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.
I make this ALL the time! Literally at least once a month. Such an easy recipe, and I love that it’s healthy and still tastes AMAZING. Absolutely my go-to recipe, practically have it memorized :) Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Amanda!
This is delicious, for some reason it only took 25 minutes to cook through and is a little brown on top but still very tasty.
This is the best Banana Bread recipe. Been meaning to leave a review for years! I love that I can make it Vegan, or Dairy free, or Egg Free or Gluten Free and it still taste amazing!
My usual go to is Almond Milk, Maple Syrup, and I add in a 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
For Vegan, I make it 3 bananas and 2 tablespoons of Apple Sauce (no eggs).
Thanks so much Kate, I LOVE your recipes!
We don’t have baking soda in the UK so should i use baking powder or bicarbonate of soda
That will work! They are same thing, just different names. Let me know what you think!
They turned out lovely. Thank you for he amazing recipe!
Bicarbonate of soda is baking soda. They call it bircarbonate in the UK. I used to live there a I had to figure that out the hard way! Baking powder is something different.
Made this last night! Used three bananas cause i had them and they were gonna go bad. Then got distracted and forgot milk or water. Still turned out sooooo good!
Just followed this recipe and it was excellent!!! Best banana cake I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing this. Kids and hubby were all very satisfied and cant stop eating! I used the normal gluten free all purpose flour.
Is it ok to leave out the honey/maple syrup?
Or
Is it ok to use agave?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Mine went really deflated and gummy, not sure what I did wrong :(
You might’ve mixed it too much. If you overwork the gluten, it can turn your quick bread gummy and dense. It also likely deflated because there was too much air incorporated during the mixing. Next time, try stirring the dry ingredients in gently just until you can’t see any more pockets of flour.
This is a fabulous recipe! I’m pregnant and always looking for hearty and healthy recipes for snacks. I added chopped prunes and walnuts. Moist and delicious! So easy to make! Thank you!
Bicarbonate of soda is the same thing as baking soda
Made it yesterday and came out amazing!! used spelt flour..
I have a question though, can i double the recipe to make two loafs?
also, has anyone tried using a scoop of protein in it?
That should work! I believe others have added protein, however I haven’t tried it.
I made this Edmonds gluten free flour, maple syrup and almond milk. Beautiful texture and flavour. Thank you.
I haven’t tried Edmonds! Thanks for sharing, Kristina.
hi Kate
I made this for me and my daughter last weekend and it was delicious, I was a bit unsure with the coconut oil and wholemeal flour as I’ve never used them before but we loved it
I’m glad you made it and loved it! Thanks for your comment, Brodie.
Hi
I’m very disappointed with this recipe. There is definitely not enough banana in it- I’d almost double the amount and a lot of recipes do.
Texture is nice and it’s moist
I used the recipe as you implied you’d tried and perfected it. I honestly think this is more sponge cake than banana bread/cake.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Sarah. I appreciate your feedback.
Hi Kate
Love this recipe
Thank u
I made this recipe, and it has been an hour and a half so far in the oven at 325, it is still not fully cooked
Hi Cynthia, I’m sorry to hear that. Have you noticed your oven running less warm with other recipes? Also, what type and size of bread pan did you use?
I completely forgot to add the milk the first, but it still turned out great. I added an extra banana. I’ve been trying different banana bread recipes and they all fall short. This is by far my absolute favorite recipe. The whole family loves it.
Love this banana bread! congrats Kate!
Thank you, Joseph!
Wow, that Banana bread was delicious, I printed the x3 recipe and then halved it (except for the dairy/water part)and it was a perfect amount to fit into my loaf tin. I used greek yoghurt for the milk/water part, added 3/4 cup of Low GI muesli and 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips. It took just over an hour to cook with the added ingredients. This is now my go to recipe for Banana bread, just swap the muesli/chocolate for what I have in the cupboard when I make it. Thanks you
Thank you, Kate!
Made this today for the first time it tastes really good thank you for the recipe
Can’t wait to try this! It’s in the oven cooking now!
What did you think?!
It was delicious. I took it to work to share and it was gone quick! Everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you so much!
Another recipe I’ve tried and it’s a winner. So simple and delicious!
I’m excited you loved it, Kayla! Thank you for your review.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
I had to use self raising flour instead of using baking soda because my local stores didn’t have it but it was perfect.
Thank you for your review, Mariah!
I have made this many times for my toddler granddaughter who loves it but we all love eating it! Delicious and healthy!!
I’m glad you love it, Colleen!
I used 50% green banana flour and 50% wheat flour and is lovely! Probably lost of bit of crispiness because of this but extra banana flavour.
Thank you for sharing, Hayley!
Fantastic recipe! I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the eggs because I didn’t have any :)
Thank you for sharing!!!!
Thanks for sharing, Katie!
Tasted yummy! I couldn’t find baking soda as easily (in France) so I used yeast and still turned out good. The boyfriend also approves ;) With your easy to follow recipe I will definitely make this again. Thanks so much!!
I’m happy it worked out well for you, Pat! Thanks for your review.
This recipe is a staple in my kitchen! Made it again on Sunday night and had 4 super ripe bananas. I usually make 2 loaves, however I was feeling lazy and threw them all in 1. Cooked for an extra 20 minutes and wow! To those saying it’s not banana-enough, add more banana and cooking time. Thanks so much Kate, your recipes are the best!
That’s great, Cassandra!
My house smells ABSOLUTELY AMAZING right now. I am having a hard time not taking it out early and eating it half raw! My 2 year old helped me make it and is camped in front of the oven with a blanket! Very excited to try.
What did you think, Josee?
SOOOO GOOOOD. I marco polo’d 3 of my friends while eating it saying they need to make this. Absolutely delicious. Thanks so much.
Hello, can I use oat flour instead of whole wheat?
I haven’t tried this with oat flour, sorry! I do know if you need it gluten free, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free 1-1 baking flour works really well!
Thank you so much!!!!! All the other healthy banana bread recipes I’d tried before gave me gummy, deflated breads. This ones a keeper! I used regular whole wheat flour, and the rest as written. It’s amazing! Great texture, great taste, no dd-ins needed :) this is now my go-to! The only thing is next time I will mix the cinnamon with the flour and then add both to the batter. Adding the cinnamon to the liquids first created a bunch of lumps!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your comment and review.
This was fantastic! I used one cup flour and the other 3/4 cup vanilla protein powder with the rest as written. Came out perfect!
I’m glad it came out perfect, Jamie!
I have made this twice now and it is delicious!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
You’re welcome, Mildred!
My family loved it so much
That’s great to hear, Misty!
I just changed some ingredients to make it vegan and used muffin tins. Already did twice and turns out great every time
Thanks for your review and sharing what worked for you, Cheryl!
This recipe was amazing!!! Best banana bread I have made.
Great! Thanks for your review, Alexis.
I made this bread today and used grape seed oil because I didn’t have coconut oil. It turned out great and I will be making it again. I also put in dried cranberries and walnuts. Thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome, Angela!
Just made my first healthy banana bread it tastes really good thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome, Russell!
Thank you for this recipe. I made this bread tonight and it is delicious! Very easy recipe too. I only have one question: it does not rise much, it stays pretty low… is it supposed to be this way? I carefully followed the recipe, so not sure.
But everyone really liked it. I served it with some freshly made berry compote on top.
It should rise to the top or normal rise of a bread. What type of pan did you use? Did you by chance over mix? Sometimes that can impact the rise.
I used a 5×9 loaf pan and mixed with a wooden spoon.
It was delicious though. And was all gone by this morning…
Thanks.
I made this recipe two days ago and today Im making it again and incorporating a large amount of freshly ground ginger.
Wow. It turned out just right.
Great to hear, John!
Oh my gosh Kate! This recipe is awesome! I’ve tried other recipes and all ate way too sweet. I like how you can actually taste the banana flavor. It was an easy recipe to follow and prepare and I will definitely be using it in future instead of other unhealthy recipes, thank you .
I just made my first ever banana bread, and it turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. :)
I will definitely be making this again and maybe add some more banana next time.
This recipe is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing. I made 2 batches and forgot to double the milk but it still turned out super delicious. Whenever I get left over bananas, I make banana bread so have tried many recipes. I added pecans and used half maple syrup and half eucalypt honey (as I ran out of maple). I used extra virgin olive oil which I was worried would be over-powering but I didn’t have enough coconut oil. However, It was perfect. My new favourite!
I made this with olive oil, maple syrup & AP flour (what I had on hand) and added 1/4 cup ground flaxseed (with dry ingredients before the flour). Also used frozen bananas that I let thaw. Turned out amazing! Going to be making this a lot, thank you for the recipe!
The absolute best recipe, I’ve been making it (vegan) for years! My favorite of all time, all my non-vegan family and friends are big fans. Perfect as a loaf, as muffins, with or without chocolate, perfect every time! Thank you for this recipe Kate :)
Yours is my go to site whenever I am looking to try something new that is tasty and healthy! Thanks for that!
Love this recipe and make it all the time. Also love your pumpkin muffins which is similar to this one. Only trouble is trying to stop my teenager from eating the entire thing in one day!! I use my Epicure pure cinnamon….so good!
I’ve made this bread before, it comes out amazing! In fact, I’m surprising my boyfriend and his suitemates with this tomorrow, I sure hope they love it as much as I do!
Hi! do you know how much xylitol I should use instead of honey?
This is my new favourite recipe! I am not a great baker, but this recipe turns out perfect every time!
It’s easy and quick. Thank you!
Subbed brown sugar for honey, oat flour for wholewheat, baking powder for baking soda and omitted vanilla extract as I didn’t have all the items in my pantry. I also doubled the recipe. Two loaves in my oven currently rising nicely and smelling amazing! Will let you know how they come out.
I’ve tried this receipe ant it’s super! Thank you!!
Could you please tell me how many grams are 1 serving slice?
Baked this bread a couple days ago and it turned out so good! I added an extra banana, so 3 big ones in total and 2 extra tbsps flour, baking took about an hour. The raw sugar on top gave it an awesome crunchy sweet top. I forgot to add baking soda (soda bicarbonate here in Switzerland) and realized luckily at only 5 mins into baking, quickly mixed it in to the dough (still in the pan), added more sugar to the top, and popped it back into the oven without any problems. While thick, moist, and filling, this bread was gone between 2 of us in 2 days lol. Will definitely bake this again, it was simple, delicious, fast to put together and made the house smell so so good.
I’ve tried so many gf, refined sugar free banana bread recipes and with the texture was too grainy or I’d have a reaction to it. This tastes like the banana bread my mom used to make. Love this! Thank you!
Can you substitute almond flour for the whole wheat?
If I’m making this recipe as muffins, how long should I cook for at 325?
Hi Marina, you typically want to shorten the time. Start by half and check on it occasionally.
Mine has a very nice flavour but the texture was somehow disappointing – more of a moist mud cake texture, not light and spongy. The bread was very crusty when first taken out of the oven. I added a dash of yeast and a couple of teaspoonful of lemon juice to the mashed banana; used almond liquor instead of water; added 1/4 cup desiccated coconut and roasted sunflower seeds.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Unfortunately, I think the adjustments you used really impacted the end result of this recipe.
I made 2 – the one from a tall narrow silicone ring bake ware turned out better than the large round pan. So it is the temperature factor rather than the ingredients. I will try again using narrow loaf tins and the same tall ring pan. The flavour is fine. Will add more cinnamon next time
Could this be made in a bread machine? What settings did you use if anyone’s done so.
Thanks :)
Hi, I made it today and I used red mill whole grain brown rice flour. I also used my small convenction oven and took 50 min. At 325°. Came out really good. Thank you! Great recipie. I will replace the banana for carrot next time.
Thanks Kate! The banana bread turned out moist and light! No guilt with the honey. I had some ripe bananas and wanted to make banana bread without the refined white/brown sugar! I used almond milk and safflower oil. Great recipe and Thanks again!
Was so delicious and moist !
Husband loved it pounded it
I put unhealthy chocolate chips though so some people didn’t want to have from it
Made the recipe with coconut oil, honey, and almond milk, 1/4 cup of pecans, and 1/4 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips.
It is absolutely delicious. I think I will try Bob’s flour next time (used whole wheat this time. I love the options for making it it gluten free and/or vegan!
Katie, thank you so much for your recipe! I used it so many times and it works every time!