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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
Can you use regular sugar ? I don’t have any brown sugar. Regular eggs instead of egg sub?
I have tried too many banana bread recipes to know that this is the absolute best of them all!! I got so excited and proud of myself for them. Thank you for sharing the recipe. The ratios of the ingredients are perfect. Have saved it for every future bake! The option to view it in metrics was also helpful. Look forward to exploring more recipes. 😀
I made this according to the recipe, using the applesauce and an egg replacement. Turned out very dry and crumbly. Taste was good but why so dry? Do you think the egg replacement? I want to try again but I’m not sure what happened. I was laughing reading all the reviews that said moist! 🥰🤣
It’s dry because there is very little fat in it. It needs fat to be a bit moist. If you are using egg replacer then sub the butter with olive oil. Olive oil is healthier to consume than butter. Don’t use 100 percent extra virgin olive oil because 100 percent extra virgin is better consumed raw as in salad dressings, dips or drizzled over foods. I buy the Kirkland brand olive oil from Costco as it does not have a strong olive smell and use that in baking and cooking in general.
My husband, who doesn’t even like sweets, told me that this banana bread was the best I’ve ever made! He asked when I was going to make more. I used two thirds whole wheat flour and one third white flour and folded in some Kirkland semi-sweet chocolate chips. Absolutely scrumptious!
This Banana Bread is so moist and delicious! My fussy grandson even had 3 slices because he loved it! Very delicious recipe, and great since I am type 2 diabetic, and the sugar is low for this recipe… Give it a try you won’t be dissapointed!
Turned out great!!! Do you think I can substitute pumpkin pie mix for the bananas to make a pumpkin bread?
Chewy, flavorful. Added 1/3 cup each of mini choc chips and chopped walnuts to the top. Excellent low sugar recipe.
It turned out perfect! I added ½ cup of chocolate chips, ¼ cup chopped walnuts. I didn’t have ripe bananas so I baked them in the oven for about 12 minutes to ripen them. My bread was ready in 34 minutes!!! thank you Lauren
So glad to have found this recipe. I was looking for a recipe with lower sugar and this banana bread was perfect. It is moist, flavorful and the only thing I would do differently next time would be to add some chopped walnuts to the top. This will be my go-to recipe from now on.
I used monk fruit sweetener and monk fruit brown sweetener for a healthier version. I added toasted slivered almonds and topped with crushed pecans mixed with monk fruit brown sweetener. It turned out amazing.