While made without butter, oil, or white flour, this 100% whole wheat banana bread tastes just as flavorful and moist as my regular banana bread. In this healthy banana bread recipe, swap butter with unsweetened applesauce, all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and replace some of the refined sugar with honey. With glowing reviews from taste-testers and readers around the world, this quick bread doesn’t even taste lightened-up!
I know I say I’m obsessed with a lot of different recipes, which might make convincing you to try something a little tough. If I love so many, which ones are actually the best?
My whole wheat banana bread completely blew my mind. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. This loaf was merely a way to get rid of 3 overly ripe bananas and a random jar of applesauce. I make my regular banana bread and chocolate banana bread with butter and all-purpose flour because that’s where all the goodness hides. Well, after 1 bite of this “whatever, it won’t be good” banana bread, I was proven wrong.
I should have learned my lesson when I made the most soft and flavorful whole wheat pizza dough and these chocolate banana muffins. Healthy ingredients CAN make incredible things.
This Whole Wheat Healthy Banana Bread Is:
- Wholesome, healthful, & hearty
- Extra moist and cinnamon-spiced
- Not overly sweet, so the banana flavor shines
- 100% whole wheat
- Prepared without butter, oil, or white flour
- Ready to bake in less than 10 minutes
Plus, this whole wheat banana bread slices and freezes like a dream. I love having a loaf on stand-by in the freezer for when I need homemade breakfast option or wholesome snack for all of us—adults and toddler alike. We all love it. (Especially with peanut butter spread on each slice!)
Let me quickly run through how you can make it.
Quick Tip: Mash Bananas with Your Mixer
Did you know you can use your electric mixer to mash bananas? Break or slice your peeled spotty bananas into large pieces and place in the bowl of your stand mixer– or use a regular mixing bowl and your hand mixer. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed as the bananas break down into mashed banana. You can use this bowl for the rest of the banana bread ingredients. I do this for my banana cake, too!
You need 3 spotty medium size bananas for this recipe.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes, frozen and thawed bananas work in this recipe and you can read more about How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking if you’d like. Two important things to remember:
- The riper the banana, the better. When you bake with bananas, you want to use brown, spotty super-ripe ones.
- Strain off excess liquid. As bananas thaw, they let out a lot of liquid, which can throw off the wet ingredients in any baking recipe. I always recommend draining off most or all of that excess liquid before mashing and measuring them for your recipe.
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
After you mash the bananas with your mixer, add the remaining wet ingredients. You need:
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Honey
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
Unsweetened applesauce takes the place of butter or oil. Additionally, I’m very light-handed with the added sugars—we really want the banana flavor to shine through here. If you don’t want any added refined sweeteners in this healthier banana bread recipe, swap the brown sugar with coconut sugar. To keep this banana bread dairy free, use dairy free milk.
After that, mix the dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. You need whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mostly the same dry ingredients I use in my whole wheat banana nut muffins. Lastly, fold in chopped walnuts. The nuts are completely optional. Sometimes I add chocolate chips and/or raisins instead. I’ve even added the cinnamon layer from this cinnamon swirl banana bread. And for an extra special treat, make a batch of homemade honey butter to enjoy on the baked bread.
Love peanut butter + bananas? Try my peanut butter banana muffins (as muffins or a loaf). That recipe uses many of the same ingredients we use here.
More Healthful Baked Goods
- Morning Glory Muffins & Healthy Apple Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins
- Breakfast Cookies
- Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Vanilla Almond Granola
- Bran Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups
Whole Wheat Healthy Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
In this healthier banana bread recipe, swap butter with unsweetened applesauce, all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and replace some of the refined sugar with honey. With glowing reviews from taste-testers and readers around the world, this quick bread doesn’t even taste lightened-up!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (288g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 6 Tablespoons (90g) unsweetened applesauce*
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey*
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar*
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (67g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- You can use an electric mixer or mix everything by hand. I like to use an electric mixer because I use it to mash the bananas. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment on medium-high speed, beat the mashed bananas, applesauce, and eggs together until combined. (Or whisk by hand.) Add the honey, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed (or whisk) until combined. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Pour into the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed (or by hand) until combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60-65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes at the 55 minute mark or so.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
- Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: The best way to freeze quick bread is to tightly wrap the loaf or slices (individually or grouped) in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place wrapped banana bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or reusable container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make about 18 muffins. Pour the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the muffins is about 22-23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my whole wheat banana nut muffins.
- Frozen Bananas: You can use thawed frozen bananas in this recipe. Thawed bananas are extra wet, so drain off as much of the excess liquid as you can before mashing. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Applesauce: If needed, melted coconut oil (or canola or vegetable oils) can be used instead of applesauce.
- Sweetener: Pure maple syrup or agave can be used instead of honey and coconut sugar can be used instead of brown sugar.
- Milk: I use skim milk, but any milk fat is OK. Nondairy milks work too!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Do you have suggestions for using yeast. Also I want to add apples and bananas
Hi Sandy, this is a quick bread and does not require yeast. If you’re interested, here are all of our yeasted bread recipes. Hope you find one to try!
This is an incredibly moist and delicious bread! Can’t believe it’s so healthy. I wanted to keep the fat in, so did the 6 T melted butter instead of the applesauce, as recommended below, and subbed pecans for walnuts. It was delicious!!
Excellent banana bread recipe. I baked it for a total of 55 mins in my oven and it turned out perfect. I substituted swerve brown sugar substitute for the brown sugar.
Would it be okay to omit the brown sugar and or sugar substitutes? I’m diabetic.
Hi Steve! We don’t recommend omitting the sugar, and we don’t have much experience baking with sugar substitutes. If needed, it may be best to search for a recipe using those specific ingredients. Glad you enjoyed this!
Rich, moist, and perfect. I used maple syrup. This is my all-time favorite banana bread recipe. Thank you!
I’m wanting to make a banana bread cake….will this work in a 8×8?
Should be fine for a thinner 8×8 cake, Brenda! We’re unsure of the bake time. Let us know if you give it a try.
I followed recipe as written, except for time, the tooth pick came clean at 30 mins, it sank a little in the very middle, I think 40 mins would have been better.
Loving all your quick bread recipes! Can I sub a 1/4 cup of mashed banana for the 1/4 cup of honey?
To leave out the honey completely? We don’t recommend it. Pure maple syrup or agave can be used instead of honey.
I often add cranberries to banana breads for a little extra nutrition and zing, and it looks so festive! Cranberries can also be frozen so you can use them even in the off-season.
I have used this recipe three or four times now but I would like to know if I can incorporate my sourdough starter/ discard into the recipe?
Hi Karen, we haven’t tested anything, but let us know if you do. Hope you’ve been enjoying the banana bread!
Wow, fantastic recipe!
Like the fact there’s no butter – I slap a load on my slices, so make up for it!
I added about 2 tablespoons of Chia seeds to the loaf & topped it with an oaty crumble – perfection!
Great recipe! Best tasting banana bread I’ve ever made.
If I want to make mini loaves does temp or time need to be adjusted?
Hi Tom, the bake time will be shorter, same temp. Use a toothpick to test for doneness!
Healthy, so delicious, moist and not too sweet! Truly loved it, Will be my go-to banana bread recipe from now on
Thank you sally❣
This is my go to recipe for banana bread. I used 4 ripe bananas. It came out so moist and delicious. Didn’t have applesauce and used the coconut oil instead. I have been using this recipe since 2021.
This was fantastic. Had I not made it myself after grinding my own hard red winter wheat, I would have never known it was whole wheat. It is so moist! I had an extra banana, threw that in, and added a few extra grams of flour to compensate, but otherwise followed the recipe completely. Perfectly sweet, wonderfully banana-y, delightfully filling. This one is a keeper 100%
I added pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts. I loved the recipe so much its going to be my default. Thanks!
I’ve been making your regular banana bread recipe for years, it is my go-to and I love it! So I’m trying to be more aware of my glycemic index I decided to give this a try. My only complaint is that you say it’s “just as flavorful and moist” and let’s be honest, it’s not. It’s not bad for a whole wheat baked good but that description definitely lead to some unrealistic expectations.
Do you have the nutritional information available?
Hi Rose, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’m really interested in making whole wheat banana bread. If I were to still use butter, would it be the same 90g as applesauce?
Hi Mita, you can use 6 Tablespoons (85g) of melted butter in place of the applesauce.
This recipe was better than many other banana bread recipes I’ve tried! It is not too sweet. I added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and pecans. Very moist but not dense! My bread took 65 minutes to bake in a slightly larger bake pan than recommended, still good!
Just made this with my 6yr old for a last day of school treat! It’s not even out of the oven yet, but we can already tell it is going to be good! Perfect rise, and crispy golden crust! We made ours with coconut oil, folded in flaxseed and chopped banana chunks at the end, and topped with some banana slices for a little extra zhuzh.
Update: It didn’t even last the week! This is our new favorite recipe. Try it as French toast!
I Swapped 2 things, but this has to be my second favorite banana bread recipe ever!
My swaps were using some vanilla infused maple syrup in place of honey, and using a little dark chocolate and handful of mini milk chocolate chips I had left in place of walnuts.
I have homemade vanilla extract (currently 10 months aged) and used the bourbon based bottle for this.
Came out perfectly cooked at 55 minutes from my oven in a metal bread pan.
Delicious! I made this for the first time and man was I amazed. The texture and flavors were perfect. As suggested, I replaced the Brown Sugar with Coconut Sugar and the Milk with Almond Milk. I will be making this bread over and over again!
Loved the recipe but would be great to see pictures or videos . I couldnt get the part of covering it with foil as an example. So some pictures would really help.
Exceeded all expectations! Love love love this recipe because I find most treats from the grocery store bakery to be a bit too sweet but this less-intensely-sweet recipe satisfies the banana bread craving. I appreciate that it also doesn’t require oil or butter! I will be making this hearty whole wheat treat again for sure. I have tried other whole wheat recipes that ended up being a waste of expensive ingredients so I was very pleased when this one turned out so well.
Delicious! It’s a keeper!
Love the recipe! Do u have nutrition info for this?
Hi Pam, so glad you enjoy this recipe! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I use greek yogurt in place of the applesauce? Thank you, I love your recipes!
Hi Kelsey, if needed, the best swap for the applesauce is melted coconut oil (or canola or vegetable oils).
This recipe makes excellent banana bread. My kids and I loved it. I omitted the walnuts so that my kids would eat it, but I had a few walnuts on the side with mine.
What about if I just blend the apple as I don’t hav applesauce….Thanks
Hi Farah, we’d recommend finding an online tutorial for making your own applesauce. Homemade applesauce will work here!
I have made this numerous times and it’s always fabulous! In the beginning I made into muffins but now I only make in my old Bundt pan and it’s perfect! Well except I added too many dark chocolate chunks last time! Sometimes I use walnuts sometimes dark chocolate. Today I made with both! In the oven right now! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Thanks for the Bundt pan idea! Making this morning!
I used a bunt pan. This recipe was so bad, I contemplated throwing it out. It’s the consistency of paste bread. The whole wheat tastes like bran which makes it disgusting. The measurements were off between the moist and dry ingredients. Never again.
We loved your healthy banana bread recipe! Followed the recipe exactly, except, I only had 2 ripe bananas. I added about 1/3 cup finely shredded carrot in its place and it turned out great!
Shredded zucchini works in a pinch too. Zucchini takes the taste of whatever you’re cooking (for those who don’t know)
Don’t skip the banana !