Healthy Cranberry Pecan Banana Bread
Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices
 
This banana bread is one of my favorite fall treats! It’s as tender as cake and full of comforting flavors, like sweet banana, tart cranberries, and cozy pecans. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
  • 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
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5” baking pan with foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.

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}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/09/26/healthy-cranberry-pecan-banana-bread/