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.
THE best banana bread recipe. Highly recommend adding 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut to complement the coconut oil and for great texture.
Thank you, Sam!
This is delicious banana bread. I used half honey and half maple syrup, EVOO and white wheat flour. In addition, I used toasted walnuts and a handful of chocolate chips. It’s so moist and came out of the pan beautifully.
I was able to slice into 12 nice slices that are laid out freezing as I type this.
Thanks for the great recipe!
I absolutely loved this recipe. I used coconut oil, oat milk, honey, Bob’s Mill Artisan Bread flour 1 3/4 c and it turned out perfect ! I chose dark chocolate chips and walnut pieces as add-ins. I also carmelized a few slices of banana to put over Cocojune coconut yogurt served alongside and that was a great touch. 10/10 great!
This recipe is my favourite. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve baked this one!! Every time I lose the recipe I have to search on the web “healthy banana bread” and there it is hahaha. This time I saved it though
One of my favs! I always make a double batch. Freezes so well. I add walnuts to the entire batch and chocolate chips to some.
Thank you for sharing, Liz! I appreciate your review.
Seriously THE BEST banana bread recipe out there. So grateful for this recipe, definitely a family favorite. Question, can the batter be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for future baking? Thank you!
Hello, can I use Apple butter instead of oil ?
Hi Summer, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I believe some have tried applesauce.
do u have a recipe that uses almond flour with regular all-purpose flour. looking for recipe where i don’t need to compromise all of the ap flour.
Hi, try my Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)
Tried your banana bread recipe…it was great! I added dried cranberries that had been steeping in blackberry wine for over a year…of course the alcohol is all evaporated but that didn’t change the flavor! Delicious! Thanks a million for sharing your creation!!!
This recipe is perfect!! Family Favorite
Thank you for your review, Angela!
Love love love this banana bread! I am trying to work my way through a backlog of frozen ripe bananas – do you think I can use defrosted bananas in this recipe? Thank you!
Great to hear, Becky! Thank you for your review.
This was SO GOOD!!!! I’d been craving banana bread for a long time but the good ones come with at least 1/2 cup of white sugar. This was amazing, even my picky eater husband went for seconds! I added sugar free mini chocolate chips to the mixture and also on top. Super moist, soft and the perfect amount of sweetness. I made this for Easter and it really hit the spot. I made mine with maple syrup and whole wheat flour.
Next time I will try with oat flour and monk fruit sweetener for a sugar-free and gluten-free version!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Amazing recipe! I just made it for the second time, and this time in an effort to make it even healthier, I swapped 25% of the flour for ground almonds. It was amazing! For thr mix-ins I used raisins, chopped nuts mix and some candied ginger i had lying around. I just wanna make it again and again, it’s so good!
That’s great, Krisztina!
This is one of the best recipes ever! I’m totally incompetent when it comes to baking but I’ve made this several times and it’s never failed! It’s so moist and delicious. I always add chocolate chips and walnuts on top and it’s such a delicious treat.
100% recommend this recipe for a healthier alternative to “traditional” banana bread.
Wonderful to hear, Amber! Thank you for your review.
Hello!
Is it possible to substitute honey/syrup for monk fruit?
I am looking to make it diabetic-approved.
Thanks!
Hi Maria, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Love love love this banana bread! I’m trying to work through a big stash of frozen bananas and wondering if you think this would work with these bananas, defrosted? Thank you!!
Hi Becky! It should work. Let me know what you think when you try it!
Lovely recipe! I love banana bread and this having natural sugar to sweeten and coconut oil instead of butter makes it even better. No guilt in having cake for breakfast thanks so much for sharing
Pretty good banana bread and helpful instructions but it needs more banana, the final product tastes more like the wheat flour and less like banana bread.
If I make again I’ll probably add another whole banana, maybe try half white wheat and half regular flour.
I use olive oil,& put a few wall nuts in,the banana bread was so moist & a lovely flavour,thank u Kate
You’re welcome, Carmel!
Hello, I’ve been making this banana bread for over a year now almost every other week for my family. Everyone loves it, and it’s so flexible as well which is nice. I’ve adapted it to make pumpkin bread and zucchini bread, and they turn out great too. We always add mini dark chocolate chocolate chips too of course
I wanted to chime in and just say that I made this with 100% rye flour this week and it turned out really well. The only difference was that I increased the milk by 50% since rye flour is a little thirstier than whole wheat flour. Flavor-wise it is very similar to the whole wheat, maybe a little bit more complex but my family cannot tell the difference.
What do I change to make the pumpkin? Thanks
I just replace the banana with pumpkin puree (canned) same weight as in the recipe.
This recipe turned out perfect. I added some chopped dates and chopped walnuts and halved the maple syrup as dates are pretty sweet.
Great to hear, Grace! I appreciate your review.
Hi there, could you explain why baking soda is required instead of baking powder? Thanks
Hi Justine! It helps it rise and give that fluffy texture. I hope you love it!
Accidentally used baking powder in a rush and turned out quite well. Probably more dense and less fluffy than intended, but far from the end of the world as I thought! Brownies and choc sponge cakes are equally delicious.
Love this recipe, I’m making it a second time and turns out I have less bananas, will it still be good to go?
Hi, for the best results be sure to use as much as listed in the ingredients.
Amazing! I swapped the flour for gluten free dove’s farm, and the coconut oil for butter. Simply delicious!
I made this recipe using frozen bananas I needed to get rid of and it was AMAZING! I put a small selection of choc chips, walnuts and cut up dates (half a cup in total). I also used more banana than the recipe said (3 large frozen bananas).
Can’t stop eating it!! Thank you :-)
That’s great! I’m glad the frozen bananas worked for you. I appreciate your review!
Yum! I made it with half of the honey called for and was just right for us.
I’m glad it turned out, AT!
Hi Kate I love this cake. 2nd time making and I’m thinking no butter no sugar super easy and turns out perfectly. I’m wondering what temperature do you recommend for a fan forced oven. Would I be right in guessing Cookie is your dog? Sweet dog with a sweet name. We have 2 border collies
My favourite banana bread recipe! I look forward to having overripe bananas so I can make this. I love that it relies on the bananas and honey for sweetness rather than refined sugar and it is perfectly sweet but not too sweet every time. What a winner!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Jay!
Would agave nectar be ok to use instead of honey or maple syrup?
Hi! I haven’t tried it so I can’ say for sure. I would see if others have used it by searching the comments and seeing if anyone has insights.
I just baked my first banana bread using this recipe with some tweaking. It came out GREAT! I used organic whole wheat flour (not white whole wheat), sunflower oil, and maple syrup. 1/2 cup of sweetener felt too much for my husband and me, so I cut it down to somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 cup and increased almond milk to 1/3 cup. I added walnuts, and 55 minutes of baking time was good enough. I will check at 50 minutes the next time, as the top of the bread got a little burned. I will not sprinkle cinnamon powder on the top the next time as it didn’t look so good. I was looking for a banana bread recipe that doesn’t include any ingredients that I don’t have in my kitchen. Kate’s recipe was perfect. Thank you so much, Kate!
Hey Kate, this recipe seems delicious! If I substitute with oat flour that would be 225 grams? I looked at your oat flour guide but just wanted to make sure.
Hi Erika, 1 cup (spooned into cups and leveled) oat flour weighs 88 grams, this recipe calls for 1.75 cups. You will want 2.5 cups of oat flour, which is roughly 220 I believe. How did it turn out?
I’ve made this flour and gluten free 1:1 flour and both were great. I use honey and maple and have used maple/agave also – they’re always great!!!
Wonderful to hear, Amy!
This bread is like getting a hug. I make it exactly as written using the weight on the flour. Its more consistent. I use olive oil and maple syrup. Its so interesting how the taste changes based on the ripeness of the bananas. I add a touch of cardamom with the cinnamon to give it a bit of herbal citrus like flavor. I bring this as a gift all the time and everyone loves it. …. This is only healthy when you dont eat half a loaf in one sitting. There are only two of us and it usually does not make it to the next day.
I love that description, Victoria! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it.
Thanks for this nice recipe , I made it today.
Absolutely delicious
I added self-raising flour and walnuts
I made this today with Bob’s Gluten Free Flour 1:1 and it is absolutely delicious! I just printed several other recipes I plan to make soon. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!!
I’m glad you loved it, Pam!
Turned out great! Thank you !
You’re welcome, Eliza! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kate, love this recipe (as so many of your recipes!) I’d like to make this for my 8-month old and skip any sweetener (honey / sugar / agave syrup). Do you think it would work (bake well) with 3 overripe bananas and no sweetener? Thanks so much!
Hi Alexandra, I recommend this recipe as written. Changing the ingredients and quantities will impact your results.
Best banana bread ever, and I’ve tried so many different recipes. Great job and thanks!!
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Kd!
Hi Kate,
I had some ageing bananas at home and decided to make banana bread. Of course I went straight to your site first and found exactly what I wanted. Made it exactly per the recipe plus walnuts. Delicious and stored so well in the fridge. Loved it slightly toasted with coffee for a mid-AM snack. Thanks for always being my go-to no matter what ingredients or cravings are on hand!
I had 4 MASSIVE bananas that ended up hitting the 690 gram mark so I tripled this recipe using freshly milled whole wheat flour. Weighed all the ingredients and poured it all into one big 13×9 casserole dish (it barely fit). Probably shouldn’t have, but I like to live dangerously (or at least bake dangerously).
Just pulled it out of the oven after an hour and the results are in: absolutely lovely! I’m surprised by the lightness of the bread even though it is whole wheat. I will switch it up with mix-ins next round because there will be a next.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!!!
Delicious! I made it with gluten free flour (Woolworths brand) and agave syrup instead of honey/maple syrup. My bananas were very ripe so I didn’t use the full 1/2 cup of syrup – the result is perfectly sweet.
I’m happy it turned out so well, Marta!
I’ve made this recipe sooo many times in the past 7 years or so. I love it! I’ve made it as a snack for my older sister, my younger siblings, my boyfriend…the list goes on.
I usually omit the honey/syrup as the banana makes the bread sweet enough for me. I eat it as a snack or breakfast, as it is or as a sandwich with some butter and cheese on top (this probably sounds weird to many but it is de-lish).
I’ve tried a number of flour combinations, with whole wheat, spelt wheat and almond. However, my all-time favorite must be 50/50 wheat flour and oat flour (rolled oats mixed into flour).
Hopefully I’ll keep making it again and again in the coming 7 years as well :)
Thank you Kate for such a great recipe!
I love to hear that, Elin! Thank you for taking the time to review and for following along for 7 years. I couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you for this recipe. I did not have whole wheat flour, so I used unbleached all purpose flour, I also omitted the sweetener, and added an additional banana + an extra dash of milk. Lastly I followed someone’s recommendation in adding 1/4 cup of greek yogurt. I was a little worried at first because batter seemed quite dry, but it came out moist and perfect!!
Hi, just wondering if I can substitute butter back in instead of the oil?
Hi Crys! I recommend this as is. Let me know if you try it. Sometimes is can work, but not always.
Ok I tried this twice and both times it wouldn’t good all the way through and it would fall a little in the middle and stay extremely oily and gross. Very weird idk what I did wrong at all. Happy it turned out for everyone else just sharing my experience! :,) sad
Hi Mya, I’m sorry it didn’t turn out. Are you baking at an elevation?
My family and friends love this bread and I don’t feel guilty for serving it to my toddler or like I’m cheating on my diet! I use yellow squash, zucchini, and carrots shredded or puréed instead of adding the extra liquid and it comes out perfect! I sometimes also substitute with an artificial sweetener for my diabetic family and you can’t even tell! Such a good easy recipe!
Fab-u-lous! Rave reviews from everyone who eats this–even me, and I usually don’t like banana anything. My husband took a loaf to work to share, and it disappeared before he could get a piece. I followed the recipe with the only addition of toasted, sprouted walnuts. Exceptional recipe. What a wonderful gift this will make at gift-giving time
I had three very ripe bananas that needed to be used so I searched internet and found this healthy recipe. SO GLAD I did!! Entire family LOVES it! I am about to begin another loaf and had to re-do my search to find it again!! First time I used the melted coconut oil, room temperature eggs to avoid the coconut oil from hardening, honey, 3/4 cup buckwheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour (didn’t have whole wheat flour…still don’t but will try in the future), 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkled more on top for swirling, 3/4 cup largely chopped walnuts and lined bottom of my bread pan with parchment (in addition to oiling the pan). Baked at 325 for 55 minutes. Bread was very dark because of the buckwheat flour, but absolutely fantastic taste and texture! This will be my go-to recipe for sure now!!
Hello, can it be done with oats flour?
Yes! Just be sure to follow my How to Make Oat Flour.
Hello, can it be made with oats flour?
Hi Luneta, Yes! Use my How to Make Oat Flour guide to help with measurements.
Thought it was time to leave a glowing review since I’ve been making this regularly for several years! My family LOVES this recipe. It’s very flexible and forgiving. We’ve adjusted it for vegans, GFers and other picky or allergic guests that come by. For those having trouble adapting to GF, buy better flour! GF flour can be gross, so if you’re doing that you should at least upgrade before criticizing a recipe that wasn’t designed for that. For my family, we’ve experimented with subbing chia seeds, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds, greek yogurt, powdered protein, extra bananas instead of sweeteners, add-ins like chocolate or peanut butter, and many others. Never disappointed! Regardless, a review should reflect the original recipe, not the reviewer’s alterations, and this is a 5-star recipe as is! This recipe introduced me to this blog, and we have since found so many other family favorites here. I especially love the user-friendly interface and ease of finding recipes/tips, compared to other sites where the author has to tell you their life story before sharing the actual recipe 10,000 words later buried amongst endless ads. Thank you so much Cookie & Kate for all the yummy inspiration!