it a try. It’s one of my favorite quick bread flavor combos.
I was excited to try this recipe as it didn’t use sugar and is a little more healthy than traditional rhubarb recipes which usually contain a lot of sugar. It tasted good but mine turned out a bit dry. Any suggestions as to why this happened?
It may have been the size of your bananas. I’m sorry you had this experience. I’ll be sure and update the recipe to include a note about the size of the bananas and texture of the bread. Thanks for your comment!
Can you substitute the whole wheat flour for almond flour or coconut flour?
I think almond flour would work fine, but I haven’t tried this. I would not use coconut flour as it works much differently and would have different ratios of dry to wet ingredients.
Can you use AP White Flour? Dying to try this but my husband won’t eat other flour in the recipe.
Definitely! Enjoy!