This easy, healthy banana bread recipe is incredibly moist, sweet, and full of banana flavor. It's made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened.
This healthy banana bread recipe is easy and delicious. Just like a great classic banana bread, it’s incredibly moist, warmly spiced, and packed with sweet banana flavor. Eating a slice, you’d never guess that it’s made with whole wheat flour and sweetened naturally.
I started making this healthy banana bread recipe years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite treats. I love that it tastes so good and also happens to be good for you. When I have it on hand, I enjoy it with a cup of coffee for breakfast, grab another slice for an afternoon snack, and eat some more for dessert. Clearly, in our house, it disappears QUICK!
The next time you have ripe bananas on your counter, try this healthy banana bread recipe. It’s simple, flavorful, and perfect for any time of day. I think you’ll love it!
Healthy Banana Bread Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Bananas, of course! The riper, the better. Brown, spotty bananas will give this recipe the best flavor.
- Whole wheat pastry flour and almond flour – This combination gives the banana bread a perfect moist texture.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.
- Coconut sugar – This unrefined sugar adds sweetness and caramel-y flavor to this recipe. If you don’t keep it on hand, feel free to replace it with cane sugar or brown sugar.
- Almond milk – For extra moisture. Oat milk or regular milk would work here too!
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness. I love using olive oil in healthy baking recipes like this one, but you can replace it with vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, or melted butter if you prefer.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract – For warm, spiced flavor.
- Walnuts – For crunch. Keep reading for more mix-in suggestions!
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Why no eggs? I don’t find that they’re necessary in this recipe. The mashed banana adds plenty of moisture and helps the loaf puff up in the oven. The apple cider vinegar contributes to its nice fluffy texture too. And bonus: because this recipe is made without eggs, it’s easy to make vegan. Just use non-dairy milk for a perfect vegan banana bread!
Flour Options for Healthy Banana Bread
I call for whole wheat pastry flour and almond flour in this recipe. This combination is wholesome, but it also makes this banana bread soft and moist, not dense or dry like some healthy baked goods can be.
I like Bob’s Red Mill’s whole wheat pasty flour, but I realize that it’s not available in every grocery store. Here are a few options for replacing it:
In addition to the 1/2 cup almond flour…
- Use 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- Use 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- Use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Use 1 1/2 cups of your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
You can find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
First, make the batter. Start by mashing the bananas at the bottom of a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts.
Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Spread it in an even layer. Then, sprinkle it with oats and more walnuts.
Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 42 to 50 minutes. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Spoon and level your flour. One of the biggest baking mistakes I see readers make is accidentally using too much flour. This happens when you scoop flour up with a measuring cup, which can cause it to become compacted. For a more accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife, sweeping away the excess flour. Read more about the spoon and level method in my how to measure flour post!
- Don’t slice it right away. This healthy banana bread has the best moist texture and richest flavor after it’s had some time to cool. Though it’s tempting to slice into it as soon as it comes out of the oven, waiting at least 15 minutes (and ideally longer) always pays off.
Recipe Variations
This healthy banana bread recipe is delicious as written, but feel free to play with different spices or mix-ins. Here are a few ideas to change it up:
- Switch the nuts. Use chopped pecans or almonds instead of walnuts.
- Make it fruity. Replace the nuts with dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries, chopped dried apricots, or Medjool dates. You could also use a mix of nuts and dried fruit.
- Swap the spices. Try adding cardamom or ginger in place of the nutmeg.
- Or add chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips are sooo delicious here.
Want to make banana muffins? Check out my healthy banana muffins recipe!
How to Store and Freeze
Store leftover healthy banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
It also freezes well. To freeze banana bread, allow it to cool completely before you slice it. Then, freeze slices in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Allow individual slices to thaw in the fridge overnight, or microwave them for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
More Quick Bread Recipes
If you love this healthy banana bread, try one of these easy quick breads next:
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
- ½ cup coconut sugar, or regular sugar
- ¾ cup almond milk, or any milk
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour*, see note
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Topping
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1½ tablespoons whole rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and brush a 9x5-inch loaf pan with olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the sugar, almond milk, olive oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar and whisk until combined.
- In a medium bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, then fold in the walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and oats.
- Bake for 42 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Notes
Excited to try this but don’t have/buy apple cider vinegar. Is regular vinegar ok? Or could I substitute an egg for any of the ingredients to help it rise without compromising the flavor/texture?