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.
Hi! Can I change de honey to brown sugar or coconut sugar?
Thank you for sharing. I mistakenly baked this at 375 instead of 325 for 20 minutes took it out at 45 mins. The top had burst but it still was so GOOD!
Also, meant to give 5 stars!
:)
Great! I’m happy that it still came out wonderful, Ellen.
I never rate recipes but this was incredible. The best banana bread I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing!
Oh, I’m so glad, Kate! Thanks so much for commenting.
Mine didn’t come out fluffy. Maybe i overmixed? Still delicious though so 5 stars for healthy. I will try again
Yes, a gentler touch is best for this! I’m glad the flavor worked, and that you try it again to achieve that fluffy texture.
Can you substitute coconut or almond flour in place of the white whole wheat flour?
I did and it was really good!
Thank you! Sorry I did not read previous comments. I made this bread many months ago before I started avoiding gluten. It was amazing and I wanted to make again….not sure if almond or coconut generally replace wheat/white flour in the same proportions…but the bread was so good that I have to try.
Hi, Sharnie. Unfortunately, I don’t think that coconut flour or almond meal will work very well with this recipe. I have heard, however, that gluten-free flour blends work well.
I used 1/4 c of egg whites instead of whole eggs, almond flour only and almond milk then added some dark chocolate bits in. It was delicious!!!
Sounds excellent, Mary Jo!
This looks amazing.. Could I use plain white flour by chance?
Hi, Danielle. I think you could, but it would be difficult to achieve the same texture. You can read some of the input on this substitution question at The Kitchn, but it seems like there isn’t really a straightforward conversion. Some commenters here seemed to have some success with it.
Absolutely delicious! Used maple syrup, coconut oil…only had all purpose flour and added pecans. This will be my go to banana muffin recipe! Recipe made 12 muffins. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Joan! Glad it worked with those substitutions.
Loved your banana bread recipe!
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Crystal!
Great recipe.
Instead of honey or maple syrup, I substituted a cup of pureed dates since i’m trying out no-added sugarless diet. Then I also added chia seeds, flax seeds and twice the amount of coconut oil and more milk. It’s so hummy and moist, with a bit of butter on top when warm…
Your version sounds delicious, Ella. Thanks for the comment!
My son has a few food allergies so we used all the substitutions and they are still delicious! Flax instead of egg, Almond milk and Krusteaz gluten-free flour…he is 3 and a tough customer, but loves these! Happy to make something for him without a lot of white sugar!
I’m so happy it worked with those swap-outs, Emily!
This is my go-to banana bread recipe I love it so much!! Always get compliments when I make it. It’s also super good with cooca powder added it!
Cocoa powder sounds like a delicious addition here, Mich. Thanks!
I made many banana bread recipes before. But this is the best. I doubled the recipe(I had too many ripe bananas) used half honey and half maple syrup and used whole wheat pastry flour, as that’s what I had. It was delicious and a keeper.
Great! Happy this took a spot among the best ones you’ve tried. :)
Hi Kate,
I made this bread but when explaining the use of honey as an ingredient, my friend who is a healer & practices Ayurvedic medicine told me the bread should not be consumed as heating honey damages its nutritional benefits and even turns the honey toxic… When eaten consistently, it can be very detrimental to digestion. I researched this a bit more and found many articles advising strongly against cooking with honey.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Hi Katrina, this bread is baked at a relatively low temperature so I am not worried about the honey. Baking any ingredient will change its nutritional benefits. I haven’t been able to find any reputable sources to verify the idea that heating honey is detrimental to health; could you please share them with me? Thank you.
I had some buckwheat flour so I substituted about half buckwheat, half plain flour for mine. I also reduced the honey to 1/4 cup (my boyfriend doesn’t like it too sweet) and added about half of a medium banana more than the recipe called for. I also added walnuts to my batter.
My banana bread raised beautifully, but it was incredibly dense and heavy. Perhaps I overmixed the dough, or I shouldn’t have added that extra half banana? I cant eat more than half a slice, but amazingly my boyfriend still loves it with some homemade raspberry jam drizzled on top! The buckwheat flour also gives it a lovely earthly flavor.
Thanks for the recipe, next time I will try with less banana, and remind myself not to overmix.
Thanks, Stef! I think it’s the buckwheat addition making the texture somewhat off. It behaves similarly to coconut flour, which is difficult to work with in recipes that weren’t specifically made to use it.
Hi Kate. I’m a 55 year old Dad of three children. Started baking for only the third time ever this evening. Just finished your awesome banana bread recipe which the kids will love me for, as I have a thick slice cut for each of their school lunches in the morning. Many thx for sharing. Nick – Sydney Australia
This is such a sweet comment, Nick! I hope they love it, and I hope you start baking more!
This was great. All my family just loved it and knowing it was healthy was wonderful
Perfect! Thanks, Lillian.
I have made this banana bread many times, it’s awesome! Thank you Kate+Cookie :-)
:) Thanks, Susanne!
This is great!
what do I need to do to this make this sugar free :)
Hi, Zoe. I think this recipe definitely needs some sweetness. You could try using a date paste, but that would alter the texture and possibly cooking time.
Hi, I know I’m a bit late to this recipie however it looks amazing! I have attempted to make it 3 times now but I can’t make it cook properly. It is still raw in the middle every time! Kate, are you able to put ingredients into weights as I’m from the UK so we don’t use cups.
Any assistance would be grately appreciated as it looks so good. Thanks very much.
Hi, Bryony. I’m working on putting together my own conversion chart, but for now, I think this is a solid reference from King Arthur Flour.
Delicious! I’m so used to my usual banana bread recipe that calls for 2 cups of sugar, though, so it took about half a second to get over the fact that this isn’t that sweet, but once I did it was so good! Will definitely make again.
I’m so glad you ended up enjoying it, Dany! It takes the taste buds a bit to get used to it. :)
I found the temperature and cooking time to be too low. I put my loaf in for an extra 20 minutes and it was still under done. I would try the 60 minute cooking time at 350 next time around. Flavor is good however. I added allpice, cloves and walnuts for the topping.
I’m glad the flavor came out well, Poe! Sorry about the cooking time. Oven heat settings can really vary from type to type, so that could be a consideration here.
This is the best banana bread – first time I have made and will be doing again. I can’t believe it is sugar free!
I’m so happy you enjoy it, Cath!
I’ve tried loads of banana bread recipes and this is easily the best – thanks! We use a chia seeds/water mix instead of eggs and it works really well :-)
Great! I’m glad the chia eggs worked well, Sam. So happy you enjoy it!
Unfortunately mine didnt come out very tasty. Wasnt too sweet also. I m not sure what happent… :( You could smell banana all over the house, but the actual taste was quite neutral. I hope next time to come out better! :)
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. My entire family loved it. Those who have doubts over making this, don’t hesitate. It tastes amazing. And above all this, it’s way more healthy than your ordinary cake but tastes just as one.
Thanks, Hina!
Thank you for this great recipe, I’m going to try it for sure! I just want to ask if I can replace the amount of flour given, with plain oats. I checked the banana muffins recipe that has oats in it but I was wondering if I can use only oats. So excited to try this for post workout snack.
Hi, Sofia– I haven’t tried that just yet! It’s possible someone here in comments has and gave some tips, so I’d encourage you to browse through them. If you’re looking to make this GF, I always recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF flour.
Just made this! Best banana bread I’ve ever made.
So fluffy and yummy!! Thanks Kate
You’re welcome, Julia!
I only have all purpose flour, how much do I add?
Hi, Johanna– Unfortunately, I’m not sure if completely substituting all-purpose would work here. Most advice says to substitute only half, like this reference from The Kitchn. I’m sorry!
Thank you for the great banana bread recipe! I loved baking it… and of course, eating it! Not too sweet. It was perfect!
I did not expect to be successful on the first try. I followed your recipe using cocunut oil, maple syrup, GF all purpose flour (Red Mill) (without xanthan gum, no need), and added walnut to the batter plus all the “fixed” ingredients (milk, vanilla extract, salt) The outcome was better than I expect… maybe I could have baked a full 60 minutes instead of 55 minutes.
I am so glad to come across your website to give myself a chance to try some of your recipes. This recipe with alternatives are great and helpful… Thank you! :)
This turned out amazing! It rose really nicely and was moist without being heavy or dense. I used coconut oil and couldn’t taste it. Also added chocolate chips because I was baking with my 4 year-old. This is my new go-to banana bread!!
I’ve tried a number of banana bread recipes and had never found a go-to, until this one! It’s healthy, has a relatively straight forward ingredient list (almost all items are staples), it’s fast (20 start to oven), and it only requires one bowl, a couple measuring cups, and a couple measuring spoons. It’s also delicious and very moist. I will never look for another banana bread recipe again!
So kind of you, Jennifer! Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Hoping you get comments still! Since you gave us variations to your bread, I wanted to share a way I made your recipe today.
For no reason or thought put into my measuring. I only had almond flour and brown rice flour in the pantry. I mixed 1 cup almond flour and 3/4 brown rice flour. It was great! Moist, nutty (obv…), stayed together. Kids loved it, added some confetti sprinkles on top for fun. Thank you, passed this recipe along already today!
Oh just noticed your in KC! Just moved to Columbia and go back to Waldo/BKS to meet up with friends..and Ikea frequently. It’s fun to randomly find a local blogger!
Thanks for sharing your variation, L! And it’s always nice to hear from another KC local. :)
I stumbled across this recipie when I was looking for a healthier alterive to my normal banana bread recipie on Pinterest. Boy, am I glad I found this. This recipie is amazing! It tastes no different from regular banana bread with butter and sugar. Thanks for sharing! This will be my refusal recipie going forward!
Awesome! Thanks, Danielle.
So yummy
Hi Kate, I stumbled accross your recipe when searching for a healthy but easy banana bread recipe and I am blown away! This was easy and had common ingredients. I had run out of eggs though and substituted the eggs for 1/2 cup apple sauce (sweetened with stevia) and only about 1/2 the amount of honey. It has turned out so delicious and I’m making another batch tomorrow! Thanks so much!
Just made this recipe in large muffin form (9 total). Used grapeseed oil, added some walnuts and replaced 20% of the flour with coconut flour. Cooked in the toaster oven at 345 for 45 mins, and they’re perfect! Even my husband loves them, which surprises me! LOL. Thank you for this recipe, which I will recommend to anyone that’ll listen.
Awesome, Veronica! I’m glad the coconut flour addition worked well, too.
how many gram is 1 slice?
I made it with 1/4 cup less honey, and it came out a little dry. Was it because of the honey?
I’d think so, Gina! Also, if you used coconut oil–try warming up a slice. That should soften any of the coconut oil that turned solid from sitting out on the counter or in the refrigerator.
I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out so great! I added some bitter chocolate chips :) It is so delicious thank you!
You’re welcome!
Just out of the oven, taste great! I substituted Greek yoghurt for milk with no problems!
Perfect!
This was really great! I just finished taste testing the first slice. I love the fact that this didn’t use a ton of butter and sugar. I think this will definitely be my go to banana bread recipe! Thanks so much.
You’re welcome, Juanita! Happy to hear you liked it.
I just made this and my hubby, who’s a bit hard to please really liked it! I thought it wouldn’t be sweet enough for him because he’s a sweet tooth but with the honey it turned out great. Love that the recipe didn’t require a bucket of sugar like most recipes! I’m going to try the pumpkin bread next. I would LOVE it if you made a PUMPKIN BANANA bread recipe. I LOVE both pumpkin and banana and was thinking how weirdly yummy that might be to combine them. Crossing fingers ;p
I think you could do it, Joyce! Just do a half cup banana and half cup pumpkin puree–they serve the same purpose in their respective recipes!
Would love to try this recipe! Any tips on how to adapt to a bread machine?! Thank you!
Oh, I’m not sure, Alex–I haven’t tried that. Have you browsed through the comments here to see if anyone else has?
I made a loaf last night using half gluten free flour and coconut flour. I added coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips. Used almond milk and honey. Wow, it is delicious!!
I like how the recipe turned out, but can you please make it so that there are only 10 comments a page or something! This page is ridiculously long!
Hi, Ash– I keep the comments on the same page so that new readers can see the comments/tips/pointers/substitutions that other readers have left about their experiences with the recipes. That way, you can use the search function to find keywords and helpful comments on those topics. Also, it’s helpful for me to have as much feedback from my readers as possible. I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Yum! I had a bunch of bananas so I made a double batch but still used just 1/2 cup of maple syrup, applesauce instead of oil cause I always do, Califia farms coconut almond milk, 3 cups spelt flour and 1/2 cup oats, added a dash of allspice and cloves and sprinkled chocolate chips and walnuts on top. Delicious!
Thanks, Monica!
I have just made this and was so looking forward to see how it turned out, but unfortunately was far too moist/greasy yet I followed the instructions exactly (I used extra virgin coconut oil and honey), I was so gutted any ideas as to why this may be? Most banana breads I have had have not been this moist and oil like…
Hi, Karla– I’m sorry this was disappointing! Was it fully cooked? Oven temperatures vary a lot, so that can affect cook time. Also, did you grease your pan beforehand? You may want to skip that next time you try the recipe (which I hope you do!)
I just made this exactly as the ingredients and recipe say but it’s came out really soggy I cooked it for over an hour. I wonder what I did I do wrong
Hi, Kerina. Sorry this was disappointing! Did you remember to include the baking powder, and are you using whole wheat flour?
Hey there,
I tried out the recipe yesterday. The taste of the bread turned out super, but it didn’t really rise very well. I added some fresh apple and walnuts and used baking powder instead of soda, as it ins’t very commonly used in Germany (where I live) and I didn’t have any at home.
Do you think it might have been the apples (too much liquid?) or does baking powder just not do the trick?
Thank you for the recipe anyways and any tips and tricks you can give me ;)
Jelli
Hey, Jelli– Sorry this didn’t work out too well! It’s definitely the omission of the baking soda– you need it to get the flour to rise and the moisture to soak up.