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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.
Loved this so much! I made it exactly according to recipe directions, baked for 40 minutes, only substitution was light margarine in place of butter. It’s moist and delicious, and tastes no different than other higher fat and sugar-packed recipes I’ve made in the past. Mine turned out a little flat on the ends and tall in the middle, but all of my baked goods have been turning out like that lately so I think it might be an issue with my baking soda and not the recipe itself lol!
I made this EXACTLY according to the recipe, then your next statement was that you SUBSTITUTED.
Now I’m not a rocket scientist but I’m pretty sure exactly and substituted is impossible.
Clearly you’re not rocket scientist. But I’m sure you must be fun at parties.
I substituted an equal amount of gluten free flour and folded in allergy friendly chocolate chips. I also add a couple of tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener. These are absolutely the best banana bread muffins I have ever made!
Followed recipe with no alterations. After 35 minutes bread was raw inside. Cooked another 10; still wet inside and very little rise. Ended up baking it a total of 60 minutes but the bread came about 1-inch thick and dense/wet. More like banana bread pudding. I used the same baking soda and powder in a loaf of zucchini bread yesterday and had perfect rise, so I know it wasn’t my leavening. I think you need a lot more than 1.5 cups of flour for 4 mashed bananas. Disappointed that I wasted my ingredients and time on this. 🙁
I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out, but something definitely went wrong in the preparation. Hope you get to try it again.
Best recipe for Banana Bread. I usually slice it when cool, then freeze the slices, individually wrapped. So easy to pop in my children’s school lunch boxes, and it keeps them going! Feel much better about giving them this than very sweet or shop-bought cake. I also take this cake (with at thermos of tea) on a winter hike with friends. Everyone loves it! Only difference is that I always use 100% wholewheat (unbleached/unrefined). I use what I have- which sometimes means mixing wholewheat flour, wholewheat spelt, a small amount of rye etc. If I’m short of bananas, (too small etc) and worried it will be dry, I supplement with a spoonful or so of full fat , natural yoghurt. This recipe has never let me down!
Thanks you for letting us know you substituted different flour and it comes out fine because I was not sure if I could do that. I want to use part whole wheat regular flour, not pastry.
I love this recipe! Thank you! I’ve made it at least 6 times during the pandemic and since my husband is diabetic, I sub the sugar with stevia blend and the brown sugar with Swerve brown sugar. Very delicious!!
Question: I ran out of all purpose flour and wondered if I could use almond or gluten free flour instead and what the ratio would be.
Can you please advise? Thank you!
I think you could sub gluten free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Thanks, Lauren! I will try that next time 😊
Happy Thanksgiving!
Please how long can I keep it for at room temperature?
TIA
It’s best eaten by about day 3!
Made this today – so moist and lovely. I’d probably use even less sugar next time. There will definitely be a next time! Great recipe, thanks!
I just put this in the oven and realised I forgot the butter, oh well hope it turns out ok Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made. Didn’t change a thing and baked for 40 minutes. Incredible that there is so little sugar. Just make sure bananas are super ripe. I freeze bananas all the time. They turn black and when thought are like mush and so sweet. Bread turns out super moist!
Excellent recipe. Followed it exactly and it was very moist and flavorful. I have made banana bread from other recipes and this is the best so far. I was looking for a banana bread recipe with little to no fat but I find the applesauce makes it kinds doughy so I didn’t want to use any applesauce. I did add some walnuts and gives it a nice crunch. Its definitely a keeper.