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.
This recipe has worked for others, but is not behaving with me. I followed it, adding 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and a half cup of walnuts/pecans. After 35 min, top is brown, bread has risen, but the center is still quite wet. I’ll check again at the 45 min mark, and then monitor every few min. after that. I just want the bread to bake, and not burn.
Forgot to add that I’m using a glass bread pan. At 45 min. it seems more baked, but not everywhere. I guess I will have to wait until the inside is fully baked and discard the top of the bread if it gets too burnt.
Try covering it with tinfoil if the top seems to be done but the inside is still too wet. Hopefully this will help it bake further but not burn.
Your problem could be the glass bake pan. I find metal does a much better job when it comes to breads and batters. I used to have the same issue but with brownies!
Just made this recipe and the banana bread is SO GOOD!
This recipe is amazing. I’ve made it about 5 times now since I discovered it (a couple of months ago). I sometimes substitute one of the tablespoons of sugar for a tablespoon of Maple Syrup, throw in some raisins and grate in a good chunk of ginger root if I want to put a bit of a spin on it.
I substitute Splenda brown sugar blend & Splenda. Then I add a chopped walnuts. Going to add pecans next time. I found this recipe when I was cooking for seniors home. I use this recipe at home & my family loves thus bread.
Excellent, moist bread that doesn’t blow up my daily calorie allowance. Even my husband loves it, and he generally wants LOTS of sugar in his baked goods. I think it’s the five bananas!
This turns out perfectly! It tastes amazing and I double the recipe and do one with Enjoy Life chocolate chips and it is so good!!! Thank you for a low sugar and still delicious banana bread:)
Just made this and added walnuts, it’s delicious
I forgot to rate the recipe when I commented previously, so I am re-submitting.
This recipe was so good! My mixture was a little too thick (I may have overestimated the flour), so I added a little almond milk and unsweetened applesauce. I also substituted stevia for the white sugar and added a 1/2 cup walnuts. I loved how it wasn’t too sweet. The taste was just right and the texture of the bread was perfect. I will definitely be using this one again!
This recipe was great! My mixture was a little too thick (maybe too much flour) so I added a little almond milk and unsweetened applesauce. Also added a 1/2 cup of walnuts and substituted stevia for the white sugar. It was so good. Not too sweet. Will definitely be trying this one again!
This recipe is a keeper. I looked for a “low sugar banana bread” recipe. I followed the recipe as written, but I had to make one minor modification: my 2 large very ripe bananas only measured to ~1 cup, so I substituted a single serving container of unsweetened apple sauce for the remaining 1/3 c. of banana. I used white whole wheat flour. (Full disclosure: I added a large handful of chopped walnuts because I like banana nut bread.) This turned out great. I also didn’t use parchment paper to line my stoneware loaf pan (too lazy). I sprayed the loaf pan with baking spray and the loaf released fully and cleanly.
This is my go-to banana bread recipe! I love that it doesn’t need a huge amount of sugar , and always turns out moist and sweet! We eat it for breakfast, morning, and afternoon tea!