Tuesday afternoon of last week, my brother graciously offered to drop me off at the airport to catch my flight to Michigan on his way out of town. If you follow me on Snapchat (I’m @AmyBakesHealthy!), then you already know why I willingly left sunny 85°F California to travel up north to overcast, slightly rainy weather, despite being an absolute wimp when it comes to the cold…
My blog friend Liz invited me to attend the #FreshCoastRetreat she planned along with Dara and Phi! They organized an incredible long weekend for twelve of us food bloggers spent in Grand Rapids and on Muskegon Lake, where we ate lots of gourmet and homemade food, shared tips and insights about every aspect of blogging, and laughed until tears threatened to spill from our eyes.
I’m so excited to share more of the details—and lots of pictures!—with you really soon!
Once I passed security, I started wheeling my suitcase halfway through the terminal to the second-to-last gate at very end of the concourse. As I trudged (yes, I definitely overpacked… I hate the cold and brought as many layers as I could fit!), I passed by a small coffee stand and immediately smiled a little to myself.
Even though the clock read 1:30 pm, a line still stretched out past the end of the glass display case and into the walkway! I failed to realize just how many travelers depended on an afternoon pick-me-up… And the barista handed nearly every customer a small brown paper bag with a pastry along with their drink order. Caffeine and treats—it’s hard to resist that combo, especially before a long flight!
With my huge sweet tooth, I slowed down to peek at what pastries the display case held. I spotted several varieties of muffins (the triple chocolate were definitely the most popular!), a few oversized cookies, a couple of croissants, and a large stack of sliced banana bread. Although slightly tempted to purchase something to snack on during my flight, I quickly walked away when I spotted the price—and the calorie count. Yikes!
Instead, I waited until I returned home to satisfy my craving, which resulted in a loaf of this Strawberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. It’s even more moist and tender than the oil-laden one I spotted at the airport, thanks to my favorite healthy baking ingredient, but it has just 129 calories—and lots of chocolate, too!
That makes me one happy girl.
This easy recipe starts with regular ol’ whole wheat flour. Many people think of 100% whole wheat baked goods as dry or flavorless, but this banana bread is the exact opposite! And that’s all because of two key ingredients…
Mashed banana and Greek yogurt! You’ll use a full ¾ cup of mashed banana in the batter, and it provides three things: the iconic fruity flavor (of course!), moisture for an extra tender texture, and natural sweetness. Because you’ll only add a hint of honey, you want to use the darkest, spottiest, ripest bananas you can find. Ideally, they should be more brown than yellow!
If you’ve read my blog before, you’ll know just how much I adore Greek yogurt. I use it in basically all of my muffin, cupcake, scone, cake, and brownie recipes—and more! It’s my favorite ingredient in healthier baking because it provides the same moisture as butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and gives your baked goods a protein boost, too. (Bonus: This banana bread contains NO butter or oil!)
Time to add the mix-ins! You’ll need diced strawberries and mini chocolate chips. I used frozen and thawed strawberries, but fresh is fine too. You’ll want to cut them about the same size as the mini chocolate chips to ensure the loaf bakes as evenly as possible. And these are my favorite mini chips because they taste so rich and melt really well!
Then pop the pan in the oven and set a timer. The loaf does require a while to bake, but it’ll fill your kitchen with the sweet smell of fruity banana and freshly baked bread… One of my favorite things! And then…
Cut a slice (or three, like me!) and eat! Remember to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking. I’d love to see your banana bread!
| Strawberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- ½ cup (80g) diced strawberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5” baking pan with foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the mashed Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and honey. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the strawberries and 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully lifting out the loaf by the foil and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find!
The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For best results and to ensure the loaf bakes as evenly as possible, cut the strawberries to be about the same size as the miniature chocolate chips.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
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♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Made the pumpkin cake, the. Chocolate chip pound cake and this one. Love them all. Tasty additions to our healthy lifestyle! Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness, I’m truly touched that you made and loved all three recipes Lee! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me! 🙂
Fantastic! I used 3 soaked dates and blended them with the milk instead of honey. I also use 1 egg and 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water; sit for 30 min.). I used half spelt flour and half whole wheat pastry flour. Definitely measure all ingredients by weight, not volume for best results.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this banana bread, Rema! Thank you for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know. It truly means a lot! 🙂 I really appreciate you sharing your modifications too. I always love to hear what recipe tweaks work out, and the spelt flour addition sounds interesting and fun!