Healthy Banana Bread

They said it couldn’t be done. “No way you could make banana bread healthy!”, they told us. But we believed and persevered. The result? A delicious banana bread full of natural sweetness and wholesome goodness.

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Some food historians (yes, that is a job) believe that banana bread recipes came out of the Great Depression in America. At a time when families could not afford to let any food go to waste, inventive mothers would take overripe bananas and create something wonderful. And like that—a breakfast favorite was born. But with recent diet trends like Adkins, South Beach, and Paleo, banana bread has somewhat fallen out of favor. Traditional recipes contain high amounts of sugar, oil, and calorie-dense ingredients, leading many people to, sadly, cut banana bread from their diet.

But why does this delicious bread have to be bad for you? We decided to find a healthy banana bread recipe that kept the good—fiber, potassium, and healthy sugars—and substituted the bad—processed sugars and high fat content. What we found is a recipe that you can sink your teeth into without feeling guilty.

The ripe bananas and addition of applesauce will keep this bread moist and naturally sweet. The combination of the vanilla and cinnamon will provide those subtle notes of home-baked goodness. We were initially suspicious that you could make edible banana bread without fattening butter or cups full of sugar. But the from the first taste, we were believers!

This banana bread goes great with:

Is Banana Bread Healthy?

Banana Bread has received a bad rap, as traditional recipes call for high amounts of butter, oil, flour, and sugar, making this dish a calorie dense dessert. But banana bread does have more than a few health benefits. Bananas are rich in potassium—which helps regulate a healthy heart, maintain good blood pressure, and prevent muscle cramps. Banana bread also contains vitamin B6, which promotes brain health and can improve your mood.

But one of the best things about this banana bread recipe is how easy it is to customize to your particular diet.

Vegan: Replace the egg with ground flax seeds or ¼ cup of vegan Greek yoghurt.

Gluten-free: Substitute the whole wheat pastry flour for coconut flour.

Protein-based: Mix in chia seeds, which add protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Low sugar: Swap the brown sugar for pure maple syrup, honey or agave. You can also reduce the brown sugar by half without losing much of the sweetness.

Let your bananas tan

As the name implies, the star of this bread recipe is that wonderful yellow fruit—the banana. But the secret to making this bread is to not to use the yellow ones. That’s right—you want to use bananas that are overripe and have that nice, brownish tan! The brown spots indicates that the fruit starches are breaking down into sugar, making the banana sweeter and moister. Using brown bananas will translate into scrumptious bread that will never be dry or bland.

It never fails that there are always one of two bananas from the bunch that we can’t eat before they start turning too brown for my kids to touch. But when I see the bananas start to turn, that is my cue to make banana bread! Instead of throwing them out, throw your brown fruit in the freezer until you’re ready to start baking. Once you have a craving from something sweet, let the brown bananas thaw a bit before tossing them with the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

4 ripe bananas about 1 1/3 cups when mashed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter texture while keeping it whole grain
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce in place of butter for a low-fat option

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat

Preheat oven to 350°F, grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Mix

Mash bananas, add in egg, vanilla extract, both sugars, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth.

Blend

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.

Combine

Gradually mix dry ingredients into the banana mash. Fold in applesauce for added moisture.

Bake

Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and Enjoy

Let bread cool in the pan, then transfer to a rack. Wait until fully cooled to slice and serve.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

We can’t explain it, but banana bread almost gets better the second day after you make it. Thankfully, this bread is easy to make ahead and store for later. After baking, let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. You can keep banana bread on the counter for 2 days. Or place it in an airtight container, and the bread will keep for 4 days. Or save it even longer by placing it in your freezer for up to 2 months. Just remember to defrost before biting into a slice!

What bananas should I use?

Use the very ripe, brownish bananas. The riper the banana, the sweeter it is, and the easier it is to mash.

How can I tune it up?

For an added bonus, stir in a ¾ cup of your favorite nuts (walnut, pecans, etc), chocolate chips, or shredded coconut, before adding the batter to your pan.

Berry bread?

A banana is considered a “berry” and not a “fruit”. So, this might be a berry bread?

When do you recommend this?

A great pre-workout snack is a slice of this banana bread, with peanut butter and a dash of Himalayan salt on top.

Serving Suggestions

If you are looking for a little treat in the morning, this banana bread makes a great breakfast, alongside a good protein like eggs. If you top with some mashed avocado, babies 8 months and older will devour this banana bread. Or if that hit sweet tooth hits you around 8 pm on a Friday night, cut a slice of this bread add a scoop of ice cream.