The summer before my senior year of high school, a friend and I organized a Halloween party to be held in the beginning of August. Since October 31 is often chilly and rainy, we thought it’d be fun to celebrate when the weather was still nice—and thankfully, everyone else in our circle of friends agreed!
Our friends came dressed in costume, and we prepared all kinds of cute Halloween sweets, like caramel covered apples, chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting, and chocolate-dipped pretzels covered with bat-shaped sprinkles. We even watched “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (the only type of “scary” movie I can handle)!
Partway through the evening, we filled a big cooler with water, and we added plenty of small green apples. None of us had ever bobbed for apples before, so we thought it’d be fun to try!
After just a few minutes, we realized why none of us had tried… It’s so much harder than it sounds! The apples scoot and roll and shimmy around the water as soon as you touch them. Most of us ended up just trying to bite the stem to lift an apple out of the water, but one guy actually managed to sink his teeth into the apple’s flesh—and we were completely amazed!
That night of fun taught me two things… (a) I love apples and (b) I don’t want to work very hard to eat one! Which is why I love this super easy Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread! It requires very little effort (no mixer required!), and it’s full of sweet fruit and cozy spices. Fall flavor perfection!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CINNAMON APPLE BANANA BREAD
This simple recipe starts with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!), along with lots of cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. This is my current favorite cinnamon. It has a bolder, slightly sweeter flavor than the cinnamon I grew up using. I’m obsessed! And that little pinch of nutmeg makes a huge difference. It rounds out and deepens the spice flavor, making this quick bread absolutely irresistible! Which could be dangerous… If you ask me…
With just ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil (yes, that’s it!), the rest of this loaf’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt and mashed banana. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know how much I ♡ Greek yogurt! It’s packed full of protein, and it adds the same moisture to your baked goods as extra butter or oil would.
As for the bananas, pick the ripest and spottiest ones you can find! The ones that are more brown than yellow are my favorite for baking. They contain more natural sweetness than their pure yellow friends, which means you only need to add a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup (like this)!
Hopefully you don’t have to work as hard to get your apples as we did at our Halloween party! I prefer baking with red Fuji apples because they’re so sweet and firm, but just about any apple will work. Cut it into small pieces about the same size as chocolate chips to ensure your banana bread bakes evenly!
How does that look for a cozy breakfast treat? ♡ 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 cinnamon apple banana bread!
Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 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 – see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ⅓ cups (167g) finely diced apple (see Notes!)
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, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the mashed Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and maple syrup. 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.) Reserve ½ tablespoon of the diced apple, and gently fold in the rest.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the reserved apple pieces into the top of the batter. 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…
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Pancakes
♡ Healthy Simple Cinnamon Apple Cake
♡ Healthier Cinnamon Apple Beer Bread
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Mini Muffins
♡ …and all of Amy’s healthy banana bread recipes!
Can we replace an amount of mashed banana to applesauce?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I haven’t tried, so I’m not entirely sure. If you’ve been able to substitute applesauce for mashed banana in other banana bread recipes with success, I imagine it could work here too. I’d love to hear what you think if you try this recipe! 🙂
Hi Amy, can I use whole egg instead of egg whites whenever your recipes call for? Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Kin! It really depends on the recipe. For this one, you may use 2 whole eggs without needing to make any modifications. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this banana bread!
You’re officially making me feel all the fall feels. This looks SO darn good- cannot wait to try!!
Aww you’re such a sweetheart Karly — thank you!! I’d love to hear what you think if you try this banana bread! 🙂
Just one word….yummmmmmmy!!! I can’t wait to bake this. Amy your so awesome. Thank you for another amazing recipe.
You’re such a sweetheart — that means so much to me Lynn!! I’m so excited to see your picture on Instagram when you try this! 🙂
Can I cook it without plain non fat yogurt? Thank you
You can substitute additional mashed banana for the Greek yogurt, but your banana bread will be slightly denser. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this Jenny!
I love your banana breads, and I love apples and cinnamon, so when I was browsing your site to think of a way to use the brown bananas I had left, I didn’t have to think twice. It’s in the oven right now and smells divine. I added some raisins and used liquid stevia vanilla as a sweetner, because I didn’t have any vanilla extract.
You’re so sweet Kyra — that means a lot to me! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your banana bread turned out!
Hi Amy,
I made this using the gluten free flour. Although the batter was perfect and the loaf had baked correctly, when I had a bite, it tasted a but raw and chewy. What do you think the problem was?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Niti! We’ll get this sorted out. 🙂 Did you use the GF blend that I included in the Notes section or a store-bought blend? Was the center’s texture actually raw and chewy, or did it just have a raw flavor to it? How long did you bake your loaf?
I used a store bought GF flour. I baked it for 50 minutes. When i checked the loaf at 50 minutes with a toothpick, It came out clean. So I took the loaf out of the oven.
Thanks for the info Niti! Do you remember what kinds of flour were in the store-bought blend? Also, how long did you wait before cutting into your loaf? Had it completely cooled to room temperature? Lastly, did you measure ingredients by weight or by cups? The more info you can give me, the better I can help! 🙂
Hey sally!
So it was a GF all purpose flour (the one we use for normal baking only this was GF). I measured the ingredients by cup. I waited for about 45 mins till it comepletely cooled down to room temperature before I cut it.
Thanks for the info Niti! I actually recommend waiting at least 2-3 hours to cut into your banana bread. After 45 minutes, the outside may feel cool to the touch, but the center is typically still warm and hasn’t completely set. 🙂
Based on your description, it also sounds like there was too much flour in the batter. If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with moist and tender banana bread. Does that make sense? 🙂
Can I use almond flour instead of wheat flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Amanda! I typically don’t recommend substituting pure almond flour in recipes that rise, such as quick breads, muffins, scones, cupcakes, cakes, etc. This is because almond flour lacks gluten, and gluten is a protein that helps these baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Without it, your banana bread will likely turn out denser and may collapse some while cooling. But as long as you don’t mind this texture difference, the flavors should remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this recipe!
Hi Amy!
I recently got into baking and discovered your amazing website.
This bread was the first thing I made and I’m happy to say it came out great. I made a couple of small changes by adding whole eggs instead of egg whites, honey instead of maple syrup, and just some extra walnuts since they go so well with apple and cinnamon.
Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this banana bread, Rachel! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot! I’m truly honored that you already think you’ll try more of my recipes. That’s the best kind of compliment there is! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear which one you pick to make next!
Can I skip the ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil? I very much hope that I could. If I can’t, can I use light olive oil instead? Thank you.
It means a lot that you’d like to try my recipe, Helena! I don’t recommend skipping the butter/coconut oil. Although it’s a very small amount (it contributes just 4 calories per slice!), it makes a HUGE difference in the texture of this banana bread. Without it, the banana bread turns out more rubbery and gummy. You’re welcome to try light olive oil instead, but you may detect a subtle savory olive flavor. However, just about any other oil will work too, so if you have something more neutral tasting (ie canola oil), that would be even better! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of this banana bread if you try making it!