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.
Our daughter gave us a loaf of this bread as a housewarming gift. This is the best recipe I’ve ever tasted for banana bread after 50 years of baking!
Such a kind compliment, Wynona! Thank you so much.
Kate your recipes are amazing. I am pregnant and baby has decided to make mommy a voluntold vegetarian if I want it to stay down. You have made the process so easy and delicious. It’s not a burden to the rest of my family who have enjoyed every single meal of yours I have made. You are a beautiful soul with serious foodie talent!!!! Go girl!!!!
Thank you, Tiffany! I’m so glad both you & baby approve of my recipes, I hope it makes things a little easier on you. Wishing you a smooth pregnancy and healthy little babe!
I am not a huge fan of banana bread, but I had a ton of bananas leftover from an event that I froze so I’m making lots of banana baked goods. I googled “healthy banana bread” and found yours. It is the best I have tasted! I will be making this again. Love that is has olive oil.
Thanks, Shannon! I’m glad you found what you were looking for.
Oh no I used coconut flour and it turned into a paste,
Oof, yes, coconut flour is the trickiest of flours for conversion. Sorry, Yvette!
This was very good and moist! Thanks for sharing!
Perfect. :) Thanks, Erina.
I tried making this 2 days ago and the result has just blown my mind. It is absolutely fantastic, it’s moist, flavourful, plus healthy….
I’ve been making banana bread with different recipes for over 20 times…so I know what’s good and what’s bad, and I can reassure you that this is a MUST try banana bread.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe to us….Please deliver more tasty recipe to us
LOVED THIS. So delicious and a great alternative to regular (sugar filled) banana bread! Added some dried cranberries and chia seeds in the mix and topped it with more chia seeds and sliced almonds-soo good thank you!
You’re welcome, Josephine!
Delicious! I’ve tried several healthy banana bread recipes and this one is by far the best!
:) Wonderful!
I love this recipe, so moist, I now know it off by heart I’ve made it so many times! Do you think I could sub apple for banana? Maybe cut the apple into little bits and cook in a saucepan with a little water? Would it be a straight substitute?
Hi, Craig! I haven’t tried that, but I think a better straight substitute would be apple sauce rather than diced apples– maybe both? You need to have that mashed component, though, for it to behave in the recipe the same way the mashed banana does.
Really delicious! But I’m afraid I could eat it on my own:)
I’ve used a mixture of rice and whole wheat flour. Want to try the one with a pumpkin!
Mine like waaaay over-rose and i followed the recipe directly. Any ideas why ?
I don’t usually leave reviews but this recipe was amazing and I’m so glad I found it. Will be repeated for sure. Used it to make muffins. Perfection.
Wonderful! Thanks for the comment, Jenn.
Hi Kate! I tried your recipe today and it honestly tastes so amazing!
Great to hear that, Dee!
Always my go to banana bread. So good toasted! Tastes so yummy and I sometimes add cacao nibs too :)
Sounds toasty and delicious, Sarah! Thank you.
Just made this recipe tonight…. it was delicious!! I did add a lot of chocolate chips ;) But the bread itself was so good! Plenty sweet. I used coconut oil, honey, and whole milk.
Oh, and I used 3 bananas. And white whole wheat flour.
Yum!
My whole family enjoyed this recipe, but my 9 month old was particularly adorable gobbling it down.
So cute! Thanks, Laura. :)
Hi could I use almond flour to make this bread?
Hi, Christy–Unfortunately, almond flour won’t work well with this. For a GF version, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour Blend, which uses rice flours, among other things.
I’ve made this before with whole wheat flour and it was amazing. I just made it again and put it in the oven but I used almond flour. Will report back with how that works out for me, but wish I had read these reviews first! Oops!
Tried this the other day as a treat for my co-workers. I used olive oil, almond milk, and regular whole wheat flour. It came out sooo well! It took a little longer to bake than 60 minutes but was so worth it. None of my co-workers could tell it was whole wheat. I will definitely make this again :-)
Wonderful! Thanks, Katy. So glad the office liked it.
This is absolutely DELISH!!! I’m teying to share. ;-) I used 1/2 honey & 1/2 maple syrup because I did not have enough of either. Other than that followed directions to a tee.
I’m glad that worked out so well, Ana! Thanks.
This recipe is very declious. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Nurah!
Hi Kate,
I had a quick question. How much would you mash the bananas? Should I mash them as much as possible getting rid of the lumps, or is it better to leave it fairly lumpy? :)
I think a good in-between would suffice, Melissa! Not too liquidy, but mashed enough that it will distribute somewhat evenly throughout the batter.
I just finished making this bread right now. I absolutely love this recipe! The bread is so moist and it tastes heavenly. I used agave instead of maple syrup or honey and added Zucchini. Other than that I followed the recipe closely. I will definitely be making this again!
So good to hear that, Sommer!
I made the healthy banana muffins from the bread recipe as you said. I must say they are the very best muffins I have made! I love that it is just one bowl. I use parchment muffin liners. Tomorrow I will make the healthy pumpkin muffins. Do you have a healthy bran muffin recipe?
Thank you so much. Jo.
Hey, Jo! So glad you’ve been enjoying the muffins. I haven’t made a bran muffin recipe just yet, but I’ve added your request to my list, so be on the lookout for it!
So yummy! I only used 2 Tbl honey, used coconut water in place of the milk and added a handful of chopped dates, thank you for the recipe .
Perfect!
I LOVE this recipe.! Ive been making this for months now! its MY GO TO! but we have just moved and our oven is bust! and all i have is a crockpot. Since i miss this bread so much, is it possible to slow-cook this and make it in a crockpot ?
Thank you
Hi, Simran. I’m sorry, I haven’t tried that just yet! I wouldn’t be able to advise you either way. It’s possible someone commented about their experiments with crockpots, but I’m not sure.
Using whole spelt flour to replace all of the wheat flour works very well! Great texture and flavour
Great! Thanks for the tip.
hello, I made it last nigt and i really really liked it. I had on hand only two medium sized bananas so I increased the honey a little bit,I used olive oil and white all purpose flour cause that was what I had and instead of the water or milk I added the juice of freshly squashed orange and the zest of it. And let me tell you the zest took it to another level. I think it has a really healthy balance between healthy and unhealthy and its the most delicious and fluffy banana bread I have ever tried.
thank you very much
Your version sounds delicious, Theano. Thanks!
I made this for my husband and he absolutely loved it. I made a version for myself with blueberries instead of bananas and it was also great! Agree that coconut oil gives it a great flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ooh, a blueberry version sounds delicious, Jenni! Thanks for commenting.
Hey thanks, this is a keeper. Only used 1 cup white whole wheat flour and subbed 3/4 almond flour for the rest (denser) Used leftover egg whites. My anti healthy food man adored it!
Great! So glad everyone enjoyed this, Mary.
I omitted the oil all together and supplemented applesauce instead. Cooking in the oven right now, hopefully turns out good!
I hope it went well, Christina!
Hello Kate, thank you very much for this recipe. It’s the first thing I have ever baked in my life – and it worked out! I’m delighted. Can you please tell me the quantity of chia seeds I need to use to avoid eggs? I see from some comments I may need to add water also. Can you advise? Many thanks. Karen.
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Karen! I hope it’s not the last time you bake. Chia or flax eggs are pretty simple to make: one tablespoon of ground chia or flax seeds, mixed into three tablespoons of water, and set aside until they become gelatinous (about 3-5 minutes). That counts as one egg, and you can double it per the recipe. Let me know how that works!
Hi Kate, I tried it with the milled chia seeds and it worked well, just needed a little more water and cooking :) Thanks a lot.
I made this today and it was soooooo good! The only thing I changed was I used stevia instead of honey, and it worked fine. I’m totally going to make it again! Thank you!!!
can i replace banana with cooked apple?
Awesome! Thanks, Tori. What was your swap-out ratio for the stevia? I’ve had other readers ask about that, but haven’t experimented myself. Thanks in advance!
I love this recipe. I just made it with my 3 year old.
I can’t leave a recipe alone so I swapped the honey for rice malt syrup and we made it into mini muffins , so tasty and cooked in 15 minutes. Just in time for morning tea!
Perfect! So glad both mom and babe enjoyed them. :)
can i replace banana with cooked apple?
Hi Kate! Thanks so much for the free recipes, they are fabulous! I decided to try date syrup instead of maple, but found it much thicker with a strong taste (still nice though). If I halve the amount, would I need to increase another of the wet ingredients?
Hey Nicole, I haven’t worked with date syrup yet. If you halve the amount of sweetener, you might want to add some extra mashed banana to be safe.
Thank you for a maple-syrup sweetened recipe! Made with sprouted spelt for my low blood sugar, added pecans to one and dark choc. to one for kids… just reduced the maple sugar by 1/4 cup overall. Delicious!! The only thing is mine stuck to bottom of pan, need to dust w flour next time I guess. Am going to experiment with Buckwheat at some pt. and will give feedback:) Thx again!
Those versions sound delicious, Jennifer. And yes, report back on the buckwheat flour! I’m sure there are lots of readers interested in that swap-out.
Could you use the full fat coconut milk, the canned kind?
Sure, that would work. The liquid is a minor ingredient so you could just use water.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe it was a super hit with the family.I really liked the honey substitute for sugar.Also made my adjustment with coconut oil I added half coconut oil and half clarified butter which turned out super awesome.
Excellent! That sounds delicious, Danna. I’m glad the clarified butter swap-out worked.
I baked mine for 55 minutes at 160 Celsius degrees, and although it isn’t burned, it still looks a lot darker than yours and I definitely have to cut away the sides because they just don’t look appetising. Do you have any idea what the problem is or how I can fix it the next time?
Hey, Aniek! There could be a couple issues here. First, ovens are super variable! Their heat settings and *true* temperature vary, so it could be just a matter of keeping an eye on the bread a little more and checking in more often. Second, are you using a dark pan for this? Darker pans tend to bake dishes faster, so you may want to use a lighter pan. Let me know how the next one goes!
Will whole wheat pastry flour work? I have an abundance, so I am curious.
Yes! It’ll alter the texture a bit, as whole wheat pastry flour is a much finer flour and will produce a lighter, fluffier result. Keep an eye on that cooking time, too! I’d just do toothpick checks a bit more often than usual.
Hello Kate,
I realize this recipe has over 1,000 posts but it was the most appropriate spot for this: I had a large batch of pureed dates in my freezer (from a recipe which didn’t work out). What to do with it? Dates are not cheap! So I took a chance and made this banana bread recipe, subbing 1 cup of the dates (which also had some ground walnuts in it) for the 1 c banana. I left out the extra sweetener as, of course, dates are so sweet. I thought it would come out of the oven in a big, rubbery, unrisen lump, because the dates are so wet and heavy, but it actually came out pretty well! I likely wouldn’t go out of my way to make it if I didn’t already have the dates, though. So there ya go…inspiring another reader to take a chance!
Thanks so much, Metalmom! I am *so* glad your bread worked out really well, and I always welcome comments discussing swap-outs and variations of my dishes. I bet you I get this exact question in the future, and I’ll point to this post for good tips. Thanks again!
Making this for a second time. This may be my favorite banana bread recipe, period. It’s delicious and easy to make. 5+++++++
Thanks, Val! This is my favorite recipe, too.
Hi! I never made any kind of bread before.I followed most of the recipient and used
coconut oil
1 cup white wheat flour and 1/4cup of coconut flour
By the time I mixed everything in the dough was so thick so I added some apple sauce to it.
I baked it in a round cake pan. After I baked it I realized it didn’t rise very well. Is this because of the flour I used or the apple sauce. How do I get my bread to rise?
Thank you for the recipe it was very good even though my bread came out flat
Hi, Ally! Coconut flour does not behave the same way in recipes that call for wheat flour–it soaks up a ton of liquid, and makes for a much denser product. I really don’t recommend using coconut flour as a substitute, and just sticking to using it in recipes that included it in the original version. I’d use whole wheat flour next time!
Maple syrup? That’s not much better. And milk? Why not just add more banana and reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. You wouldn’t need any milk because of the moisture of the banana. Why cut out butter only to substitute it with another dairy?
Looks delicious though.
Hi, Ashley! Thanks for asking. I use maple syrup because it is a natural source of sugar and not processed like white sugar–our bodies can digest and use it much better than the processed stuff. As for the milk, I noted in the recipe that you can use water or any kind of milk you’d like– which for many of my readers means non-dairy milk. Almond or cashew will work just fine. I hope you try it!
I made Banana Bread this morning. It was a hit! I expanded the recipe to include the extra overripe (3 large) bananas I needed to use. For the oil about (1/2 cup) I used walnut oil. Buttermilk (1/3 cup) replaced the milk/water. I added the peel of one lemon grated as well as a little lemon juice mixed in with the mashed bananas. Added in about 1/8 cup hemp seed 1/3 cup flax seed 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white flour. Everything else stayed the same. And the 1+ cups of toasted pecans made it perfect. I started out with a 375 degree oven then after 10 min turned it down to 325.
I love your bakeware! I can only assume it works very well. I’m new to baking and like to invest in quality products, I’m looking for a bread pan like the one you are using, would you happen to know a quality and safe pan or brand that you could suggest?
Hi. It looks delicious! Can you tell me, please, how much grams or ml it is in a cup? I have tried to make it, but it doesn’t succeed to me. Thank you. Anna.
Hi, Anna! I usually point readers to this resource: https://myfrenchchef.com/conversion-chart/ I hope this helps!
Perfect recipe, Thanks you!!!!
You’re welcome!
Hi there. Love love love this banana bread recipe. I been stalking this recipe for a couple of years and it always comes out good. I am finally a good baker w it. I currently am out of honey & maple syrup- can I sub it w brown sugar or coconut sugar ? I have so much of it hanging around. Thank you again for the lovely delicious recipe.
Made the banana bread was good but my question is recipe calls for two eggs. Are they medium or large is my question
Hi Richard, they’re large eggs. It’s safe to assume large eggs in American recipes.