Healthy Banana Bread!
With this healthy banana bread recipe, you're only a few basic ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It's made with whole wheat flour and honey.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Want to make someone’s day? Bake them some banana bread! Just yesterday, I said, “I’m going to bake some banana bread,” and watched a full-grown man’s eyes light up like a kid’s on Christmas morning.
Banana bread is one of those classic, all-American comfort food recipes that fills the whole house with warmth and makes everything better. Banana bread is magic.
I perfected this banana bread recipe for my cookbook and wanted to share with you here. This recipe has all the hallmarks of classic banana bread—it’s fluffy, moist, infused with sweet banana flavor, and beloved by toddlers and adults alike.
Bonus? This recipe requires just one bowl, a few measuring cups and some basic ingredients.
What makes this banana bread healthy?
- This banana bread recipe is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour, unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined flour and lots of processed sugar.
- This banana bread is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which offer some trace nutrients that white sugar does not.
- Lastly, this recipe calls for a reasonable amount of unrefined oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from virgin coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil).
As you can see, my homemade banana bread has plenty of redeeming qualities, chief being that it won’t send your blood sugar levels for a loop. You can keep them all to yourself, though. No one will be able to tell that this is healthy banana bread!
Banana Bread Flour Options
This recipe is flexible! Any of the following flours will work well. I love to use white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour—they offer all the whole wheat nutrients, without the characteristically nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- Oat flour*
- Spelt flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- White whole wheat flour
*To substitute oat flour, you’ll need to use 2 1/2 cups, for reasons elaborated in my guide to oat flour.
Want to make your banana bread with almond flour? You sure can, but it’s not a simple substitute, so follow my almond flour-based banana bread recipe instead.
Tip: How to Measure Flour
For best results, it’s important to measure your flour properly. Here’s how to measure flour in cups using the “spoon and swoop” method:
- Gently stir your flour with a large spoon to loosen it up.
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it in!).
- Level off the excess with a butter knife.
Banana Bread Variations
Now that I’ve finally perfected this basic banana bread, feel free to change up this recipe and make it your own. Toss some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter! Same goes for chocolate chips. You could also add raisins, chopped dried fruit or slices of bananas.
Craving muffins instead? Follow my recipe for healthy banana muffins.
Following a special diet? With a couple of minor tweaks, you can make this bread vegan (so dairy free and egg free, too) or gluten free. Check the recipe notes for details.
Watch How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
Healthy Banana Bread
With this healthy banana bread recipe, you’re only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It’s made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten free—check the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf (about 10 slices).
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
- ½ cup honey (168 grams) or maple syrup (155 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (225 grams) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
- ¼ cup (56 grams) milk of choice or water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
- 1 ¾ cups (220 grams) white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour**
- Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my honey whole wheat banana bread, originally based on All Recipes.
Storage suggestions: This bread is moist, so it will keep for just two or three days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for five to seven days, or in the freezer for up to three months or so. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by letting them rest at room temperature or lightly toasting them.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
**Flour alternatives: In place of the whole wheat flour, you can use an equal amount of all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Or, substitute 2 ½ cups oat flour.
Make muffins: Here’s my banana muffin recipe.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free: Use an equal amount of Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend or 2 ½ cups certified gluten-free oat flour. Do NOT substitute coconut flour.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
If you love this recipe: You will also love my banana muffins, banana cake with cream cheese frosting, healthy pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Here are all of my baked goods and banana recipes.
Recommended equipment: I am totally in love with my Fiesta Loaf Pan in Turquoise (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hey! I’ve made this recipe before with regular whole wheat flour…and it is by far the best healthy dessert EVER!!! However, my mom recently found out that she has an allergy to gluten, but she loves this recipe and didn’t want to give it up lol. Can I make this with oat flour? I can’t really find a cheap GF flour.
To make this gluten free, I find that Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour works well. Hope this helps! I know baking gluten free can be tricky.
I made this and it looked exactly like yours and tasted delicious. The texture, however, was a little crumbly. I’m not sure if that’s because of the wholemeal flour. Is that how it’s meant to be? I live in Australia, so I used wholemeal self raising flour.
I noticed this same thing.
Kate – the bread was delicious, but a little dry. It wasn’t because it was cooked too long, so wasn’t sure if next time I could increase the bananas or oil? Or I used thawed frozen bananas and maybe I didn’t use enough banana?
This recipe is consistently amazing! I use coconut oil, whole wheat flour, maple syrup, walnuts and dates and have made it many times. The family always fights over it! Absolutely delicious.
Thank you, Lisa!
Love it!! Just the right amount of sweetness and moisture. Tried so many different recipes and this is my favourite. I substituted whole wheat flour with spelt and it was delicious.
The first time I made this I forgot that it said to scoop the flour in so I ended up with super dry bread. However, I made it again with one extra banana and it was so moist and delicious. I ate it so fast lol
Hella good! I added coconut flakes and hemp hearts and made these into muffins (cooked for about 20-25 min) and they were some of the best muffins I’ve made.
Hi, can I double the recipe and bake in a larger pan say a 10×13?
Turned out perfectly – as per recipe [just a little longer to cook but ovens differ!]. Very tasty1
I did not enjoy this recipe at all and we threw out most of the loaf. We make regular banana bread all the time, and this wasn’t even close to the same thing. We used whole wheat flour. I think that’s where you can go wrong.
I would’ve rather made a delicious whole wheat bread.
I made this today using Arrowhead Mills Heritage blend gluten free flour and it turned out perfectly! I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 maple syrup, coconut oil, and homemade toasted coconut milk. Added walnuts too! So so good!
Will be making this again very soon! Thank you for all the fabulous recipes.
I made this and it was really good. I was surprised how good it tasted considering it had no butter or sugar. It’s going in my recipe book as a staple now. Thank you. Have been wanting a healthy cake recipe to snack on for me and my family, that doesn’t taste like cardboard and I’ve found it! ps. I used coconut oil and honey, and sprinkled pecan nuts on top. I also used half gluten free flour and half normal flour and the texture was fine. Might try all Gluten free next time.
I haven’t made the recipe as of yet but will come back and tell you how it was! It sounds DELICIOUS and so easy to make!!! THANKS!
Hi, is the oven temperature based on fan-assisted ovens or should I reduce the temp for my fan-assisted oven? Thanks.
Hi Ele, I don’t use a convection oven. Please adjust accordingly!
This is a weekly staple recipe for my husband. Switching it up with different mix ins.
Its very easy to switch things out.. I’ve used brown rice flour, and malt rice syrup for sweetness in the past.
Thank you so much for a great healthier option.
Thanks for sharing, Jenna! I’m honored to hear it’s a weekly staple in your house! Thank you so much for your sweet words and review.
Any chance u cud put measurements,,, don’t really use cups in Europe!
I made this recipe and replaced the eggs with flax egg. I added 1 3/4 cup of flour and the batter was immediately too thick! I thinned it out with milk and baked it anyways! I really liked the flavor so I am making it again but I just added 3/4 cup of flour and the batter is perfect! I don’t know if the recipe has a mistake or am I using a different flour? I’m using whole wheat which I don’t think would make much of a difference! Thanks!
Hi Erin, how are you measuring you flour? I use the spoon and swoop method—spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. If you’re scooping the flour directly into the measuring cups, you can end up with as much as 50% extra flour, so that might explain your issues.
I made this bread with sifted brown rice flour in the same proportions as wheat flour. I also used clover honey. I used Bob’s Mill baking soda in the recipe and found that it leaves a slight aftertaste. I wonder what would happen if I used baking powder instead?? Otherwise, it has a lovely texture.
Hi Robin, I’m surprised that you were able to taste the baking soda. There is enough honey in this recipe to react with the baking soda, so I’m not sure why that happened. Next time, try adding 1 teaspoon baking powder and just 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Glad to hear that your bread turned out well with brown rice flour, though!
I just made this for my boyfriend and it was so delicious. Thank you so much for the healthy recipe!! I just found your website and I’m really happy that I did!
Thank you and help!!
I make this regularly now and I’m obsessed! It’s a big hit with everyone I share with.
MY only problem is as of recently when I made it I have trouble getting it to cook through in the middle before the outside is too brown. I don’t mind a little softness but this lady one was too gooey :(. What am I doing wrong??
Hello I love the taste of this recipe but mine never:
1) seems to rise enough, leaves a dense almost rawish portion at the bottom, I’v tried cooking it 5-6 minutes more)
2) crack on the top as the one in the image does. comes out more flat.
Just baked this recipe this morning. You quick breads are great, I have baked all of them. I added in some chopped Medjool dates and toasted black walnuts. I use EVOO because I have heart disease and think it’s a healthier fat for me. The only one of your quick breads I find to be less sweet is the zucchini bread, and I think you mention in the recipe that it is ‘subtly sweet.’ This can be remedied, however, with a few drops of stevia extract. I always use pure maple syrup instead of honey, because I reserve my honey for the morning cup of coffee. Just wanted to say, I’ve made your baked tofu–it really is crunchy!–and your healthy fried rice. I love your blog, because I’m vegetarian–I do eat ethically-sourced eggs and cheese–and because they fit into a healthy lifestyle. For someone with valve replacements and heart failure who does not eat any processed food, I think your recipes and blog are truly most excellent! Also, I love that you include your dog in the blog stories. I lost my bloodhound almost twenty years ago and am now a cat person. My next project is creating a whole food homemade diet for my cat, who was recently diagnosed with CKD. Thanks for the recipes!
Thank you, Susan for your kind words! Any type of health or lifestyle needs can be tricky with food so I’m so happy to hear my blog has been a great resource for you and you have been able to adjust accordingly. I appreciate your feedback and review! :)
Yummmm. I just made this. I used 3 medium bananas and left out the honey. I like things on the less sweet side. It was perfectly delicious! I also added pecans. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. Happy it worked well for you without the honey. Thanks for commenting, Marcie!
I made this today and it turned out great. Thank you! I will post on Instagram with the hashtag.
Thanks for the shout-out! I’m glad it turned out for you, Deborah.
I’ve tested more than 50 banana bread recipes, and this is definitely one of the best for texture and taste. It’s also the healthiest banana bread I’ve made. It’s moist without being gummy like some banana breads, and the banana flavor stands out. I tried to follow the recipe for the most part. The only changes I made wouldn’t have affected anything. I added 1/4 tsp banana extract, 1/4 tsp coconut extract, increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp, and added 1/2 cup unsweeted dessicated coconut. I always increase extracts and spices when freezing quick breads. I used an 8×4 inch pan and am glad I did. The loaf domed just slightly over the sides of the pan. It would have been too shallow in an 9×5 pan. I sprinkled the top with a cinnamon/sugar mix. The bread baked for 60 minutes. Excellent!
50 and this one made your cut?! This made my morning. Thanks so much for sharing, Sadie! I appreciate your review.
I am useless at baking but this recipe is so easy to follow and I’ve made this twice now, both taste amazing!
It feels less naughty having a slice of this, guilt free!
I’m glad you feel successful with this recipe, Megan! Thanks for trying it.
This recipe is a keeper!! My new “go to” recipe!!! I used all purpose flour and made muffins baking them at 325 for 23 minutes. Thank you
Thank you!
I used the coconut oil, maple syrup wholewheat flour options and added chocolate chips and chopped pecans – it was the perfect balance between healthy and sweet and rose perfectly! I even added lengths of banana on the top for aesthetic purposes. Overall chuffed with the outcome and would make again.
Sounds delicious, Daisy!
Love this recipe! If I wanted to add zucchini to this how much should I add? I bought your cookbook Love Real Food and I love it! Great job!
I would check out my zucchini bread recipes if you are wanting to add zucchini instead. Thanks for your review! https://asset-boost.pro/2016/healthy-zucchini-bread-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Love the look of this recipe and how simple it is! I want to make some for my son’s school bake sale and I have a ton of self raising gluten free flour at home I’d love to get rid of, do i forfeit the baking soda altogether if i use it? Or it still needs baking soda? Please help!
What type of flour are you using? From my experience, with most gluten free flours you still would want to use it. Hope this helps!
This has been my go to banana bread recipe ever since I discovered a couple years ago when I found out my infant couldn’t have dairy or soy and I had to give it up (because she was exclusively breastfed). It was so good, even though ‘healthy’, that I still use it years later. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Love to hear this has been a go to. Sorry to hear about the food sensitives, that’s tough! Glad you were able to find something that has worked.
I don’t have Instagram. I baked the banana bread with whole wheat flour, flaxseed, lecithin, cannaoil, and sweetener. I substituted ingredients to make it diabetic friendly. It came out beautiful. I wrote it out and shared it with my daughter. Thank you so much for the recipe. You are beautiful.
Thanks for sharing, Mariamarta!
OMG Kate!!! This banana bread recipe is the BEST! Just made it with my 6 year old daughter. We swapped milk for greek yoghurt, only put 2 table spoons of honey, and added chopped hazelnuts and some dark chocolate chips, and I can honestly say, this is the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried! Thank you for sharing and greetings from Prague/czech republic!
Karolina
You’re so sweet, Karolina! Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Hi
I’m a first time baker and can’t really bake. May I have this recipie in grams please as I do not have measuring cups!
You can use an online converter to help. I know other readers have had luck with that. Sorry! We use cups/oz here in the US.
Thank you so much Kate for this recipe. I was a little suspicious using cup measurements. I am comfortable with measuring in grammage. But, I must say the recipe worked out perfect nonetheless.
I just have one question. Why baking soda and not baking powder in this recipe?
Holy Bananas! This turned out incredibly well. Thanks, Kate. My workmates are gonna love it, and it’ll make Monday a little bit nicer for them. I made the vegano version with flax eggs and maple syrup. My oven is a tempermental creature, so I baked it for 1 hour and 15. Worked like a charm.
That just made me laugh! Thank you for the enthusiasm and review, Kyle.
This recipe is great and looks succulent. I will definitely try this at home.
Let me know what you think!
Super delicious, although next time I need to use riper bananas so the flavor comes through a bit more – but thats on me! This banana bread is perfect for eating for breakfast with some jam on top.
Yes, ripe bananas are great! Thank you for the comment and review, Ysabel.
I just took this bread out of my oven and it smells delish and I love the look of it but I haven’t tried it yet. I followed your recipe to the letter, using whole wheat flour. I am trying to cook with everything BUT white flour. I did add fresh roasted walnuts and some Ghirardelli chocolate chips though because it seemed like my pan was just a little too large for the recipe. I love how high it rose. Thank you so much for doing all the work it takes to come up with the healthier recipes! I am giving it 5 stars because I cannot imagine it won’t taste like it looks and smells !
I’m glad it smells so good! How did it taste?
Hi Kate,
Is the preheating oven temperature of 325 F for convection baking ovens or regular/standard baking temp.?
Thank you.
I based it off standard baking temperature. I hope this helps!
Made this with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Added 1/2 cup of walnuts, a little flax seeds & chia seeds. Absolutely delicious, thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your variation, Natasha! I appreciate the review.
I love this recipe and made it yesterday but was wondering if you could add cocoa too it?
I haven’t tried it, but if you do be careful because a little can go a long way. I know a lot of readers have added chocolate chips, if you are wanting something different!
This is a GREAT recipe!! I ran out of honey at 1/3 cup so I used the stevia brown sugar for the other portion…turned out great!! Thanks so much for sharing. Also used mini chips (not much tho).
You’re welcome!
hello! I LOVE the look of this recipe but my daughter is allergic to eggs. Can i replace the egg in this with flax egg or chia egg? Thanks
Thank you! Yes, you can use flax eggs. I typically put suggestions on different dietary needs below the instructions. :) Hope this helps!
This bread is delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and included the suggested walnuts. My workmates also love it.
Thanks for the recipe.
Welcome!
All I can say is WOW! I love this recipe! I’ve made this recipe with different cooking oils and both have tasted great. I even made it dairy free for a family member. Great job, I will definitely be making more batches. Such a quick and easy recipe that doesn’t use a ton of sugar. Thank you!
So happy to hear that, Riley! I appreciate the review.
I finally got around to making this today and it’s super good! I think I accidentally used 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead of 1/2 cup but I don’t need banana bread to be super sweet so it worked out great for me. I added a little bit of cardamom and mixed in some pumpkin seeds, then sprinkled the top with sunflower seeds and carob chips.
Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Do you have an approximation on how many calories this would be? Thanks
Hi Emily, click on the “nutrition information” label under the recipe and you’ll see a full nutrition breakdown. Hope that helps!
I love this recipe. I don’t like eggs so I replace with applesauce, put a little less maple syrup and use plain unsweetened almond milk. I also add chocolate chips to half of it. It has been a great on the go snack for myself and the little one and a great sweet tooth satisfier. I made this with cream cheese icing for my son’s first birthday. So yummy!!
Thank you for sharing!
I just made this and was kinda wary but it started smelling good which is always a good indicator that things are going well! It tastes amazing, is super simple to make, and I’m so glad it doesn’t use butter. I will definitely try to add nuts in next time to give it a crunchy texture :)
I’m glad you were surprise, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate the review.
This looks delicious! I have a similar recipe I do with chia seeds. Will definitely have to try out your banana bread. The pictures look amazing! It’s all done in one bowl! Congrats on such a beautiful and well put together website.
Thank you, Angela!