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Healthy Banana Bread!

NOVEMBER 9, 2015 — 2,061 Comments

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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’ve been perfecting this banana bread recipe for my cookbook and
wanted to share with you right away. 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 good-for-
you oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from coconut oil,
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!

If this recipe looks familiar, it’s because it’s is actually an improved

version of my old banana bread recipe, which has tons of fans already. I
know that a lot of readers swear by that one, so I thought I’d just publish
my new go-to version as its own.

When I posted that recipe way back in 2011, I was baffled by the step that
called for mixing baking soda into hot water and then stirring it into the
batter, but I didn’t have enough confidence in my baking skills to try
anything differently. Over the years, I’ve tried this recipe a million
different ways (it’s actually the base recipe for my popular pumpkin
bread, banana muffins and pumpkin muffins) and can definitively
declare that step unnecessary.

I’ve also tweaked the baking time and switched from whole wheat pastry
flour to white whole wheat flour, mostly because white whole wheat flour
is now available in most well-stocked grocery stores. White whole wheat
flour is great because it has all of the fiber and nutrients that regular
whole wheat flour contains, without the characteristically nutty flavor of
whole wheat. It’s just a more mildly flavored strain of wheat.

Banana Bread Variations & Tips

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.

If you prefer spelt flour, I’ve heard that works well in place of the whole
wheat. You can make muffins, too.
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!
Author: Cookie and Kate Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 55 mins ★★★★★
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Yield: 1 loaf Category: Quick Bread 4.8 from 730 reviews
Method: Baked Cuisine: American

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.

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality

vegetable oil*
 ½ cup honey or maple syrup

2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)

¼ cup 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 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

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and

grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together 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.)

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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 10 minutes,
then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes 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.

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: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend works best
here. 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.

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: An equal amount of all-purpose flour can be used

in place of the whole wheat flour.

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 INFORMATION

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below
and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.
SIMILAR RECIPES

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▸ CATEGORIES baked goods, breakfast, Christmas, dairy free, fall, fast breakfasts,
favorites, naturally sweetened, nut free, recipes, soy free, spring, tomato free, winter
▸ INGREDIENTS bananas, coconut oil, honey, maple syrup

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ABOUT KATE TAYLOR
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making
a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now.
More about C+K »

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