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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
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
I just found this recipe and LOVED it! I made it yesterday, added 1/4 cup flax seed to boost the health factor and used coconut oil instead of butter. It was delicious! This is my new favorite banana bread recipe.
Yum, I love the flaxseed and coconut butter additions! Thanks for sharing Michelle! Hope you get to try more of my recipes soon 🙂
I’ve been making my mom’s recipe for banana bread for decades. It has a ton of butter/oil and sugar. Hers uses 4 bananas too. But my family is trump to cut WAY form on sugar. So I tried your recipe. I am very pleased. I used whole wheat flour so my bread is darker than your photos. I also added walnuts in one loaf and pecans in the other. Both are yummy. I will definitely make this again and again.
I’m so happy you liked it! It’s delicious with walnuts! And, I’m happy to hear it turner out great with whole wheat flour 🙂
Hi, Have made this recipe twice. It’s really good and like that it is less calories than most recipes. I only used 3 tablespoons of sugar and it was sweet enough. Thanks for sharing.
This is the best “skinny” banana bread recipe I have ever tried. I am so impressed that I subscribed to Lauren’s e-mail list and Facebook page, because if her banana bread is this good, I bet her other recipes are great too! I’m bookmarking her site and I will be spending some time looking around! Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, thank you Dana! I hope you get to try more of my recipes soon 🙂
A friend shared this recipe with me, and my grandson and I made it today. I was amazed at how well it rose and how soft and fluffy it was. A most amazing cake! Could it be made using other soft fruits or chocolate pieces, or is it the bananas that make the texture so great?
Hi Penny, I’m so happy you and your grandson enjoyed this banana bread. You can definitely add chocolate chips. I haven’t tried this with any other soft fruits, so I can’t say for sure how they would effect the recipe. Applesauce may be a good substitute, or mashed strawberries or peaches. I’d love to hear if you try anything.
It hasn’t even come out of the ove yet and my toddler LOVES it! He won’t stop licking he spatula.
Can’t get better than pleasing a toddler! 🙂 Thanks Ally, hope everyone loves it!
Wonderfully moist and not too sweet. I added frozen cranberries as my trusted higher calorie recipe and included a tablespoon of cinnamon. Thanks for this recipe.
I love the addition of cranberries! Sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing Diana 🙂
Added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and subbed 1 tbsp of butter for 1.5 tbsp of peanut butter, then drizzled another melted tablespoon of peanut butter over the top of the batter. Also, didn’t have baking powder so I doubled the baking soda and it worked out fine. Super delish!!
Great substitution ideas! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I am making this for the third time. My family and work colleagues love it and cannot believe how low calorie it is! Everyone that tries it asks for the recipe.
That’s wonderful, thank you for sharing! I’m really happy you’ve enjoyed the recipe so much <3
Recipe looks amazing! I don’t have a banana bread pan, nor do I have a muffin pan. But I DO have two donut pans! Would there be any difference in recipe or cook time if I were to make this recipe turn into a dozen baked banana bread donuts?
I haven’t tried these in a donut pan, but I think it would work fine 🙂 Cook time would probably be closer to 15-20 minutes. Good luck!