This post contains affiliate links.
This EASY Healthy Banana Bread recipe is made with low sugar, no oil and is just over 100 calories per slice. It yields incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, and delicious bread!
Looking for more bread recipes? Try my Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Artisan No Knead Bread, or Skillet Cornbread!
What I love about the recipe:
- Normal Ingredients – No artificial sweeteners or anything out of the ordinary here. I use basic pantry ingredients you already have.
- Healthy – No oil, low sugar, FOUR bananas, and around 100 calories per slice!
- Tastes Amazing – When baked goods are labeled “healthy” they often don't taste great, but I promise you no one would ever guess that this banana bread is any different! It is still just as moist, sweet, and scrumptious as traditional banana bread!
How to make Healthy Banana Bread:
Grease a standard 9×5” 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.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to banana mixture and stir to combine. Stir in melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5-10 few minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.
Pro Tips:
- Use very ripe bananas. The riper the banana, the sweeter it is, the easier it is to mash, and the more sweetness it adds to the bread.
- Trick to ripen bananas quickly: Place the bananas (peel on) on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 6-8 minutes. until the outer peel is dark.
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
To Store: Banana bread will keep at room temperature for 3-5 days.
To Freeze: Cool completely and then store in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Variations:
- Healthy Banana Muffins: Follow my instructions HERE!
- Mix-Ins: Feel free to stir in ¾ cup of you favorite chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins, at the end, before adding the batter to the pan.
Follow me for more great recipes
Healthy Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 bananas, , about 1 ⅓ cups, mashed (320 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, (15 ml)
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar, (38 g)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, (25 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, (2.6 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, (4 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, (5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, (2.5 g)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (white or white-whole wheat) (180 g)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, , melted (or substitute applesauce) (28 g butter or 30 g applesauce)
Instructions
- Grease a standard 9×5” 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 5-10 few minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe January 2017. Updated January 2021 and January 2022.
Process photos by Nikole from The Travel Palate
This recipe hits EVERY TIME!!! Even cooking this at high altitude and accidentally throwing the dry ingredients with the wet before mixing, still came out great. I also added in walnuts and choc chips! So yummy!!!!
Delicious!I have made it 4 times in 3 days! We just can’t get enough!!!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe!!! I make it as muffins and I add walnuts. I make this EVERY weekend so we have them for lunches for the week. My whole family LOVES them!
Hi, did you add applesauce as listed in the ingredients list?
How long did you bake the muffins?
I don’t see applesauce in the ingredient list
Applesauce listed next to the butter, can be used instead of butter.
Can I sub all the sugars into honey?
I’ve never tested it with honey, so I couldn’t say how it would change the end result. I’d love to hear if you try it 🙂
Hi Lauren! Substituted the sugars into 5 tbsp of honey and it turned out great. My 23 month old and 4 year old liked it. For those who wants to try honey as an alternative for sugar, and want it to be more sweet, they can add 1 or 2 more tbsp of honey.
Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe! More powers to u! ?
This is my new favorite banana bread recipe! I added chocolate chips (don’t ask how many, I free poured! ;)) So delicious!
So delicious! I am so happy I finally found a recipe for banana bread that I love. It came out perfect. I ended up substituting two tablespoons of grapeseed oil for butter and it was still so good. Thank you so much! This is my first banana bread recipe I haven’t messed up haha
Literally the best banana bread recipe!!! I’ve never understood why I would need to add 1 1/2 cups of sugar to a banana bread recipe! I made this with my 3 year old and he loved it so much. Thanks!!!!
Lovely banana bread although I found it too sweet. Next time I’ll reduce the sugar component.
Yep, as printed this is an awesome recipe! My go to “healthy” banana bread recipe calls for non-fat yogurt. I didn’t have any and would have to drive 30 miles to get some, so I tried this recipe for my 1st time. Excellent flavor. I did add an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a 1/2 tsp nutmeg for extra zing.
Amazing flavour!!! Thanks
Mine has risen loads in the middle. What have I done wrong? ?
Maybe your oven was too hot? I remember reading that a hot oven will bake the sides first and prevent the batter from rising any further on the sides, while the center continues to rise. I have used water-soaked cloth baking strips wrapped around 9″ x 2″ cake pans to prevent this from happening.
Can I substitute oil for the butter?
That should be fine 🙂
je viens de le faire à l’instant et il est DELICIEUX ! “j’ai pas pu attendre qu’il refroidisse entièrement pour le goûter….” MERCI pour cette belle recette 🙂