This healthy banana bread is whole wheat and naturally sweetened, bakes up beautifully golden brown and is perfectly sweet and moist.

I’ve made dozens and dozens of loaves of banana bread over the years.

We’re huge banana fans in my house. There have been times when I buy 3 or 4 big bunches of bananas for a single week.

I eat one a day, my husband eats one a day, and my kids often will have one for snack or on a peanut butter sandwich.

So we go through bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

But, inevitably, we’ll get thrown off or I’ll buy too many or they brown too fast and I have a bunch of ripe, mushy bananas that we won’t eat.

So I get to baking.

We make banana bread baked oatmeal, banana blueberry muffins, spinach banana mini muffins and banana chocolate chip pancakes.

And I have a whole collection of ripe banana recipes that I reference so I can change things up.

But of course, there’s the classic banana bread solution to using ripe bananas. It’s a go-to for a reason – soft, sweet and everyone loves it!

So I’m so happy to finally be sharing my healthy banana bread recipe.

This is whole wheat, naturally sweetened and uses on-hand ingredients (no funny flours or add-ins).

It comes out perfectly sweet, beautifully moist and gorgeously golden brown.

I’ve tweaked and perfected the recipe over the years, and now it’s my absolute go-to and bakes up beautifully every single time.

Which is good timing because while we’ve been on lockdown, I’ve bought huge quantities of bananas every two weeks, instead of every week. And of course we can’t get through them all before they start to turn.

Sure, I could just buy fewer bananas. But I keep buying them by the boatload and then happily bake away with the overripe ones.

Procasti-baking, baking therapy, whatever you want to call it. But it makes me happy!

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make healthy banana bread. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

I’ve also made this a LOT and want to help you make sure you get the best results.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making healthy banana bread:

• You’ll need 2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas, about 1 1/2 cups worth once they are mashed. If you don’t have enough banana, you can supplement with a bit of unsweetened applesauce. But if you’re close, it’s fine. (This is not a super fussy recipe because I’m not a super fussy baker or cook.)
• You can use white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours. Whatever you have!
• Similarly, you can use canola oil or substitute melted butter or melted coconut oil.
• OR, if you want a low-fat version, you can use unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil. (Or go check out my whole grain banana applesauce bread. Super light, super tasty.)
• The recipe calls for plain nonfat Greek yogurt. The 2% kind works fine too. You can also substitute 1/4 skim cup milk instead, if you don’t have yogurt on hand.

Oh, and the chocolate chips are optional. My son loves it with them, my daughter would rather have it plain.

Of course. 🙄

Also to note, the recipe calls for just 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. You can use up to 3/4 cup if you want a lot of chocolate chips.

You could also add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts as an add-in if you want a banana nut bread. 👍

Want to make this a vegan banana bread? Totally do-able.

How to make vegan-friendly banana bread:

– Use a flax egg instead of the regular egg.

– Substitute soy milk or another milk alternative instead of the yogurt.

– Use maple syrup or agave syrup instead of the honey.

I’m all about making sure everyone can enjoy this bread! ❤️

Speaking of options…

Want to make this banana bread into banana bread muffins? Also totally do-able.

How to make banana bread as muffins:

– Follow the banana bread recipe to make the batter.

– Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray those with cooking spray. (Yes, both! It helps the muffins stay together and not get stuck all over the liners.)

– Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups.

– Bake at 325 for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I like to share ALL the options. Cause really, you can’t have too many ways to enjoy this bread.

Plus, you can double the recipe and make it both ways. I’ve done it before where I make a double batch of the batter and bake half of it as a bread and the rest of the batter as a dozen muffins.

My kiddos love muffins and they’re so nice and portable to send for school or take as a snack or pull out for an easy breakfast. (We do the same thing with this healthy chocolate chip zucchini bread.)

OK, speaking of making double batches, let’s talk about what to do with any leftovers you might have so you can maximize the deliciousness and enjoyment.

How to store banana bread:

– This bread will keep, covered, on the counter, for up to 2 days.

– After that, as with all baked recipes that have banana in them, I recommend you move it to the refrigerator. The bread will keep there for another 3-4 days.

– You can also freeze the extras. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap then wrap in aluminum foil. (The double wrap helps prevent freezer burn or funny smells from getting to your bread.) It helps to label the wrapped bread or write on the foil with a sharpie so you know what it is and when you froze it.

– Freeze for up to 6 months.

– Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then serve cold or warm a slice at a time in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. You can toast it too but it works better in a toaster oven than a stand-up toaster since it can get soft and crumbly.

Last thing: If you want a few alternatives on this, I’ve got you covered.

Peanut butter lover? Check out my whole wheat peanut butter banana bread.

Got zucchini? Try this whole wheat zucchini banana bread. Fruit, veggies and whole grains all in one. 👊

You are all set and ready to bake. Get to it!

I really hope you give this a try and fall in love with this soft, delicious healthy banana bread.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 1 loaf

The best healthy banana bread

Print

This healthy banana bread is whole wheat and naturally sweetened, bakes up beautifully golden brown and is perfectly sweet and moist.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large or 3 regular ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups, see notes)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or sub 1/4 cup milk)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup canola oil (or melted butter or melted coconut oil or applesauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Spray a 9x5 bread pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas then add the egg, yogurt, honey, canola oil and vanilla. Stir well to combine, until no clumps of yogurt remain.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Toss the chocolate chips, if using, with a teaspoon of flour (to avoid them all sinking to the bottom of the bread) then fold into the batter.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Notes

Flour: You can use white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours. Whatever you have!

You’ll need 2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas, about 1 1/2 cups worth once they are mashed. If you don’t have enough banana, you can supplement with a bit of unsweetened applesauce. (If you're close though, it's fine to be a little under or over.)

Similarly, you can use canola oil or substitute melted butter or melted coconut oil. OR, if you want a low-fat version, you can use unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil. (Or go check out my whole grain banana applesauce bread.)

The recipe calls for plain nonfat Greek yogurt. The 2% or 5% kind works fine too. You can also substitute 1/4 skim cup milk instead, if you don’t have yogurt on hand.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, which gives you plenty throughout. You can use 3/4 cup if you want a LOT of chocolate chips.

You could also add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts as an add-in if you want a banana nut bread. 👍

How to make vegan-friendly banana bread: 

• Use a flax egg instead of the regular egg.
• Substitute soy milk or another milk alternative instead of the yogurt.
• Use maple syrup or agave syrup instead of the honey.

How to make banana bread muffins:

• Follow the banana bread recipe to make the batter.
• Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray those with cooking spray. (Yes, both! It helps the muffins stay together and not get stuck all over the liners.)
• Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups.
• Bake at 325 for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

How to store banana bread:

• This bread will keep covered, on the counter, for up to 2 days.
• After that, as with all baked recipes that have banana in them, I recommend you move it to the refrigerator. The bread will keep there for another 3-4 days.
• You can also freeze the extras. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap then wrap in aluminum foil. (This helps protect it from freezer burn and funny smells in the freezer.) It helps to label the wrapped bread or write on the foil with a sharpie so you know what it is and when you froze it.
• Freeze for up to 6 months.
• Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then serve cold or warm a slice at a time in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. You can toast it too but it works better in a toaster oven than a stand-up toaster since it can get soft and crumbly.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 202mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 4g