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.
Can this be made with frozen bananas?
I’ve done this about 3 times now! This time I added almond milk instead of regular milk and I always flour the pan after greasing it. It’s great! Love adding 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of walnuts!
I have made this recipe at least 40 times and it’s just so wonderful! I love it. Also, could I replace honey with date syrup?
I love that! Thank you for your review.
Amazing banana bread! My absolute favourite…would like to try with buckwheat flour? What do you think?
Hi! All the flour recommendations are in the post. I hope this helps!
Incredible banana bread. Doubled the recipe and used 6 bananas it’s perfect!!!!!! Thank you!
We love this recipe and have been making it weekly for at least a year. We always buy way too many bananas from Costco and get to the end of the week with 2-3 bananas that are too ripe to eat, but perfect for banana bread.
This recipe is SOO delicious and so easy to eat a lot of (which I still can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not).
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Courtney.
I’m not usually a big fan of banana bread, but I had 1 overripe banana, so thought I’d look up a recipe to make for my kids. I only made half the recipe and baked it in a normal loaf tin for about 35 minutes (obviously half the height but that didn’t bother me). I added some chopped up melting chocolate and a little bit of dessicated coconut and coconut essence and it was delicious… And that comment is coming from both me and my kids! I also love how most of the measurements are in grams to save me scooping out with separate utensils. I will be making this again for sure.
Very good. I made it with EVOO and was surprised that there was not a funny taste. It was delicious.
Hello from Paris !
The recipe was really moist and tasty.
I will try it with chocolat chips next time :)
Thank you very much,
Matcha
Amazing recipe! So quick and easy to put together, and nice to have a banana bread recipe without too much sugar. I only had 1/4 cup of maple syrup left so supplemented with 1/4 of brown sugar, and added half a teaspoon of nutmeg after reading that suggestion in the comments. Will definitely make this again!
Love this recipe ! Definitely my go to !! Just wondering how many points it would be if you were on weight watchers ?
Hi Ashley, sorry to disappoint but I’m not an expert there so I can’t provide. The nutritional information is below the recipe notes.
This is easily the best banana bread recipe; much healthier and tastier than others and very flexible with what can be added. I use plain flour (all purpose) and add chia seeds, sunflower seeds and a handful of chopped dates too. In the past I have also used cranberries, grated zucchini and a spoonful of LSA mix as extras.
My oven is fan forced and I only need about 46 – 48 minutes before it’s done. I’ve also baked this in the air fryer oven. Takes a bit longer but the result is just as good.
It comes up awesome toasted and my kids love it too (winner!). Freezes in slices really well as it’s so easy to take out, reheat and toast up.
Great recipe, best banana bread!
Superb recipe! I left out the eggs as I wanted an egg free loaf and it worked just fine.
I used whole wheat flour (not WHITE whole wheat) and it came out very dense/barely rose. Any idea what happened here?
Hi! How did you measure your flour?
This recipe was my first baking attempt, and I could not believe how well it turned out. The bread was moist, not too sweet, and just an ideal snack throughout the week with my coffee. Cannot wait to make it again! Thank you.
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
So easy to make and tastes great! Also personally enjoy the cinnamon swirled effect for the finished product haha. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Kate, I’ve been making banana bread for years and due to recent health changes, decided to look for a healthier version and came across yours, thankfully. I followed by using my scale. For the flour, I used 1c organic AP flour and 3/4c white wholewheat and bc I can’t use raw honey, I used organic maple syrup but only half the amount bc added sugar, I need to be mindful. Oh, and for my liquid, I used unsweetened Vanilla Pea protein, lol. The aroma coming from oven was great. The bread crumb was so moist. I let it rest and waited until completely cool before slicing. So tender. This will now be my go to recipe for my personal banana bread. Thank you.
Yum!! I am having a hard time leaving it alone, it tastes so good!! I used spelt flour and it worked very well in it. Next time I will add a little bit more banana and make sure it is even riper plus add some more pecans because I really like nuts. And I think I will try maple syrup and see if it changes the taste at all.
This was absolutely delicious! Loved the honey flavor. I used all-purpose (white) flour and vegetable oil. I also substituted a little almond flour in with the AP flour.
I loved the cinnamon swirl top suggestion! I want to do this on all of my banana breads in the future.
I would definitely make this recipe again.
This was amazing, I’ve eaten a lot of bahaha bread but never made one and it’s the best I’ve had!
I used butter instead of oil and added 1 diced apple and a handful of blueberries.
Yummy!
Perfect banana bread!! I’ve tried many other recipes trying to get a perfect healthier version of banana bread with no luck. The only ingredient I changed was I used 1/3 cup applesauce because previously when I used the oil, I didn’t like the oil taste. I used honey instead of syrup and I baked for 50 minutes. It came out perfect. It was moist and cooked all the way through. This will be my go to recipe from now on and I’ve already downloaded it my recipe app. I am a type 1 diabetic and eating this bread did not send my blood sugar through the roof. Thank you :)
This is so delicious but always takes twice as long to cook as the recipe states – would increasing temp to 350 help?
Hi! What type of pan do you use?
Just put it in the oven to bake! So, I added semi sweet mini chocolate chips, my other half likes them, then added a few more once in the pan. (I put in 1/2 cup honey, and 1/8th cup real maple syrup, so I didn’t feel as bad). Then I thought I’d add crushed walnuts, and stirred them in. ONLY to realize I forgot the baking soda, and stirred that in. I now think I may have stirred it all too much. We’ll see how the consistency is and I’ll let you know once it’s done.
Well….it tastes really good! Looks exactly like the one in the video when done. Except, some of the bottom is heavy, not as fluffy as the top. But that won’t stop me from making it again. It was easy to put together, love the substitute options, so will try them next time for sure!
Thanks
Hi! Can I make this recipe in a 13×9 cake pan? If so – what adjustments do you suggest? Thank you!
Hi! I would suggest my banana cake instead.
I freaking love this recipe. It tastes amazing, isn’t overly sweet, and can be eaten any time of day. It’s a staple in my house.
Ps. Question: is it ok to use this flour?: War Eagle Mill, Flour Whole Wheat White
Bread was looking lovely and brown after 40 minutes – Risen and clean skewer. I didn’t think that was too weird as our oven does seem to cook things more quickly than recipes suggest. However when I took the bread out and let it rest it went flat. Would anything else cause this, or just that I undercooked it?
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. It may have cooked too quickly.
I usually don’t comment on recipes online but I felt compelled. This is absolutely DELICIOUS! Best banana bread I’ve made so far. I folllowed the recipe exactly and used maple syrup and whole wheat flour.
Someone else noted this but you will need to budget some more time to cook the bread. I used walnuts in my recipe and had to add 30 min.
I’m happy you did! Thank you for sharing, Rachel.
I actually made this again today and used baking powder instead of baking soda (facepalm). It did not rise as much but hoping it’s still edible?
I followed the recipe exactly, using grams rather than cups (as I am in Scotland!). It’s delicious. Thank you.
I love this recipe! It is so versatile and flexible. There are so many different combinations that can work. I used oat flour and substituted 1/4 cup of agave nectar and 1/4 cup of Splenda. The bread turned out great!
Loved this recipe and my son loved it too
This was delicious! I did olive oil with honey and 1/2 c of maple syrup. Next time I might have to wait until my banana are little bit more ripe. They were brown but not enough and thus the recipe wasn’t sweet enough for my husband. But personally it was perfect amount of sweetness for me. Next time I might try to add in more cinnamon and do brown sugar instead of maple syrup. Either way what a great base recipe this is and I like that you can tweak to mix in add in’s.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s wonderful! I wasn’t planning on it, but I had to use some substitutions. I wanted to make a double batch, two loaves, but I discovered the last minute that I was very short on bananas. I didn’t even have one full cup and I needed two. I substituted crunchy almond butter for the other cup and 1/8 of bananas. I also opted to use milk, and maple syrup instead of honey. I cannot believe how delicious this bread turned out. And nutritional as well! Thanks again!
I love this recipe for banana bread! So easy and comes out moist every time. I use the whole wheat flour and honey. Delicious!
Wonderful recipe!
I’ve adapted it in various ways with ease and really appreciated all the info and alternatives you suggested.
People keep telling me I should be selling it ☺
My version contains half the amount of honey and the rest with dark molasses sugar. I mix half olive oil and half coconut oil too.
I add some of my Rye sourdough discard as well (taking care to adjust the milk and whole wheat flour accordingly).
Spice it up with black pepper and nutmeg as well as the cinnamon and a touch of vanilla.
I use about 300g of banana (for extra fun).
It’s amazing so thanks a lot for sharing this recipe I highly recommend it!
AMAZING!!! Truely the best healthier banana bread recipe i’ve found!
Thank you, MacKenzie!
Hi! I just found your site as I was looking for healthy recipes! Going tho make your vegetable soup tomorrow. I do have to make this comment though in regards to one of your recipes, or maybe there’s more that I haven’t gotten to yet. Please be careful when you state “healthy” vegetable oil. There is no such thing! It’s industrialized crap! Can’t wait to try some of your recipes on here!
I tried this tonight and it was outstanding. I added an extra banana and used maple syrup and honey (mostly because I ran out of maple syrup close to the end), but it is fantastic and I cannot stop eating it!
This is soooooo wonderful! I made it GF substituting the flour for Gluten Free On A Shoestring’s Better Than Cup 4 Cup flour – my go to AP GF flour of choice. I used the maple syrup and didn’t use cinnamon (not a fan) and added instead cardamon and nutmeg, along with walnuts. For milk I used homemade plain hemp milk – just hemp and water. This is just pure, delicious, classic, easy, banana bread. There’s about a thousand “best” banana bread recipes on the internet but for me at least, this one IS the BEST!
I just made this bread with my family and it is delicious! For sure making it again! :)
Wonderful, Julia!
This banana bread is sooooo good! I have to be sure to hide some for myself so hubby doesn’t eat it all. My 13 month old loves it too. I have to be sure to cut it into little pieces for her because she will gobble it down! I use maple syrup and coconut oil. Yum yum!
Hello :)
I have made this before with regular all purpose flour and it turned out great.
However, I have recently switched to gluten free flour and have noticed that the bread turns out incredibly dry. I’ve been using “freee” plain white flour. I’m careful not to over-bake or over mix it. Should I try using something else or less flour? I am using a scale to measure out the flour.
Thank you for your help :)
Laura
What brand are you using of gluten free? Have you tried oat flour or maybe Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)?
Literally the best bannana bread I’ve ever made, healthy or not. So good, so moist, to keep it moist I wrap in foil and I added a whole 83% dark chocolate bar into chunks in this, AMAZING!! Fam loves it aswell, you should def make this.
Wonderful, Tyler! Thank you for sharing.
Great recipe! My family and friends loved it. Not so sweet and perfectly moist. I added half a cup of walnuts and topped wth banana and walnuts also.
I love this recipe… it was delicious. I decided to cut back on the honey and add some dark choc chips which worked really well. It didn’t rise very much so I was thinking it might need some more baking soda, but would definitely make again.
I made this recipe because I had a quantity of frozen bananas to use up. It has turned out beautifully. Thank you Kate.
Can I use almond flour?
Hi Sharon, due to popular request, I came up with a recipe that works with almond flour. I love this gluten free banana bread with almond flour.
I think I found this recipe when I was 13 years old, which means I’ve been using it for 8 years now. This is the recipe that TAUGHT me how to bake, and I cannot thank you enough. I have made a hundred different variants of it over the years, and it always turns out so great!
I have turned this into carrot cake, apple cake, orange cake, pineapple cake, made it eggless, used substitute flours, made it completely without oil (or butter) and no matter what I choose to do with it, the result is always absolutely perfect.
I don’t think it’s POSSIBLE to go wrong with this recipe.
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Janhvi.
I followed this exactly. The variations I chose to use from the recipe were maple syrup, all-purpose white flour, and vegetable oil. I baked it for 55 minutes in my gas oven. It’s the best banana recipe I’ve tried. It isn’t too sweet, has mostly guilt-free ingredients, and is an actual bread and not a cake. I wish I had some homemade apple butter because it would be so good on this! Thanks for sharing. It’s definitely a keeper.
This recipe was easy to make and the banana bread turned out wonderfully, with great compliments from friends I shared it with. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kingsley! I appreciate your review.