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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.
This is delicious! Perfect way to use up bananas, and I love the fact that you use so little fat and sugar.
Thank you! Stay safe and healthy.
RF
It looks great. How can I adapt to bread machine? Does everything stay the same? Thank you.
I would not make this in a bread machine.
I made this last night. Very good!! I added 4 Tbs all brown sugar b/c I just prefer it in my BB and 4 big bananas. I also added about 1 C walnuts.
I read through some of the comments. Why do people feel the need to question and comment on Lauren’s description of “skinny” banana bread? If you have any doubt, look up a few BB recipes and compare the amount of sugar/oil/butter/even flour. Trust me! Lauren’s is much “skinnier” and healthier.
Also, I’ve seen this on many recipes and when I do it irritates me. If someone wants to know the WW points, look them up yourself. Why do people expect the recipe maker to either know that information or find it out for the person wanting to know? If you’re on WW (which I am being a diabetic) then you know how to look up points much easier than someone not (and someone NOT on WW doesn’t have access to the app or web site since it’s a paid subscription). And this lady is a Mom of 4 so…..
Lauren, I didn’t mean to use your site for my soapbox but I love looking at recipes and blogs/personal web sites and I see comments like this every single time I read recipes and it makes me nuts. I felt some people commenting about your recipe were almost rude. I had to speak up and apologize if you’d rather I didn’t. I just feel if anyone disagrees with anyone’s recipe-just keep scrolling or move onto another blog or whatever. No need to be snippy, or rude.
Delicious and easy recipe!!! I added chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut flakes, and then sprinkled pecans on top.
Any idea how many weight watcher points this would be?
Don’t ask her. Just plug the ingredients into the calculator on the app. Jeez.
This was really good. Im only 13 and it was so easy to make that I finished making it in less than an hour. 10/10 would make again.
This is absolutely delicious….I had 3 very ripe organic bananas looking straight at me, then found your site and tah-dah…
scrumptious banana bread…I used Trader Joes Gluten Free flour too and worked out just fine for 35 minutes.
Can’t wait to try this! I’ve been looking for a low calorie banana bread substitute and this is perfect! Thanks!
Can’t get my head around How this is in the slightest bit skinny? It’s full of butter and sugar!!!
I does have butter and sugar, you’re right–that’s why I didn’t call it “Healthy”. It’s skinny because it has significantly less fat and sugar than regular banana bread. 🙂
It’s has a LOT LESS sugar and butter than most banana bread recipes. Most call for 1 cup of sugar, or 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 oil. Her recipe is healthy and skinny. What’s so hard to wrap your head around? 🤨🤯
I only have three bananas. Do I compensate with something else in this recipe?
Three bananas will work fine 🙂