applesaucebananaspelt flourwhole wheat flour

March 24, 2020

by Olena

Healthy Banana Bread

applesaucebananaspelt flourwhole wheat flour

March 24, 2020

by Olena

rate the recipe

jump to recipe

★★★★★

5 from 30 reviews

Moist Healthy Banana Bread with applesauce, no sugar and low fat. It is so delicious you won’t know it is healthy. Comes together in one bowl with simple ingredients.

Love quick breads? Healthy apple bread, healthy pumpkin bread and healthy zucchini bread are on a regular snack rotation in our house.

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

Healthy banana bread is a staple in our house. It is perfect as a school snack or healthy breakfast (spread with butter – yum!).

Learn how to make it using our healthy banana bread recipe. So easy, my 12 year old makes it.

Your perfect banana bread with applesauce should be moist, have glossy and sticky top and with a crack. When you take a bite it melts in your mouth.

In my world, it is the best banana bread. And you are looking at it right now!

Ingredients You Will Need

Ripe bananas are a must. They make bread sweet and moist. Ripe bananas are very yellow with brown spots. The uglier the bananas, the better. Even uglier than in my photo and video are perfect.
Unsweetened or sweetened applesauce. Substitute with extra ripe large banana, Greek yogurt with 2% fat content and higher or pureed fresh apples.
Eggs. You can replace with flax seed eggs if needed.
A bit of oil. Really any oil works like avocado oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil.
Honey or maple syrup – Any liquid sweetener is OK like agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
Whole wheat or spelt flour are the ones I usually make banana bread with. But white whole wheat and all-purpose will work more likely.

If you can find a more simple healthy banana bread recipe with only 1/3 cup of maple syrup and without 1 cup of vegetable oil, feel free to leave it in the comments. 🙂

How to Make Healthy Banana Bread

Mash bananas and eggs with a masher. I first like to mash bananas and then “whisk” eggs with the same masher.
Add all other ingredients except flour. “Stir” with the same masher. I know, I’m fancy but there is really no need for extra tool and bowl. Quick bread is not a cake.
Add whole wheat or spelt flour and stir gently until incorporated. Do not mix too much as bread might come out rubbery. Batter should be thicker than pancakes.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour and then let cool completely before slicing. It will make all the difference because you will be able to slice the bread. Been there, done that haha.

Tips for Best Banana Bread

Please follow the recipe. I can’t stress enough that baking is a science and 99% times deviations from original recipe result in baking fails.
Flours that don’t work with this healthy banana bread recipe are almond flour and coconut flour.
To “ripen” bananas faster, bake yellow bananas with skin on for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F oven. Or place a few ripened bananas or apples with unripened ones in a brown bag, close tightly and wait 1-2 days.
If using frozen bananas, thaw them first and do not discard liquid that separates.
Optional mix-ins: 1/2 to 1 cup of nuts, chocolate chips or blueberries.
You can make mini banana loaves by baking them for about 35-40 minutes and checking with a toothpick.

How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread

Store banana bread on a counter wrapped in plastic or straight in the loaf pan covered with plastic. Then cut a slice each time. You can slice it fully and wrap each slice in plastic but in my opinion it is not environmentally friendly option.

Banana bread stays fresh on a counter for up to 3 days. After you can refrigerate for another 3 days.

To freeze banana bread, bake and cool completely. I recommend you do not slice bread before freezing. It retains its moisture better this way. Place in a gallon size Ziploc container, let out as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, defrost on a counter. Takes about 3-4 hours. Bread will taste just like freshly baked. Pop it into a toaster for a minute for that freshly baked bread warmth and aromas.

Enjoy this healthy banana bread!

More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes

Browse all healthy muffins and quick breads.

Healthy Banana Bread

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 30 reviews

Healthy Banana Bread moist with applesauce, no refined sugar and low fat. Easy banana bread recipe your kids will love.

Author: Olena of ifoodreal.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 10 servings 1x
Category: Breakfast
Method: Oven
Cuisine: North American
Diet: Low Calorie

Scale

Ingredients

4 medium very ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups)
2 eggs, large
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil (melted)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder, aluminum free
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9 x 5 loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork or a masher. Add eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk to combine (masher works fine).
Add flour and stir gently just enough to mix. Pour batter in prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool off completely. Cut into 10 slices and enjoy.

Store: Keep in a cool dry place in a glass airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Please follow the recipe. I can’t stress enough that baking is a science and 99% times deviations from original recipe result in baking fails.
Flours that don’t work with this healthy banana bread recipe are almond flour and coconut flour.
To “ripen” bananas faster, bake yellow bananas with skin on for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F oven. Or place a few ripened bananas or apples with unripened ones in a brown bag, close tightly and wait 1-2 days.
If using frozen bananas, thaw them first and do not discard liquid that separates.
Optional mix-ins: 1/2 to 1 cup of nuts, chocolate chips or blueberries.
You can make mini banana loaves by baking them for about 35-40 minutes and checking with a toothpick.

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.

applesaucebananaspelt flourwhole wheat flour

Hello and welcome to iFOODreal.

My name is Olena Osipov. I'm a mom to 2 boys and a wife to Alex. And this is our healthy family recipes blog. I grew up in Ukraine on real food. As an adult, I tried many diets without results. Now for over 10 years, I cook quick and easy healthy meals for my family. I can help you with “What’s for dinner?” too.

What You Will Find Here

Healthy family recipes with simple ingredients. Many are inspired by my Ukrainian heritage. I share mostly dinner recipes because it just never ends... I’m obsessed with healthy freezer meals. And more than in love with my Instant Pot.

A Little More About Me

Originally from Ukraine, I now reside on magic Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada with my family. I started this blog in 2012 when I ended up at home with 2 small kids unemployed and a wee bit chubby.

93 comments on “Healthy Banana Bread”

Our “happiness” software deletes rude comments without publishing, so we can keep on happily cooking delicious recipes for you. Please see our full comment policy:).