Description
Healthy Banana Bread: Moist, guilt-free treat made with ripe bananas, whole wheat flour, and no sugar. Perfect for a quick and wholesome snack.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large very ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt or unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups whole wheat flour (210g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil (60ml)
- Optional add-ins: ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Kitchen Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the middle. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal, or lightly grease with cooking spray. Gather all your ingredients so they’re ready to go—this makes the process much smoother!
- Step 2: Mash The Bananas In a large bowl, mash your overripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth but still with some small chunks for texture. You should have approximately 1½ cups of mashed banana. The small banana chunks will create lovely moist pockets in your finished Healthy Banana Bread, giving it that homemade character everyone loves.
- Step 3: Mix Wet Ingredients To your mashed bananas, add the eggs, Greek yogurt (or applesauce), maple syrup (or honey), vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil. Whisk until well combined. The mixture might look slightly curdled, but don’t worry—that’s perfectly normal! Your wet ingredients provide the moisture foundation for a tender loaf.
- Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. This even distribution ensures your Healthy Banana Bread rises properly and has consistent flavor throughout.
- Step 5: Create The Batter Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula just until combined. Remember, a few streaks of flour are better than overmixing! If you’re adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now with just 3-4 strokes. The batter should look moist but not overly wet.
- Step 6: Bake To Perfection Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with your spatula. If desired, sprinkle a few extra nuts or a light dusting of cinnamon on top for visual appeal. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Step 7: Cool And Enjoy Allow your Healthy Banana Bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Resist the temptation to cut into it while hot—the cooling period allows the texture to set properly. Once cooled for at least 30 minutes, slice with a serrated knife and enjoy!
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 35mg