Healthy Banana Bread

By Maria Lichty

Updated March 03, 2020

View RecipePin Recipe4.7540

This Healthy Banana Bread recipe is made with whole wheat flour, bananas, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. It is a family favorite!

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

I love baking banana bread and our boys love eating banana bread, we are a great team:) The other day they spotted brown bananas on the counter and begged me to make a loaf of banana bread. They didn’t have to beg too hard because I was in the mood for banana bread too, I always am!

I decided to make a few changes to our favorite banana bread recipe to make it a little healthier. I was a little worried the banana bread wouldn’t be as good, but guess what? It is super delicious! The boys LOVED it and had no idea it was healthy banana bread. I consider that a winning banana bread recipe FOR SURE!

Healthy Banana Bread Ingredients

I made a few simple changes to make this banana bread healthy. Don’t worry, the changes are easy and don’t include any crazy or scary ingredients:)

• White Whole Wheat Flour-I swapped regular all-purpose flour for white whole wheat flour. I love using white whole wheat flour because it is light in color and texture. You really can’t tell a difference. If you can’t find white whole wheat flour, you can use regular whole wheat flour, but the texture will be a little denser and the color will be a little darker, still good though:)
• Bananas-Of course, you need bananas to make banana bread, but make sure your bananas are BROWN and overripe. Brown bananas will make the banana bread extra sweet and moist.
• Coconut Oil-There is no butter in this banana bread recipe. I use ⅓ cup of melted and slightly cooled coconut oil. I measure the coconut oil first and then melt in the microwave. Let it cool for a few minutes before adding it into the mixture. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use vegetable oil or grapeseed oil.
• Greek Yogurt-I add plain Greek yogurt to add protein to the banana bread and to keep it super moist.
• Pure Maple Syrup or Honey-This banana bread is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup or honey. I have tried both and both are delicious! I also cut back on the amount of sugar in the recipe. There is only ½ cup for the entire love and the banana bread is plenty sweet.

Healthy Banana Bread Tips

• If you need the banana bread to be gluten-free, use all-purpose gluten-free flour. I like Cup4Cup and Bob’s Red Mill.
• If you need the banana bread to be vegan, you can use a flax egg instead of the regular egg, replace the Greek yogurt with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and use pure maple syrup to sweeten the bread, not honey.
• I use a 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan for this banana bread recipe. If you have a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, you can use it, your loaf will just be a little shorter and you will need to reduce the baking time a little.
• Oven times vary so make sure you check the banana bread around 45 to 50 minutes. My banana bread takes 55 to 60 minutes. Time will depend on your oven. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen around the sides and edges with a knife and carefully remove the bread from the pan. Cool on a cooling rack before slicing.
• The banana bread is best the day it is made, who doesn’t love a warm piece of banana bread? It will keep on the counter for up to 2 days. It is a moist banana bread and will moisten even more as it sits. I like to lightly cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t get too moist. You can wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• You can freeze the banana bread for up to 2 months. Defrost before slicing and serving. You can also freeze individual slices of banana bread. Pop them in the toaster for a healthy breakfast or snack!

The next time you have a bunch of brown bananas, give our Healthy Banana Bread a try! We LOVE it and I promise you won’t even know it is healthy because it is so delicious! Enjoy!

More Banana Bread Recipes:

• Classic Banana Bread
• Chocolate Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Buttermilk Banana Bread
• Peanut Butter Banana Bread
• Zucchini Banana Bread

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Quick Breads

Healthy Banana Bread

This lightened up healthy banana bread is a family favorite! 

4.75 from 27 votes

PrintSave RecipeReview

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups mashed brown bananas
• 1/3 cup melted and slightly cooled coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Turbinado sugar optional

Instructions

 

• Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the melted coconut oil and stir until combined. Stir in the maple syrup or honey, Greek yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don’t over mix. If you over mix the bread will flatten and end up heavy.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if using. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Check the bread at 50 minutes, just to be safe. Oven times vary.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.

Notes

The banana bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing

Nutrition

Serving: 12g, Calories: 161kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 30IU, Vitamin C: 1.3mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Keywords banana bread, healthy banana bread

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