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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.
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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.
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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.
I just made a loaf. It is amazing. Very moist and great with some yogurt butter.
I made this with bananas and it was excellent! Enjoyed having a healthy option that is very good. Was wondering if you think this recipe would work with pumpkin instead of bananas, to substitute my regular pumpkin bread recipe?
Can you use whole wheat pastry flour?
Thanks
That should be fine 🙂
Delicious!
Addendum to my last post-In addition to the banana bread question, I’m also wondering in general if whole wheat pastry flour can be substituted in your other recipes too- like chocolate chip cookies etc. Wasn’t sure if it can be subbed 1:1 for all purpose. I’ve used white whole wheat in the past too, just have more pastry flour to use at this time. Is there a general rule on using these two different types of whole wheat flour to replace AP? Thanks in advance!
I really haven’t tested these ideas but give it a try and let me know. Best wishes.
Hi,
Would the banana bread work with whole wheat pastry flour? (Or a combination of AP flour & whole wheat pastry flour?) Thavk you!
I think the combination of AP flour and Whole Wheat flour would be best. It will change the taste and texture slightly but should still be good.
Hi Lauren!
This recipe looks amazing – I can’t wait to try it!
I was wondering (due to the time of year), do you think I could replace the bananas with a can of pumpkin puree to make it a spiced pumpkin bread instead?
Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Natalie, I haven’t tried that but I bet it would be yummy! I’d love to hear if you try it!
excellent,very yummy
I made this for our camping trip and it was a huge hit! Thanks!
Thank you!! I looked on line for a recipe with basic ingredients that I had on hand. I tripled the recipe because I had 13 super sweet over-ripe bananas (leap of faith!)…. I made a huge loaf and muffins. I used Splenda brown sugar (less then 1/2), and no white sugar, and fat free Fage yogurt instead of butter, generic egg beaters instead of eggs. I added mini dark chocolate chips. Greased silicon bakeware with a good coating of spray PAM, no liners, and everything came right out of the bakeware. I did not over-mix as indicated – which is key, and made moist, dense and cakey banana chocolate chip cake/muffins.