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
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
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!
Such a great inspiration/backstory for this sweet treat!
You’re too sweet — thank you so much, Liz!! 🙂
THIS Is My FAVORITE Cinnamon~ quite possibly the same as Yours! One tip off was when you mentioned “the slight natural sweetness” it has. And doesn’t This remind you of Exactly What Cinnamon Should Taste Like… like “Red Hots” candy and Most ANY Cinnamon Flavored Candy?! I do my best to eat Organic as often as possible because if You Want To Eat Healthy it seems that a GR8 start is removing all the hideous toxins put on fresh fruits & vegetables from your diet, right?!
AND, I will be making this as soon as I get some organic whole wheat flour… I’ve been pretty much only using coconut flour, not that I’m strict no~carb nor am I GF, just seems like you look up one thing in That Category and you kind of get sucked in… at least I did. But I will definitely say, “I’ve dropped, And Kept Off, quite a few pounds eating this way, and the food I make is D~Lish… I’m a good cook, too!”
Anyway, I LOVE YOU AND YOUR RECIPES! You’re fabulous and I look forward to not only your recipes, but also your adorable stories of what it was like growing up in a pretty “functional” household with parents who actually took you out to places where you all did fun things together! Clearly it’s shaped you into the £ovely Person you are now~ And ??~£overs ARE GR8 People!
Thanks for sharing??
THIS Is My FAVORITE Cinnamon~ quite possibly the same as Yours! One tip off was when you mentioned “the slight natural sweetness” it has. And doesn’t This remind you of Exactly What Cinnamon Should Taste Like… like “Red Hots” candy and Most ANY Cinnamon Flavored Candy?! I do my best to eat Organic as often as possible because if You Want To Eat Healthy it seems that a GR8 start is removing all the hideous toxins put on fresh fruits & vegetables from your diet, right?!
AND, I will be making this as soon as I get some organic whole wheat flour… I’ve been pretty much only using coconut flour, not that I’m strict no~carb nor am I GF, just seems like you look up one thing in That Category and you kind of get sucked in… at least I did. But I will definitely say, “I’ve dropped, And Kept Off, quite a few pounds eating this way, and the food I make is D~Lish… I’m a good cook, too!”
Anyway, I LOVE YOU AND YOUR RECIPES! You’re fabulous and I look forward to not only your recipes, but also your adorable stories of what it was like growing up in a pretty “functional” household with parents who actually took you out to places where you all did fun things together! Clearly it’s shaped you into the £ovely Person you are now~ And ??~£overs ARE GR8 People!
Thanks for sharing??
UM, Oh Yeah~ If My Head Wasn’t ATTACHED…!!
*This exact listing isn’t the one I purchased, it’s around $12.00 for a One Pound (non~resealable) Bag. That lasts ME about a Year… I don’t think it would hang around Your kitchen for quite THAT long.
???
https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Natural-Products-Vietnamese-Multi-Pack/dp/B005GTVCS4/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1536369376&sr=1-5&keywords=vietnamese+cinnamon&refinements=p_89%3AFrontier
You’re so kind — that means the world to me that you’re enjoying my recipes and stories!! Your sweet comment made my day. Thank you so much! 🙂 This type of cinnamon really is lovely, isn’t it?? I love its strong flavor and natural sweetness, and it makes a big difference in baking recipes… As I’m sure you already know! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this banana bread Kat!!
i just baked with your recipe…instead of a loaf, i made muffins in 12 silicon liners and they were ready in 30 minutes….loved your blog and your healthy guiltfree recipes…..so thankful for the amazing recipe..it turned out great…
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Sami! I love your idea of turning it into muffins. I need to remember to try that in the future! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe of mine you decide to try next!
Your yummy recipes never disappoint! I also made these into cupcakes baked for 30 minutes. Also thank you for giving measurements in grams. It’s very helpful!
Blessings!!
You’re so sweet, Keri!! Your comment just made my entire week. It means the world to me that you’re enjoying my recipes! I’m so glad you liked this one too. Thank you for taking the time to share your modification about making them as cupcakes instead; I always love hearing what tweaks work!