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}
View Nutrition Information
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
Baking my favorite rainy day activity too…or, any type of weather day! 😉 This banana bread looks soooo delicious. I’ve never baked with buttermilk before but there’s a first time for everything, right? 😀
I knew we were friends for a reason Marina! 😉 I was just a year younger than you when I baked with buttermilk for the first time, so… No time like the present! 😉
Thanks, it was easy, quick, no fuss and real yummy.
Well done- Keep up the great recipes!!
Oh my goodness, I just published this recipe today Maria! I’m truly touched that you made it so quickly. And I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi,
Great recepe , will be trying this this weekend.
Quick question though: Can I use coconut flour instead? if so, what would the measurements be?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! Coconut flour will not work in this banana bread. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Your rainy day activities sound very similar to mine! I’m certainly no stranger to dreary English weather, especially round this time of the year when the chilling wind and relentless rain is almost constant! But of course, that means more baking and reading and watching films, which is great, right?? I LOVE the look of this banana bread, and I’m sure I’ll be eating just as many slices as your grandma did!?
I actually started thinking about you when I wrote that bit about dreary weather and Harry Potter Katie! 🙂 I hope you’re staying dry, watching lots of fun movies, and baking lots of sweet treats! And I’d love to hear what you think of this banana bread if you try it!
Haha aww, that’s so nice that you thought of me!?I have been away all week (which is why I haven’t commented for a while, sorry about that!) and the weather was gorgeous! Unfortunately the weather is quite wet and dreary now that I’ve got back home, but as you say, there are plenty of fun activities to do – last night in fact, I watched a movie and today I made pumpkin donuts! I certainly missed my baking while I was away, so I’m sure this week I’ll be baking lots of treats!?
No need to apologize Katie! ♥ I hope you enjoyed your week-long break! It’s been raining here for days again, so I can totally relate. I need to pull out my donut pans — fresh donuts on a rainy day sound perfect!
Love this bread! Just made it this afternoon but used white whole wheat flour instead of regular because it’s what I have on hand. Absolutely delish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread Carol! 🙂
This recipe is delicious! I subbed the buttermilk for unsweetened almond milk and it was still really good! I added a little bit of whipped vanilla honey butter on each slice before serving and it was sooo good! Definetly keeping this recipe handy! 🙂 nice change from regular banana bread!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread Jessie! That means a lot to me that you’re keeping the recipe handy and might make it again in the future. Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂
Super delicious! I’ve made this bread twice now. Added two scoops of vanilla protein powder and some extra egg whites and almond milk to make it the right consistency. Works wonderfully. The structure and the combination of flavours are devine.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this banana bread Kyra! That means a lot to me. 🙂 And thank you for trying to rate my recipe! The ratings don’t always show up, but I can still see them! 🙂
Your website keeps refusinf my ratings on mobile ?
Made this bread yesterday and it’s really delicious! I used regular whole wheat flour and the texture was lovely and soft. Would it be ok to store the bread in an airtight container in room temperature (I live in the UK and it’s around 22 degree Celsius in my kitchen so not very hot) and if so how long will it keep? I find banana bread and muffins stored in the refrigerator tend to go hard and stale. Thanks for another great recipe as I have always loved banana bread.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this banana bread Chi-Chi! If you store it at room temperature, it will last at least 3 days. I can’t guarantee whether it’ll last more than that, but just double check for mold before eating any. Every house is different based on its location/weather/etc, so what may grow mold quickly on my counter might not do so on yours! 🙂