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 Whole Wheat Blueberry Buttermilk Banana Bread sitting on my counter and filling the house with a cozy bakery smell. Because it used regular pantry ingredients, I didn’t have to dash out in the rain to the grocery store, and it only had 110 calories!
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 are 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 taste its flavor, the last of the tender texture comes from low-fat buttermilk. I almost never buy cartons of buttermilk because I’d be much too tempted to make (and eat) an entire batch of my buttermilk pancakes every day! And my legs can’t quite run enough miles to burn off all those calories… Instead, I use this powdered buttermilk. It’s cheap, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages, and it works perfectly in 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 banana bread and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Whole Wheat Blueberry Buttermilk 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
- 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)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) low-fat buttermilk
- 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries
- 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.
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.
I used this powdered buttermilk. It’s inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages! To make your own buttermilk substitute, add ¾ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to ¼ cup of milk. Any type of milk will work.
Frozen and thawed berries may be substituted for the fresh. The baking time may increase slightly, and the batter may be a slightly different color.
To see how this banana bread is made, watch my video here, located just above the recipe. (It’s for a very similar banana bread recipe!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Whole Wheat Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread
♥ Whole Wheat Strawberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
♥ Whole Wheat Chocolate Drizzled Raspberry Banana Bread
♥ Whole Wheat Triple Berry Banana Bread
♥ Banana Bread Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Mini Muffins
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
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!