My favorite healthy banana bread uses olive oil instead of butter, some whole wheat flour, and less sugar than the standard loaf. It’s moist and lightly sweet: great for snacks!
As a Mediterranean diet expert and author of a new cookbook on the subject, I’ve realized a lot of banana bread is really just an excuse for cake. Most banana bread recipes have a stick of butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar, but I wondered: could I apply the Mediterranean mindset to a banana bread?
I cut the sugar to only ⅓ cup and replaced butter with olive oil. Amazingly, it worked! This healthy banana bread is tender, moist, gently sweet, and what I bake now when I see bananas on my counter turning black. I had a bunch of recipe testers help me by trying this one in their homes, and the verdict? Delicious.
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This recipe was a total win in our house! Entire loaf disappeared within minutes of being set on the counter in front of 5 kiddos for afternoon snack.” -Molly
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is probably my favorite banana bread recipe.” -Tanvee
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I LOVED this banana bread! It was sweet enough but not too sweet! I’d eat it all day long. I served it to a group of friends and EVERYONE LOVED IT!!!” -Kathy
What Makes It Healthy Banana Bread
“Healthy” means something different in every banana bread recipe. I know it can be a negative buzz word for some people. To me, here’s what “healthy” means here:
- Olive oil instead of butter: In the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is the default cooking fat, and is rich in monounsaturated fats. It replaces the butter, so this is a dairy free banana bread too!
- One third the sugar content as most loaves: Most banana bread recipes that are the same size use about 1 cup granulated sugar. If you cut this loaf into 12 slices. there’s just over 1 teaspoon sugar per slice.
- Some whole wheat flour. I use ½ cup whole wheat flour in combination with the all purpose flour, to add a bit of nutty flavor. It’s not a lot of added nutrition, but every little bit counts.
Important note: You might know me for my healthy banana muffins made with only oats and no all-purpose flour. I tried the same approach in a loaf, but it comes out very dry. This balance of flours is my new spin on what “healthy” banana bread means to me.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This healthy banana bread recipe uses these simple pantry ingredients:
- Very ripe bananas: The most important part about this recipe is to use very, very ripe bananas so that each slice is sweet enough.
- Olive oil: I like using a mild extra virgin olive oil so it doesn’t have too intense of a finish. See my notes below.
- Packed brown sugar: Many of my recipes use maple syrup or honey to sweeten, but in this one I wanted to use less sugar overall and have the right banana bread texture (sugar also is the best for texture).
- Eggs and vanilla extract: Eggs hold everything together, and vanilla adds nuance.
- All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour: You can also use 100% white whole wheat flour, which tastes a little milder.
- Cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt: These add flavor nuance and leavening.
Olive Oil Banana Bread: Why I Skip the Butter
I love this olive oil banana bread with a mild extra virgin olive oil; I just used my all purpose olive oil that I use in all my savory recipes. Avoid a bold olive oil so there’s not a peppery finish to the taste. If you want an even more neutral flavor, use a light-tasting olive oil (it’s typically marked on the bottle).
Butter is only about 80% fat, but olive oil is pure fat that stays liquid at room temperature. That means that the loaf is overall more moist and stays soft for days.
Tips for Baking With Overripe Bananas
One thing is important with this recipe: the blacker the bananas, the better. With so little added sugar, the bananas carry the sweetness. Here’s what to know:”
- Look for mostly black peels. Brown spots are good; very brown or black is even better.
- Measure the mash. My recipe testers said it best with 1¾ cups total (I had originally specified a range of 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups).
- Stash them in the fridge or freezer. If you have some bananas that are ready before others, you can refrigerate or freeze them until the others catch up (just make sure to add all the liquid with the banana).
Mix-Ins and Variations
Banana bread is a canvas for experimenting! One of my recipe testers added dark chocolate, cardamom, and walnuts and loved it (I need to try that one). Here are some ideas:
- Nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or toasted pecans, like in my banana nut bread.
- Berries: Add 1 cup blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour like in my blueberry banana bread.
- Chocolate chips: Add up to ½ cup dark chocolate chips. Funny enough, many of my recipe testers added chocolate chips (does this negate the healthy? It’s up to you!).
- Warm spices: Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom or nutmeg.
Storage and Freezing
To store this healthy banana bread, wrap it in foil and store for 5 to days at room temperature. It also lasts refrigerated up to 10 days.
To freeze it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
Dietary Notes
This healthy banana bread is vegetarian and dairy-free. It isn’t gluten-free; for that, try my gluten free banana bread. For plant-based, try my vegan banana bread.
Healthy Banana Bread with Olive Oil
My favorite healthy banana bread uses olive oil instead of butter, some whole wheat flour, and less sugar than the standard loaf. It’s moist and lightly sweet: great for snacks! (See below for my Pumpkin Banana Bread variation.)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar (or up to ½ cup; see Notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 medium; see Notes)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon each cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8×4-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs. With a spatula, stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until the center of the loaf springs back to the touch, or a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out with a few clinging crumbs (or the internal temperature is 200°F). For 9×5” pan it could be a few minutes shorter bake time, but I recommend using an 8 x 4” pan if possible.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack.
- The bread lasts 5 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, refrigerated for 10 days, or frozen for 3 months (slice it into pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap, then a freezer-safe bag or container).
Notes
Bananas note: Use your very, very ripest bananas for this recipe to get the right amount of sweetness! You can also use ½ cup brown sugar if your bananas are on the edge.
Pumpkin banana bread: Use ½ cup brown sugar. In place of the bananas, use 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas and ¾ cup pumpkin puree. After the cinnamon, add 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice.
I made this recipe today for the first time and as I haven’t made banana bread for ages, I was quite excited to have a slice with a cup of tea. I stuck to the exact recipe except for using gluten-free flour out of necessity and use equal amounts of gf flour for the recipe amount.
The bread is tasty; however, I found it drier than expected. I will make it again and add some plain yogurt or a dollop of sour cream to it to add a bit of moisture. I added a touch of lactose free cream cheese to my slice to add moisture and it was just right.
The dryness is because of using gluten-free flour — it dries out baked goods when you make them! I don’t recommend using it in this bread recipe since I haven’t tested it. But if you make it again with GF flour, let me know how much plain yogurt you add (1/2 cup?) and I can add it as a tested swap in the recipe!
This is fantastic, super quick and easy and delicious! I’m dialing down my sugar intake and this is the ticket. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for making it!
Hi,
I was wondering what can I best substitute the brown sugar with to make this a “sugar free” banana nut bread as we have diabetics in the family but we love the banana nut flavor?
Thanks,
Ninad
Hi there! Looks like the American Diabetes Association recommends something like stevia – I have also seen monkfruit recommended for diabetics. I would ask your doctor for their recommendation too!
I made, loved, and gave a loaf of this to my brother’s family, too. It was so satisfying without feeling indulgent or dessert-like. Thank you!
I LOVED this banana bread! It was sweet enough but not too sweet! I’d eat it all day long, including for breakfast because it’s not that sweet. Often, breads or muffins are really cake disguised and I can’t eat “cake” for breakfast. I think this would be great toasted with peanut butter for breakfast. I know you stressed this in the recipe and I would stress it even more when you publish it — you MUST use VERY ripe bananas to get some sweetness. That is the key. Also, I served it last night to a group of friends and EVERYONE LOVED IT!!!
Oh wow I’m so glad you tried it and loved it! I couldn’t agree more about the “cake” for breakfast comment!!
This recipe was a total win in our house! Entire loaf disappeared within minutes of being set on the counter in front of 5 kiddos for afternoon snack.
Oh I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for making it!!!
I tried the banana bread and it turned out great, I will likely add it to my regular rotation. I did add some dark chocolate, cardamom and walnuts (my family won’t eat it otherwise 🙄) but still felt low enough in sugar and sweetness for the family to eat regularly. It did taste healthy with the whole wheat flour but in a good way – it gave it some texture and a bit of nuttiness. Thanks for the recipe!
Ohhhh I love the idea of dark chocolate, cardamom and walnuts. I must try it!
Love this healthy banana bread recipe! The flavor is delicious and not overly sweet. Also like that it comes together very quick all in one bowl. Will definitely be making this again (and again). Thank you for the great recipe.
Ahhhh I am so glad! Thank you so much for making it!
Looking forward to trying this one.
Remember,
The most healthy fats are monounsaturated & polyunsaturated.
Semi sweet choc chips DO have some saturated fat, but they are mainly MUFA’s monounsaturated & polyunsaturated ..
Nuts & seeds are also the more healthy MUFA fats ..
—-
I will definitely add choc chips & walnuts to add MUFA’s. The nuts also add a bit of protein (1 c. Chopped walnuts = 18 gm )
This is probably my favourite banana bread recipe, I think. It’s easy, simple, wholesome, and comes together very quickly! My batter took 60 minutes, and the loaf came out perfectly moist and held together so well. It’s very balanced and not overly sweet.
I am THRILLED to hear this! Thank you so much for making it!
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed it.