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
- Author:
- 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
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).
Madelyne Moore
Hey! I’ve made this recipe before with regular whole wheat flour…and it is by far the best healthy dessert EVER!!! However, my mom recently found out that she has an allergy to gluten, but she loves this recipe and didn’t want to give it up lol. Can I make this with oat flour? I can’t really find a cheap GF flour.
Kate
To make this gluten free, I find that Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour works well. Hope this helps! I know baking gluten free can be tricky.
Luisa Maio
I made this and it looked exactly like yours and tasted delicious. The texture, however, was a little crumbly. I’m not sure if that’s because of the wholemeal flour. Is that how it’s meant to be? I live in Australia, so I used wholemeal self raising flour.
Erin
I noticed this same thing.
Kate – the bread was delicious, but a little dry. It wasn’t because it was cooked too long, so wasn’t sure if next time I could increase the bananas or oil? Or I used thawed frozen bananas and maybe I didn’t use enough banana?
Lisa
This recipe is consistently amazing! I use coconut oil, whole wheat flour, maple syrup, walnuts and dates and have made it many times. The family always fights over it! Absolutely delicious.
Kate
Thank you, Lisa!
Jeen
Love it!! Just the right amount of sweetness and moisture. Tried so many different recipes and this is my favourite. I substituted whole wheat flour with spelt and it was delicious.
Rebecca
The first time I made this I forgot that it said to scoop the flour in so I ended up with super dry bread. However, I made it again with one extra banana and it was so moist and delicious. I ate it so fast lol
Morgen Pack
Hella good! I added coconut flakes and hemp hearts and made these into muffins (cooked for about 20-25 min) and they were some of the best muffins I’ve made.
Pamela
Hi, can I double the recipe and bake in a larger pan say a 10×13?
sola
Turned out perfectly – as per recipe [just a little longer to cook but ovens differ!]. Very tasty1
Kristin Appelhans
I did not enjoy this recipe at all and we threw out most of the loaf. We make regular banana bread all the time, and this wasn’t even close to the same thing. We used whole wheat flour. I think that’s where you can go wrong.
I would’ve rather made a delicious whole wheat bread.
Christina
I made this today using Arrowhead Mills Heritage blend gluten free flour and it turned out perfectly! I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 maple syrup, coconut oil, and homemade toasted coconut milk. Added walnuts too! So so good!
Will be making this again very soon! Thank you for all the fabulous recipes.
Suzy Jeffery
I made this and it was really good. I was surprised how good it tasted considering it had no butter or sugar. It’s going in my recipe book as a staple now. Thank you. Have been wanting a healthy cake recipe to snack on for me and my family, that doesn’t taste like cardboard and I’ve found it! ps. I used coconut oil and honey, and sprinkled pecan nuts on top. I also used half gluten free flour and half normal flour and the texture was fine. Might try all Gluten free next time.
Tamieka Thomasson
I haven’t made the recipe as of yet but will come back and tell you how it was! It sounds DELICIOUS and so easy to make!!! THANKS!
Ele
Hi, is the oven temperature based on fan-assisted ovens or should I reduce the temp for my fan-assisted oven? Thanks.
Kate
Hi Ele, I don’t use a convection oven. Please adjust accordingly!
Jenna
This is a weekly staple recipe for my husband. Switching it up with different mix ins.
Its very easy to switch things out.. I’ve used brown rice flour, and malt rice syrup for sweetness in the past.
Thank you so much for a great healthier option.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Jenna! I’m honored to hear it’s a weekly staple in your house! Thank you so much for your sweet words and review.
Elizabeth
Any chance u cud put measurements,,, don’t really use cups in Europe!
Erin
I made this recipe and replaced the eggs with flax egg. I added 1 3/4 cup of flour and the batter was immediately too thick! I thinned it out with milk and baked it anyways! I really liked the flavor so I am making it again but I just added 3/4 cup of flour and the batter is perfect! I don’t know if the recipe has a mistake or am I using a different flour? I’m using whole wheat which I don’t think would make much of a difference! Thanks!
Kate
Hi Erin, how are you measuring you flour? I use the spoon and swoop method—spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. If you’re scooping the flour directly into the measuring cups, you can end up with as much as 50% extra flour, so that might explain your issues.
Robin Peagler
I made this bread with sifted brown rice flour in the same proportions as wheat flour. I also used clover honey. I used Bob’s Mill baking soda in the recipe and found that it leaves a slight aftertaste. I wonder what would happen if I used baking powder instead?? Otherwise, it has a lovely texture.
Kate
Hi Robin, I’m surprised that you were able to taste the baking soda. There is enough honey in this recipe to react with the baking soda, so I’m not sure why that happened. Next time, try adding 1 teaspoon baking powder and just 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Glad to hear that your bread turned out well with brown rice flour, though!
Sarah
I just made this for my boyfriend and it was so delicious. Thank you so much for the healthy recipe!! I just found your website and I’m really happy that I did!
Morgan Minor
Thank you and help!!
I make this regularly now and I’m obsessed! It’s a big hit with everyone I share with.
MY only problem is as of recently when I made it I have trouble getting it to cook through in the middle before the outside is too brown. I don’t mind a little softness but this lady one was too gooey :(. What am I doing wrong??
efrain
Hello I love the taste of this recipe but mine never:
1) seems to rise enough, leaves a dense almost rawish portion at the bottom, I’v tried cooking it 5-6 minutes more)
2) crack on the top as the one in the image does. comes out more flat.
Susan
Just baked this recipe this morning. You quick breads are great, I have baked all of them. I added in some chopped Medjool dates and toasted black walnuts. I use EVOO because I have heart disease and think it’s a healthier fat for me. The only one of your quick breads I find to be less sweet is the zucchini bread, and I think you mention in the recipe that it is ‘subtly sweet.’ This can be remedied, however, with a few drops of stevia extract. I always use pure maple syrup instead of honey, because I reserve my honey for the morning cup of coffee. Just wanted to say, I’ve made your baked tofu–it really is crunchy!–and your healthy fried rice. I love your blog, because I’m vegetarian–I do eat ethically-sourced eggs and cheese–and because they fit into a healthy lifestyle. For someone with valve replacements and heart failure who does not eat any processed food, I think your recipes and blog are truly most excellent! Also, I love that you include your dog in the blog stories. I lost my bloodhound almost twenty years ago and am now a cat person. My next project is creating a whole food homemade diet for my cat, who was recently diagnosed with CKD. Thanks for the recipes!
Kate
Thank you, Susan for your kind words! Any type of health or lifestyle needs can be tricky with food so I’m so happy to hear my blog has been a great resource for you and you have been able to adjust accordingly. I appreciate your feedback and review! :)
Marcie
Yummmm. I just made this. I used 3 medium bananas and left out the honey. I like things on the less sweet side. It was perfectly delicious! I also added pecans. Thanks for sharing.
Kate
You’re welcome. Happy it worked well for you without the honey. Thanks for commenting, Marcie!
Deborah Robinson
I made this today and it turned out great. Thank you! I will post on Instagram with the hashtag.
Kate
Thanks for the shout-out! I’m glad it turned out for you, Deborah.
Sadie
I’ve tested more than 50 banana bread recipes, and this is definitely one of the best for texture and taste. It’s also the healthiest banana bread I’ve made. It’s moist without being gummy like some banana breads, and the banana flavor stands out. I tried to follow the recipe for the most part. The only changes I made wouldn’t have affected anything. I added 1/4 tsp banana extract, 1/4 tsp coconut extract, increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp, and added 1/2 cup unsweeted dessicated coconut. I always increase extracts and spices when freezing quick breads. I used an 8×4 inch pan and am glad I did. The loaf domed just slightly over the sides of the pan. It would have been too shallow in an 9×5 pan. I sprinkled the top with a cinnamon/sugar mix. The bread baked for 60 minutes. Excellent!
Kate
50 and this one made your cut?! This made my morning. Thanks so much for sharing, Sadie! I appreciate your review.
Megan
I am useless at baking but this recipe is so easy to follow and I’ve made this twice now, both taste amazing!
It feels less naughty having a slice of this, guilt free!
Kate
I’m glad you feel successful with this recipe, Megan! Thanks for trying it.
Anne Marie
This recipe is a keeper!! My new “go to” recipe!!! I used all purpose flour and made muffins baking them at 325 for 23 minutes. Thank you
Kate
Thank you!
Daisy Brice
I used the coconut oil, maple syrup wholewheat flour options and added chocolate chips and chopped pecans – it was the perfect balance between healthy and sweet and rose perfectly! I even added lengths of banana on the top for aesthetic purposes. Overall chuffed with the outcome and would make again.
Kate
Sounds delicious, Daisy!
Mj
Love this recipe! If I wanted to add zucchini to this how much should I add? I bought your cookbook Love Real Food and I love it! Great job!
Kate
I would check out my zucchini bread recipes if you are wanting to add zucchini instead. Thanks for your review! https://cookieandkate.com/2016/healthy-zucchini-bread-recipe/
Julia
Love the look of this recipe and how simple it is! I want to make some for my son’s school bake sale and I have a ton of self raising gluten free flour at home I’d love to get rid of, do i forfeit the baking soda altogether if i use it? Or it still needs baking soda? Please help!
Kate
What type of flour are you using? From my experience, with most gluten free flours you still would want to use it. Hope this helps!
Jackie
This has been my go to banana bread recipe ever since I discovered a couple years ago when I found out my infant couldn’t have dairy or soy and I had to give it up (because she was exclusively breastfed). It was so good, even though ‘healthy’, that I still use it years later. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Kate
Love to hear this has been a go to. Sorry to hear about the food sensitives, that’s tough! Glad you were able to find something that has worked.
Mariamarta Lee
I don’t have Instagram. I baked the banana bread with whole wheat flour, flaxseed, lecithin, cannaoil, and sweetener. I substituted ingredients to make it diabetic friendly. It came out beautiful. I wrote it out and shared it with my daughter. Thank you so much for the recipe. You are beautiful.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Mariamarta!
Karolina
OMG Kate!!! This banana bread recipe is the BEST! Just made it with my 6 year old daughter. We swapped milk for greek yoghurt, only put 2 table spoons of honey, and added chopped hazelnuts and some dark chocolate chips, and I can honestly say, this is the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried! Thank you for sharing and greetings from Prague/czech republic!
Karolina
Kate
You’re so sweet, Karolina! Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Am
Hi
I’m a first time baker and can’t really bake. May I have this recipie in grams please as I do not have measuring cups!
Kate
You can use an online converter to help. I know other readers have had luck with that. Sorry! We use cups/oz here in the US.
Sweta
Thank you so much Kate for this recipe. I was a little suspicious using cup measurements. I am comfortable with measuring in grammage. But, I must say the recipe worked out perfect nonetheless.
I just have one question. Why baking soda and not baking powder in this recipe?
Kyle
Holy Bananas! This turned out incredibly well. Thanks, Kate. My workmates are gonna love it, and it’ll make Monday a little bit nicer for them. I made the vegano version with flax eggs and maple syrup. My oven is a tempermental creature, so I baked it for 1 hour and 15. Worked like a charm.
Kate
That just made me laugh! Thank you for the enthusiasm and review, Kyle.
zchiesa
This recipe is great and looks succulent. I will definitely try this at home.
Kate
Let me know what you think!
Ysabel
Super delicious, although next time I need to use riper bananas so the flavor comes through a bit more – but thats on me! This banana bread is perfect for eating for breakfast with some jam on top.
Kate
Yes, ripe bananas are great! Thank you for the comment and review, Ysabel.
Penny
I just took this bread out of my oven and it smells delish and I love the look of it but I haven’t tried it yet. I followed your recipe to the letter, using whole wheat flour. I am trying to cook with everything BUT white flour. I did add fresh roasted walnuts and some Ghirardelli chocolate chips though because it seemed like my pan was just a little too large for the recipe. I love how high it rose. Thank you so much for doing all the work it takes to come up with the healthier recipes! I am giving it 5 stars because I cannot imagine it won’t taste like it looks and smells !
Kate
I’m glad it smells so good! How did it taste?
Alyssa
Hi Kate,
Is the preheating oven temperature of 325 F for convection baking ovens or regular/standard baking temp.?
Thank you.
Kate
I based it off standard baking temperature. I hope this helps!
Natasha
Made this with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Added 1/2 cup of walnuts, a little flax seeds & chia seeds. Absolutely delicious, thanks so much for sharing.
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation, Natasha! I appreciate the review.
Ariana Buono
I love this recipe and made it yesterday but was wondering if you could add cocoa too it?
Kate
I haven’t tried it, but if you do be careful because a little can go a long way. I know a lot of readers have added chocolate chips, if you are wanting something different!
Kricket
This is a GREAT recipe!! I ran out of honey at 1/3 cup so I used the stevia brown sugar for the other portion…turned out great!! Thanks so much for sharing. Also used mini chips (not much tho).
Kate
You’re welcome!
Jonathan
hello! I LOVE the look of this recipe but my daughter is allergic to eggs. Can i replace the egg in this with flax egg or chia egg? Thanks
Kate
Thank you! Yes, you can use flax eggs. I typically put suggestions on different dietary needs below the instructions. :) Hope this helps!
Jean
This bread is delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and included the suggested walnuts. My workmates also love it.
Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Welcome!
Riley
All I can say is WOW! I love this recipe! I’ve made this recipe with different cooking oils and both have tasted great. I even made it dairy free for a family member. Great job, I will definitely be making more batches. Such a quick and easy recipe that doesn’t use a ton of sugar. Thank you!
Kate
So happy to hear that, Riley! I appreciate the review.
Erin
I finally got around to making this today and it’s super good! I think I accidentally used 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead of 1/2 cup but I don’t need banana bread to be super sweet so it worked out great for me. I added a little bit of cardamom and mixed in some pumpkin seeds, then sprinkled the top with sunflower seeds and carob chips.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Emily
Do you have an approximation on how many calories this would be? Thanks
Kate
Hi Emily, click on the “nutrition information” label under the recipe and you’ll see a full nutrition breakdown. Hope that helps!
Dani Schumacher
I love this recipe. I don’t like eggs so I replace with applesauce, put a little less maple syrup and use plain unsweetened almond milk. I also add chocolate chips to half of it. It has been a great on the go snack for myself and the little one and a great sweet tooth satisfier. I made this with cream cheese icing for my son’s first birthday. So yummy!!
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Laura T
I just made this and was kinda wary but it started smelling good which is always a good indicator that things are going well! It tastes amazing, is super simple to make, and I’m so glad it doesn’t use butter. I will definitely try to add nuts in next time to give it a crunchy texture :)
Kate
I’m glad you were surprise, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate the review.
Angela
This looks delicious! I have a similar recipe I do with chia seeds. Will definitely have to try out your banana bread. The pictures look amazing! It’s all done in one bowl! Congrats on such a beautiful and well put together website.
Kate
Thank you, Angela!
Melanie
I have one baking in the oven right now but I am wondering are the cup sizes American? ie 240ml instead of 250ml? Thanks:-)
Kate
The measurements are American cups. :)
ErikB
My wife asked for a baked gift to hand out at work. I’ve made hundreds of pumpkin chocolate chip mini loaves for neighbors at Christmas, but banana bread seemed more appropriate for Spring than pumpkin, so I gave this recipe a try today. Another winner!
To make 16 mini loaves, I baked 8 at a time. To fill 8 mini pans Kate, I tripled your recipe and added 3 cups of mini chocolate chips (for a gift, it couldn’t be completely healthy!).
To make 2 triple batches of your recipe I needed 12 very ripe bananas. Since I didn’t have that, I found a solution online. To rapidly ripen bananas you can either put them in an oven on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 15-30 minutes, or poke them with a fork, unpeeled, a buncha times and put one at a time in a microwave for 30 second blasts until they reach desired softness. I used the microwave method and was astounded by how well it works. The skins even blackened like an old banana.
Instagram photo posted, Kate.
Thanks, Erik
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Erik! I appreciate the review.
Xieyu
Okay so I just made this with flax eggs, almond milk and added in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and it’s AMAZING!! I think it’s the best banana bread I’ve ever made and it’s so incredibly moist! Thank you so much for the recipe
Kate
Wonderful! Love to hear that. Thanks so much for your review.
Jacqui
Was a bit of a skeptic….thought using wholemeal flour it would be dry and nutty but OMG I couldn’t have been more wrong – used Maple Syrup (not honey) and added choc chips – but the loaf really didn’t need them – once I’d converted the cups to grams (I’m British) I was away! Tastes great and really easy to make! Healthy and quick will definitely be making this beaut again!
Kate
Well, thanks so much for trying! I love hearing people step outside of their comfort zone or are a bit of a skeptic. I appreciate the review, Jacqui.
Trish David
Love this recipe!!! I use wholemeal spelt flour, rice malt syrup & add chopped walnuts…great combination!! Would like to freeze it one day but it just disappears whenever I make it!!! Thanks Kate x
Kate
Wonderful, Trish! Hard to freeze when you just eat it all up. :)
Brandi Nields
I’ve made this several times and my family loves it. I double the recipe and both cakes only last a few days. It’s very moist. I use almond milk and almond flour and add chopped walnuts. I’m sure that with the coconut oil and all of the nuts it’s pretty high in fat and calories but it’s a treat and is still healthy and yummy!
Kate
Healthy fat in moderation is good for you :) Thanks for sharing, Brandi.
Jeavoni
I made this recipe last night with whole wheat Einkorn flour! Wow, tastes SO good. Definitely making this again soon, THANK YOU for the great recipe!!
Kate
Thank you, Jeavoni, for your review and comment! I appreciate it.
Kirstenetc
How are all your recipes so easy and turn out so well?? Used avocado oil as that was all I had on hand and it turned out perfectly – really moist!!!
Kate
Thank you for saying so! I work really hard at them. Lots of testing! Thank you, for your review.
Jennifer
I just made this tonight and it is so perfect! My husband loved it and said I will have to make it again. :)
Kate
Love it! Thank you, for the review Jennifer.
Carleen
Kudos, Kate. This is a great recipe! I made it with sprouted wheat flour, almond milk, and olive oil. I’m recovering from a bout with gastritis and have been cooking for “scratch” using ingredients I can tolerate. This was a sweet treat for a change of pace.
Kate
Thank you, Carleen! Thanks so much for sharing your variation. I appreciate it!
Michelle Quillen
Hi Kate! It’s been a few years since you posted this recipe but here I am three years later using it for my very first attempt at banana bread… and it’s REALLY good! I had a very serious lifestyle change 6 months ago and had to consider better ingredients in everything I made. My boyfriend isn’t savvy on nutrition but he LOVED this bread recipe (and he loves his loaves so he is selective)! I am making it for the second time this morning. I’d also like to give you mad props for posting the nutritional information. I’ve saved it on My Fitness Pal for those like me who are also counting calories. It’s SO important for us to have those facts! Thank you times a thousand for sharing :)
Kate
You’re welcome, a thousand times! I’m happy you posted again. Thank you, for your review.
Teri
I’ve just made this – my house is now a home complete with the fresh aroma of baked banana bread. Can’t wait to get in to a big slab of it in 5,4,3….! Thanks so much for the healthy recipe! I used coconut oil and milk as my options and stuck fast to your recipe. Needed to bake it that extra 5 minutes until the skewer came out clean. Thanks again : )
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for the review, Teri.
Lisa
I made this banana bread this morning (followed the recipe) and it is delicious!!! My 16 year old son loved it as well! Very easy too! Thank you for this healthy keeper of a recipe!!!Lisa
Kate
Love it! Thank you, Lisa.
Jena Frylink
Can you substitute the flour for Gluten Free self raising?
Kate
I recommend Bob’s Gluten Free flour for this recipe! Let me know what you think.
Tina Lawrence
I made it and the bread came out yummy !
Kate
Great, Tina!
Nicole
I made this recipe since I was out of butter and wanted a banana bread with coconut oil. Since we had enough bananas, I made one with honey and one with maple syrup. I didn’t have whole wheat flour so I used AP flour. They are both delicious!! My new go-to banana bread recipe!
Kate
Wonderful, Nicole!
Camile
This is the best banana bread recipe I have ever made. Thanks for sharing Kate. Regards from Brazil!
Kate
You’re very welcome! I appreciate the star review.
Masha
As a rule I replace oil with unsweetened apple sauce in most cake and muffin recipes. In this recipe it comes out perfect.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Masha!
Andrea Rodriguez
I love this banana bread! Do you have a recipe for healthy cupcakes?
Kate
I don’t have much for cupcakes, but checkout my dessert options. https://cookieandkate.com/category/food-recipes/dessert/ Hope this helps some!
Victoria Currell
This looks totally delicious. I’m going to bake it this afternoon and I think I’ll add chocolate chips : )
Kate
What did you think, Victoria?!
Belle
used vegetable oil and all purpose flour instead and sprinkled brown sugar on top together with the extra cinnamon. Outcome: crispy bread top. subtle sweetness – maybe i should use over ripe bananas next time. moistness of the bread is just ok. not that moist though. overall yummy
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Maggie
The best banana bread I’ve ever made. If I can do it, anyone can! We are beekeepers in Ohio specializing in raw, organically raised honey. I can compiling a list of the best honey recipes and I will be linking to this one! Thanks so much!
Kate
It is a pretty simple and great recipe! I’m glad you were successful with it too. I appreciate the review, Maggie.
Linda
Really sweet tasting, could use less Honey, but so moist and yummy. I used gluten free flour from Woolworths. It was nice and held together well. My professional cook friend said it didn’t rise properly at the bottom, but frankly I thought it was perfect.
Kate
I’m glad you liked it! You can cut back on sweetness by lowering amount of honey, if needed. Thanks for sharing!
Sallie Timpone
I used half the amount of honey (1/4 cup) and added in chopped dates and walnuts. Delicious!!
Kate
Wonderful, Sallie! Thanks for sharing.
ANA
THis recipe is absolutely deliciousssss and perfect!!!! I’ve been looking for a banana bread recipe has been a long time! All my other recipes were a big flop!!! Dry, too sweet, etc. I felt like making banana bread today for my 1 year old boy who was watching tv this morning and saw a grandma baking banana bread to her grandson and he said”hummmmnmm ” so I googled ‘the best banana bread recipe’ and I’m sooooooo pop im soooooooooo glad i came across ours!!!! Thank you!!!!
Kate
I’m glad you came across it too and found one that works so well for you! It’s a great moist and delicious bread. I appreciate the review, Ana.
Manon
Dear Kate,
I absolutely love this recipe! Made it today and it is so tastefull and incredibly moist!!
I used rice oil, since that was the only non high processed oil the supermarket had at the time.
Next time I am going to ad more nuts plus I also placed some banana slices on top. Jummy!!
Kate
Wonderful! Thanks, Manon.
Gab
I stumbled upon this recipe online and gave it a try.
The first time I baked, the bread was less sweet than my liking but after 1 day in the fridge it became a bit sweeter. And all of my friends were in love with it.
So juicy but not buttery… Very guilt-free!
The second time I added a little bit more honey and it was perfect.
I love this recipe!
Thank you so much Kate :)
Kate
I’m glad it ended delicious for you! I appreciate the review, Gab.
Zoe
This is one of my fav recipes and my children love it aswell. Thankyou for sharing!
Kate
You’re welcome, Zoe!
Kate Boyle
Just made this banana bread and added dark chocolate chips it was delicious I was wondering could ya use agave instead of honey if ya had no honey ?
Kate
I would use maple syrup instead, if you don’t have honey.
Nero di Seppia
I made this for my baby’s 1st birthday, with a cream cheese frosting :) he looooved it! I ended up baking another one for his daycare and everyone liked it so much, it was hard to believe it was sugarfree!
Kate
That’s great! You should checkout my banana cake too :) https://cookieandkate.com/2018/favorite-banana-cake-recipe/
Lisa
This is the best banana bread I have ever made.
Kate
Great to hear, Lisa!
Emma D
Can’t see the nutrition label. Please can you make it visible? Thanks
Kate
You need to click on the header to expand. Hope this helps!
Sandra
I’ve made this recipe a number of times. I change it up by adding apples, dried plumbs or berries. And walnuts or almonds. Makes for a wonderful satisfying and quick breakfast!!!!
Kate
I love how you have varied the recipe! Thank you, Sandra for your comment and review.
Melissa
First time making banana bread. It came out perfect! Love the use of maple instead of white sugar. My 5yr old loved it! I used almond milk instead of water. And used walnuts as well. Thanks soo much!!
Kate
Wonderful, Melissa! Thank you, for your review.
Ron
I made this recipe and brought a few pieces to my neighbor across the street, still warm from baking. It was devoured in minutes. So good. I will definitely make this again and again. Thanks Kate!
Kate
That’s great! Thank you, Ron for sharing.
Kati
Delicious, light and fluffy. I subbed spelt flour.
THANKS!!!
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you, Kati.
DKAnderson
MmmMmm I made the Healthy Banana Bread by the recipe but decided to add a few goodies at the last minute :
1 scoop of my Vega Plant Based Protein and Greens Powder,
1 scoop(10g) of Carrington Farms Organic Chia Seeds, and
1 scoop (10g) of BioOptimal Collagen Powder
I had to bake it a little longer because it is so dense but….
This is by far THE best Banana Bread ever. Thank you! Mine even looks like the picture :)
Kate
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you were able to make it your own. Yes, it would be a little more dense with those add-ins.
Verena
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s the 2nd time I’m making banana bread this week :D So a fun fact, I’m aware that you specifically told us in your recipe to not use baking powder, however I didn’t have any baking soda at home, so I subsituted it with baking powder (I used a little bit more than twice as much as the recipe calls for) and it worked out really well too :)
Kate
Thank you, Verena for your review.
Jennifer
I made this with my toddler, who was in charge of smashing the bananas. He and the rest of my family loved the recipe. I used 1/2 the amount of sweetener you suggested to make it even healthier and it still tastes great.
Kate
Thank you, Jennifer for sharing!
Tanya
This banana bread is amazing!!
Kate
Thank you!
Meg
Made the banana bread and it was awesome! Pleased a 37 year old husband and a 2.5 year old daughter :) 5 out of 5! Meg, Australia
Kate
Great!
Steph
This recipe is PERFECTION, seriously! My one-and-only, go-to banana bread recipe. It’s simple, healthy, and so so delicious! I’ve made it so many times I’ve got the recipe engrained in my mind. Thanks a million!
Shannon Denn
Kate – I substituted applesauce for oil and the bread NEVER baked. It was in for an hour and a half at 325! It seemed finally baked (toothpick coming out clean) but then when I pulled it out it sunk and when I cut into it was almost completely raw. I want to try it again because I’m looking for a healthier banana bread recipe…What should I try differently? A higher oven temp? More flour? Thanks!!
Chuck
Fantastic recipe – rich dense banana bread. I used whole wheat flour (not white whole wheat) and added 1/2 c. chopped pecans and 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips with excellent results.
Marta
I have been looking for the perfect banana bread recipe for a long time now. Tried a bunch (there are A LOT of recipes online) your recipe is without a doubt my whole house favorite (hubby used to complain that the banana bread is to dry – not with this recipe!) Thank you!!
Susan Prifti
I just made the healthy banan bread. I put all ingredients except flour into the food processor and the poured it onto the flour and folded in in. It works a treat. I used sunflower oil and maple syrup and the bread is delicious. You are right, I will never make it again with white flour.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Susan!
Amy Rosen
I just made this recipe and it’s delicious! So moist and flavorful. My daughter has an egg allergy, but she is now able to eat eggs if they are baked into things. Her doctor recommended we give her a serving of something with baked egg a few times a week to build up her tolerance. I was envisioning her eating a ton of sugary treats, but I’m SO glad I found this recipe that doesn’t use refined sugar because I don’t feel guilty giving it to her! Thank you!
Kate
I’m glad you found it too, Amy! Thanks so much for your review and comment. Good luck! Hopefully she grows out of it.
Louis, H Vazquez
You mentioned melted coconut oil in your first ingredient. Do I place it in the microwave for a few seconds?
Kate
Yes, melt it for a few seconds. If it solidifies once, microwave briefly. Hope this helps!
Kia
Yum, just made this and it smells divine baking away in the oven. Aussie living in Germany here, thank you for this delish recipe! Always looking for healthy snacks for my two little ones, happy to have stumbled across this one :-)
Kate
Let me know what you (and they) think!
Tico
I had some over-ripe bananas and didn’t want them to go to waste so I looked up recipes using bananas and whole wheat flour. Your recipe had everything I had on hand so I decided to try it out.
I used chakki atta which is an Indian style whole wheat flour that is ground to a fine powder. I used slightly less coconut oil and omitted the cinnamon. For the sweetener I used half honey and half maple syrup since I happened to have both. And for a little extra treat I added semi-sweet chocolate chips.
The banana bread is so delicious and it is the perfect post workout treat. I can really smell the coconut oil in the batter but I cannot taste it in the baked bread.
I am planning on going to the store to buy the most ripe bananas i can find so i can make another batch before this one runs out!!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Tico!