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!
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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!)
Try our Banana Bread Bars as well!
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
- ⅓ 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]
Bettina says
I didn't have honey. So i replaced the volume with another quarter cup of sour cream (i need to help my client gain her weight back).i meant to put some coconut sugar in, but forgot. The dough did taste lovely sweet instead of decadently sweet. Now i am anxiously waiting for the outcome. ....i'll let you know.
April says
How do you think Greek Yogurt would do?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. Greek yogurt will be fine. :)
Laura says
When I made this my batter was very thick, definitely not pour-able. Is this the expected consistency? Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Laura. It is a thicker batter. :)
Morgan says
Love it! I didn't have whole wheat bread on hand (btw, what kind do you prefer if it's store bought?) so I used some left over quinoa. Fabulous. Another great recipe!
Morgan says
Whoops, intended for this comment to be posted under the egg/ muffin breakfast dish. Skip the quinoa in the banana bread ;)
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. Lisa usually buys bread from Great Harvest. Some better store bought options are Food For Life's Ezekial Bread and many stores now carry Dave's Killer Bread and Alvarado Street Bakery brands. ~Amy
Melissa B says
What is your trick for storing baked goods made with coconut oil? I've used it many times, and after a day or so, the muffins and bread start to get really moist and wet. I've tried refrigerating, but then they get too hard. Suggestions, please.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Melissa. I find that freezing sweet breads beyond the first day is the best way to preserve their freshness. ~Amy
Melissa Clark Hand says
I absolutely love this banana bread recipe and so does my family. My daughter was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with type 1 diabetes and so now I have to figure out all of her carbs for meals and snacks. It would be great if these had things like carbs right on the recipe for moms like me and other people who have to be careful with this. Also some of the lunches as well :) Thanks
Rebecca says
I substituted buttermilk for the yogurt and added cinnamon it was fabulous! Not to dry here, loved it!
Britt says
Has any one made this in a bread machine?
Jordan says
I agree with Marisa. What are we missing? Why is it so dry? Is there a trick to ensure it is moist? I want to like this recipe so badly, but I had to throw out the loaf, too.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jordan. I'm not sure what might be happening for you. I've had great luck with this recipe. The only change I've made is using applesauce rather than yogurt because dairy doesn't like me. I've also added walnuts. Maybe give the applesauce a try?~Amy
Kristy says
I'm a huge fan of the 100 days of real food blog and Facebook page. however I made this recipe with my two young children yesterday and we went to have banana bread this morning for breakfast and they were both repulsed by this. after trying it myself I understood why, it is very bland and nothing like the flavor profile of traditional banana bread. I agree the bananas are really sweet but I'm wondering if the whole wheat flour is adding too much bitter profile
Kris says
I made this tonight and substituted cream of coconut for the honey and Greek yogurt for the plain yogurt. It got rave reviews for the whole family.
Marisa says
Banana bread was dry and flavorless. I'm new to the program and have tried the whole wheat waffles and banana pancakes and they were great, I had high hopes for the banana bread. I threw out the entire loaf.
Rebecca says
Has anyone tried substituting buttermilk for the yogurt? How did it turn out?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Rebecca. We have not. Readers?
Victoria says
SO happy with this recipe! I substituted the 1/3 yogurt for 1/3 unsweetened applesauce and it worked out perfect! I also threw in some mini chocolate chips & ground flax.
Laura says
I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVED how this turned out. I used virgin coconut oil (melted) and stone ground, sprouted whole grain wheat flour. My 4 year old loved it, and she has a real sweet tooth. So nice to fine a recipe that tastes great without added refined sugars or white flour.
Karen says
Trying this recipe for the first time and using coconut oil. Didn't realize that you needed to melt the coconut oil as I have never baked with it. Wish you would have added that to the recipe. It would help. Thanks. Added some almond milk so that it would be more moist. Hope it turns out good.
amanda newton says
What can I use instead of yogurt?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hello Amanda. I've used applesauce.
Eva M. says
Would it be possible to substitute the honey with maple syrup?
Brenda says
I made this recipe last night and I was a little anxious because I am new to this program of "real food". The test was my husband, who took a slice warm and enjoyed it. Whew! I used King Arthur whole wheat flour and I was happy with the result. My kids ate it this morning for breakfast and enjoyed it as well. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Kathy says
I am so happy to have this recipe. It is in the oven as I write. Mine was a little thick but just a touch of additional oil fixed that. I added organic cinnamin and fresh nutmeg I got in Grenada, blueberries I picked and well, walnuts from a package. Based on the batter I am quite sure this is a winner.
Rita says
Well, I must have measured something wrong because mine is way too thick and I am not sure how to fix the problem! Looks more like cookie dough...don't want cookies! :-(
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Margie. This will explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
Renee says
Just curious- if you follow the recipe what are the nutritional facts?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Renee. We focus on getting rid of processed food and replacing them with real food and not so much on the numbers. Many readers us online tools like My Fitness Pal to calculate details but we've found that becomes far less needed when real foods are the focus of your daily intake. ~Amy
Michelle Leonard says
Sorry if this is a stupid question but do you measure coconut oil at em room temperature or melt it? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. You melt it. Here is more info: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
Joanne says
I'm definitely going to make the banana bread, as well as the many other recipes listed but I was wondering, since my daughter despises bananas (I know, I cannot believe it either, lol) could I replace the bananas with pumpkin and if so would I have to added sweetener such as coconut palm sugar to sweeten a bit?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Joanne. We've not made those subs but I imagine it would work. However, here is Lisa's recipe for pumpkin bread: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/28/recipe-pumpkin-bread/. ~Amy
Margie says
Did you melt your coconut oil before using? I'm always confused about whether to melt or not. Thanks!
Erin says
I have made this many times, and it is delicious, but I cannot figure out how to get it to cook all the way through...it is always still doughy in the center. I have tried altering the baking temperature, different pans, tinkering with ingredients...But, it is always raw in the middle while the outside is a bit overdone. Anyone have suggestions of what else to try? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. Have you tried putting foil over the top so it doesn't over-brown and gives the center a chance to cook through? ~Amy
Karen says
What can I use in place of the honey?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Karen. Pure maple syrup. :)
MoonStar says
I love wholemeal no butter no sugar recipes, so was pleased to find this. I made this other day, but the only cup measures I could find were metric (250ml to 1 cup) as opposed to US (236ml to 1 cup), so I probably ended up with a bit more mixture. I also used 1 tsp soda instead of three quarters, and added 50g chopped pecan nuts. My mixture, after 40 mins, when I put a knife in, was still completely raw, like the raw mixture I'd put in the tin. It took a total of 80 minutes to cook. However the end result was wonderful. It even stayed soft the next day, when we toasted it and spread butter on it for breakfast. Will be making this again. Thank you for sharing.
Lori says
I just made this but I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil. I didn't have any yogurt so I left that out. I added 1 cup of applesauce instead of the oil. Very good - my family didn't realize it was a "healthy alternative."
Alice says
I was thinking of making mini muffins with this recipe for my grandkids when they visit next week. About how long should I bake them? I love your website!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Alice. I would start checking them after about 10 minutes. ~Amy
Mary Braden says
I add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a little nutmeg as well, which rounds out the flavor. Also, I have found that this recipe absorbs up to 5 bananas, in which case the yogurt and eggs can both be eliminated if you're avoiding eggs and/or dairy.
Steph says
This is a favorite of ours! Just made a batch. I put them in the freezer for the kids school lunches. Made the zucchini muffins last weekend, filled up all of our 8 silicone freezer pops with fruit and spinach smoothies, and a huge batch of whole wheat waffles too for school prep! I did start subbing some flaxseed meal for part of the ww flour. Everything turned out delish! Happy to get my freezer stocked for the school year!
SS says
Is there anything I can use to replace honey? I also don't use agave nectar. Thanks.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. We often use maple syrup. ~Amy
Ann says
I made this the other day and it turned out perfect! Will definitely make again!
Jillian says
I made this bread last night with the exact ingredients listed (used coconut oil) and it's amazing! The ripe bananas and honey sweeten in just enough for my liking and it is so moist. I think it's actually better today after I had it wrapped in foil overnight. Even my boyfriend, who is my guinea pig for new healthy and whole food recipes, said that I should lock the recipe in a fireproof safe... he approves. :)
Helen says
Just made this with spelt flour, half coconut oil and half butter, and threw in some chocolate chips. Made muffins and baked for 20 minutes at 375. (I live in high altitude, so recipes that say 350 I use 375). Came out beautiful and tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
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Ben says
I was wondering if you could use sour cream instead of the yogurt.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ben. That should work, too. :)
Kelly says
I made this today and it was really dry and bland. And suggestions?
Top Bankruptcy Chicago Attorney says
Made it again today subbing diced apples and an organic harvest mix baby food jar for the bananas. Love the bread!!