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.
Found you by Googling the ingredients I had on hand for banana bread! Only swap was orange extract as I did not have vanilla, and the bread is delicious and gorgeous. Thank you Chelsea!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed this bread!! Thanks so much for the comment Holly 🙂
Made this last night. I omitted the chocolate chips and topped with some homemade granola. A bit chewier/gummier than regular (butter/oil) banana bread, but this satisfied my craving and kept me somewhat healthy. Thanks!
Ooo granola topping sounds amazing! Glad this was enjoyed 🙂
Yum! This is so delicious. I made it even healthier by skipping the chocolate chips (added cinnamon and chia seeds instead), swapping the brown sugar for sweetener, and swapping out 1/2 of the flour for almond meal. It worked great!
I’m so happy to hear all the swaps worked out well! Thank you so much for the comment!
Just made this and it turned out great! I made them as muffins so I can just easily grab one before heading out the door, and the shorter baking time was a bonus too 🙂 I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white, and I only had egg whites so I just used a 1/2 cup of those. So yummy and definitely so much better warm! Thanks!
So great to hear these were enjoyed! Thanks so much for the comment Sarah!!
This is a really tasty recipe! I made it tonight with my three-year-old and I’ve already had three slices! I’m hoping to be able to freeze a few slices to save for weekday breakfasts on-the-go. How does this bread taste after it’s been frozen and thawed? Our loaf was a little dense/chewy, but I think I over mixed, and scooped too much flour into my measuring cup. I’ll definitely make it again the next time I have over-ripe bananas!
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you Lisa 🙂 I unfortunately have never frozen it so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would be great! And yes, the less stirring the better 🙂 You also may have had a little too much flour in, perhaps a little looser measurement (don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup) will help 🙂
Any idea how many carbs are in this per slice? I’d love to make this!
Can i replace the whole wheat/ white flour with almond flour or coconut flour?
I’ve not tried either in this recipe, but doubt either would work unfortunately. 🙁 Especially coconut flour since it is especially absorbent of liquid, this bread would be ultra dry. I’ve tried doing all oat flour and it didn’t work, which is why I don’t think almond flour would be great.
I did the recipe with 1/2 almond meal and 1/2 wholewheat flour and it was perfect!
So glad to hear that! I’m happy you enjoyed this bread! 🙂
Wanted to thank you for this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and it’s delicious. The dog I was watching once even hopped up on the counter to eat half of it. That was a sad time for me, but just whipped up another one. Going to make it again now. Many thanks!
Hey Lia, it means so much to me for you to come and thank me!! I appreciate it! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe and thanks for sharing the story of your dog, made me laugh!! Have a good one 🙂
This is my favorite banana bread recipe!! So good, and healthy! Wondering if I can make it into muffins next time or if I need to change anything? Have a great week!
Oh yay! So great to hear that 🙂 I’ve actually never tried making this bread recipe into muffins, but I bet it would work! I’d try 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Good luck 🙂
Looks amazing!
Could you make this bread gluten free?!
I personally haven’t, but if you read the other comments, I believe a few people have and had success 🙂 Hope that helps!