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.
This is the best banana bread recipe ever! Every time I make it, my friends and family finish it within minutes! I need to save a piece for myself if I want to have some. Thank you!
Love to hear that! Thanks for the review, Tejaswini!
I hate using sugar and butter, so I was so glad when I found out that you can get AMAZING results without them. It came out so good, and it was very easy. I’m a student and I try to bake a little bit more, like a special thing. I very glad a gave it a try!
Thanks for trying it, Maria-Eleni!
Awesome, very easy to follow recipe and it turned out great.. My kids just loved it so much and I had to turn my diet day into a cheat day.. lol.. I just made one change. I put in a little more maple syrup as my kids like a little sweeter taste. It’s gonna be my go to recipe for sure.
Thank you for sharing, Purvi!
First time I made this I think I over baked it because it was pretty dry and the bottom half of the loaf was a bit darker than the rest. My husband still devoured it. This time I used extra virgin olive oil, regular whole wheat flour, honey, whole milk. I also used a quarter cup of apple sauce for added moisture – not sure if this is necessary. I makes it for 55 minutes then checked it and baked it for another 3 minutes checking af minute intervals. 58 minutes was perfect. I did remove it from the pan within 2 minutes and put it on the cooling rack. It is sooooo moist and delicious. Will definitely be my go to recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Mama Bear!
I have got to say this was THE BEST banana bread recipe I’ve ever found. As a complete non-baker (and eternal first attempt failure) this recipe was so easy to follow, healthy(er) than any other I’ve tried and it worked! My friends, colleagues, boyfriend and I had the most beautiful and delicious banana bread to tuck into all week. Thank you, Lauren
I’m glad you loved it and were successful with this recipe, Lauren!
SOOOO good!!! Best healthier banana bread recipe I’ve ever tried! It is so moist and perfectly sweet. Highly recommend!
Thanks, Anne!
Great recipe! Tastes delicious. I liked that you shared the different ways it can be adapted, based on what is in one’s kitchen. I also sprinkled a little brown sugar on top in addition to the cinnamon and it was the bomb.
Thanks again!
Thanks, Lynda!
Looks good so far. Using a convection oven for my baking now. Recipe said 55 to 60 minutes. Mine took a good extra 10 minutes. May be part of the convection conversion.
Will get a picture for sure, came out of the oven perfect. Can’t wait to try it.
Ovens can vary for sure! Thanks for the review, Adam.
I am so happy I found your bread recipes!!! This banana bread is even better than the recipe that has been in my family for years! And with half the sugar! We are also obsessed with your zucchini bread.. I had just about given up on that one with all the added sugar and oil most recipes call for until I found yours … thank you!!!!
I’m happy you did too, Mary! Thanks for your review.
I baked this with TJ (Trader Joe’s) AP flour and added 1 cup of additional sliced banana, mix-in. 58 mins and cooled for 8 minute in pan , wire rack for 20 mins. Was very moist. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kat! Thanks for the review.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I was just wondering if you can use almond flour to replace the whole wheat flour? Thank you.
Thanks, Jade! Unfortunately, almond flour isn’t a 1:1 substitute.
This is bloody amazing! I needed something to fulfil my sugar cravings as I keep smashing cakes at work and this is spot on. Honestly cannot rave about it enough. I added dark choc and walnuts, sliced the whole loaf once baked and froze it. B-E-A-Utiful!
Thanks, Beney!
Hey Kate
Tried out the bread today…..turned out amazing. Absolutely delicious. Easy to make, no hassles and yummy too. Its moist!!!! I can eat withput guilt.
Love your instructions and suggestions.
Regards
I’m happy to hear that!
I used apple sauce instead of oil. Delicious!!!
I’m happy it worked out for you, Sharon!
My 17-year old daughter absolutely loves this cake. She keeps cutting a slice to eat and before we know it, there’s none left. We use spelt flour instead of whole wheat. Another consideration could be to melt dark chocolate chips and pour over the cake. This is a relatively healthy alternative to regular icing and tastes so good. Chocolate and banana go so well together. Thanks for sharing. Just wondering if you have any healthy alternatives (low sugar) for vanilla cake–my daughter’s second favourite type of cake.
I’m glad she loved it! Thank you for sharing. For a vanilla cake, I don’t have a plain vanilla. Baking is difficult and one small substitute can complete change (not in a good way) a recipe. Maple syrup and honey are good alternatives, but ratio all depends on the recipe.
This is seriously the best banana bread recipe there is!! I have lost count of how many times I have baked this bread and now my mom makes at least 2 loaves every week. This has become a family favorite and our friends have now started using this recipe as well (who wouldn’t love a “healthy” bread after all??!!!) I made the banana muffins today with walnuts and it turned out beautifully (the entire house smells of cinnamon) and I love it!
Thank you for all the healthy recipes, I, for one, would love to try them all:) Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your time to comment and review.
This is my second time making your banana bread recipe and I love it! I was wondering where you got your baby blue banana bread dish from?
Thanks, Jenna! Check out my shop page :) I have the direct link there. https://asset-boost.pro/healthy-kitchen-essentials/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The BEST banana bread!! Made these 6 times within the last week, no joke! I make mine into muffins though & increase temp to 375. Currently making a double batch to send with my hubby to work. So good!!
6 times, that’s amazing! Thanks so much for the review, Kara.
I made this recipe with coconut oil, maple syrup, water, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour and it was amazing!!! I brought it to a work function and everyone wanted the recipe. They were shocked when I told them that it was made coconut oil and maple syrup. I highly recommend trying this one out.
Thanks for sharing, Kim! I’m glad you loved it.
I made this recipe with coconut oil, maple syrup, water, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour and it was amazing!!! I brought it to a work function and everyone wanted the recipe. They were shocked when I told them it was made coconut oil and maple syrup. I highly recommend this recipe.
Sounds perfect, Kim!
This is my FAVORITE banana bread recipe. So easy, moist and delicious. It always gets rave reviews and I never have to throw any away. I also use this recipe as a base. Instead of banana I sometimes use pureed persimmons. I will never use another recipe. And my toddler devours it. Major plus ;)
I’m happy it’s your favorite! Thanks for the review.
I loooove this recipe, but am having issues with cooking time. At 40 mins of 325, the outside is very brown but inside is completely uncooked. Ideas?
Just shooting from the hip here, I’d say lower the temp. It sounds like your oven runs hot. There are a million factors that could go into it such as placement within the oven, issue with the burners above or below, and other weird things. The easiest thing to do is grab an over thermometer and check the actual temp inside when you are baking.
I have the same issue with my oven so I take a sheet of foil long enough to go all around the loaf pan, fold it in half lengthwise and then another half so it’s just the right size to be able to wrap around. Then I also have to keep a tent of foil on top. And I also have to do a water bath so the bottom doesn’t burn. So I put the loaf pan on a shallow baking tray and add about a quarter inch to half an inch of boiling water. I find I have to bake the bread about 3 to 5 minutes longer but at least no burned bread!
I make this recipe at least two to three times a month so I just let the foil air dry and keep it so I can use it multiple times.
Thanks for this recipe. My children love the taste. It has been my favourite so far and easy to make recipe.
Wonderful, Chinelo! Thanks for the review.
This is the best banana bread I have ever made. I bake it often and receive all kinds of praises for it. It’s not too sweet and the texture from the whole wheat flour makes it just perfect!
I’m happy you love it!
Kate can you provide your healthy banana bread recipe in grams and millilitres please – UK measurements. I desperately want to make this bread but I haven’t a clue when it comes to cups because there seems to be different cups depending on the ingredient being measured! Please help
Hi Helen! Unfortunately, I don’t have those measurements for you. You could try an online converter. It takes a long time to develop a recipe, especially when it comes to baking where you can run into the most converting issues. Also, there are other variances I just can’t account for that are different with the inputs themselves. For example, fat content in butter is different which can impact certain recipes. So, for now I just can’t justify converting the recipes since I am in the US and use US measurements. I understand the frustration, but appreciate the understanding!
No problem at all Kate but maybe you could help me with a cup measuring tool. What do you use for measuring the ingredients for this recipe? For instance if you are measuring a cup of flour do you use the same cup that you use to measure a cup of oil? Thank you
Maybe I can help being from good old Europe The cup stays always the same because these measurements go according to volume and not according to weight. The weight of one cup of flour or one cup of sugar differs accordingly. It is very easy to convert the various ingredients from cup to gr or ml with the help of google. If you are considering to bake regularly according to recipes with volume measurements I recommend buying measuring cups. I got mine from the UK and they were totally worth the small investment…
Thank you PataCake. I actually bought cups and made the bread last week. I was very pleased with it. One other question is the 375 Fahrenheit/165 Celsius with or without a fan? I made it in the grill oven without the fan at 180 Celsius and it seemed fine.
Nice recipe Kate … I have one question that should we bake in fan mode in the oven or grill with fan mode for baking … I am not good in backing … Thanks
Oven mode is what you want for this recipe. I hope it turns out for you!
Made mine gluten-free with Bob’s Red Mill; added 3/4 tsp xanthum gum per their recommendation. Used coconut oil and maple syrup. It came out EXCELLENT! Did not notice a difference from regular banana bread.
Thanks for letting me know it worked so well with the gluten free mix, Karen!
This recipe is fentastic. I I used this to make muffins for my 16 month old baby and he was very happy with the results. I did add a bit of chocolate. This is going as one of my favorites. thanks a lot for sharing this
You’re welcome!
I’ve been making tons of different healthy banana bread recipes after getting bananas at Costco and running out of time to finish them!! This has been the best recipe(of 7) I have tried from different bloggers. SOO delicious and super easy with so little ingredients. I did add dark chocolate chips too. Thanks for sharing this recipe- I can’t wait to make again!
Best of 7! That is a lot of banana bread, but I’m really glad you love this one!
So easy to make and a major hit with everyone who’s had it. Thanks for the recipe :)
You’re welcome, Kanika!
Just an amazing receipe. All of our family and friends loved it! 5 star +
Do you have a carrot cake/bread recipe?
Hi RM! I have one in my cookbook, but not on my blog just yet. :)
Superb recipe. I am going make it second time today. I baked the first batch three days ago and it’s already finished.
So many things thatI love about this recipe .. whole wheat flour, no beating sugar and butter..and everything in single bowl. And the best part … it tastes AMAZING..
That’s amazing, Zoya! I appreciate your review.
Love! Love! Love this bread. Even my hubby loved it and he is picky on his banana bread. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Jen! Thanks for letting me know you loved it.
Kate,
Brendan Phoenix. Thank you for providing your recipe. First time I’ve made banna bread! (Imagine that.). Turned out better than our family’s tradition recipe!!
Keep stirring it up!
-Brendan
You’re welcome, Brendan! Thanks for the review.
Amazing recipe… my cake came out so good. I didn’t think a healthy cake would taste this good… thank you so much for the recipe
You’re welcome, Sam! Thanks for letting me know you loved it and coming back to review.
Forgot to rate it…. 5 stars all the way … 10 out of 10… amazing recipe!!!
Thanks, Sam!
Fool proof recipe. Always a hit… Thank you so much:-)
You’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know you love it, Mehnaz!
Did not taste like banana bread for me. I used three large bananas and it was tasteless. Next time, I would use 5 bananas at least or just try another recipe altogether!
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Kate. Thank you for your feedback.
Made this banana bread today. I used AP flour, WW flour and oat flour instead of just whole wheat flour. The bead was light and delicious!
I’m happy you liked it, Keeks!
I tried the recipe without oil (using apple sauce instead), since that’s how I used to bake my banana bread for amazing and healthier results (my recipe is missing). While the bread is still moist, had good texture, and my kids loved it, I would probably bake it again following the original recipe.
I liked the end result. Not so sweet. The milk chocolate chips were a great addition. Only added them on top, so the sweetness of the chips provided the extra sweetness I thought the banana bread needed. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing, Helen! I’m so happy to hear you were able to make it work with applesauce. I appreciate the review.
Love this recipe – thank you! It’s my go-to banana bread recipe and has the perfect amount of sweetness.
Thanks for sharing, Dvora!
Pleasantly surprised!! Made this yesterday in two disposable loaf pans. It turned out delicious and moist! I don’t feel bad about leaving one pan with my diabetic in-laws.
I’m glad you loved it, Stef!
Hi, Kate! Thank you for the recipe! It was easy to follow and it tasted good. I would say great but I had some issues with the finished baked good. Can you please tell me where I went wrong? I used overriped bananas, flax eggs, and water instead of the diary items. It baked in 55 minutes in my Nuwave Oven but the outer layer was to hard and crusty and the bread tasted a bit dry. I noticed that my batter was a bit thick and dry when I put it on the baking dish. Perhaps I needed to put more water but I am not sure. Can you please help me out here? By the way, this was my first time seeing my son eat one of your recipes and liking it a lot. I guess that was a plus. Thank you so much for your great recipes!
Hi Elizabeth! I haven’t tried using both flax eggs and water instead of milk when making a loaf, but I suspect it’s the combination of the two. Maybe you just need to add a bit more water to the next batch. Or, maybe it’s your oven (I’m not familiar with Nuwave), and the bread was done sooner than normal. Wish I could say for sure but hope this offers some insight!
This recipe is lovely. I have made it many times and always enjoyed the results. I have followed the recipe for tasty bread and also greatly deviated from it changing every major component. It is forgiving and good.
Thank you for your review, Sara!
Great RECIPE. Have made many variants on banana bread over years. This is similar to my favourite made up conglomerate one but I like yours better. I think the vanilla might be the key difference. Super easy. Have also adapted this to use up some fresh sad looking blueberries , sprinkled with brown sugar…lovely. liked best using water not milk…another difference to how I usually do b bread. Thank you. FAB!
I’m excited this one was a hit for you, Jane! Thanks for letting me know.
I make this recipe gluten free by swapping the flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 flour. And I make it vegan using almond milk and flax eggs. It’s fantastic! No one would ever have a clue that it’s GF/Vegan. Thank you for such a delicious and healthy recipe. :)
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing, Laura.
Amazing bread!!! This definitely will be my go to!
Great to hear, Kristine! Thanks so much for your review.
I make this all the time. It’s my favorite sweet treat and it always comes out tasting delicious – thank you!
You’re welcome, Chelsea!
I’m so glad to find this delicious and easy recipe!
I added roasted almond flakes on top and it was so delicious :)
Thank you!
Thank you, Ash!
if i only have an 8 inch loaf pan would it work?