When I switched to blogging full-time, I started a phase where I ate a banana every day as part of my breakfast. I’d stop by Trader Joe’s, the cheapest place to buy them (they only charged $0.19 per banana, regardless of the size!), and sorted through the big wooden crate they placed right inside the entrance, picking out the largest ones I could find.
I collected a variety of shades of yellow and green, rather than simply grabbing one big bunch, because I wanted the bananas to be perfectly ripe when I reached for them at breakfast. (Really green or overly spotted bananas rarely hit the spot!) I grabbed the most yellow one the first morning, then the next most yellow the following morning, and so on… By the time I reached the banana that had been the greenest in the store, it was perfectly ripe!
As part of my breakfast routine, I fought my little dog for the best space of carpet in the family room where the sunshine streamed in next to the window. I opened a book to read while slowly savoring the banana, usually something inspirational or with guided meditations, nibbling on tiny bite after tiny bite until I reached the end of the chapter.
Because of those fond memories, I immediately knew that I wanted to include a banana breakfast treat when I started working on the Table of Contents for my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook. As a result, the very first recipe in the entire cookbook is for Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!
And since the eCookbook digital version of Healthier Chocolate Treats is coming out next week (you can see a sneak peek and preorder yours here!), I baked a loaf of this Chocolate Drizzled Raspberry Banana Bread in honor of it! Also because I’m just that excited… And I love any excuse to eat bananas and chocolate! ? Just like the muffin recipe in my cookbook, this banana bread is supremely tender, packed full of fruit, and the perfect breakfast treat!
Before you start baking, let’s briefly talk about what makes this banana bread healthy! To start, it’s 100% whole wheat (and I included my favorite gluten-free option in the Notes section beneath the Instructions!), so you’re getting extra fiber and nutrients. And unlike traditional recipes that call for anywhere from ½ cup to a full cup of oil (my waistline is cringing at the thought of all those calories… is yours too??), this recipe contains absolutely no butter or oil!
Yes, that’s right!
Instead, this clean eating banana bread gets its tender texture from two key ingredients: mashed banana and Greek yogurt. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know how much I love Greek yogurt! It’s my favorite ingredient in healthier baking because it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. Greek yogurt also gives your banana bread a little protein boost, too!
The mashed banana plays three key roles in this recipe: it provides flavor (that was probably fairly easy to guess!), a tender texture, and natural sweetness. For the best results, you’ll want to use the darkest, spottiest bananas you can find! Those really speckly bananas are the ones with the most natural sweetness, which means you’ll only need to add 2 tablespoons of honey to the batter.
Both fresh raspberries as well as frozen and thawed ones will work. Use whatever is already in your fridge or freezer! It’s important to dice them fairly small, about the size of mini chocolate chips, because this smaller size allows the loaf to cook more evenly.
And of course, the best part… The chocolate drizzle! It’s super simple to make… You just need unsweetened cocoa powder, milk, and honey. That’s it! Just use regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder. You aren’t adding very much honey, so the drizzle already tastes like dark chocolate, even without using Dutched or special dark cococa powder.
Then drizzle it on the cooled banana bread, carve off a slice (or three), and…
Enjoy! And when you do, remember to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking! I’d love to see your banana bread and feature your picture in my Sunday Spotlight series!
And if you enjoyed this banana bread, you’ll love all of the recipes in my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook! See a special sneak preview and order yours here!
| Chocolate Drizzled Raspberry Banana Bread | | Print |
- for the banana bread
- 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
- 1 cup (140g) raspberries, finely diced (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- for the drizzle
- 1 ½ tbsp (8g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp honey
- 1 tsp nonfat milk
- 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 raspberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 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.
- To prepare the drizzle, stir together the cocoa powder, milk, and honey in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag, and cut off a tiny corner. Drizzle on top of the banana bread before slicing and serving.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, and all-purpose flour may all be substituted.
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.
Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For best results and to ensure the loaf bakes as evenly as possible, cut the raspberries to be about the same size as miniature chocolate chips.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
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♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Can I make muffins instead of a bread.
Yes, most definitely Linda! I’d recommend checking on them after about 15-18 minutes, depending on how full you fill the muffin cups. They’ll be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe!
If I had to choose one bread to eat for the rest of my life it would be…any variation of your banana bread recipes! 🙂 Raspberries and chocolate are already a perfect combo, but with the addition of ripe bananas and warm baked bread? OMG PURE BLISS <3
You are just the SWEETEST friend ever Marina!! Thank you!! ♥
This looks so delicious – raspberries and chocolate and bananas.. oh my! Great combination 🙂 I’m a little confused with the directions, though.. could you clarify what to do in step 2? Thanks!
Thanks Natalie! What part of Step 2 is confusing? 🙂
I think it was the “mashed Greek yogurt” part that threw me! So one bowl has the yogurt, banana and honey mixed together.. second bowl is milk.. third has flour mixture. Alternate between adding the milk and flour into the yogurt. GOT IT! Thursday brain is apparently not working today.. sorry!
No worries Natalie! My brain feels like that every day of the week. 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the banana bread!
On step 3 you mention chocolate chips, which must be copied from an old recipe 😉
I’ve got it in the oven now, substituting flax eggs 🙂
Is something off with the ingredient ratios in the drizzle? That was not at ALL enough liquid for that amount of cocoa powder.
Thanks for catching that typo Helen! I’ve updated the recipe. 🙂 The ratio is correct for the drizzle. The cocoa powder is supposed to be measured using the traditional method described in the link in the Ingredients (it goes to my Baking Basics page) — is that how you measured it? Or did you scoop it directly from the container? I found that when I scoop cocoa powder directly from the container, I end up with 1.5 times as much as when I measure it using the traditional method in that link. I’m guessing that’s what happened to your drizzle! 🙂
How interesting, thanks! I’ve never measured cocoa like I do flour lol definitely something to try next time
You’re welcome Helen! That’s how I measure cocoa powder for all of my recipes that contain it, so just a heads up for when you bake those! 😉
I love your system for buying bananas. However, this summer, my work place spoils us with perfectly yellow ripe bananas everyday, so I won’t have to implement it yet.
I love all of these new chocolate drizzled recipes. I’ve often found chocolate drizzles to be way too sweet (most banana breads really don’t need more sugar), so I love your version!
I’m a little jealous of your work Elaine! 😉 Where is it that you work? And what are you studying at MIT?? Thanks for your kind words about my recipe too!
I’m working as a software engineering intern at Hubspot, an inbounding marketing company. I’ll be working with their blogging software. Currently, I’m studying computer science at MIT, and I’m looking to combine my love of food blogging and software for a career. If you ever run into any technical questions, I’d be very happy to help!
That’s amazing Elaine!! Computer science is such a tough subject (it’s what my brother majored in, so I heard a lot about his classes!) at any university, let alone an elite one like MIT. Good for you — I’m so impressed! And I think that’s absolutely wonderful that you’d like to combine software and food blogging for a future career. You’re really inspiring Elaine! 🙂
Hi
I’m a bit confused. You mention maple syrup twice I think (once in notes) but I don’t see it on the recipe. Is that a substitute for honey?
As the Notes section explains, pure maple syrup can be substituted for the honey. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the banana bread Ajka!
I only have vanilla Greek yogurt. Can I substitute this for the plain? Would I need to adjust or Eli I ate the amount of honey then?
Yes, you can substitute your vanilla Greek yogurt for the plain without any modifications to the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the banana bread Sue!
I made this bread using 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose flour. I also substituted vanilla Greek yogurt for plain yogurt. I was surprised how moist and flavorful this bread was! Without any added sugar or oil I was skeptical, but I was proven wrong. The only thing we didn’t care for were the raspberry seeds. I would use another fruit the next time I make it. Look forward to more of Amys recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread Sue! That means a lot to me that you liked how moist and flavorful it was. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Baked this as a last minute item to bring to a friend’s brunch. I added 1 tbsp of brown sugar to the mix as the raspberries were from my garden and I knew they were incredibly tart and wanted to balance them out (and I’d run out of honey after 30mls!). Added some chopped 80% Cocoa dark chocolate to the mix as I had a block in the pantry and thought it’d be a nice flavour (I skipped the drizzle).
I baked for 1hr &15min before getting a bit worried and pulling it out of the oven, I think it could’ve gone a little bit longer as the bread was very moist (not raw but a bit wetter than I’d like banana bread) but toasted up beautifully. I think next time I’ll blitz the bananas in the food processor as I ended up with banana chunks despite being careful (which maybe why it was so moist) and I may bump up my flour content just a touch or add a tbsp or two of desiccated coconut. I’m also working off of metric measurements so that does always lead to a need for experimentation with my measurements!
Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this banana bread Rebecca! It could be that your fresh raspberries from your garden were juicier than the ones I used, which would’ve added more moisture to the batter and lead to the wetter texture. I think your ideas of using a food processor for the banana and a touch more flour are both really smart! 🙂 And thanks so much for including your recipe modifications — I always love hearing what tweaks work!