Healthy Banana Bread!
With this healthy banana bread recipe, you're only a few basic ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It's made with whole wheat flour and honey.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Want to make someone’s day? Bake them some banana bread! Just yesterday, I said, “I’m going to bake some banana bread,” and watched a full-grown man’s eyes light up like a kid’s on Christmas morning.
Banana bread is one of those classic, all-American comfort food recipes that fills the whole house with warmth and makes everything better. Banana bread is magic.
I perfected this banana bread recipe for my cookbook and wanted to share with you here. This recipe has all the hallmarks of classic banana bread—it’s fluffy, moist, infused with sweet banana flavor, and beloved by toddlers and adults alike.
Bonus? This recipe requires just one bowl, a few measuring cups and some basic ingredients.
What makes this banana bread healthy?
- This banana bread recipe is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour, unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined flour and lots of processed sugar.
- This banana bread is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which offer some trace nutrients that white sugar does not.
- Lastly, this recipe calls for a reasonable amount of unrefined oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from virgin coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil).
As you can see, my homemade banana bread has plenty of redeeming qualities, chief being that it won’t send your blood sugar levels for a loop. You can keep them all to yourself, though. No one will be able to tell that this is healthy banana bread!
Banana Bread Flour Options
This recipe is flexible! Any of the following flours will work well. I love to use white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour—they offer all the whole wheat nutrients, without the characteristically nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- Oat flour*
- Spelt flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- White whole wheat flour
*To substitute oat flour, you’ll need to use 2 1/2 cups, for reasons elaborated in my guide to oat flour.
Want to make your banana bread with almond flour? You sure can, but it’s not a simple substitute, so follow my almond flour-based banana bread recipe instead.
Tip: How to Measure Flour
For best results, it’s important to measure your flour properly. Here’s how to measure flour in cups using the “spoon and swoop” method:
- Gently stir your flour with a large spoon to loosen it up.
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it in!).
- Level off the excess with a butter knife.
Banana Bread Variations
Now that I’ve finally perfected this basic banana bread, feel free to change up this recipe and make it your own. Toss some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter! Same goes for chocolate chips. You could also add raisins, chopped dried fruit or slices of bananas.
Craving muffins instead? Follow my recipe for healthy banana muffins.
Following a special diet? With a couple of minor tweaks, you can make this bread vegan (so dairy free and egg free, too) or gluten free. Check the recipe notes for details.
Watch How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
Healthy Banana Bread
With this healthy banana bread recipe, you’re only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It’s made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten free—check the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf (about 10 slices).
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
- ½ cup honey (168 grams) or maple syrup (155 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (225 grams) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
- ¼ cup (56 grams) milk of choice or water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
- 1 ¾ cups (220 grams) white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour**
- Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my honey whole wheat banana bread, originally based on All Recipes.
Storage suggestions: This bread is moist, so it will keep for just two or three days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for five to seven days, or in the freezer for up to three months or so. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by letting them rest at room temperature or lightly toasting them.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
**Flour alternatives: In place of the whole wheat flour, you can use an equal amount of all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Or, substitute 2 ½ cups oat flour.
Make muffins: Here’s my banana muffin recipe.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free: Use an equal amount of Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend or 2 ½ cups certified gluten-free oat flour. Do NOT substitute coconut flour.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
If you love this recipe: You will also love my banana muffins, banana cake with cream cheese frosting, healthy pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Here are all of my baked goods and banana recipes.
Recommended equipment: I am totally in love with my Fiesta Loaf Pan in Turquoise (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Wow, just wow! I make a lot of banana bread and was skeptical that this would be as good as the sugar/butter/white flour versions I usually make. It’s not as good.. It’s better! This will be my go-to from now. Tip: because of the wholemeal it’s much darker as it cooks so I was worried it was over-cooked. But nope, it’s just a darker colour.
Hi Kate,
I am not a good baker but it came out great!!
Can I use Almond flour instead? at least half of the recipe?
Hi Z! If you want to use almond flour, I suggest my almond flour bread Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)
I have tried making banana bread before but it has never turned out well (seems to be a bit undercooked in the center for some reason). Since I have made other Kate recipes before I decided to give it a try. I liked that it used another flour other than white and was sweetened with honey. I did add chopped pecans to it and added a few on top. Well I just ate two slices. It was fabulous, very moist and flavorful, not too sweet. Great recipe Kate
Delicious cake, very easy to make. Used coconut oil, maple syrup, sprouted whole grain flour, coconut milk, and added pecans.
Thank you for your review, Nadia!
I made this easy banana bread using coconut oil and maple syrup. I didn’t have any white whole wheat flour and they don’t carry it here, so I used all purpose flour. I look forward to trying white whole wheat flour next time – – might have to order it online. I added about 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans which I toasted in a pan. They added a little delicious nutty crunch throughout the bread. This is seriously the most delicious banana bread I have ever eaten. I highly recommend it (as does my husband, and my four dogs who keep begging for a piece because it smells so good)! Thanks so much for this recipe!
I normally don’t comment, but this bread was AMAZING, DELICIOUS, PERFECT, and exactly what I was hoping it would taste like!
Some small variations I had were that I added walnuts and mashed frozen bananas instead of fresh ones. The other thing I did differently was that I baked it in a glass casserole dish because I didn’t have a loaf pan. It cut the cook time down a lot and still turned out great.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m glad you commented, Sarah! Thank you for commenting.
Hello,
thank you for the recipe, but to be honest I didn’t really like the bread. It tasted kind of bitter.. Maybe because of baking soda. Otherwise the consistency was good. :-)
Hi Barbara, I’m sorry you didn’t love this bread. I appreciate your feedback.
I always use Bob’s Redmill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour and dark chocolate chips when I make this (it’s my signature pot luck dish and I always bring print outs of the recipe from your website because people always ask :o) ) but today I found myself without mix ins and feeling frisky. Today I added a wee bit of nutmeg and allspice to give it an autumn spin and added flax seeds as a mix in because I just happened to have accidentally ordered some in bulk. My loaf turned out so friggin GOOD I almost dont want to share it! I’ve made this banana bread 20+ times now and it’s been excellent every time. You deserve an award for its creation. Cheers!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad your creation worked, Nicole. I appreciate your review!
This is my favorite new recipe! I have made this three times now and it turns out wonderful every single time. I recommend adding one or more bananas (up to three from another commenter) to make it even MORE moist!
Thank you for creating this recipe! I’ll be using this recipe from now on.
You’re welcome! I’m excited this is a favorite.
Just made 4 mini loaves. Delicious ! Used coconut oil and added chocolate chips and walnuts ! Really really good, sooo moist ! My new go to recipe! Highly recommend .
This turned out great! I wanted to make a banana bread that I didn’t feel too guilty eating and this did it for me! I used maple syrup but didn’t have exactly a 1/2 cup so I added a little honey to make up the difference. I also added extra dark chocolate which is my favorite banana bread add-in. My oven runs a little hot so I only had to bake for 50 min and it came out perfect. Definitely saving this one to make again and again.
I should have read the recipe properly…. I made it with coconut flour and it was way too stiff. Will try again with a different flour
Hi Lucy! Coconut flour isn’t a great 1:1 substitute as it tends to soak up the moisture. Checkout the flours that work well with it in the body of the post.
HI Kate, can I use avocado oil?
Hi Sin, I haven’t tried it. I believe others have used it and it turned out great!
Best Banana Bread, lovely and moist, used Maple Syrup and wholemeal flour
I’m thinking next time to add some walnuts or pecan nuts.
Thank you Kate and Cookie for all your hard work xx
This is by far the best banana nut bread I have ever made. No need to look around. I make it once a week with our left over bananas. Delicious!
I’m glad you love it, Emily!
My husband was a bit suspicious of these muffins because of the word ‘healthy’ in the title. He was expecting bland but was pleasantly surprised. Very easy to make. Next will be the loaf, then pumpkin muffins. Thanks. This is now my go to recipe for muffins
This recipe has been my staple before.. Such a flexible recipe too. My favourite combo is coconut sugar instead of the honey (a little less than stated in recipe) and full fat coconut milk from a tin, with light olive oil. Lots of walnuts and raisins. Thank you for a great recipe.
Amaizing and easy to make banana bread with carefully explained variations to suit everyone’s diet. Measurements given in cups amd grams, absolutely brilliant! Amaizing!!!
Thanks for the time to create this fabulous recipe! Though hone into taste and technical parts of writing it! Well done!
Wonderful, Ana! Thank you for your review.
Brilliant recipe! Very easy to make with yummy results . I left the milk out as unable to have dairy, but I’m sure it was probably just as good. Thanks Kate!
Simply the best! I mix in raisins and sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Even better than the banana bread I grew up with and soooo much healthier! My toddler loves it as well.
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe I have made this two days consecutively I only have one problem that’s the color of the bread which tends to get darker towards the base and sides of the bread, what would you reckon is going on?
Hi! It is likely the dish you are baking it in and the contact points are just conducting the heat more to get it more brown. How is it turning out?
I was looking for banana bread without sugar and finally here I found perfect recipe for my toddlers. I used oat flour and it came out surprisingly delicious.
Have you ever tried baking it with buckwheat flour?
Thank you!!!
Hi Kristine! I’m happy you loved it. All the flours I suggest are listed in the post. Thank you for your review!
Hi Kate, I tried this recipe today and it came out well, except that my top got burnt :(.
I need suggestions w.r.t substituting honey with 1. sugar 2. jaggery powder. Any thoughts there? What changes would be required?
I don’t always have honey at home and jaggery is relatively healthier for the kids.
Hi! Sorry to disappoint, but changing the sweetener may require other adjustments if it would work. Without trying it, I can’t say for sure.
This was my first time trying banana bread, and I think I will stick to this recipe! I substituted sugar-free maple-flavored “syrup” and one less yolk, as I’m watching out for sugar and cholesterol. Still turned out amazing, maybe even perfect!
I wanna thank you for this amazing recipe it’s truly amazing!
Love it. My very healthy hubby is ever so grateful that I came across your recipe!
Thank you so much- about 3 or 4 years too late. I’ve been making this banana bread with my son forever now and it’s a perfect go- to quick breakfast for all of that time. Not only do we love to eat it, but it’s provided get baking and measuring lessons :-) And it’s flexible too – sometimes we use more or less bananas, sometimes a little white flour, sometimes brown sugar. It all works well. Thank you very much!!
You’re welcome, Marcie! Thank you for taking the time to review.
This is such a solid recipe! I make this so often, it’s almost committed to memory. I have also used this with various substitutions when I don’t have enough of certain ingredients and it still comes out wonderfully! Thanks for a great staple!
Hello Fall! I made this receipt yesterday with whole wheat flour. I followed the recipe and it was Delicious and moist! Thank you, this is my banana recipe!
You’re welcome, Cindy! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely delicious! Not too sweet, which is what I wanted. I used organic white unbleached flour and honey; I will try whole wheat flour for a healthier effort and maple syrup just to try it for change next time. I added chopped apples into it and walnuts with a few oats and butter on top for a crunchy topping. Your recipes never fail to please. Thank you!
Hi! Has this recipe changed? I had one that used butter, no milk and minimal sugar .
This was the best recipe.
Would you happen to have it or can email to me please.
Cheers,
Sari
Hi Sari, I’m not sure what you are referring to. I have updated the pictures and other flour options, but the recipe hasn’t changed.
My go to banana bread recipe. I break up a bar of dark chocolate to sprinkle in and it’s soooo good!
I love your page. I made muffins kinda using your recipe a few weeks ago. My husband keeps buying bananas and not eating them. Now time to make them again. I think I used oatmeal not ground very well because I didn’t have a food processor. They turned out ok for me because I eat pretty much anything but they were a bit “heavy” for my co workers. I plan on making them again tonight now that I have a food processor and I will split the flour half oat and half spelt. Any suggestions on measurements for the flour? Also I just bought your cookbook!
Hi Val! I’m not sure about spiting the flour for how this could turn out without trying it myself. Sorry!
I luv that you give options on oils & sugars and are using healthier Gluten Free items. I have neuropathy and gluten items are identified as to my flairups.
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe to a tee with the oat-flour version (making sure to follow Kate’s recommendation of using 2.5 cups of oat flour). It turned out perfectly! Thanks, Kate! All of your recipes I’ve tried have been amazing, you’re my go-to girl when I’m baking anything.
I made this with oat flour and reduced the honey by a third and it turned out so moist and delicious. Also, my dad is diabetic and he was able to enjoy this without any worries! This is a new weekly staple for us!
Best banana bread ever! I make it exactly as written with honey, coconut oil and organic wholewheat flour. Sensational.
Hi Kate, I usually don’t comment on recipes but this time I just had to. This is the best banana bread I have ever had. It is so satisfying and as you said, no one can even tell it is on the healthier side. I have made it so many times, this has become my go to banana bread recipe. I also love how versatile it is, I can always make different variations depending on what I have in my pantry. And finally, thank you for including the metrics measurements! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you did! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Totally agree!!!
Hi Kate. Loved the honey & olive oil in this recipe but it was a little dry and not dense enough for my taste. Could the recipe take an extra banana without ruining the rise of the loaf do you think?
Thanks, Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, I’m sorry you didn’t love it. Did you use a very ripe banana?
Oh yes – I used some lovely mushy bananas:)
Hey Kate! I want to make this a chocolate banana bread. Please can you recommend how much cocoa powder I could put in it?
Hi Cece, sorry to disappoint. I can’t speak to how much as I haven’t tried it myself. I believe others have and may have provided their recommendation in the comments.
This banana bread is the best I’ve ever made. So moist and ultra delicious!!
Banana bread is THE thing to do. Unfortunately, I didn’t try out this recipe until recently and I wish I had made this sooner. I really loved how this healthy take on banana bread did not compromise in taste and quality – in fact, it actually makes you feel better because there are a lot of wholesome ingredients. The recipe was very easy to follow and I really enjoy anything that involves using 1 bowl. I ended up baking my loaf for approx 60 min, stopping to cover with foil around 50 min as I noticed it was starting to really brown. It was truly love at first bite and it will definitely not be the last loaf that I make….in fact, I can already see chocolate chips and nuts making an appearance for my next banana bread loaf. Thanks Cookie & Kate!
Best banana bread I’ve made (and I have made a LOT of banana bread! I replaced the milk with a small pot of greek yogurt and used chopped pecan nuts. Kids love coming home from school with the smell of this banana bread when they walk in the door! Thank you Kate for another great treat!
I’m happy it met your standards, Rebecca! I appreciate your review.
I made this banana bread and it was amazing. If I wanted to make zucchini bread instead can I follow this recipe but swap out banana for the zucchini? Thanks!!!
Hi Rose! I would recommend my Healthy Zucchini Bread.
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. I made it with whole wheat flour, avocado oil, pure maple syrup and doubled the cinnamon. My add-ins were 1/2 cup each chopped walnuts and dried bing cherries. It was so delicious. I also found whisking the dry ingredients into the flour worked very well to eliminate the problem some folks were having with evenly distributing it through the loaf. My first loaf I followed your instructions and found clumps of baking soda randomly mixed in.
OMG this was the BEST banana bread I have ever made!
I followed the recipe exactly and added 1/2 cup of Ghirardelli chocolate chips for my daughter and she LOVED it! Thank you
so much, I can’t wait to make this again!
Hi Kate,
I have tried this recipe few times, sometimes with some hiccups and other times a perfect loaf being baked! After approx how many minutes of baking time, the bread should start rising? I just want to ensure mine is neither too early nor too late in the process.
Regards,
Gurleen
Hi! I’m sorry this hasn’t seemed consistent for you. What seems to be the issue when it doesn’t turn out? Are you using fresh ingredients?
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your reply. Yes definitely fresh ingredients but keep getting cracks through the top and inside stays softer. Sometimes the bread starts rising within few minutes and other times it longer like about 15 minutes. I wonder if it is my batter consistency! How long after baking should it start rising?
It tastes great always but I’m just trying to perfect the look of my loaf so I can slice it evenly
Regards,
Gurleen
Love this recipe!! Thank you, Kate! I use a little less honey (1/3 c), and add in a little extra banana :) I also like to add chopped almonds and Lily’s sugar free chocolate (tastes great and melts well). Oh, and top with a sprinkle of coconut sugar! ;)
THIS BANANA BREAD IS AMAZING!! IT SO MOIST AND YUMMY!
Hi. Would it be possible to have the ingredients in grams rather than in cup measurements because I found it quite hard to follow the recipe in cups. Thanks.
Hi Loreally, This is a great conversion chart that may help.