Last week, Grandma and I headed to the Padres ballpark for our last baseball game of the season. We bought tickets from our season ticket holder friend, our favorite slightly raised seats with extra legroom right next to his on the third base side.
Because we arrived fairly early, only a few minutes after the gates opened, we felt like the only fans in the stadium as we walked around the completely barren concourse to get to our seats. As we settled in, we watched the opposing team finish up their batting practice on the field, the players much more relaxed as they hit pitches out of the stadium and goofed off a little catching fly balls in the outfield compared to during the game.
I love getting to the ballpark early enough to see that!
As we waited for the National Anthem and ceremonial first pitch, we chatted with the usher in our section. She told us how it felt a little bittersweet being this close to the end of the season… And how all of the ushers and other stadium personnel felt like one big family. It’s hard to say good-bye until the next spring to special friends like that!
After the game ended and we walked out to the parking lot, Grandma and I waved at a few more familiar faces: a couple of ushers, concession cashiers, and a few other season ticket holders. As we drove home, we started picking out games we wanted to attend next season… We’re looking forward to baseball beginning again already!
And that combination of feelings was the inspiration for this Healthy Cranberry Pecan Banana Bread! It’s full of sweet flavor from the bananas, a subtle tartness from the cranberries, and a bit of nuttiness (just like us!) from the pecans. With cool fall weather just around the corner, this tender banana bread is perfect for comforting breakfasts and light after dinner treats!
Trust me… I would know! ?
This healthy banana bread is dangerously easy to make! No mixer required—just a few bowls, a whisk, and a fork. I love it when all of those are dishwasher safe; it makes cleaning up such a breeze!
Even better, this recipe uses common, everyday ingredients! Starting with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) for a nutrient-packed base; egg whites to add protein, which helps this loaf hold its shape (and not collapse while cooling!); and an itty bitty amount of coconut oil or butter for a moist crumb.
Then you’ll add in mashed banana and Greek yogurt for the rest of your banana bread’s tender texture! You know how much I ♡ Greek yogurt… It 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!
The mashed banana also adds natural sweetness (not just flavor and moisture!) to the batter, so it’s extremely important to use bananas that are very ripe. The ones with more brown spots than yellow are best! They contain more natural sweetness than their pure yellow friends, which means you’ll only need to mix in a hint of pure maple syrup (like this!).
Now we get to the good stuff… The mix-ins! I absolutely love fresh cranberries. They provide such a bright pop of color and flavor! Frozen and slightly thawed will also work. And to make quick work of dicing them, I skip the knife and cutting board, and I pop them in my food processor instead. After a few pulses, they’re just the right size!
And because I’m a pretty nutty person… (Or at least that’s what my family says!) You’ll mix in finely diced pecans too! I actually found these finely diced pecans at the grocery store, which meant even less work for me! I love when I don’t have to chop up my own nuts, and those pecans were the perfect size!
Save a few to press into the top of your batter, pop that pan in the oven, and…
Enjoy your healthy fall-flavored banana bread! ??? 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!
| Healthy Cranberry Pecan 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) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (138g) whole cranberries, diced
- 3 tbsp (21g) finely diced pecans, divided
- 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. Mix in the 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 1 teaspoon of the finely diced pecans. Gently fold in the cranberries and rest of the pecans.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the reserved pecan pieces into the top of the batter. 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.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find! The ones with more brown color than yellow are ideal.
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.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
To quickly dice the cranberries, add them to a food processor, and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, ¾ cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted for the fresh cranberries. To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the banana bread batter. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
I used these store-bought finely diced pecans! They’re about the same size as miniature chocolate chips.
To see how this banana bread is made, watch my video here (it’s for a similar banana bread, located just above the recipe!).
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Strawberry Pecan Banana Bread
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡ Greek Yogurt Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana bread recipes!
Hi, Dear can I use oat flour instead wheat?? Thank you.
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Miriam! I typically don’t recommend that substitution in my quick bread recipes, including this banana bread. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Oat flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. Does that make sense?
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with oat flour (where your banana bread may collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this banana bread!
Thank you so much for your advice!!
It’s my pleasure, Miriam! I’m always happy to help! 🙂