This healthy banana bread is an ultra-moist, egg-free, and reduced-sugar loaf packed with a ridiculous amount of bananas for maximum flavor and a mouthwatering texture.
If you are craving something delicious and nutritious, this recipe is for you.
What is healthy banana bread?
This healthy banana bread recipe is similar to our banana nut bread and vegan banana bread but with a few essential tweaks to make it more moist, wholesome, and delicious.
From our popular apple cake and pear cake, we learned that adding more fruit to the batter than standard recipes improves flavor and texture.
So that’s what we did here. You can expect a healthy banana bread with:
- Five large bananas.
- It has a lot less sugar, down to only 1/4 cup, but it is still sweet, thanks to more bananas.
- No cholesterol and traces of saturated fats as we replace eggs and butter.
- Heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil is used instead (you’ll love it).
- You can use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose for added fiber and nutrition.
Like our other quick bread recipes, this one can also be transformed into delicious banana muffins for a quick breakfast on the go. Ready to bake?
How to make healthy banana bread
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page. Substitutions are listed in the chapter below.
1. Gather your ingredients
You’ll need ripe bananas, almond milk or any other milk, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate chips or walnuts, brown sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, and baking powder.
We use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour for added fiber and flavor. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can replace it with all-purpose.
2. Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper. We use a 9 x 5 inch one (24.5 x 10.5 cm).
Mash 3 of the 5 bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork or potato masher.
Add almond milk, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and vanilla extra and stir with a spatula until well combined.
Add whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a fine-mesh sift.
Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet. Stir with a spatula until the ingredients are well combined but without overmixing.
Tip: Sifting the dry ingredients helps you have a lump-free batter.
3. Add-ins & bake
Add two more bananas into the batter, sliced into bite-size pieces. You can also add dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts.
Stir with the same spatula, then transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 50 minutes, then check with a toothpick if the banana bread is cooked.
To do so, insert the toothpick in the center of the loaf. If it comes out mostly dry, the bread is cooked. Bake the loaf for 5 to 10 more minutes if it comes out wet.
Take the loaf out of the pan and let it cool down on a cooling rack. Slice with a breadknife and enjoy.
Substitutions
Whole wheat flour: Substitute all-purpose flour.
Extra virgin olive oil: Substitute regular olive oil, avocado oil, or another vegetable oil. For oil-free, substitute apple puree.
Almond milk: Substitute any other milk, including oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc.
Dark chocolate chips: Substitute walnuts, pecans, or other nuts.
Vanilla extract: Substitute the seeds in a vanilla pod.
Tips
- For maximum rise, bake the banana bread immediately after mixing the batter. That’s why preheating the oven and preparing your baking pan are important.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will produce a gummy and dense crumb. That’s why we recommend using a spatula and mixing by hand rather than with an electric mixer.
- Let it cool down before slicing. The bread will be easier to cut and will taste much better.
Storage
Room temperature: Keep at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for three days.
Refrigerator: It lasts about five days in the fridge, wrapped in plastic.
Freezer: Let the loaf cool completely, cut it into slices, and put it in a freezer-friendly container, each slice separated by a piece of parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Similar recipes
QUICK BREADS & MUFFINS: Vegan pumpkin bread, banana zucchini bread, vegan zucchini bread, pumpkin muffins, apple muffins, zucchini muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon muffins, and sweet potato muffins.
EASY BAKES: Vegan carrot cake, vegan apple cake, biscotti recipe, easy vanilla cake, vegan brownies, vegan lemon cake, lemon blueberry pound cake, and vegan apple crisp.
For more easy dessert recipes, check out our dessert category page or our compilation of 40 vegan desserts.
Desserts
Vegan Carrot Cake
Desserts
Vegan Apple Cake
Desserts
Vegan Apple Crisp
Breakfast
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Healthy Banana Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan 9 x 5 inch one (24.5 x 10.5 cm).
Ingredients
- 5 ripe bananas divided. 3 are mashed in the batter, 2 are added in chunks.
- ⅓ cup almond milk or another milk
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour substitute all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.Mash 3 of the 5 ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork or potato masher.Add ⅓ cup almond milk, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and stir with a spatula until well combined.
- Sift in 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoons baking soda.Stir until well combined but without overmixing.
- Add ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips and two more bananas into the batter, sliced into bite-size pieces. Stir with the same spatula, then transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry. In some ovens it might take up to 60 minutes of baking time. Let cool down on a cooling rack for at least one hour.
Great
I am so glad for these recipes .simply because I am obsessed with all natural ingredients. I am not vegan, but I appreciate everything in it’s natural form , like ” back to Eden” days.” Can you explain to me what “preheat the oven” means?
Thank you!
Hi Felicite, I am really happy you feel like making this bread 🙂
Pre-heating the oven simply means to let your oven reach temperature. Sometimes, there is a light that turns green or turns off once the oven is at the right temperature (as indicated in the recipe box all the way down on the page). I hope this helps. Happy baking ❤️