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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.
My resolution this year is to learn to back, so far I’ve made a chocolate cake, a plain cheesecake, and now your skinny banana bread. It turned out AMAZING!
Thank you so much for this recipe and the calories are perfect 2.5oz and 137 calories ❤?❤???
I added one tbsp of dark rum and 1/2 cup walnuts. Super yummy. I’m going to use coconut oil next time in place of the butter.
I’m not a huge banana bread person but my family loves it. This was delicious. I could have eaten the whole loaf in one sitting.
I would give it more stars if I could. This bread is absolutely delicious!!! I added some walnuts to it and I love it!!! I am the only one who has had a chance to try it because I am the only one home right now!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It will now be my go to for Banana Bread!!
Thanks for sharing Dianne. I’m really glad you like it so much!
Added a handful of dark chocolate chips…AHHH-mazing!!! It is so crazy moist, which many banana breads are not. Loved it! Thank you
Good recipe. Had to adjust slightly. 1/2 tsp of cinnomon and added 1 more 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Baked for 50 minutes at 350. Turned out perfect. The Parchment on bottem worked great!
I made this recipe as is, except added two eggs because my 3-year-old grandson was intent on cracking two eggs, and it was perfect! I’ve enjoyed reading the comments about how others have modified the recipe, so may play with it next time. I was worried that it might not be sweet enough but my husband said it was perfect. Thank you VERY much for this recipe.
This turned out great! I swapped the egg for a flaxseed egg and the butter for 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to make it vegan. It was delicious, my kids and I loved it! Thank you!
I have made this twice over the last few days and this will now be my go-to recipe! I did find the recipe too sweet for my taste, so I made it today with no sugar at all and it came out perfectly sweet using 4 large over ripe bananas. I also sprinkled crushed walnuts on top today and it added a nice crunch. The kids and hubby love it as much a I do. So fast and easy to make which is an added bonus! This recipe is a winner.
I am wondering what (if any) difference it would make if I used salted butter in lieu of unsalted butter? Personally, I’m not keen on unsalted butter so I would likely not ever have it in my pantry.
Based on the consistent 5-star rating, I am going to also rate this 5 stars! Having a SKINNY recipe in which to use my seemingly endless supply of well-ripened bananas is worth at least 4 stars; if it tastes as good as everone says, it will be a 5+++ star rating by me 🙂