whole wheat banana bread recipes
A slice of healthy One Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread is the perfect afternoon snack!
Whole wheat banana bread and muffins recipe, banana bread made with whole wheat flour, whole wheat banana chocolate chip breadI had been looking for a banana bread recipe that I could keep and make forever.
Serve these easy chicken carbonara pasta or teriyaki chicken wings and your favorite shrimp lo mein !
How to make banana bread
Banana Bread Variations & Tips
Now that I’ve finally perfected this basic banana bread, feel free to change up this recipe and make it your own. Toss some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter! Same goes for chocolate chips. You could also add raisins, chopped dried fruit or slices of bananas.
HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD HEALTHY (AND STILL DELICIOUS)!
Sure, you could swap out all of the white flour for whole wheat flour, omit sugar, and use only pureed fruit in lieu of fat in the recipe. But you know what? It probably won’t taste very good!
The ideal loaf of healthy banana bread tastes just as good as the original, with a few tweaks to keep the calories, fat, and sugar in check. Here’s what I did:
Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour. The combination of flours gives you the benefits of the whole grains, but prevents the loaf from turning into a dense, dry brick that you might get from 100% whole wheat.
Decrease the amount of refined sugar to just 1/2 cup for the entire loaf. The rest of the sweetness comes from the natural sugars in the fruit.
Use just a tiny bit of butter for flavor and fat, but otherwise use the fruit purees for moisture.
This is truly THE BEST whole wheat banana bread!
My recipe calls for 3-4 mashed bananas. One large banana yields about 1/2 cup mashed, so I used 3 large bananas for a total of about 1 1/2 cups. If you’re working with small bananas, you’ll need at least 4 (and maybe even 5). Measuring is always the safest way to make sure that your banana bread turns out perfectly moist, sweet and delicious!
Whole Wheat Banana Bread is a healthy breakfast that you can make ahead for busy mornings!
MORE BANANA BREAD RECIPES READERS LOVE!
Raisin Bread – Classic perfection
teriyaki chicken wings – Easy and delicious!
Orange Bread – favorite comfort food
Scottish Morning Rolls – comfort food
whole wheat banana bread
- oven
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 3-4 very ripe bananas mashed (I used 3 large bananas to total 1.5 cups mashed)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spray an 8.5-inch by 4.5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place mashed bananas, melted butter, and applesauce in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix together.
- Add sugar, egg, and vanilla to banana mixture. Stir until well blended.
- Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture and stir until well blended.
- Add whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour last, stirring just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix or your bread will be tough.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake your loaf, so check it early on.
- Cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
