Healthy Banana Bread

Satisfy all your banana bread cravings without sacrificing any flavor with this healthy banana bread. Made with almond flour, overripe bananas and protein packed greek yogurt, this healthier banana bread is every bit as tasty as your classic recipe.

Healthy Banana Bread

If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you love banana bread. Classic chocolate chip banana bread, peanut butter banana bread, browned butter banana bread, banana bread muffins, nutella swirled banana bread… I mean, I get it. Banana bread is pretty much the greatest thing ever. And banana bread really had a moment last year. I think more loaves of banana bread were baked in 2020 than ever before – a record breaking year.

If you were in that banana bread baking crew, you might be heading into this new year equally obsessed, but perhaps looking for a slightly lighter alternative to classic banana bread. That’s where this healthier banana bread comes in. Let’s call it healthy-ish banana bread, because what does healthy even mean these days?

What makes this banana bread healthier?

Don’t get it twisted. There is absolutely *nothing* unhealthy about regular ol’ classic chocolate chip banana bread, but this lightened up version is nourishing, filling and lower sugar so you can absolutely eat it for breakfast and not feel sluggish all morning.

• A blend of gluten free flours: A blend of almond flour and all purpose gluten free flour keeps this bread gluten free for all you gluten freebies out there. That being said, feel free to swap out the gluten free flour for all purpose flour if you don’t have a gluten allergy. It’s just as healthy and much cheaper 🙂
• Slightly less added oil: Most banana bread recipes call for a 1/2 cup of melted butter. To lighten this one up we used 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil and you won’t miss the butter at all. Feel free to use any neutral flavored oil or melted butter if coconut oil isn’t your thing.
• More bananas: We loaded this banana bread up with ripe bananas to keep it super moist and full of banana flavor.
• Less sugar: The key to keeping this banana bread sweet is using super ripe bananas. This will help to cut down on the added sugar  to prevent that dreaded sugar crash after sweets.
• Protein packed greek yogurt: Greek yogurt will keep your bread super moist while also sneaking in some extra calcium and protein to leave you feeling full.

So… what ingredients will you need to make healthy banana bread?

This healthy banana bread recipe is my favorite kind of recipe. You’ll only need 9 ingredients that you probably already have on hand and it comes together in one bowl AKA virtually no clean up. Plus, it’s super customizable, aside from the bananas, pretty much all of the ingredients can be subbed out for whatever you have on hand. You can whip this banana bread up in 15 minutes and have it in your belly in under an hour. Here’s what you’ll need to make that happen:

• Bananas: Make sure your bananas are super overripe to keep your bread perfectly sweet and moist. Like verging on too rotten is what you’re looking for.
• Oil: We used melted coconut oil which gave our banana bread a delightfully subtle coconut-y flavor, but any other neutral flavored oil or melted butter will work too.
• Sugar: We used coconut sugar because it has a lower glycemic index, but granulated sugar or brown sugar will work too.
• Eggs: Two room temperature eggs will give your healthy banana bread the perfect amount of structure without getting too cakey. If you’re vegan you can also sub out these eggs for flax eggs. I’ve tried it many times and it works pretty seamlessly. Your banana bread will be ever so slightly denser, but still delicious!
• Greek Yogurt: Nonfat greek yogurt will add even more moisture, a little tang, and a little protein packed oompf to your banana bread.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda will give your healthier banana bread the perfect rise and crumb.
• Gluten Free Flour: We use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, but another gluten free flour mix (with xanthum gum), but regular all purpose flour or whole wheat flour will work seamlessly too!
• Almond Flour: Almond flour is the secret ingredient to the velvety soft, moist crumb of this banana bread.
• Salt: Salt is crucial to rounding out the flavor profile of any sweet treat. You’ll only need a little bit, but it will make all the difference.

How to make the best healthy banana bread

Let’s break it down step by step to take any guess work out of this healthier banana bread recipe.

Step One: Peel the overripe bananas and mash with a fork.

Step Two: Add the sugar, coconut oil, eggs, greek yogurt, and vanilla to the bananas and mix well.

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Step Three: Add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.

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Step Four: Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.

Tips for the best banana bread

• Use the brownest bananas you can: Bananas that are super ripe are naturally sweet, which means you’ll need less added sugar in your healthy banana bread. I know it can be super annoying to wait for your bananas to ripen up, but it is SO worth it. If your bananas are not super ripe, you can always add more sugar!
• Don’t over mix the batter: Over mixing will create more gluten in your batter which will lead to a tougher bread. I don’t know about you, but when I’m eating banana bread I’m looking for a super tender and moist banana bread.
• Don’t over bake your banana bread: Remember that your banana bread will continue to bake as it cools, so it’s okay if it’s a little bit underdone when you take it out of the oven. A knife inserted into the middle should come out mostly clean. By the time it cools it will be cooked to moist perfection.

We hope you enjoy this healthy banana bread just as much as we do. Enjoy!

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• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: quick bread
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american
• Diet: Gluten Free

Healthy Banana Bread

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Satisfy all your banana bread cravings without sacrificing any flavor with this healthy banana bread. Made with almond flour, overripe bananas and protein packed greek yogurt, this healthier banana bread is every bit as tasty as your classic recipe.

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: quick bread
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american
• Diet: Gluten Free

Units: USM

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (see note)*
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup gluten free flour (regular all purpose flour works too!)
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a standard size 9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl mash the overripe bananas with a fork until no big chunks remain.
3. Add the sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Add the flour, almond meal, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool before eating!

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Notes

1. If your bananas are not super ripe, feel free to adjust the amount of added sugar to taste. We found that going up to 2/3 cup coconut sugar for slightly less ripe bananas was the perfect amount of sweetness.