Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Banana Bread

 
Many summers throughout my childhood, my family drove the three hours to Lake Tahoe for a vacation. We always stayed at our favorite campground, located on the south side adjacent to Emerald Bay, because it had large sites and centrally located bathrooms with running water. (We drew the line of “roughing it” there!)  

As soon as we arrived, my brother and I immediately knew what to do. We helped Mom and Dad pitch the tent by stringing together the collapsible poles and clipping them into place. Next, we carried our duffle bags, sleeping bags, and mattress pads into the tent, carefully removing our shoes before entering to minimize the amount of dirt inside. And finally… We pulled on swimsuits and raced down to jump in the icy cold lake!
 

 
Each day during our trip, we picked a different trail to hike. We usually opted for ones in the vicinity of South Lake Tahoe, like Cascade Lake and Eagle Lake, because they were only a short drive away, but we occasionally picked a new area to try for a change of pace.

Yet on every hike, we knew Mom and Dad would pack plenty of water and snacks. We stopped about every 20-30 minutes (in the shade, if possible!) for a quick drink and nibble. Mom usually brought crackers and trail mix with peanuts, raisins, and banana chips because they wouldn’t spoil or bruise, unlike regular fresh fruit. (And on the really long hikes, she surprised us with M&Ms!)
 

 
Since Dad is currently training for his next backpacking trip, we’ve been talking a lot about his weekend hikes, which brought back memories of my childhood camping trips… So I decided to turn my favorite parts of those hiking trail mixes, the raisins and bananas, into a baked treat: this healthy cinnamon raisin banana bread!

It’s supremely tender with lots of bright banana flavor, and the juicy raisins add a big pop of natural sweetness. Yet this banana bread has no refined flour or sugar, and it’s perfect for breakfasts and snacks!
 

QUICK OVERVIEW: HEALTHY CINNAMON RAISIN BANANA BREAD

Difficulty: Fairly easy, including for many beginner bakers.

Taste: Lightly sweetened and very cozy, with a prominent fruit flavor and bright pops of natural sweetness from the raisins.

Texture: Supremely moist, soft, and tender.
 

HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY CINNAMON RAISIN BANANA BREAD

Let’s go over how to make this healthy cinnamon raisin banana bread!

You’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture. This lets the fruit flavor of your healthy banana bread truly shine!

You’ll mix cinnamon and nutmeg into the flour. This is my favorite type of cinnamon because it has a warmer, stronger, and slightly sweeter flavor. I highly recommend it! Then the nutmeg rounds out the spice flavor and adds a boost of richness to the cozy flavor.
 

 
With a mere ½ tablespoon of butter and 3 egg whites, the majority of this healthy banana bread’s tender texture comes from two key ingredients: Greek yogurt and mashed banana.

If you’ve been around my blog before, you know how much I love using Greek yogurt in my healthy baking! I’ve incorporated it into scones, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, pound cakes, and even frosting. In this healthy banana bread recipe, it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your loaf a protein boost too!
 

 
As for the mashed banana, it plays another two roles in addition to adding moisture: flavor (you can’t make banana bread without bananas!) and natural sweetness. This is why I highly recommend using the ripest bananas you have! See those bananas? That’s the minimum amount of brown spots I recommend. More is even better! That’s because brown bananas contain more natural sweetness than the pure yellow ones, and they also add more flavor and moisture to the batter.

Tip: Remember to measure your mashed banana using cups or grams — not number of bananas! Not all “medium” bananas are the exact same size. If you simply count bananas, you’ll most likely end up adding the incorrect amount to the batter. Too little and your banana bread will turn out dry… Or too much and it’ll turn out raw inside or collapse while cooling. So for the best flavor and texture, stick with measuring cups or a kitchen scale!

Then to boost the natural sweetness, you’ll also mix in another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). This is the kind I use because I love its warm flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)
 

 
Of course, there’s another key ingredient in this healthy banana bread… The raisins! I love the plump, juicy ones because they melt in your mouth and add such a sweet pop of flavor. However…

Much of the time, my raisins are fairly dry and shriveled and hard. Not plump and juicy, like when I first opened the package. If you’re in the same boat, I have a secret trick for you…

Hydrate them! Add your raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover them with water. Tightly cover the top with plastic wrap (or put a plate on top of the bowl to act as a cover!), and microwave the raisins on high for 1 minute. Let them sit while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients. By the time you’re ready to fold them into the batter, your raisins will be exceptionally plump and juicy!

One last tip! Before baking your healthy banana bread, cover the top with foil. This allows the center of your loaf to cook through without the top turning overly brown or burnt. Most of the way through baking, you’ll remove the foil to allow the top to turn a beautiful golden color.
 

 
Sweet, tender, cozy, comforting, delicious… This banana bread has it all! 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 raisin banana bread!

Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Banana Bread

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices

I’ve made lots of banana bread in my life, but this recipe is one of the best I've ever made... And now one of my all-time favorites! It’s supremely tender with lots of bright banana flavor, cozy spices, and big pops of natural sweetness from the raisins. One of the best banana bread recipes ever! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients 

• 2 ¼ cups (280g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 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
• ¾ tsp liquid stevia
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup (260g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp (135mL) nonfat milk, divided
• ½ cup (80g) raisins (see Notes!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 9x5” loaf pan 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, egg whites, vanilla extract, stevia, and vinegar. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the mashed banana and 1 tablespoon of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining 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 tablespoon of raisins, and gently fold in the rest.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining raisins on top. 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 45 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 20-24 minutes (for a total of 65-69 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 NOTES – 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.

 

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: For sweeter-tasting banana bread, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of liquid stevia. Alternatively, substitute 1-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk to ½ cup.)

 

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.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.

 

If you prefer not to use stevia, substitute 3 tablespoons (45mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the liquid stevia AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90mL) to compensate for the added liquid volume. (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.)

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

RAISINS NOTE: I highly recommend hydrating your raisins first. It makes them really plump and juicy! To do so, add the raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, and cover the top of the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the raisins sit for 10-15 minutes (or while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients). Thoroughly drain the excess liquid before folding them into the batter.

 

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 (I love this one from Bob's Red Mill!) 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 here and watch my video directly above that recipe! (← It's a slightly different recipe, but the process is the same!)

 

{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
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Quick Bread
♡  Healthy Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
♡  Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Scones
♡  Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡  Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana bread recipes!