You will be obsessed with this healthy banana bread recipe the second you take a bite. It’s the best banana bread ever as it's moist and full of rich banana flavor. This banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use up over-ripe bananas hanging around the kitchen. Made with simple, wholesome ingredients, you don’t have to sacrifice taste to make it healthy.
Moist, fluffy, and made in one bowl, this banana bread doesn’t even require you to bring out the mixer. The whole house will smell heavenly as it bakes. I like to make a few loaves ahead of time as a quick and healthy breakfast and snack for my family. Try my chia pudding recipe or sweet potato toast recipe if you need another healthy breakfast your family will love.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Bananas — The more ripe your bananas are, the better they are for this banana bread as they add a ton of sweetness. You want bananas with a ton of brown spots. Over-ripe bananas are easier to mash as well.
- Maple syrup — Make sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Pancake syrup consists of corn syrup and not maple syrup.
- Milk — Milk adds additional moisture to the muffins. If you skip it, you’ll end up with dry muffins. I use oat milk, but you can also use almond milk or cashew milk.
- Vanilla — A touch of vanilla adds excellent flavor. Make sure you’re using real vanilla extract instead of artificial extract for the best flavor.
How to Make Healthy Banana Bread
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add in the mashed bananas and mix.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients into the bowl and ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Mix again until well combined.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Step 5: Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
Step 6: Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Tips For This Recipe
- Room temperature eggs are ideal for baking. The eggs mix more quickly into the batter at room temperature without risking over-mixing. If you didn’t bring them to room temperature, place the eggs in some warm water to bring their temperature up.
- Make sure to double-check the baking soda. One of the reasons that your bread hasn’t risen is expired baking soda that doesn’t activate when baked.
- Never scoop flour directly from the bag, as you’ll overpack the measuring cup. I recommend fluffing the flour with a fork and then spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling the top. Too much flour will lead to a dense loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter, as it’ll lead to a dense loaf of bread.
- If using frozen bananas, make sure to thaw the bananas before adding them to the batter.
- Mix a few nuts into the batter to make banana nut bread. Blueberries make a great addition as well for a blueberry banana bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep this banana bread covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like it to last longer, I recommend transferring it to the fridge or freezer.
Once cooled, wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. However, consider cutting your leftover bread into slices and individually wrapping them instead. This way, you can thaw and enjoy slices as desired without having to thaw and refreeze the entire loaf. You’re also able to quickly thaw individual slices of bread in the microwave for a healthy grab-and-go breakfast.
If your bananas are not ripe, bake them to speed up the ripening process. Place the bananas on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes at 300F. The bananas should be soft to touch. Peel and mash the bananas in the mixing bowl.
I recommend trying my healthy banana muffins if you’re craving muffins.
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If you’ve tried this Healthy Banana Bread Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup milk I use oat milk
- 1 cup ripe bananas mashed (2 to 3 bananas)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add in the mashed bananas and mix.
- Add in the dry ingredients into the bowl: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Mix again until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Room temperature eggs are ideal for baking. The eggs mix more quickly into the batter at room temperature without risking over-mixing. If you didn’t bring them to room temperature, place the eggs in some warm water to bring their temperature up.
- Make sure to double-check the baking soda. One of the reasons that your bread hasn’t risen is expired baking soda that doesn’t activate when baked.
- Never scoop flour directly from the bag, as you’ll overpack the measuring cup. I recommend fluffing the flour with a fork and then spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling the top. Too much flour will lead to a dense loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter, as it’ll lead to a dense loaf of bread.
- If using frozen bananas, make sure to thaw the bananas before adding them to the batter.
- Mix a few nuts into the batter to make banana nut bread. Blueberries make a great addition as well for a blueberry banana bread.
Cool recipe, I'm gonna try it for sure
Thanks Sangeeta, I hope it comes out great for you!
Just made this recipe and it’s delicious! Thank you.
So great to hear, thanks for letting me know!