January 30, 2022

Easy Healthier Banana Bread

Easy healthier banana bread is a win-win recipe. It's quick to make and lower in sugar and fat compared to traditional banana bread. It's the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert recipe!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

The key to this easy healthier banana bread is the flours. This recipe uses a combination of white whole wheat flour and almond flour. The white whole wheat flour provides some of the nutrient value that regular whole wheat would provide but without some of the heavy, "wheaty" flavor. The almond flour keeps this banana bread tender and soft.

Since this recipe uses white whole wheat flour in lieu of all-purpose, the banana bread has a little bit more fiber, which will keep us fuller longer. That makes this banana bread a great breakfast (with the addition of some protein like Greek yogurt or a glass of milk), snack, or even dessert!

An overhead shot of easy healthier banana bread with a dish of walnuts and cinnamon sticks to the left, a knife and banana slices to the right, a plate in the bottom left, and plates and a glass of milk in the top right corner.

Healthier Banana Bread Muffins

If you like to grab your breakfast or snack on the way out of the door, you can easily make this recipe into muffins. Simply prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Equally portion out the batter into the tin and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Making this recipe into muffins is an easy grab-and-go breakfast you can eat all week!

A straight-on shot of a loaf of easy healthier banana bread that has been sliced. It's sitting on parchment paper on top of a cooling rack. Sliced bananas and a jug of milk in the background.

Ingredient Highlights - Easy Healthier Banana Bread

Bananas - the key is to use overripe bananas! As bananas age, they produce more sugars and thus become sweeter. This is why it's better to use riper bananas in baked goods! They're also a good source of B vitamins, vitamin C, fiber, and potassium.
White whole wheat flour - this provides some extra fiber and B vitamins that all-purpose flour wouldn't provide but has less of a "wheaty" taste than regular whole wheat flour. You can sub all-purpose flour here if you'd like.
Almond flour - almond flour is higher in fat (unsaturated fats!) than regular flour because it's made from almonds. This provides moisture to the banana bread, keeping it soft!
Avocado oil - you can use any neutral oil here (olive, walnut, canola, vegetable). Avocado oil is primarily monounsaturated fat (and a good source of vitamin E), compared to butter (which is commonly used in banana bread), which is primarily saturated fat!
Sweetener - I use a combination of molasses and maple syrup or honey in this banana bread recipe. These sugars add different flavors!
Spices - the spices are what make this banana bread. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom give the bread a warm, delicious flavor!

Recipe FAQ

Is banana bread considered healthy?

Banana bread can be part of a great breakfast, snack, or dessert. Common recipes include butter and processed sugars, giving banana bread a bad rap. However, this recipe uses white whole wheat flour, less sugar, and avocado oil to improve the nutrient content!

With that being said, you still want to be mindful of how much you're consuming and watch portion sizes 🙂

How do you keep banana bread moist?

The key is to include enough fat in the recipe! This easy healthier banana bread calls for avocado oil, eggs, as well as almond flour, which is flour made from almonds (which have a higher fat content than wheat).

Another trick is to not overmix the batter! You want to combine the wet and dry ingredients until they're JUST combined. Overmixing will lead to a tough, dried out bread.

What can you mix in to banana bread?

You can add whatever mix-ins sound good! Chocolate chips (dark, milk, or white), a swirl of peanut butter, chopped nuts, banana chunks, dried fruit.. whatever you want! You can either mix these in or sprinkle on top!

An angle shot of sliced easy healthier banana bread topped with walnuts. A slice of bread on a plate is in the bottom left corner and a knife is to the right of the loaf. Sliced bananas are in a bowl and walnuts are in a bowl on either side of the bread. Plates and a linen are in the background.

Other Recipes You May Like

A slice of easy healthier banana bread on a plate with more slices in the top right corner. Banana slices and crumbs are around the scene.

Rate & Review

If you made my easy healthier banana bread, please rate and review my recipe below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!