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!
Last night I made banana cranberry cinnamon muffins and they were fanfastic. I love these flavours together so plan to make this bread tonight after work. Thanks for the inspiration Amy
It’s my pleasure Roger! I love the sound of your muffins, especially with the cinnamon. I can’t wait to hear how this banana bread turns out for you! 🙂
Your inspiration for the banana bread, bittersweet and nutty, is too stinkin’ cute! That brought a smile to my face this morning. I can just picture you chatting up the usher! <3
Aww you’re just the sweetest Andrea — yet again!! ♡ It’s SO fun making new friends at the ballpark. Baseball people are special people, and I feel so lucky that I got to introduce you to that! 😉
Could these be done in muffin tins? I’m looking for portable school snacks and this looks delicious!
Yes, most definitely! They’ll require less time to bake (I’m not 100% sure how long, but start checking after about 18 minutes — they’ll be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean!). If using muffin liners, then coat them with cooking spray because this batter will stick to them like superglue without! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe Kristina!
This looks so yummy. Would an 8×4 loaf pan work, or is it too small? Thanks!
I think that should work! The batter will definitely fill more of the pan, but I don’t think it’ll spill out the sides while rising in the oven. The baking time may vary a bit. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Dear Amy
I would like to see the nutritional facts after each recipe possible.
Thank you,
Shelley
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Shelley! The full nutrition info is already included underneath each recipe. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this banana bread if you try it!
I love this recipe! recently I tried Healthy Small Batch Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and it was really delicious. I will definitely try this one too and let you know how it came out. Thank you very much for sharing this lovely recipes with us ,it is really helpful 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread Dom! 🙂
SO happy to find your blog!
What amazing recipes – I want to try them all!
Thanks for sharing!
You’re so sweet Marie — that means a lot to me! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try first!
Hi Amy,
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
My husband loves the cranberry orange muffins so he said he would love a bread just like it. This recipe almost fits the bill, however, he says he doesn’t like the banana in it.
Is there anyway I can make this bread without the banana? Maybe substitute something else?
I’m enjoying your recipes, they are delicious and healthy. 🙂
Sheila
I’m so glad your husband enjoyed my muffin recipe Sheila! I have a cranberry orange pound cake recipe here. Perhaps that will suit his tastes better — it doesn’t have banana! 😉 I’d love to hear what you both think if you try that recipe of mine!
Made it in muffin tins and WOW Amy, they are BOMB ! I couldn’t believe they tasted THAT good after I took the first bite, honestly this is heaven !
Thank you for all these amazing recipes, everything I made so far came out more than delicious !
You’re SO sweet Caty!! I’m truly, truly honored that you’ve been making so many of my recipes. It means a lot to me that you’d say that about this recipe — I’m really glad you loved your muffins!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you pick to make next too! 😉