Last week, dark gray storm clouds rolled into town Friday morning. They looked threatening yet dry until almost lunchtime, but as I wrapped up a few emails and considered darting outside for a quick walk, a light drizzle started to fall…
…which quickly turned into fat drops steadily pounding down on the roof and skylights. The allure of outdoor exercise wore off as quickly as the soothing, earthy fresh rain smell that always lingers after the first few sprinkles hit the ground, and I opted to stay dry and inside instead.
After gazing out at the ripples constantly forming and bumping into each other in the three-tiered fountain in front of my office window for most of the afternoon, I eventually contemplated quitting work early to give in to my favorite rainy day activities. Whenever steady showers start pouring down, I always feel like curling up in a comfy armchair with a thick novel or plopping down on the couch with a warm blanket to watch the Harry Potter movies. (Something about that dreary England weather just feels right on a rainy day!)
With the weatherman predicting storms all weekend long, I realized I’d get absolutely nothing done if I opted for the DVDs, so I pulled a new book off of my shelf and settled back into an oversized armchair. But after a while, my legs started to fall asleep from sitting still for that long, so I turned to my third favorite rainy day activity…
Baking! And I ended up with a loaf of this easy Healthy Blueberry Buttermilk Banana Bread sitting on my counter and filling the house with a cozy bakery smell. Even better? Because it used regular pantry ingredients, I didn’t have to dash out in the rain to the grocery store!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK BANANA BREAD
To make this banana bread healthier than traditional recipes, you’ll use whole wheat flour (or gluten free, if you prefer!), which has much more nutrients than all-purpose flour. Whereas other recipes call for ½ cup of oil (or even a full cup… yikes!), you’ll only need ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Instead, this banana bread gets the majority of its tender texture from two healthier ingredients…
Greek yogurt and mashed banana! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked goods a protein boost, too. As for the bananas, make sure to pick the ripest, spottiest ones on your counter! Those have a stronger banana flavor, and they’re also much sweeter than plain yellow ones, which means you’ll only need to add a hint of honey to the batter.
Although you can’t really detect its flavor, the last of the tender texture comes from low-fat buttermilk. I rarely buy cartons of fresh buttermilk because I’d be much too tempted to make (and eat) an entire batch of my buttermilk pancakes every day! So instead… I use this powdered buttermilk. It’s cheap, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages, and it works perfectly in just about every recipe that calls for buttermilk!
I almost always prefer fresh blueberries in my banana bread for one main reason… They don’t stain the batter a strange gray hue like frozen ones do! (And I want my banana bread to look as pretty as possible in its photo shoot. 😉 ) Either will work, but your banana bread may require a few extra minutes to finish baking if you use frozen.
My dad visited his parents that same rainy weekend, so I sent a loaf of this banana bread along to share with them. That evening, I received texts from both my dad and grandma, which exclaimed just how much they loved it. When Dad returned home a few days later, he recounted how much Grandma ate… Just as many slices as he and Grandpa combined!
I’d say that’s quite the compliment! 😉
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry buttermilk banana bread!
Healthy Blueberry Buttermilk Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) low-fat buttermilk (see Notes!)
- 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- 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 butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir 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.) Set aside 2 tablespoons of blueberries, and gently fold in rest.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining blueberries on top. 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 carefully lifting out the loaf by the foil and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Blueberry Almond Banana Bread
♡ Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread
♡ Chocolate Drizzled Raspberry Banana Bread
♡ Triple Berry Banana Bread
♡ Banana Bread Protein Overnight Oats
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Scones
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Mini Muffins
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana-flavored recipes!
Dear Amy,
I loved this recipe! I wrote to tell you about a cake I made for my Mom for Mother´s Day, using this recipe.
I actually didn´t realize I didn´t have any frozen fruit until after I´d made the batter, so I haven´t tried it with the fruit. I made a four layer banana vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting (the recipe that you used for your carrot cake), using Stevia instead of maple syrup, and I loved the result! Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!
P.S. If you want to see the cake, this is the image address: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oP_rcEOuqSA/YJmYYNmNqWI/AAAAAAAAAWU/X1SitsIgGBYeT_wyAsuSji7KHHn41IMSgCK8BGAsYHg/s0/2021-05-10.png?authuser=0 I hope you like it😊
Oh my goodness, Clara!! Your cake is simply stunning!! I love the dainty floral decorations you added too. Such a beautiful touch! I’m so glad you loved both the cake and the frosting, and it truly means the world that you’d take the time to let me know and share your photo. ♡ I’m incredibly honored that you’d use my recipes to make something special for your mom for Mother’s Day too. She’s really lucky to have you as a daughter!!
Than you so much Amy! It means so much to me that you liked the cake! Thanks again for the great recipes.
Aww it’s my pleasure, Clara! Thank YOU for letting me know — you’re such a sweetheart and a true gem!! ♡
😊Thanks Amy!
Can you use egg white protein powder as a substitute for the egg whites?
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Carolyn! We haven’t worked with egg white protein powder before, so I’m honestly not sure whether it’ll work as a substitute and don’t want to lead you astray! If you’re interested in using protein powder you might find some useful information on our Protein Powder FAQ page! I’d love to hear what you think if you end up trying this banana bread! 🙂
The link for the powered buttermilk doesn’t seem to be working for me. Could you please inform me of the brand you use?
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Lori! I just checked and when I clicked the link to the powdered buttermilk listed in the ingredients list, it was working. I hope it was just a glitch that is now fixed! If the link still doesn’t open the Amazon page for you, the brand we use is Saco. I’d love to see your banana bread if you try this recipe! 🙂
Hi and greetings from the UK thanks for the fabulous recipe 👏👏👏 couple of questions…. Could I sub Rapeseed oil (I think same as Canola) for the butter/coconut oil? Also, I can’t find powdered buttermilk powder here, can I use regular fresh non fat buttermilk? Same Quantity?
Any ideas what to do with egg yolks?
Can I use chilled egg whites https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/clarence-court-liquid-egg-white/737522-741320-741321 like this? Or this vegan egg white substitute https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/oggs-aquafaba-egg-substitute/437771-729858-729859
Apologies for so many questions…. One last comment. Thank you so much for including metric measurements, very much appreciated 🤗
It’s my pleasure, Nina! I’m honored that you’d consider trying my recipe! I’m happy to answer your questions. 🙂
1) Yes, rapeseed oil is perfectly fine to substitute!
2) Fresh nonfat buttermilk is also fine to use! You’re exactly right; you’ll use the same quantity. I also recommend reviewing the “Buttermilk Notes + Alternatives” header in the Notes section of the recipe before beginning since some fresh nonfat buttermilk products can be thicker than others, which can affect the batter’s consistency.
3) If you’re worried about wasting the egg yolks, you can add them to the batter as well! I’ve shared how to do so within the “Egg White Notes” header in the Notes section of the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss though! 😉 Another option would be to use them to make homemade fruit curd. Although I don’t have any recipes on my blog, my friend Sam has an amazing collection of fruit curd recipes that I highly recommend! (Lemon, lime, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and more!)
I don’t have experience with substituting aquafaba in my banana bread recipes, so I’m not personally sure about that and don’t want to lead you astray. I believe other readers have had decent success with substituting egg whites from a carton though!
You’re welcome! I love using metric measurements and a kitchen scale, especially for dry ingredients. It makes baking much easier, doesn’t it? 🙂 I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think of this banana bread!
Hi Amy, I just wanted to thank you so much for responding so quickly to my questions and with such detailed answers, very much appreciated. I will definitely making the Banana bread in the next couple of weeks. I will leave a further comment and let you know how it turns out. Thank you again. The metric measurements are invaluable to me…..
You’re welcome, Nina! I’m happy to help! ♡ I’ll keep an eye out for your future comment. I’m really excited to hear how your banana bread turns out, whenever you get a chance to try making it!
Would it work to make this without the yogurt and add buttermilk in its place?