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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
Such a nice trick to ripen the bananas! I never have fresh bananas to make this bread but it’s a great tip anyways, I may need to use it oneday!
– Natalie Ellis
If you replace the egg with 1/3 c flaxseed and the oil with 1/3 c cinnamin applesauce, what would the calories be and how would the nutritional values change?
Hi Michelle, here is a great nutritional calculator you could use to find out. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
awkward calculator to use
I am just done baking this bread , I use sunflower oil , no white sugar just 3 table spoon of brown sugar , I don’t like it sweet specially for breakfast. I added 1/2 clove , 1/2 ginger and 1/2 cup roasted walnuts . It’s super good finally a bread that is not too sweet low fat with a lot of bananas in it. I baked it for 33 minutes next time I will bake it 30.
Thanks
1/2 of what measure for the clove and ginger?
This recipe is delicious!!!!
How many slices in a loaf?
About 10-12 slices, depending on how thick you cut them 🙂
This is my go to for when I make banana bread for my kids. But instead of the white sugar I do Agave nectar because it helps balance out your blood sugar and doesnt mess with it as bad. Then I add some almond extract and some molasses. My kids love it!! Sometimes if I have them I also add some apples into it as well.
How much agave do you sub in for?
This is the BEST Banana Bread recipe ever!!!!!
So delicious ! My new go to recipe for banana bread because it has about a fourth of the sugar compared to most recipes, yet is still sweet because of the additional bananas!
I added a couple of scoops of chocolate protein (fruit / veg mix) plus some applesauce, mini dark choc chips and my picky eater kids love it!
Ooh I love those additions! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad it was picky-eater approved!
Hi do I need to use plain flour or self raising flour?
Regular All-purpose flour 🙂
Plain flour