Throughout my childhood, my family celebrated the 4th of July like most people in our town: with backyard BBQs, big scoops of ice cream, and watching fireworks exploding in the night sky from neighborhood parks. But a few years, my mom scheduled a business trip to Phoenix the week before, so we spent those patriotic holidays with my grandparents in southern Arizona instead.
With sweltering temperatures close to 110°, we changed a few of our 4th of July traditions. We skipped the BBQ, opting instead for cold deli sandwiches with plenty of juicy watermelon, plus lots of time spent indoors during the afternoon playing board games or piecing together puzzles while enjoying the modern miracle of air conditioning.
But we still kept fireworks and ice cream on our agenda, just with a slightly different twist, and that little modification quickly became my favorite part of the entire month. Because my grandpa is diabetic yet has a huge sweet tooth (which he probably passed on to us!), Grandma rarely kept ice cream in the freezer. Instead…
We drove across town to Dairy Queen! Way back then, DQ hadn’t made its way up to where my family lived, so we could only indulge on those summertime trips to my grandparents’. Even simply walking into the store was a real treat!
Although the blizzards and chocolate-dipped cones always sounded tempting, Mom usually picked up dilly bars for all of us, with the reasoning that they’d probably melt slower and therefore make it back to the house before turning into a big, sticky mess. Then we’d rush into the backyard, rearrange the patio furniture, and face the direction of the local high school where the city set off a long show of dazzling fireworks.
Such a fun holiday!
But this year, I realized that we’ve never had any tradition involving breakfast. Sure, we’ve had our fair share of apple pie and homemade ice cream and red-white-and-blue desserts, but… Never anything healthy to start the day. But now I’m changing that with this Whole Wheat Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread!
This gorgeous loaf is made healthier and clean eating friendly with a few simple swaps. It uses 100% whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!), and it’s naturally sweetened with mashed banana and a hint of honey. But only a tiny bit—we want this banana bread to taste like breakfast food, not a sugary sweet dessert!
Unlike traditional recipes that require lots of oil, this loaf merely uses 1 tablespoon. Yes, that’s it! The rest of the tender texture comes from the mashed banana and Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives the banana bread a little protein boost too.
I opted for fresh berries since they’re currently in season and relatively cheap, but it was nearly impossible to keep myself from eating both baskets while washing and slicing them… Summer berries are so juicy and sweet! However, frozen would work too, although you may need to bake the loaf slightly longer. Just remember—frozen blueberries bleed, unlike fresh, and will turn the bread gray in color.
Then bake, slice, and enjoy your healthy start to the 4th of July!
| Whole Wheat Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- ½ cup (80g) diced fresh strawberries (about 4 medium-large)
- ½ cup (70g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and honey, mixing until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the strawberries and blueberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Any milk will work in place of the nonfat milk.
Frozen berries may be substituted instead. Thaw the strawberries slightly, just enough to dice, but add both them and the blueberries while still frozen. The loaf may need to be baked longer; use the toothpick test to determine when it’s done. (Remember, frozen blueberries bleed and will turn the loaf slightly gray in color.)
To make the banana bread easier to remove from the pan, line the pan with foil first before coating it with cooking spray!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
More healthy 4th of July recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Skinny Ice Cream Sandwiches by Crazy for Crust
♥ 4th of July Fruit Salad Cones by Bakers Royale
♥ Red White and Blueberry Popsicles by The View from Great Island
♥ 4th of July Fruit Kabobs by Spicy Southern Kitchen
Amy, i cannot wait to try this recipe! I do have a question about the amount of flour needed. Does the recipe call for 2 cups of flour (473g) or just 240g (as listed in the recipie ingredient list) which corresponds to one cup of flour? Thanks!
For almost all flours (and all wheat-based ones), 1 cup is the equivalent of 120 grams. 470 grams is about 4 cups of any wheat-based flour, and it would make this banana bread incredibly dry. Where did you see that 1 cup was equal to 235 grams? I’m curious as to what source is publishing that information… I hope that you enjoy the banana bread Adriana!
Hello this bread look so yummy I have I question can I add protein powder to the. Bread
You’re welcome to try substituting protein powder for some of the flour, but I can’t vouch for whether that would work because all types and brands of protein powder behave very differently in baking recipes. I’m excited to hear what you think of the banana bread Ana!
Could I use vanilla Greek yogurt? Do you think it would make it too sweet?
Yes! Vanilla Greek yogurt will work just fine, and it shouldn’t make the banana bread too sweet. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it Kim!
Made it today. Delicious and not too sweet! My 3 picky eater kids loved it. Thanks for a great recipe! ?
I’m so glad you and your kids enjoyed the banana bread Kim! And that’s quite a compliment if they’re picky eaters. I was a picky eater as a child too, and I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to try this! 😉
Mine was a disaster , followed the instructions but added 3 bananas instead. Baked for 55mins I took it out of oven and it flattened and toothpick was sticky so cooked further 20minutes still sticky inside but baked on the outside
Yikes! The issues that you saw were because of the moisture from that additional third banana. When baked goods like quick breads and muffins have too much moisture in the batter, they collapse while cooling and have underbaked middles. If you follow the recipe as written and measure the mashed banana by cups, it should turn out correctly for you James! 🙂
This sounds so delicious, I have to try it!
Does the bread keep for a day or two? If so, does it have to be stored in the fridge on account of the yogurt?
Greetings from Finland!
I actually answered that in the text beneath the recipe title in the recipe box already Cecilia! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the banana bread!
Hi Amy. This recipe looks amazing! I am wondering if I could use Whole Grain Oat Flour instead of the whole wheat flour (only b/c that is what is in my pantry!). Do you think that would work? Also, would whole milk be ok?
Thanks!! 🙂
Yes, whole milk would be fine Kelsey! I don’t have any experience with whole grain oat flour, so I can’t guarantee whether that would work. Chances are that the banana bread would turn out somewhat denser than what you see in the photos because oat flour doesn’t necessarily contain gluten. Gluten is what allows baked goods to rise and hold their shape during and after baking, instead of collapsing. I’d love to hear what you think of the banana bread when you bake it!
I’m making the bread right now, and I wondering if it needs to go in the fridge. When I make regular banana bread I leave the bread in a container on the counter, will this one spoil if it stays out?
Because of the fruit, this banana bread tends to get moldy while sitting on the counter faster than other recipes, so I always store it in the fridge. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of it Paige!
I have just recently started clean eating and have not been quite sure what to do with baking. I have so far had terrible success with using whole wheat flour and substituting honey or maple syrup. This was the first recipe that worked. My daughter and I made it, and it came out amazing. It also was so pretty which helped my daughter make up for the fact that it had no icing. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks!
That means so much to me that this was the first clean baking recipe that turned out well for you Deborah — my heart is so happy right now. Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂 I’m really glad you and your daughter enjoyed the banana bread, and I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Hi Amy…I just bookmarked this recipe! I love the idea of all this fruit in one bread loaf. Curious if you ever tried roasting the strawberries before adding to the mixture? Thanks for sharing this recipe and the inspiration : )
Thanks for saving the recipe Lainey! I haven’t tried roasting the strawberries before, but that sounds like a fun twist. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the banana bread!
This strawberry blueberry banana bread looks amazing, cant wait to try it. ‘Would it work with frozen berries rather than fresh though? Thanks!
Yes, frozen berries will work! They may slightly stain the batter, and the banana bread may take a little longer to bake, but the flavor will be the same. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!