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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
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- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
★★★★★
4.9 from 2740 reviews
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).
Scale
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
- ½ cuphoney (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 breadandpumpkin 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 Information
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.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Catherine Qc.Canada
Best damm banana bread recipe ever and I’ve tried many recipesI’ve made 6 loaves so far using this recipe as my base and they’ve all turned out moist and delicious(chocolate,date,nut,raisins), even doubled the recipe it was a success! Bravo Kate!
It’s easy and simple★★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Catherine! I appreciate your review.
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Kimberley
The best banana bread ever, and healthy too! I added @ 1/2-3/4 C chopped prunes, 1 C chopped walnuts and a total of 3 bananas. Very moist and delicious!
★★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Kimberly!
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Tania
It turned out good. The only thing I would do differently is use half the amount of maple syrup called for in the recipe. It’s a lot sweeter and thinner than honey and has a strong flavor.
★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Tania!
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Shari
I made this yesterday. I substituted the oil with applesauce and used the maple syrup. I added chopped walnuts, too. This bread is so moist and delicious. It will be a favorite, especially when the bananas ripen quickly, to add to my collection. Thank you.
★★★★★
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Sue
This is my go-to recipe! Love it.
★★★★★
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Kate
I love to hear that, Sue! Thank you for your review.
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Isabell Bauscher
This bread smells amazing and was easy at home recipe to make. Cant wait for my parents to try it. I love baking so i know its going to amazing.
★★★★★
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Kate
I’m excited you loved it, Isabell! I appreciate your review.
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Maureen
This recipe is absolutely perfect as is. Today is my third time making it this month. Everyone loves it!!
★★★★★
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Kate
Wonderful to hear, Maureen!
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Monette Irwin
I would love to make this but need to print it out. There is an option to not include the notes, photos and description, but it doesn’t take those options off when I go to print it. I don’t want three pages of printed recipe. Is there a way to fix that? Thanks!
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Kate
I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t have the ability to do anything, but I will reach out to the plug-in provider.
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Sneha Maun
★★★★★
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Kimesha Nair
Really disappointed in how my banana bread came out, there’s areas that are still wet and mushy for some reason.
★★
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Kate
I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you bake it for?
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Kristi
Great bread! It’s been hard to find a recipe with no refined sugar which I really like. One note, I have begun using avocado oil for all my baking, most salad dressings, and as a mayonnaise substitute in tuna salad. It has almost all — maybe all (research pending) of the nutritional positives of olive oil and has none of the aftertaste of coconut oil or olive oil.
★★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Kristi! I appreciate your review.
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Elina
This is a great recipe! I made it a few times and it is my go to recipe for banana bread. It is moist, delicious and healthy! Thank you for developing it!
★★★★★
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Rick
I have also switched to avocado oil in all baking recipes. I also like that it leaves no after taste. It also seems to clean up easier.
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Caroline Hall
★★★★★
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Caroline Hall
Insane recipe!! I added chopped nuts and some pieces of dark chocolate. It was super moist and absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
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Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Caroline!
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Zaineb
Made this recipe today and it turned out really great. Everything checks out : texture, taste, sweetness. Thank you for coming up with this recipe
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Better with Bread
I’ve made this bread a couple of times and add 1/2 c hemp seeds and 1/4 c ground flax seed. It still comes out moist. The recipe is a winner!
★★★★★
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Kate
Thank you! I’m glad you loved it.
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Jessie
Absolutely delicious! I made according to recipe/using a kitchen scale. I added old fashion oats on top before baking. I really appreciate that there are measurements in grams!!
★★★★★
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Dana
I’ve made a lot of banana breads in my life but this is one of the best! Love it! Thanks for sharing it!
★★★★★
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Kate
You’re welcome, Dana! I appreciate your review.
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Susan
Can I substitute while wheat flour with Gluten free flour ?
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Kate
If you use a 1:1 like Bob’s Red Mill works well.
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Skylar
Hi! I was wondering if you are aware of how much this recipe might cost on average? I was wondering because I chose your recipe for my food and nutrition class and we need to know how much the recipe would cost on average. If you don’t know, that’s fine! I really enjoyed how it turned out by the way!
★★★★★
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Kim
Can I add protein powder to increase protein
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JoyceNY
Excellent! I used olive oil, maple syrup and milk. I use half AP white and half wheat flour. One of the few sweet treats my husband can tolerate as he recovers from prostate cancer radiation. He looks forward to his slice every day. Thank you for your tasty nutritious recipe!
★★★★★
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Kate
You’re welcome, Joyce!
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Judi
So easy and delicious. I doubled the recipe and made 2 loaves. I added mix-ins of chopped dates and mini chocolate chips. I used maple syrup, and water not milk. I put them in a hot oven and they were fully cooked at 55 minutes. Next time I’ll start checking for doneness at 48-50 minutes. Both loaves came out great! I love that this is a no sugar recipe. The dates, chips and syrup make this sweet enough. My family doesn’t even realize this is sugar-free and made with white whole wheat flour.
★★★★★
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Kate
I’m excited it was a hit, Judi! Thank you for your review.
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Tammy Shrout
Do I use 1/3 cup of applesauce to replace the oil?
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Kate
I haven’t tried it, sorry! I would suggest seeing what others may have tried.
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Tammy Shrout
This recipe turned out great. Thank you for it.
★★★★★
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Oliwia
It came out really nicely! I just wonder if when the bread gets cold it hardens for you as well. But it’s amazing the way it is though.
★★★★★
See AlsoBlueberry Banana BreadReply
Brenda K Tilley
I made this yesterday. It was very dense and dry. Very disappointed.
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Kate
I’m sorry to hear that Brenda. Did you spoon and level your flour? Be sure to use ripe bananas as that can impact results as well.
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Sara
Since I wanna lose weight but i adore cakes and sweets I wanted to try healthier banana bread recipe omg I’m obsessed it came out so soft and yummy even better than non healthy recipes , i added one cup of semi sweet chocolate chips mixed them with 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture to let them spread through out my loaf yummm. also excuse my English I’m Arab but I think i did pretty good job right ?
★★★★★
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MARY
Great recipe! Love the options and flexibility. I used 2.5 cup oat flour and a cup of bread flour, no cinnamon. It turned out great: very moist, good banana taste, not too sweet and good texture.
★★★★★
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Kate
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Mary! I appreciate your review.
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Azaria
Another great recipe – simple and delicious!
★★★★★
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Neil
This is my absolute go-to banana bread recipe. With dried cranberries and fresh Blueberries added. A grand success evert time I make it. Well … except that one time I forgot the baking soda. Pro tip… don’t do that.
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John
Thank you Kate ! Your banana bread recipe is fantastic!
★★★★★
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Taylor
I’ve been using this recipe for as long as I can remember (I want to say 5+ years) and it always turn out perfect and delicious. It is the only recipe I follow exactly as I know it works.
My friends have also said I make the best banana bread, so thank you!Do yourself a favour and follow the recipe exactly – no substitutes unless opted in the recipe.
★★★★★
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Tricia
I made this recipe with whole wheat, flour, almond milk, coconut oil, real bourbon maple syrup (Costco), and added a few chocolate chips and walnuts to half the recipe I didn’t have a loaf pan so I put it into Six large muffins, and an individual size loaf pan. I cooked them on 375 convection bake and cook them 43 minutes. They are delicious! Texture and smell maybe slightly overcooked so if you turn it into muffins, maybe 40 minutes is the magic number for large muffins. Thanks for sharing this great recipes and all the ideas for alterations.
★★★★★
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Deb
This will be my go to from now on. I used part honey and part maple syrup, because I love maple syrup. Also used 3 small very ripe bananas and added walnuts and golden raisins. Was perfectly baked at 55 minutes. Great flavor & texture, not gooey, not over baked. Fantastic recipe.
★★★★★
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Maria
I made this last night. I used coconut oil and maple syrup. It turned out moist and tender, not oily or too sweet. I put some pecans but the bread does not need them. I really enjoyed it with my coffee this morning! I will try it with spelt flour next time.
★★★★★
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Alice
The best recipe for banana bread I’ve ever made! Perfect bake.
★★★★★
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Telia
You always give such fantastic, clear and helpful instructions along with wonderful additional tips and tricks. I don’t have a single culinary art instinct so you have no idea how helpful this is! I love it. For those of us who can’t tell the difference between a whisk and a fork, I’m truly amazed when something I make turns out edible! But I credit your easy to follow instructions for that. Thank you so much! This banana bread was delicious. My family was shocked I made it.
★★★★★
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Kate
hank you, Telia! I am happy you think so. I appreciate your review.
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Deborah
What would the calorie content be for a slice?
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Kate
Hi Deborah, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the blog.
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Jessica Wright
Hello! If I were to substitute with self raising flour, how much would I need for this recipe please? Thank you :)))
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Kate
This recipe isn’t designed for self raising flour, sorry!
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Danielle
Mine came out very crumbly. I used oat flour so I’m assuming that’s why. It was very good though!
★★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Danielle!
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Prajakta Mohile
This recipe – C’est de la bombe! It is awesome. I’ve made it as-is and then made it my own. Usually, I skip the eggs and use egg substitutes. Even then, it tastes heavenly. It is moist and delicious. Not to mention healthy! I recently made it for my Dad’s birthday. I was surprised when he told me his blood sugar was alright the following morning! Thank you, Kate, for a winning recipe. Keep them coming!
★★★★★
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Lisa
I have made this bread probably 20 times since the recipe was posted. It is fantastic. My husband loves it. Not too sweet. I use olive oil and change what I add in, but I usually use raisins and walnuts. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this and all your wonderful recipes!!
★★★★★
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Danny
Everyone else has already rightfully been praising how good this recipe is. i wouldnt have felt the need to add another one if it werent for the fact that i kinda forgot i still had some in the freezer from.. probably about 6 months ago, and it actually held up. the bread was neither dry nor complete mush from being in the freezer that long. i was still able to enjoy it on my hike after having to quit heavy exertion for a while. ill probably be using this recipe the rest of my life :)
★★★★★
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Linda
Made your healthy-banana-bread-recipe today. Came out perfect. Delicious. I used evoo, honey, whole wheat flour and added walnuts. Yum!
★★★★★
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Kate
Great to hear, Linda!
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Shoozie
Has anyone tried using buttermilk as the milk of choice?
★★★★
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Darcy
I love this recipe! It’s nice to have a healthier version of banana bread. I use almond butter in place of the oil (same amount) and pure, organic maple syrup. It turns out fantastic every time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
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Geoff
I used a little less maple syrup, 3 medium bananas and chopped up a mix of walnuts, pecans and almonds. It was excellent! Thank you for the recipe. This is the 3rd time I’ve followed it to success. I agree that the white whole wheat is great. I haven’t tried cooking with almond or other alternative flour. Give Cookie a scritch-scratch.
★★★★★
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Jan
Super delicious! I used an egg substitute made from potato starch, plus I topped it with chopped walnuts, bits of dark chocolate, shredded coconut and small hunks of super ripe banana before slipping it into the oven. Happy as a clam as recipes using egg alternatives aren’t always the greatest. It looked fab too. Thanks!
★★★★★
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Isi
My all time favourite banana bread recipe.
Have made it 1000 times and it’s always perfect.★★★★★
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Irene
It was beautiful.
★★★★★
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Shu Yen
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It worked well there were a few things I had to twig here and there cause I used powdered erythritol instead of honey.
Anyone using powdered sugar/sweetener, I used 1/4 cup of erythritol, the level of sweetness was just nice for my liking.
But the bread could be more moist, so the next time I’d probably add an extra 1/4 cup of milk.
Also, not sure whether it’s my oven or the ratio of liquids was different, the baking time took only 33mins.I’ll keep going back to this recipe till I perfect it. Thanks again Katie! (From Malaysia )
★★★★★
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Delia
I’m not a great baker, but every time I try this recipe, the result is fantastic! I’ve done it without honey as well, and various flour combinations (including chickpeas!) as a treat for my under 1 year old. And she loves it! I’ve recommended it to all my friends
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Gianna
My 13-year-old son and I like to make this recipe. We both love how moist it is! I made it half sweet this time, but I prefer the original recipe :) It usually only lasts a few days since we eat it so quickly lol. Follow it to a T, folks. You won’t be disappointed! Thanks for this <3
★★★★★
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Kate
You’re welcome, Gianna! I appreciate your review.
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Iva
Great recipe and so easy to make. I love how it turned out. Used 3 bananas and added walnuts. Made it with maple syrup, so it wasn’t too sweet, which I liked.
Will definitely be making it again.★★★★★
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Kate
That’s great to hear, Iva! Thank you for your review.
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Noha
This turned out great thank you for the recipe! Used whole wheat flour, maple syrup and added half a cup of chocolate chips.
★★★★★
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Kim
Can I use almond flour
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Kate
You can make my Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)
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Maryellen
Can you substitute Eirnkorn flour? I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it with Gf flour and wheat. Just wondering what modifications I may need with Eirnkorn.
★★★★★
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Hilary
Thank you so much for this recipe. As I bake mostly for my kids snack time I love refined sugar free recipes. A question please, if I make this in a 2lb loaf tin, is it the same cooking time do you know please? Thank you again!
★★★★★
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Kate
I’m not sure as that size is slightly larger I believe. I would start on the lower time end and then adjust from there. Let me know how it goes!
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Mimi Murdock
This is the very best healthy banana bread we have ever eaten! Made with white clover, honey and freshly ground whole wheat flour. Even the grandkids love it, and they don’t know how healthy it is!
★★★★★
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Lindsay
I’ve been using this recipe for 6 years! I do use butter instead of coconut oil. It’s delicious and super easy to make! I’ve used all purpose GF flour, all purpose, and spelt all with success.
★★★★★
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Kate
I love to hear that, Lindsay! Thank you for your review.
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Rose
I tested this recipe out for the first time with less honey/maple syrup – about a quarter cup or so and 250g mashed banana, so a little more than the recipe calls for – as I wanted to give my baby daughter a taste and it turned out really well. It has a delicate but notable sweetness. I used fine ground wholemeal and love the texture. Possibly one of the best banana bread recipes I’ve come across.
★★★★★
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