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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! Our whole wheat banana bread recipe brings out the best natural flavor the fruit has to offer, packed with nutrition and perfect for making ahead of time. For the version with chocolate chips, make this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or this Almond Flour Banana Bread!
Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe With no Added Sugar
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!
Making Banana Bread With Yogurt
It might sound odd if you haven’t tried it before, but using a banana bread with yogurt recipe yields a wonderfully fluffy and tender loaf that doesn’t rely on processed ingredients for texture or flavor.
If you’ve got a serious sweet tooth, you can make this banana bread with yogurt and applesauce to bring in some extra sweetness without having to resort to using sugar. (Homemade applesauce is a lot easier to make than you think, too!)
Can You Substitute Honey for Maple Syrup in This Banana Bread Recipe?
Instead of using honey, and of course sugar in conventional banana bread recipes, you can absolutely substitute in favor of maple syrup if you prefer. Thankfully, it’s incredibly easy to make the swap! Maple syrup is typically as sweet as honey and sugar, so you can usually get away with a 1:1 ratio, for this whole wheat banana bread recipe we’d recommend 2 Tbs of syrup in place of honey if you prefer!
Whole-Wheat Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 bananas (ripe, mashed)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut oil ((or another mild oil of your choice))
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
[Entered into Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday]
I didn’t have vanilla extract. Used pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg. And i baked for 60 minutes. Bread came out really nice. Thanks Lisa!
If using this recipe batter for muffins is the oven temperature the same and how long is recommended to bake them for?
Hi Aubrey, here’s the recipe for making them as muffins: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-nut-muffins/
We tried the recipe today. Flavor was really good but it came out dry. Any ideas on how to make it moist for next time? I followed the instructions as stated.
Adding applesauce usually helps in this case, but I have not had to do this with this recipe. – Nicole
I always add an extra banana to mine. This helps with it being more moist. I also take it out of the oven a little sooner than it says.
Will be trying this recipe soon…I have long cut back on sugar in most recipes and sub with pure, organic, maple syrup. It’s pretty concentrated, so I can get away with as little as a 1-2 Tbsp.
I always get great inspiration from your posts :)
Family favorite muffin recipe!!
I found 100 days of real food a bit late but am super excited about this. This recipe turned out great for me. I did add an extra banana and used canola oil (just trying to use the last of it and then will switch to recommended oils). I also crushed some walnuts on top. Loved this recipe and can’t wait to try others.
What size pan does Lisa use for the banana bread recipe? I have 3 different bread pan sizes. Thanks!
Hi there. A 9×5 works well.
Can’t donyogurt- what can I substitute?
Sour cream or coconut yogurt are good subs.
Hello, Could you substitute sour cream for the yogurt?
Thanks!
You can.
Do you have a recommendation for making this in a bread machine?
Hi there. I think this may help: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/bread-machine-basics.html
http://www.bhg.com/recipes/bread/converting-your-favorite-recipes/.
Hi!
Would the measurements be different if using spelt flour?
Hi. It should be 1:1.
Absolutely delicious! Made these just now with my 3 year old daughter assisting and she had so much fun. Because we are just beginning our journey of eliminating processed foods from our diets, we still have a bit of white flour in the house and rather than waste $$ and throw it away, I’d figure it best to use up what we have and then forever replace it with whole-wheat. I added some flax meal (truthfully to make myself feel better about using white flour) and we only had Siggi’s whole milk vanilla yogurt in the house so that went in (and I omitted adding the tsp of vanilla). I used majorly over ripe bananas that had been hiding in the way back of the freezer and I think that helped make this bread sweet. Both my 3 year old and 1 year old gobbled it up!!
Where do I fine the Nutritional Facts is your recipes?
Hi there. We do not provide nutrition info. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/healthy-eating-defined/.
I just found this recipe and I’m a bit late but in case someone else needs it because they have a health condition and don’t want to be preached to about healthy eating as if you can’t track nutrition and eat healthy: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I’ve made this so many times and I love it. I use gluten free oat flour instead of whole wheat flour. I also add chocolate chips. Delicious!!!!
This looks like a super easy recipe and look forward to making. I notice that baking powder is not listed in the ingredients. In your muffin recipe baking powder is included. Just want to make sure it was left out on purpose for the bread recipe. Thank you.
This always comes out dry for me. I use coconut oil. Any tips?
H Melissa. I find that adding applesauce is an instant moisture pick up but I’ve not had to add it to this recipe.
You mentioned apple sauce in the section where you also discussed why you use yogurt in this recipe, but I don’t see any further mention of the applesauce in either the recipe or the discussion.
How do you include apple sauce in this? Thanks!
Hi, for this particular recipes, we did not use applesauce, but it can be included (in most baked goods) as a substitution for the yogurt. It should be a 1-to-1 ratio. – Nicole