While made without butter, oil, or white flour, this 100% whole wheat banana bread tastes just as flavorful and moist as my regular banana bread. In this healthy banana bread recipe, swap butter with unsweetened applesauce, all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and replace some of the refined sugar with honey. With glowing reviews from taste-testers and readers around the world, this quick bread doesn’t even taste lightened-up!
I know I say I’m obsessed with a lot of different recipes, which might make convincing you to try something a little tough. If I love so many, which ones are actually the best?
My whole wheat banana bread completely blew my mind. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. This loaf was merely a way to get rid of 3 overly ripe bananas and a random jar of applesauce. I make my regular banana bread and chocolate banana bread with butter and all-purpose flour because that’s where all the goodness hides. Well, after 1 bite of this “whatever, it won’t be good” banana bread, I was proven wrong.
I should have learned my lesson when I made the most soft and flavorful whole wheat pizza dough and these chocolate banana muffins. Healthy ingredients CAN make incredible things.
This Whole Wheat Healthy Banana Bread Is:
- Wholesome, healthful, & hearty
- Extra moist and cinnamon-spiced
- Not overly sweet, so the banana flavor shines
- 100% whole wheat
- Prepared without butter, oil, or white flour
- Ready to bake in less than 10 minutes
Plus, this whole wheat banana bread slices and freezes like a dream. I love having a loaf on stand-by in the freezer for when I need homemade breakfast option or wholesome snack for all of usโadults and toddler alike. We all love it. (Especially with peanut butter spread on each slice!)
Let me quickly run through how you can make it.
Quick Tip: Mash Bananas with Your Mixer
Did you know you can use your electric mixer to mash bananas? Break or slice your peeled spotty bananas into large pieces and place in the bowl of your stand mixerโ or use a regular mixing bowl and your hand mixer. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed as the bananas break down into mashed banana. You can use this bowl for the rest of the banana bread ingredients. I do this for my banana cake, too!
You need 3 spotty medium size bananas for this recipe.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes, frozen and thawed bananas work in this recipe and you can read more about How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking if youโd like. Two important things to remember:
- The riper the banana, the better. When you bake with bananas, you want to use brown, spotty super-ripe ones.
- Strain off excess liquid. As bananas thaw, they let out a lot of liquid, which can throw off the wet ingredients in any baking recipe. I always recommend draining off most or all of that excess liquid before mashing and measuring them for your recipe.
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
After you mash the bananas with your mixer, add the remaining wet ingredients. You need:
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Honey
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
Unsweetened applesauce takes the place of butter or oil. Additionally, I’m very light-handed with the added sugarsโwe really want the banana flavor to shine through here. If you don’t want any added refined sweeteners in this healthier banana bread recipe, swap the brown sugar with coconut sugar. To keep this banana bread dairy free, use dairy free milk.
After that, mix the dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. You need whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mostly the same dry ingredients I use in my whole wheat banana nut muffins. Lastly, fold in chopped walnuts. The nuts are completely optional. Sometimes I add chocolate chips and/or raisins instead. I’ve even added the cinnamon layer from this cinnamon swirl banana bread. And for an extra special treat, make a batch of homemade honey butter to enjoy on the baked bread.
Love peanut butter + bananas? Try my peanut butter banana muffins (as muffins or a loaf). That recipe uses many of the same ingredients we use here.
More Healthful Baked Goods
- Morning Glory Muffins & Healthy Apple Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins
- Breakfast Cookies
- Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Vanilla Almond Granola
- Bran Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups
Whole Wheat Healthy Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
In this healthier banana bread recipe, swap butter with unsweetened applesauce, all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and replace some of the refined sugar with honey. With glowing reviews from taste-testers and readers around the world, this quick bread doesn’t even taste lightened-up!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (288g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 6 Tablespoons (90g) unsweetened applesauce*
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey*
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar*
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (67g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- You can use an electric mixer or mix everything by hand. I like to use an electric mixer because I use it to mash the bananas. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment on medium-high speed, beat the mashed bananas, applesauce, and eggs together until combined. (Or whisk by hand.) Add the honey, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed (or whisk) until combined. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Pour into the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed (or by hand) until combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60-65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes at the 55 minute mark or so.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
- Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions:ย The best way to freeze quick bread is to tightly wrap the loaf or slices (individually or grouped) in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place wrapped banana bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or reusable container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make about 18 muffins. Pour the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan and bake for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF (218ยฐC) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the muffins is about 22-23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my whole wheat banana nut muffins.
- Frozen Bananas: You can use thawed frozen bananas in this recipe. Thawed bananas are extra wet, so drain off as much of the excess liquid as you can before mashing. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Applesauce: If needed, melted coconut oil (or canola or vegetable oils) can be used instead of applesauce.
- Sweetener: Pure maple syrup or agave can be used instead of honey and coconut sugar can be used instead of brown sugar.
- Milk: I use skim milk, but any milk fat is OK. Nondairy milks work too!
Reader Comments and Reviews
This was great. It reminded me a little of gingerbread. I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet, and the wheat flour gave it substance. I made the loaf, but I think I’ll make the muffins next time.
Could I use Sour Cream instead of Apple sauce?
Hi Cari, the applesauce is taking the place of butter or oil in this particular recipe, so we would recommend substituting with melted coconut oil (or canola or vegetable oils) instead.
Has anyone made these as cupcake sized muffins?
Hi Kirsten, these make great muffins. See recipe note #3: Muffins.
Haven’t made yet. Why don’t you recommend that we do not double the recipe, but make in 2 batches (a lot more work!) I have a kitchen aid mixer.
Hi Nance, it is easy to over or under-mix a larger amount of batter and it’s easier to mis-measure when multiplying. Making separate batches ensures consistent results!
Thank you so much For sharing this recipe , it turned out amazing! I used chopped almonds instead of walnuts and used 1/4 cup of avocado oil instead of the applesauce
Hey Sally, So i’m having some trouble over here. So I made this recipe maybe 4 times now. The first two it worked out nicely. The 3rd time I had this result:
I took the banana bread out at about 55 minutes to check on the doneness. I put it back in for another 5 or so, but after I took it out, the bread started flattening out. It turned out to be less moist, and with a harder shell. Reading online, I found that it might be because I overmixed the batter. So I made it again, being careful not to over mix and use the precise ingredients. Same result. At this point I don’t know what it might be. Do you know what might be happening?
Thanks
Hi Timothy, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. If the loaf is sinking, is your baking soda expired by chance? We find that it starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months of opening. If you can pick up a new box, that could help! If the loaf seems dry and the outside is hard, it could be that the loaf is simply over baked. Every oven is a bit different, so if it’s done at 55 minutes, that’s okay. You’ll want a toothpick to come out mostly clean. Let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
Love, love, love! Instant family hit! I have not went wrong with not one recipe I’ve found on Sally Baking. I love that there always helpful notes to tailor to your tastes or just the ingredients you have on hand. I used the notes to adjust to what I had on hand. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, maple syrup instead of honey, and we didn’t have applesauce so I did a blend of 4 TBS of coconut oil and 2 TBS of butter. Baked up nice and well and if you can WAIT until the following day to enjoy! I will make according to instructions next time but definitely a keeper. As well as the quick and easy banana muffins, a must!
My whole family absolultey love the muffins, so good. Thank you for such a healthy snack recipe. I have made these over and over again.
can i make this with all purpose flour?
Hi AB, you can use the same amount of all purpose flour instead, or here is our regular banana bread recipe.
This was deciduous! I made it last minute to take on a girlsโ when, and everyone loved it. Moist and flavorful. Thank you, Sally!
I am not a fan of banana bread, but I make it for my husband who is. Heโs diabetic, so when I saw your recipe used whole wheat flour, I thought it would be โhealthierโ for him. Little did I suspect that after tasting the first batch, I couldnโt believe how much *I* Iiked it. Needless to say he loved it. AND it was so easy to put together. I may have to double up on future batches since there are now 2 fans of banana bread in the household.
My first time making banana bread and the recipe was easy to follow and absolutely delicious.
I loved this recipe! I only had whold wheat flour. You’d not really know its whole wheat! I added an extra banana, few crushed walnuts, 1/3 cup of white sugar, had no honey, 1 cup blueberries and 1/3 cup oats. It was quite wet. Took 1 1/2hrs on 350deg, but its excellent. Not excessively sweet. Some ice-cream with it now will be yummy! Thanks for this!
hi sally! is it possible to omit the brown sugar completely? i really appreciate this version of your banana bread. i’ve been making the other one for years and am intrigued with this one.
thank you ๐
Hi Sonny, we don’t recommend leaving it out, but the brown sugar can be replaced by coconut sugar.
I was skeptical whole wheat flour would be moist. It’s perfect!! I’m keeping this recipe forever, it’s the healthiest, best tasting recipe. I’m impressed! Thank you!!
I made these as 2 loaves and they were absolutely delicious and moist.
I loved this bread! I didnยดt have any applesauce, so I used one extra ripe banana instead (total 4). It worked perfectly. Iยดll be doing this again ๐
I love how this has no oil in it, i used maple syrup, coconut sugar, and added walnuts and raisins, then on top sprinkled extra coconut sugar and cinnamon. My go to healthy banana bread recipe from now on ๐
I used maple syrup instead of honey and added a full cup of toasted walnuts. At 55 minutes, it was not yet done in the middle, so I removed the foil and baked longer. Very flavorful. I love cinnamon, so probably next time will add additional. Thanks for this recipe.
I made these and my teenage daughter hasn’t recognized that it’s wheat flour. This is the best banana bread recipe that I’ve tried this far. I also made muffins with the excess due to having a smaller bread pan.
Hi, can I double this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Rebecca, for best results we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Would this be okay to do in mini muffins?
Hi Reilly, absolutely! Bake the mini muffins at 350 degrees F and they should take about 11-13 minutes.
Great recipe. I took a small risk and used all brown sugar because I have too much and need to use some up and it came out just fine. Moist and flavorful!
Hi!! I really love this bread! I believe I can use oat flour just to change it up next time. What the texture will be if I use oat flour I stead of whole wheat flour?
Moist, satisfying, and just the right amount of sweetness.
I actually forgot to use brown sugar the first time I made it but it still came out good! And as a bonus the sugarless recipe is great for kids
This is still in the oven, and I can’t wait to taste it!
Anyone able to figure out what the calories might be
Hi SangieB, we donโt usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I have made banana bread from an ancient recipe for decades but found this version much healthier and tasty.
I was skeptical about no oil or butter, but this recipe was so moist and just sweet enough! I used 1/4 C. of honey and 1/4 C. of coconut sugar as well as 1/3 C. of chopped walnuts and 1/3 C. of raisins.