Healthy Banana Bread is made with delicious, fueling ingredients. It uses everyday products and skips refined sugars and butter.
Have more overripe bananas? Try these Healthy Banana Muffins or Banana Pancakes next!
Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
I go through bananas so quickly at my home! My kids love them as snacks or cut up in their oatmeal, I freeze them to use in an Açaí Bowl or this Blueberry Smoothie, and my husband loves them in this Chocolate Protein Shake.
If I have any leftovers at the end of the week, my kids beg for a baked banana treat. They’ll usually request these Banana Cupcakes, but after I made this healthy banana bread a few weeks ago, they’ve consistently asked for it. Score!
Ingredients In Healthy Banana Bread
- Coconut Oil: Melt it for easier mixing and to help the bread stay soft.
- Honey: Acts as a natural sweetener while keeping the bread moist.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, providing structure and moisture.
- Ripe Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful it will be!
- Greek Yogurt: Opt for full-fat for a richer texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract will give a deeper, more authentic flavor.
- Salt: Just a small amount is enough to bring out the flavors.
- Cinnamon: If you’re a cinnamon lover, feel free to add more.
- Baking Soda: Helps the bread rise and gives it a light, airy texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Don’t over-mix the flour to keep the bread soft and tender.
- Mini Chocolate Chips (Optional): Gently fold them in to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
Quick Tip
This bread is packed with delicious ingredients — protein from the eggs and Greek yogurt, vitamins and nutrients from the bananas, a boost in good cholesterol and energy from the coconut oil, and antioxidants from the honey.
How To Make Healthy Banana Bread
- Prep: Heat the oven, grease and flour a bread pan.
- Wet Ingredients: Mix oil and honey, then eggs, bananas, yogurt, and vanilla.
- Dry Ingredients: Directly add salt, cinnamon, and baking soda to wet mix, then stir in flour and chocolate chips until just combined.
- Bake: Pour into the pan and bake until done.
- Cool: Let the healthy banana bread rest in the pan before serving.
Switch Things Up
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Use dark chocolate for a different flavor and more antioxidants.
- Nuts: Add walnuts or pecans, tossed with the flour, to the batter.
- Raisins: Regular, golden, dried cherries, or cranberries, also tossed with flour are delish.
- Spiced Banana Bread: Leave out the add-ins and increase spices with 1/4 tsp nutmeg or a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
Storage
Freezing And Storing Leftovers
- Store healthy banana bread in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw, leave it at room temp for a few hours or heat slices in the microwave.
More Fueling Recipes
- Healthy Fruit Tart Recipe no bake
- Greek yogurt Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- Banana Waffles sweet and spiced with cinnamon
- Peanut Butter Protein Shake tastes like a milkshake
- Healthy Zucchini Bread super simple
Healthy Banana Bread
Healthy Banana Bread is filled with good-for-you ingredients. This recipe uses everyday products and does not have any refined sugars or butter.
Equipment
- Bread pan 9 x 5-inch
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 packed cup mashed very ripe banana 2 large bananas
- 1/4 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt full-fat, I recommend Greek Gods
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips optional
- 1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 9×5-inch bread pan and lightly dust with flour. Tap off excess flour over the sink and set the prepared pan aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and honey. Add in eggs and whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until well mashed and broken down (see note 1). Pack mashed bananas into a measuring cup and level the top. Add to the wet ingredients along with the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- On top of the wet ingredients, add the salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir. Add in flour and mini chocolate chips (if using). With a wooden spoon, gently stir the chocolate chips to get coated with the flour, then mix the flour into the rest of the ingredients. Do not overmix; stop as soon as the flour is fully incorporated.
- Using a spatula, scrape all the batter into the prepared 9×5-inch pan. Bake in the fully preheated oven for 50–65 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges and a toothpick comes out clean (or with few moist crumbs) from the center.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. When fully cool, cut into slices and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To quickly and thoroughly mash bananas, remove the peels, break into a few pieces, and beat them in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until well mashed.
Note 2: While this recipe contains no added sugar, if you add chocolate chips to the batter, keep in mind that most commercial brands contain sugar.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days. Enjoy slices warmed in the microwave for 10–15 seconds. Bread freezes and thaws well.
Nutrition
Serving: 12slices | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.6g | Protein: 1.3g | Fat: 6.8g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 117.9mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 14.5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this once a week at my house. Perfect for breakfast.
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
Is the batter supposed to be so thick, like cookie dough? Every banana bread I’ve made has always been more runny. I used a browner whole wheat flour…hmmm
It’s a fairly thick batter, but shouldn’t be thick like cookie dough. I’m sure the whole wheat flour is making a difference
Did the recipe change? This used to be my go to banana bread recipe, but I’ve been without an oven since fall, and when I visited my saved tab the recipe seems different. I don’t remember coconut oil or honey being in the original recipe and I do not have coconut oil on hand, so I am quite disappointed.
Hey Heather! No, are you maybe thinking of this Banana bread with Greek yogurt? Both pretty healthy/similar.
Yes, the recipe changed — or at least, the recipe located at this URL is different than it used to be (I had the same experience as Heather, this used to be my go-to, but I took a baking break for a while, and when I came back to it via browser bookmark, the ingredients were different).
Hey Sheila! I updated this recipe to make it more consistent and delicious! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
I just stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, and I’m so glad I did! I used 1 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat, and it was a perfect density! I also only had about 1/4 cup of brown sugar on-hand, so I added 1/4 cup of honey, and it was the perfect sweetness! My husband loved this, and I don’t think he realized it was a skinny version. 🙂 I baked for 40 minutes, then foil-tented for another 12! Thanks for the recipe! Yum!
You’re a genius! Way to work with what you got!:) So glad you guys enjoyed!
What are the white threadlike specks in the bread.
I think you’re talking about the oats!
Could you use almond meal instead of flour?
I wouldn’t recommend it on this bread
Hi! Would it work to use parchment paper, rather than spraying the pan? will this change anything? #bakingnewbie
Sure that would work great! 🙂 Enjoy!