My favorite Skinny Banana Bread recipe has no oil, is low sugar, and just over 100 calories/slice! It’s the BEST healthy banana bread recipe to still yield incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, and delicious bread!
We are preparing for an intense ICE storm in Saint Louis this weekend. Schools are closed today and my husband is working from home.
I had never experienced an ice storm until I moved to the midwest, and they are no joke! We’ve had a few in the last couple of years that kept everyone one home, like today. You’re driving in your car and the “rain” falling on your windshield immediately freezes to ice. The streets become a sheet of ice but it’s really hard to tell it’s even there, which it makes it dangerous to drive on.
It’s kind of fun having an excuse to hunker down at home with my family, though. We play games and do puzzles and pick a fun a movie to watch.
Do you want to know how to make banana bread? You are in the right place. I like to bake something warm and comforting like this Skinny Banana Bread. My kids love it and I love that it’s healthier than regular banana bread. Plus, it makes my house smell amazing.
The main reason I really love this skinny banana bread recipe (besides the obvious fact that it has way less sugar and fat than any traditional banana bread recipes) is that it has FOUR large bananas mashed into it.
Most recipes have 2 or 3, max. I love extra banana flavor it gives the bread, and it makes the bread really moist.
I like to use really, really ripe bananas. Like, so ripe that the skin is black, and my husband is begging me to remove them from our kitchen counter :-). The riper the banana, the sweeter it is, the easier it is to mash, and the more sweetness it adds to the bread.
But don’t fret if you don’t have bananas that are super ripe. Just place them (peel on) on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for about 6-8 minutes. An awesome trick for ripening bananas quickly!
In typing the below ingredients into a nutrition calculator (judging that one loaf makes about 12 slices) this banana bread came out to be about 140 calories per slice.
So, hopefully you can feel great about indulging in one of the tastiest, and easiest quick-breads around!
LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS? TRY SOME OF MY OTHER FAVORITES:
- Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins
- Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie
- No-Bake Granola Bars
- Healthy No-Bake Granola Bites
- Tomato Avocado Melt
- Citrus Fruit Salad
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This Skinny Banana Bread is so incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, and delicious -- you would never know it's "skinny"!
- 4 bananas , about 1 1/3 cups, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour white or white-whole wheat
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- Grease a standard 9x5'' loaf pan (I also like to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make sure the loaf doesn't stick).
Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Add egg, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon and stir well to combine.
In a separate small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir to combine.
Gently stir in melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.
If you'd like to make these into MUFFINS, find the instructions here
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Myra says
What are the nutrition facts for this banana bread?
Lauren Allen says
I have just added nutritional facts. There are about 100 calories/slice 🙂
Grace says
I make this bread all of the time! My husband who doesn’t be like bananas even likes it
Colleen says
Best banana bread muffins I have ever made! Beautiful crumb. Not too sweet. Thanks for posting. 🍌😍
Sarah says
I love this recipe but it always falls in the middle after I take it out of the oven – are they any tricks to keep the middle from collapsing after it is done and cooling?
Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Sarah, where are you located? If you’re at a higher elevation you could try adding a spoonful more of flour. Also make sure your baking soda is fresh, and if you are using a glass pan I would try lowering the baking temperature by 25 degrees. Try not to open the oven at all while it’s baking. Hopefully these tips help!
Hannah says
I was wondering, could i use just oat flour in place of the all purpose? Or would i need to add a little xantham gum to help with the binding?
Lauren Allen says
Oat flour could work–I haven’t tried it to say for sure, but it’s worth a try!
Sheila says
Just getting ready to make this…but can you verify the amount of vanilla? A tablespoon seems like an awful lot~
Lauren Allen says
I do use 1 tablespoon of vanilla. You can use less if you want to. I love the flavor it adds.
Jaimie says
I made this banana bread for a second time, it is absolutely delicious! My husband and parents both loved it. It’s moist and so flavorful!
Lauren Allen says
Thank you so much for sharing!
Jessie says
Hi Lauren
I saw the nutritional information, however I didn’t see a fiber value and I use that to determine my
Weight Watchers point value. Would you happen to know what it is?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Jessie, I just updated it–thanks! There is about 1 gram fiber per slice
Lindsey says
Did you figure out the point value?
Kiran says
This recipe turned out great for me! Thanks to sharing!
Alli says
Absolutely terrific! My daughter and I really enjoyed making it together. Thank you! : )
Lauren Allen says
Thank you so much! So happy you and your daughter spent that time together, and happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Danica says
We LOVE this recipe at our our, I have a 5 year old that is borderline obsessed with it :). Question though. I’ve been struggling with getting it to bake through the middle and realized when I use 4 bananas it’s way over 1 and 1/3 cups. When measuring out 1 and 1/3 cups it’s not nearly as moist but does cook through all the way. Any advice?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Danica, I’m so happy to hear you like the banana bread!
A lot of things can effect baking banana bread–what type of pan you use (metal or glass), oven temp, altitude. Next time I would add a little less banana (maybe 3 smashed bananas) or measure out about 1 1/2 cups. If you want to add all 4 large bananas you could try cooking it at 325 degrees for a longer bake time and cover it with tinfoil about 2/3 way through baking, so the top doesn’t get too browned.
I’m hopeful one of these will work–let me know what you try!
Connie says
Love this recipe! But I’m having problems with the bread rising. It comes out about 1 inch thick. Any suggestions to get it to rise more?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Connie, what size pan are you using?
Paula Spiece says
Maybe your baking soda is too old
Danica says
Thanks so much for the quick response. Lowering it to 325 and tenting with foil towards then end worked like a charm adding 4 large bananas. Took 70 minutes but came out perfect 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Yay! So happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
janet bier says
I just took this out of the oven and couldn’t even wait for it to cool…so good! Throwing away my old tried and true higher calorie recipe!
Heather Rupp says
Just made it! It was yummy! And I love the amount of bananas, I’m always looking for ways to use overripe bananas. My family won’t touch them once they’ve turned even a little bit brown! I doubled it with no problem and used half white and half wheat flour.
Lauren Allen says
Heather! So fun to hear from you! I hope your family is doing well! I’m so happy to hear you liked the banana bread. Thanks so much for commenting <3 <3
Megan says
Just made this yesterday and it was delicious! You would never know that it was a “skinny” recipe and it was so moist. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing!
Susan says
Would I be able to eliminate the butter, as I am trying to make this a weight watchers friendly recipe?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Susan,
That would be fine, although I would suggest adding a scoop of applesauce or yogurt to help with the texture!
Stephanie says
I never knew how happy banana bread could make me!!! I love this recipe, thank you so much! I made mini muffins and topped half with dark chocolate chips 🙂 Made about 32 minis. 10-12 mins at 350. No paper liners, I don’t think there is enough fat in the recipe to release from the paper (which is a GOOD thing!)
THANKS again!!
Stacey says
How many servings to a loaf trying to figure out how many points for ww
Lauren Allen says
Hi Stacey,
I would estimate between 10-12 slices/servings.
sarah says
This is one of the best banana bread recipes I’ve made! I thought 4 bananas was a little much, but I think it makes the banana bread so incredibly moist and delicious. I used a glass loaf pan and covered the top of my bread so it wouldn’t burn once it began rising while the middle wasn’t done. I love that it’s so simple and the wait wasn’t long. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Jennifer Nanke says
Any idea how many WW Freestyle points this would be?
Elizabeth Cousar says
At 12 slices, I modified this slightly (replaced butter with unsweetened apple sauce and replaced sugars with sweeteners). Mine came out to 3 smart points/slice or 2 slices for 5 Points.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks for sharing this tip!
Fiona says
Anyone tried using cake flour? I’ve tonnes left and want to try this recipe ASAP!! 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Hi Fiona, cake flour should work just fine in this banana bread recipe!
Tonya says
Just tried this recipe for the first time and yay! I made them in my trusty muffin top pans, topped with a sprinkle of oats and extra cinnamon, and now I have 12 beautiful banana bread breakfasts waiting. My kids are drooling over them, and I know I’ll have to buy more bananas ASAP!
Lauren Allen says
Yum! Thank you for sharing. I love the oats and cinnamon sprinkled on top–delicious! Thanks for following TBFS!
Kristin says
Yesterday, I was given about 8 lbs of bananas after a 10K and today, I tried your recipe. My husband, who is a bread baker, was very complimentary of the result and your recipe. The texture is very nice and I love that it is not too sweet. I made one with walnuts too and it is delicious. Thank you!
Lauren Allen says
What a great compliment! Thanks so much Kristin!
Chelsey says
Can’t wait to try this! Do you think I could substitute coconut oil for butter and still achieve the same texture? 🙂
Lauren Allen says
I haven’t tried it but I think it will work great!
Nancy Frasher says
Super moist and not too sweet -perfect! I was surprised how little sugar and butter this needed so I was skeptical but I do not think I will need another banana bread recipe from now on-truly! I like how it only took half the time as some of my previous recipes were 60-70 min to bake and even then sinks in the middle! I did a double take on 1 Tbs vanilla … not sure if I ever had a recipe w that much but I trusted it, even the cinnamon seemed a lot but I trusted it… Loved it with walnuts in it too.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks so much Nancy! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! The vanilla and cinnamon really help boost the flavors and make up for the lack of sugar. Love that you added walnuts too! Thanks for your review.
Lorena says
I tried this recipe yesterday and the banana bread came out great! It was very moist and delicious. Instead of white flour, I used Spelt flour, olive oil instead of melted butter and honey instead of sugar. Next time I make it though, I will probably try grapeseed oil, yogurt or applesauce instead of the olive oil. Next time I plan on adding walnuts to the recipe. Thank you.
Lauren Allen says
Love you substitutions! Thanks so much for sharing.
Fariha Yesmin Wahab says
Just made this and it’s amazing!! Can’t even tell it’s low fat! Thank you so much!
Lauren Allen says
I agree! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Brandy says
This recipe is delicious! I only used 2 tbls of brown sugar. I poured half the batter in a bread pan, drizzled honey over it, then added the rest of the batter on top. I also swirled cinnamon and the butter over the top. My husband ate the whole loaf.
Lauren Allen says
Sounds AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing–I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂