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 bread is so good! Just enough flavor, dense, and moist.
I’m happy you loved it, Timi!
Kate, I made this recipe last year with great success. This year, my banana bread tastes bitter and I don’t know why. I checked the ingredients twice, so that’s not it. I will also say that I had to cook it an extra 5 minutes beyond your max time because a toothpick in the center wasn’t coming out clean. But the end result was that the bottom half looked darker and taste a little burned, and the top half of the bread all the way across was baked just fine. Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi Leslie, did you add the salt? Did you recently replace the baking soda? What type of pan did you use to bake the bread in?
Hi Kate!
Preparing to try this recipe but only have a 8″ x 4″ loaf pan; will this be a problem?
Hi Gabrielle, I’m not sure if it will be too much for that size pan. Be careful as it bakes. You may want to put a pan under it to catch anything that may run over.
I used 1/4 cup maple instead of 1/3 cup honey, and my mix-ins were pecans and chocolate chips. This is the best banana bread recipe!! It’s delicious and nourishing at the same time, like the best food is. Thank you so much!
I made this bread with maple syrup the first time and with honey the second time. Both were absolutely delicious and they came out perfect. This recipe is a KEEPER and I plan to make it often. I do plan to try chopped dates in my next attempt. Thank you for sharing this easy to make gem with us all.
You’re welcome, Neil! Thank you for your review.
i made as i didn’t want my bananas go to waste, took about 1hr30 in total, i used golden syrup instead and accidentally used baking power and turned out lovely, very moist but nothing wrong with it ❤️
This recipe is my favourite! It always turns out delicious. Thank you so much for posting it :)
You’re welcome!
Gostei, its an easy fluffy cake and not too sweet
The healthy banana bread was absolutely delicious. I chose spelt flour,sweetened with maple syrup and added chopped pecans. When I make it again,and I will, I will also add raisins. Finally found a dessert that’s not so sweet ,no refined sugar and no bleached flour. Thank you so much
You’re welcome, Etta!
Awesome banana cake for diabetics, any other recipies ?
Hi Dave, I have a lot of great recipes. I can’t speak to your needs. I hope you find something you can enjoy!
This is honestly the best banana bread – it’s not something an amateur baker expects to produce!!! Super simple, moist, tasty, great texture. I added walnuts and had 5 over-ripe bananas to use so I doubled the recipe to use up all bananas. I have a gas oven (not fan forced) and cooking time was a touch longer – 1 hour 20min, but otherwise followed to a tee and it came out perfect.
Looking to add a protein powder to this. Have you ever tried that?
Hi Heidi, I haven’t and not sure you will get the result you are looking for. Adding or omitting ingredients while baking can really impact your results since baking is so precise.
This recipe is amazing. I added 1/2 cup walnuts, used vegetable oil instead of coconut oil, and all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour, and instantly its a family favorite. It took a bit longer than directed to bake, but over all, a big YUM!
Thank you so much Kate for sharing this absolutely delicious recipe. I’ve been looking for a nice banana bread recipe for years but any I tried were always disappointing. This one is just right, it rises, its light, its not too sweet, good texture & tastes delicious – it’s perfect, well done.
I appreciate that this simple recipe uses only baking soda since I don’t have baking powder.
I was worried it would be dry and crumbly when I made it with just plain King Arthur whole wheat flour…but it had a perfect texture. It held together even though I added 1/4 c walnuts too.
Neither too sweet nor too unsweet!
I’m happy to have a relatively healthy (oil, ww flour, …) banana bread to share with my boyfriend!
I’m sure this is really good. Its the exact same recipe for your banana muffins minus the oats and choc chips. Its a great flavor either way.
I absolutely love your banana bread and muffins!!! I use no other ! No need for more sugar. I am diabetic and watch for that. The only mix in I use is chia seeds! Haven’t figured out quite how much. Thank you for sharing!!!♥️
Made it for the first time and it tasted beautiful will definitely be using this recipe again.
Fantastic recipe! Thanks Katherine.
It came out delicious, I’ve never really baked anything like this before and am very impressed with the results.
I lined the baking tray with greaseproof paper and only used 15ml of olive oil and it came out of the tray very easily, and is rather moist! I also added what I think may be too much filling – quite a few blueberries/raisins/sultanas/cranberries and some chopped cashews and whole pine nuts. The filling may have overpowered everything else I also used 4 large bananas
Next time around I’ll try it with no oil! Thanks once again
I made this recipe with white flour (my husband is allergic to wheat), honey, coconut oil, milk and added chopped walnuts. It came out delicious!! Great recipe, thanks for sharing ❤️
You’re welcome, Robin!
So easy to prepare and the texture was perfect for me, not real moist because I reduced the amount of maple syrup to 1/4 cup. I swirled in some nutella in the middle and also topped it with chocolate chips. Thanks for the recipe.
hello Kate,
Could this bread be made into cakepops? :)
If so, what is your recommendation for the ingredients and process.
Many thanks!
Hi Marik, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Thankyou very much for this recipe. No refined sugar, no butter and whole wheat flour to boot. It an absolute winner.
Hello Kate! Made this and family loved it. I’m wondering if i could substitute spelt flour for buckwheat? If so, would recipe need amending anywhere? And could the original spelt flour recipe be made into cupcakes? If so, how long would I need to bake for?
Would be great if you can reply in less than 24hrs as little boys’ birthday in on Monday 24th Jan. I’m making a lion cake and going to use cupcakes for its mane & top them with chocolate ganache!
Thanks,
Natalie (Melbourne, Australia)
Hi Natalie, all the flours I recommend are listed in the post. I do know some have made this recipe in cupcakes. Sorry for my delay!
Hi Kate I was wondering if I could make this recipe gluten free with almond meal or with rice flour? Thanks
Hi Juliet, I recommend Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)
I would skip the milk and add more banana next time. Not enough banana flavor for my taste. the texture is good, but kinda soggy, even tho i baked it a bit longer than called for.
Hi Sue, I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. Be sure to use ripe bananas. That’s how you will get the most banana flavor.
So so good!! I doubled the recipe and added mini chocolate chips to one. Both are amazing! My kids helped make them and wanted to eat the whole loaf
I love that the kids loved this too and helped! Thank you for your review.
For a vegan option, I followed the recipe but omitted the eggs. Turned out great!
Thank you for this recipe! Just finished my loaf #4 :) Add walnuts and use oat flour instead of wheat. Comes out perfect every time, easy, scrumptious and not too sweet. My husband can’t be happier :)
I just made this and it came out better than any bread I’ve ever made. I used white wheat flour and 2/3 honey, 1/3 maple syrup (ish) of the total recommended. I used olive oil and could not taste any herbal notes. I also added chocolate chips. My cooking time was about 90 minutes, but my oven cooks slow and the chocolate chips were frozen when I mixed them in. I covered the top of the bread with tin foil after the initial 60 minutes.
Really great recipe, thanks!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Katherine!
I absolutely love the recipe. We make it often with raisins and walnuts.
Hi Kate!
I made this banana bread for the 3rd time and it came up beautifully all three times. It’s absolutely delicious. My son has a sweet tooth and hence, I keep finding ways to prepare healthy recipies for him. He hates bananas but he loves this banana bread a lot! I would love to recommend this recipe to my friends as well…
Thanks,
Shubhra
I can not find the amount of flour to use?
Hi Libby, It’s the second to last bullet point in the ingredient list. I hope you make it!
This is by far the BEST banana bread recipe I have ever had! I’ve been making it for years and now get to make mini muffins for my toddler who gobbles these up! I use both maple syrup and honey to make up the 1/2 cup of sweetener required and the recipe is just perfection.
I’m so glad you love it, Kelsey! Thank you for your review.
This is the best banana loaf we have ever had ..its so tasty all the family love it ..I v made it regularly since I saw this recipe
Delicious
Thanks so much Kate, the loaf pan actually worked out awesomely; I just had to give a few extra minutes in the oven to ensure the center cooked through. Added chocolate chips and crushed walnuts on top and it was an absolute winner, especially with my daughters!!
I’m glad you love this bread, Gabrielle!
hello and help :(
I tried making this yesterday – 55 or even 60 minutes were not enough – I added another 10 minutes. The bread top collapsed so it did not look like a loaf on top (at first yes, then no). The taste is ok; but it tastes very mushy; it feels heavy when holding a piece – I would compare it to overcooked pasta – and it should be al dente.
(I used maple syrup, oat milk, EVOO and Arrowhead organic all-purpose GF flour + everything else as per recipe)
thank you.
Hi Marika, I’m sorry for the delay and that you had issue. Are you sure you use baking soda?
Yes
Bob’s red mill baking soda
Followed the recipe to-the-crumb and it came out soooooooo dry. Not really sure what went wrong. It was dry and flavorless. Maybe chocolate chips would help but the dryness ruined it for me.
Hi Nick, I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure your flour? How ripe was the banana? It sounds like there may have been too much flour and baked too long.
LOVE this recipe ! always looking for alternative choices instead of sugar. I used avocado oil , twice the vanilla and it its delicious! thank you!
You’re welcome, Patricia!
This was so good and moist, definitely a keeper.
This banana bread is absolutely delicious, we added walnuts to it and it gave it that something extra to make it perfect. Very happy with this recipe.
I used the exact same measurements but added nuts (cashew nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, etc.) and dried berries (cranberries, raisins, blueberries, etc.) and may be because of this reason, I had to keep the batter in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours for it to fully bake. But I LOVE IT! I can’t believe this bread is healthy AND delicious lol :) I’d definitely recommend this recipe :)
I have been making banana bread for over 55 years and this is the best ever/true banana flavour,moist/dusting pan & extra cinnamon on top is sheer magic/this will be my go to from now on/sweetened with maple syrup & perfect…..
Wonderful to hear, Michelle! I appreciate your review.
Hi,
Amazing recipe! Super delicious and healthy. I love baking it for my son. I baked it 3 times so far and it came up very well each time. Now it has become our regular delicacy. Thanks for the recipe.
Shubhra Miranda
this is such a great recipe. I make it all the time either as a bread or muffins and your timings are spot on.
I made them as muffins without the syrup today as I want to give them to my 15 month old. I subbed Greek yoghurt and they turned out so delicious!
I also always use Bob’s red Mills gluten free all purpose flour & it works perfectly.
thank you!!!
Hi Cookie and Kate, I haven’t tasted it yet because it just came out of the oven but it looks and smells delicious! I’m always looking for healthful recipes to help my husband put on some weight following a surgery. I really appreciate all your tips and notes; you make cooking more fun! With aloha, Tracey, Hilo, Hawaii
This is delicious, I added chocolate chips which were great maybe try mixed fruit next time. It did take longer to bake, around 80 minutes, not sure exactly as I just kept adding another 5 minutes, and lost count. Non the less it was a hit. Thank you
Just made this in my new loaf pan. I loved it and do did our one year old! Thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Kate, great recipe….I used coconut milk, coconut oil, honey, wheat flour, but would like to use lectin free flour….eg Cassava, Sorghum or Millet……what ratios would I use, would I need to add Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder and Apple Cider Vinegar??
Thanks Louella
Hi Louella! All the flours I recommend are listed in the post. I hope you can find one that works for your needs!
Hi Kate….love your recipe…I used coconut milk and coconut oil , honey and wheat flour. Now I’d like to use a Lectin free flour eg Cassava, Sorghum or Millet…..what ratios would I use? I guess I’d need to add Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder, Apple Cider Vinegar.
Your thoughts….Many thanks
I’ve been making my mom’s banana bread for years, but with these healthy updates, I’ll never go back. I couldn’t even tell that it’s WW flour! I followed the recipe except used less honey (3oz instead of 4oz) and 3 medium bananas. This recipe is very flexible, and it was sweet enough for me and my family with the less honey.