The Ultimate Healthy Banana Bread

 
In the beginning of my senior year of high school, my mom began buying all sorts of healthy foods at the grocery store. Since my brother and I both brought brown bag lunches, she wanted to ensure we had plenty of nutritious options to choose from.  

Carrots, celery, bell peppers, granola bars, yogurt, whole wheat bread, lean lunch meat, cheese, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes… We loved helping her unpack those weekend grocery hauls to see what delicious foods we could eat during the upcoming week!
 

 
However, we didn’t always finish off all of those healthy items, especially the fresh fruit (partially because Mom bought a few extra pieces to be safe!). That usually meant we ended up with a couple of very ripe and brown bananas on the counter.

So for the first month of school, I baked a fresh loaf of banana bread every week! I followed the recipe in one of our well-worn cookbooks published around the time my parents got married (it may have even been a wedding gift!), which meant that it called for quite a bit of of oil and sugar… But it always tasted incredible!
 

 
Over the years, I’ve worked on creating my own healthier recipe that tasted just as perfect, sweet, and cozy… And I finally did with this ultimate healthy banana bread! It has the same fruity flavor and supremely moist texture — and my version is just as easy to make too!

It’s the best of all worlds! And I may or may not intentionally buy too many bananas at the grocery store, just to give me extra excuses to bake even more loaves of this banana bread…
 

QUICK OVERVIEW – THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

Difficulty: Mainly easy, including for many beginner bakers.

Taste: Comforting and familiar with a bright, strong, naturally sweet fruit flavor.

Texture: Supremely soft, moist, and tender.
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

A quick nerd alert… I learned a lot about how to make the perfect healthy banana bread while testing this recipe, so I’m sharing all of those tips and tricks with you. (I included more in my recipe video below too!) Let’s begin with the key ingredients that you’ll need to make this ultimate healthy banana bread! First on the list…

Flour. You’ll use white whole wheat flour to make this healthy banana bread! I know it may sound a little confusing, but it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour…

Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour all of the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, like extra fiber, but it also gives white whole wheat flour a noticeably lighter taste and texture. It’s the best of both worlds — and that also lets this recipe’s tender texture and banana flavor really shine!

Tip: If you’d like to make this ultimate healthy banana bread gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve shared my top recommendations there!

Bananas. Not exactly surprising, but the bananas truly are the key to making good banana bread. You must use very ripe bananas! The ones with more brown spots than yellow are ideal. See the ones below?
 

 
That’s the minimum amount of brown I recommend. More is even better! That’s because brown bananas have a stronger flavor and more natural sweetness than their pure yellow friends. If you use completely yellow bananas — or yellow bananas with just a few brown spots — your banana bread will taste bland. I promise it’s worth waiting for your bananas to turn extremely brown and speckled!

However, the bananas provide more than just flavor and sweetness… They also help with the tender texture! Yet another reason why ripe bananas are best. The pure yellow ones are much starchier, so they won’t produce the same moist texture. Because you’re only using ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil, it’s really important to use very ripe bananas!

Can you tell I’m a huge fan of ripe bananas yet? 😉
 

 
Greek yogurt. This also helps boost the tender texture of your ultimate healthy banana bread! I love baking with Greek yogurt because it adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories… And it gives your baked treats extra protein too!

Egg whites. These help with the structure of your healthy banana bread. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein plays an important role as your healthy banana bread bakes and cools. (Stay tuned — more on this soon!)

Sweetener. As long as you use really ripe bananas, you’ll only need to add a touch of pure maple syrup to boost the natural sweetness. That’s right — no granulated sugar in this recipe! Remember, pure maple syrup is the kind that comes directly from maple trees. It only includes one ingredient, maple syrup, and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).

A secret ingredient. Yes, there’s a secret ingredient in this healthy banana bread! Any guesses? Maybe? Here’s what it is…

Distilled white vinegar! Just a teensy tiny amount. I promise you can’t taste it! The vinegar is a key ingredient because it’s an acid. That acid reacts with the baking soda to create air bubbles (technically carbon dioxide, if you’re a nerdy ex-scientist like me!). Those help your healthy banana bread rise better, and they also yield a more tender texture. I love kitchen chemistry!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST ULTIMATE HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

Time to pull out those mixing bowls and start baking! Let’s talk about how to make the best ever healthy banana bread. Like I mentioned earlier, I learned a lot about the science of banana bread through trial, error, and testing this recipe… So I have some tips to make sure your loaf turns out beautifully! Starting with…

Measure correctly. If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you already know how often I repeat this. It makes a huge difference in the taste and texture of your baked goods! For this ultimate healthy banana bread, it’s important to measure the ingredients correctly, especially the flour and bananas, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!)

Too much flour will make the batter dry, and it’ll also yield a blander flavor. Not enough mashed banana will do the same thing… But too much mashed banana will make your quick bread collapse — because it adds too much moisture and throws off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients!

Tip: This is why I recommend — if not beg! — that you never measure bananas by the number of bananas (ie “3 medium bananas”). Not all “medium” bananas are the exact same size, so there’s a very high likelihood that you’ll add the incorrect amount… Which then affects the taste, texture, and structure. For the best loaf of banana bread, stick with cups or grams instead!
 

 
An extra egg white. Have you ever baked a loaf of banana bread, pulled it out of the oven, and returned to the kitchen five minutes later… Only to realize it sunk as it cooled? Such a bummer! That happened to me the first time I tested this recipe, so I figured out three key ways to combat that and ensure your ultimate healthy banana bread stays nice and tall. The first trick was actually an extra egg white!

Remember what we covered earlier, how the white contains almost all of the egg’s protein? Protein is the number one thing that makes baked goods hold their shape once they’ve come out of the oven and while they cool. When I used just 2, the loaf sunk… But once I added another, it stayed nice and tall. So for the best structure and texture texture, you must use all 3 egg whites!

Tip: If you prefer to use whole eggs, that’s fine! I’ve shared how to do that in the Notes section of the recipe.

Lower baking temperature. Another reason baked goods sink as they cool is because they haven’t fully cooked through in the center. If you slice into banana bread and notice a thin slightly gooey-looking line above the bottom crust, that’s the evidence! (For the record, I actually love that part… But I’m assuming not everyone is odd like me! 😉 ) So you’ll bake this banana bread at 325°F, instead of 350°F, so the center can cook all the way through without the sides turning really brown or burning.
 

 
Foil. With the lower baking temperature, this healthy banana bread needs to stay in the oven longer in order to cook all the way through. But… Leaving it in the oven longer can result in an overly brown or burnt top! The foil acts as a shield, preventing any burnt spots, while allowing the center to continue cooking. Partway through baking, you’ll quickly remove the foil and immediately pop the pan back in the oven. (Act FAST! If you take too long, your loaf will start to sink!) Removing the foil allows the top to turn a nice golden color during the last part of baking.

And yes… I top the pan with foil first! Many recipes recommend covering your loaf with foil partway through baking if the top looks too brown or borderline burnt, but I’ve found that’s (a) harder to do without accidentally burning yourself in the process and (b) can still result in a collapsed or sunken loaf if you take too long to cover the top. Once your banana bread starts to deflate, there’s no saving it… It won’t magically “re-rise” in the oven.

There’s one more perk of covering your loaf pan with foil at the beginning: a beautifully domed top! If you add the foil later, then a deep crack typically appears partway through baking. Using foil first typically prevents that. (The crack doesn’t affect the flavor or texture of your healthy banana bread though — only the appearance!)

Cool completely. One last thing! For the best texture, you must wait until the banana bread has fully cooled before slicing into it. The center is still finishing its “setting” process while it cools, so cutting into your loaf before the center is at room temperature really isn’t a good idea. However! Once the sides of your banana bread feels like they’re at room temperature, you can pop the loaf in the fridge until the bottom feels chilled to speed up that setting and cooling process.
 

 
Whew! Lots of kitchen chemistry… But one absolutely perfect loaf of healthy 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 ultimate healthy banana bread!

The Ultimate Healthy Banana Bread

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices

This truly is the best banana bread I’ve ever had! It’s so tender and full of bright fruit flavor. It’ll keep for at least four days if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (this kind is my favorite!).

4.82 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar (see Notes!)
• ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup (260g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
• 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
• 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 9x5” loaf pan 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, vanilla, and vinegar. 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.)
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Cover the top with foil, and try to push up the foil in the center to ensure it doesn’t touch the batter while baking. Bake covered at 325°F for 35 minutes. Acting very quickly, remove the pan from the oven, and remove the foil. Immediately put the pan back in the oven, and continue baking the banana bread for an additional 28-32 minutes (for a total of 63-67 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your banana bread dry and bland.

 

IMPORTANT BANANA NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you have! (See my photo in the blog post above for reference!) The ones that are purely brown are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than purely yellow bananas. They also yield a moister texture in your banana bread.

 

Measure the bananas by cups or grams, not by “two medium bananas.” Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!

 

The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 ¼ cups. If you have slightly more than 1 cup of mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.

 

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE  – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The bananas provide the majority of the sweetness in this banana bread. For a sweeter-tasting banana bread, substitute 1-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use a total of 6 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk to 3 tablespoons.)

 

IMPORTANT STEP 3 NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: You must cover the batter with foil during the first stage of baking. This allows the center to cook through without the top turning overly brown or burnt. Work very quickly when removing the foil! If you leave the pan out of the oven for too long, the loaf will start to collapse, and it won’t recover to fully rise properly.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

EGG WHITE NOTES: This banana bread requires 3 egg whites. The protein in the whites helps prevent it from collapsing while cooling. If you'd prefer to use whole eggs, then use 3 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

VINEGAR NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the banana bread rise and create a more tender texture. Don’t skip it! (And I promise you can’t taste it!)

 

If you don’t have or can’t find distilled white vinegar, try to find another vinegar with a similar pH level of around 2.5 to maintain the same texture. Lemon juice has a pH level around 2-3, so it should also work.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover banana bread in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (I love this one because it seals more tightly than other brands!) or inside of an airtight container. It should keep for at least four days, if not a week or longer.

 

For more information, read the tips in my blog post above and watch my video directly above the recipe!

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
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♡  Healthy Small Batch Banana Muffins
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins
♡  Healthy Banana Scones
♡  Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡  Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡  Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana bread recipes!