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Healthy Strawberry Banana Bread

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 1 loaf
This easy banana bread recipe is one of my family’s favorites! It’s supremely tender and bursting with naturally sweet fruity flavors. It’ll keep for at least five days (if not closer to a week or more!) if stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed inside of an airtight container.
4.80 from 5 votes
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Ingredients 

  • 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour 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 – and see Notes!)
  • 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
  • ¼ cup (60mL) low-fat buttermilk (see Notes!)
  • 1 cup (140g) whole fresh strawberries, diced

Instructions

  • 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 mashed Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and honey. 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.) Set aside 2 tablespoons of diced strawberries, and gently fold in rest.
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining diced strawberries on top. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 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

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 and love!) 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! The ones that are purely brown are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than pure yellow bananas.
 
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 cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.
 
FOR SWEETER BANANA BREAD: Substitute additional honey for an equal amount of buttermilk. (For example, use an additional 2 tablespoons {30mL} of honey, and decrease the buttermilk to 2 tablespoons {30mL} instead.)
 
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
 
HONEY ALTERNATIVES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.
 
EGG WHITE NOTES: This banana bread requires 2 egg whites. The protein in the whites helps prevent it from collapsing while cooling. If you'd prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs and reduce the buttermilk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
 
BUTTERMILK NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: From my experience, some brands of fresh buttermilk are thicker than others, which affects the consistency of this banana bread batter and makes it a bit too dry. (The batter should be pretty thick – but not as stiff or dry as cookie dough!) If that happens to you, add water or additional buttermilk 1-2 teaspoons at a time until the batter comes together and matches the consistency of the batter in my video here, located just above the recipe. (It’s for a very similar banana bread recipe!)
 
I generally use this powdered buttermilk. It’s inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. It works really well in just about any recipe that calls for buttermilk!
 
To make your own buttermilk substitute, add ¾ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to ¼ cup of milk. (Any type of milk will work.)
 
STRAWBERRY NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: For best results, cut the strawberries to be no larger than the size of chocolate chips to ensure the loaf bakes evenly. Frozen and thawed berries may be substituted for the fresh. The baking time may increase slightly.
 
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO: To see how this banana bread is made, watch my video here, located just above the recipe. (It’s for a very similar banana bread recipe!)
 
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: 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 (I love this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
 
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option (or any other neutral tasting oil), or substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the unsalted butter. Substitute your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk. Substitute non-dairy yogurt (ie soy-based or almond-based) in place of the Greek yogurt.
 
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 five days, if not a week or longer.
 
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, dairy-free option}
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.