I think it’s a little crazy when I see banana bread recipes that call for an entire cup of sugar. Ripe bananas are so naturally sweet 
I actually use them as the sweetener in some recipes like smoothies and pancakes. Maybe it is my new and improved palate, but I cannot imagine needing a full cup of sugar in addition to three super sweet ripe bananas! So here is my version of banana bread, which of course calls for 100% whole-wheat flour and a mere quarter cup of honey. And don’t feel confined to the “loaf” shape…these are great as muffins, mini-muffins, or small loaves as well. Also, feel free get creative with add-ins like nuts, raisins or other dried fruit. Enjoy!
- 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl mix mashed bananas with yogurt, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
- Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake large loaf for 40 – 50 minutes or until it comes clean with a toothpick.
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I’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s delicious!
Made this last night as directed, it is really good! Love the addition of yogurt as I’ve always got extra around. The only thing I may do different next time is add some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, I found this bread to be just a bit bland but it might have been because I only had 2 ripe bananas and one almost ripe.
Thanks for the great recipe and all the amazing work you do!!
Sounds great! I’ll be saving up my ripe bananas in my freezer to make this soon!
I have a question about the banana bread. What type of oil is the best for this kind of baking? Besides vegetable or canola!
Try it with coconut oil…that would be a great unrefined substitute that works well with baked goods!
I made them with the applesauce and extra yogurt instead of honey added in some chopped almonds and dried cranberries. They are ok but they don’t really taste like banana and are kind of bland. Guess they need the honey or something to sweeten them. Any suggestions on making them taste more like banana? Maybe banana yogurt?
Were you bananas super ripe? That can make a big difference.
This has been my go-to recipe for bread and muffins probably since you posted it. I am baking it right now with zucchini, homemade plain yogurt, farm eggs, raw honey and coconut oil. The remainder of the recipe was intact. Verdict in the morning after the children eat them for breakfast. Thank you.
Love to hear the variations! Thanks for leaving a review.
This recipe was great! Thanks! Is there a way to make it a little less dense?
I added some 85% chocolate chunks from Lindt along with some walnuts. What a treat for breakfast!
100% whole-wheat breads are usually somewhat dense…you could try experimenting with a pastry or “white whole-wheat” flour (which is still whole grain, but made from a lighter variety of wheat)
This recipe is so good! Goodluck to me to loose my “baby weight” with this one lol. Didn’t have 3 bananas only 2, but even with two bananas and some dried cranberries it came out so delicious. Can’t even compare with the other recipes I tried before. I am happy to find this recipe and will use only this one from now on. Also your blog is such a delight to read and is very informative.
I just made these as mini muffins for our 17 month old. Bananas are his favorite food. I added fresh blackberries from our backyard and 1/3 cup of ground flax seed. I also used the same spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) that I use to make gluten free banana bread for my husband. What a wonderful little treat!
This is super tasty! I made a loaf last night before bed and this morning when I got up Hubs and the kids had eaten half of it! Thanks for the great recipe, we’ll use it often!
I just ate a warm one from the oven. I made muffins…cooked for about 16 minutes. I used whole wheat pastry flour (they were nice and light) and coconut oil (I couldn’t taste coconut at all). The oil liquified super-fast in the toaster oven. They are yummy as-is, but would also be delicious with cinnamon, added fruits/nuts. Thanks!
Awesome recipe! I added 1/2 tsp nutmeg and used greek yogurt.
This looks delicious, and I know my kids would gobble it up! I have everything on hand but the yogurt, is there anything I could substitute? Going back to the store is not in my budget this week!
Hmmm…I’m not sure what the best substitute would be. It is only 1/4 cup so maybe something like sour cream would work?
I’ve been adapting regular recipes as I go, trying to make them healthier. I dont even have white flour in the house anymore. So glad to see one written out exactly the way I like to bake. I always substitute half the oil or butter for applesauce,( I like grape seed oil). Yogurt could be substituted with sour cream or sour milk. Makes for a moist loaf/muffins.
I tried this recipe yesterday using organic walnut oil (made sure that the cooking temp was below the smoke point). It was delicious! And my little guy loved it too. Thank you for your awesome recipe. It’s a very good breakfast/snack idea.
I just thought I’d add that I added about 1/2 cup of finely grated local carrots this time around and they are spectacular!
I am sooo happy to come across your blog! I just made your granola and it really is wonderful! My two year old asked for seconds! I used all my honey for the granola, so would it be ok to use maple syrup instead for the banana bread? If so, do I use the same amount? My daughter just started Kindergarten this week and I’m trying REALLY hard to provide healthy meals and snacks
I think that would work, but I’ve never tried. Only one way to find out!
Is there something I could use besides honey?
You could try maple syrup instead.
Love your blog! Love this recipe! I really wish there was a print option so I didn’t have to cut and paste the recipe onto word.
This is soooo good! Made it today for lunch with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil, and my kids scarfed it down with natural peanut butter on it. Thanks for the recipe, it’s definitely a keeper for us
My uber-picky 5 year old ate this up like nobody’s business!! I used olive oil (b/c that’s all we have) and just under 1/4c of pure maple syrup. I think it’s slightly bland, so I would use the full 1/4 cup of sweetner (honey/maple syrup) and make sure the bananas are fully ripe. Thanks for all the tips for little ones’ lunches and breakfasts- it’s really helping our family!
Made this twice! Second time around, increased the oil to 1/2 cup, vanilla to 2 t, used a mixture of maple syrup and honey to add up to 1/4 c, and added 1/3 c chocolate chips. The oil helped w/ the moisture (my first version, and DH didn’t like them), and we’re vanilla fans here.
Thanks for the recipe, my children scarfed them down and didn’t care that they were whole wheat! I’ll substitute some of oil for applesauce for the next batch.
Oh, and also made them into muffins — made about 20, and they took about 12-14 minutes to bake. Thanks again for this website!
I love your banana bread recipe & made 4 loaves today. The local produce stand have free ripe bananas to a good home & I went crazy. Thank you so much for giving us a simple recipe with no processed sugar. Blessings to you & your future endeavors!
YUMMY!! Made these today with my 3 year old. We added walnuts too! Instead of banana bread- we made mini muffins- perfect addition to her breakfast with a side of fruit.
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