This super healthy banana bread recipe is so moist and sweet, everyone is always shocked to find out it’s actually good for you.
To lower the oil without sacrificing moisture, I pack a full 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana into this recipe, which also sweetens the banana bread without the extra sugar.And while I’m normally not a fan of oil-free baking, this banana bread is definitely an exception – you can easily omit the oil entirely if you’d prefer, and it will still turn out amazingly soft and delicious!
While many traditional banana bread recipes call for at least a cup of refined sugar and half a cup of butter or more, this lightened-up healthy banana bread recipe cuts way back on the ingredients you don’t want and replaces them with good-for-you ingredients, adding extra banana for natural sweetness.
For gluten free banana bread, the recipe works with oat flour or certified-gluten-free oat flour. Some readers have reported success with gluten free all purpose flour as well, although I haven’t personally tried it yet.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white, spelt, or oat flour (240g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- optional 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- optional 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cup mashed overripe banana (360g)
- 1/2 cup yogurt, such as almondmilk yogurt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 2 tbsp any sweetener of choice OR 1/16 tsp uncut stevia
- 1/3 cup oil OR milk of choice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan, or line with parchment. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk liquid ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour wet into dry, and stir to form a batter. Smooth into the prepared pan. If desired, press some chocolate chips into the top. Bake on the center rack 40 minutes, then do not open the oven door but turn off the heat and let sit in the closed oven 10 additional minutes. If your bread is still undercooked at this time, simply turn the oven back on and continue baking—checking every 5 minutes–until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Taste and texture are much better the second day (and even better the third day as it gets sweeter). Leftovers can be sliced and frozen for up to a month. If you try the recipe, be sure to rate it below!
