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]
Ashley says
I only used half the amount of honey listed (I ran out...oops!) so when I was taste testing them, I felt something was missing. I spread some peanut butter on a slice and voila! Problem solved! This tasted really fantastic, I'm so glad it's made with whole ingredients.
Beth says
This recipe looks delicious! Quick question: if I'm easing into the switch to whole wheat, and want to mix in white flour with the WW, is it a one to one conversion? I was considering using 1.5 c WW, and 3/4 c white flour. This would help me get rid of flour I have left in the house and ease the family into the switch! Any advice would be much appreciated!
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, it is a 1:1 conversion...good luck!
Amy says
Lisa, you should seriously consider compiling your recipes into a cookbook!!! A perfect title, the same as your website!! I would certainly buy it and throw all the rest of my cookbooks away!!! I love your website! Thanks!
M K Countryman says
I made this yesterday as an attempt to get my kids a healthy after school snack. We are so far from non processed - probably further than anyone else reading your blog - but you have to start somewhere. I made it with half white flour and half whole wheat. They are so used to white flour/sugar/butter banana bread - I thought the whole wheat might be too much. Well, there are only two pieces left!!! They loved it. I only told them afterwards it didn't have sugar.
I do have one question - have you used Wallaby yogurts? I didn't have plain yogurt on hand so i substituted wallaby vanilla yogurt, and it did list as an ingredient - organic cane sugar. Is that the same as refined sugar? I guess I don't really care because everyone was so thrilled with this and its way better than the cup full in other recipes - but I'm just trying to sort through all the options.
thanks, thanks, thanks for such a great site.
100 Days of Real Food says
So glad to hear the recipe was a hit! And yes "organic cane sugar" is the same as refined sugar....sugar can be listed under many different names like corn syrup, brown rice syrup, cane juice, etc.
Rebecca says
I'm on my second batch. Favorite: sub the oil for applesauce, add a little cinnamon, and toss in some dried cranberries. WOW! So good!!
jessica says
Good news.. they turned out just fine. Not as sweet as I am used to but a nice flavor.:)
jessica says
So far mine are baking in the oven but I am a little worried because the batter tasted very bitter. I used frozen bananas instead of ripe and not sure if thats the problem or if its that my flour is not as fresh as it should be. I hope they still turn out. :(
Kathy says
wondering if this can be put in the bread machine under the quick bread mode... Has anyone tried that?
100 Days of Real Food says
I am not sure that would work since this isn't a yeast bread.
leonda Fisk says
this recipe looks great! have you considered getting a wheat grinder and grinding your own? I have an electric grinder and it's amazing how wonderful the flour tastes and smells when it's freshly ground. not to mention the quality. Hope this may help with your endeavor to eat healthy.
100 Days of Real Food says
I actually do have a wheat grinder! I got it about a year ago...and I also enjoy the lighter wheat taste it provides very much :)
Becky says
Where do you get the wheat?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Becky. I just use the King Arthur white whole wheat flour. Jill
Becky says
Thanks, I was wondering where those who grind their own wheat purchase it?
Charry says
I made my second attempt at this recipe yesterday. The first time it ended up in the garbage. This go around was so good, I quickly whipped up a second one to freeze. What I changed this time was to use oat flour as the wheat taste was just too strong for me. I used super super ripe bananas. Why is it a banana takes forever to get over-ripe when you are waiting on it to happen! Also I subbed applesauce in place of the oil and did add some cinnamon as others suggested. So perfect! I can't stop eating it!
Aprill L says
I always stick my 'just a little too brown' bananas in the freezer instead of throwing them away. I take them our a few hours before I make bread and never seem to run out:)
Trying this bread tonight!
Laura L says
Did the bread or muffins freeze ok after you cooked them?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes...this recipe freezes very nicely!
Jamele says
So glad I found your site. My family is on a mission to get healthier and we have a pickey 2-yr-old. I think she will love all of your bread recipes and I love that they are not full of sugar! I am also looking forward to trying your waffle recipe with the cream cheese and rasins in the middle. I have a feeling that will be a hit with my little girl.
Amy says
Made this today as muffins and the batter seemed a little dry so I added 1/4-1/3c. unsweetened applesauce. They are delicious! I love having a muffin recipe that is healthy enough to serve the kiddos every day for breakfast!
Thanks
Nikki says
Tried this banana bread a couple of days ago and it is still moist and delicious. Followed the recipe just as you listed and will be making again but may try applesauce in place of oil. I do agree it doesn't have the traditional strong banana flavor I am used to but my husband absolutely loves the recipe! :). My husband said this banana bread has a subtle banana flavor compared to my regular banana bread recipe, which he won't eat! Thanks for posting the recipe and I am looking forward to trying more recipes from your site:)
David says
Great recipe! I've made it several times and love it. After making it the first time I did increase the honey to 1/3 cup and sometimes put a little extra banana in as well. For the holidays I've been adding a small amount of dark chocolate and walnuts. Still so much healthier than the rest! Thank you.
Brooke says
Love your site! I've made a handful of items and most have succesfully stayed in our rotation. I did something wrong here though....! I left the bread in as long as I could without burning the top, but it still has some moist spots throughout. Now on Day 3 these spots have a bitter taste?? Any ideas are appreciated, but maybe it's just bake it longer next time. Thanks for all you do.
100 Days of Real Food says
I'm sorry to hear that about this recipe. Sometimes people's ovens can be calibrated differently so I would suggest turning the oven temp up a little or to try making muffins out of it instead. I hope that helps!
Caroline says
I am planning on trying this recipe and your pumpkin bread one for my son's thanksgiving feast at school. I have read your ilnk to the article on oils and am still stumped. What oil do you recommend for baking sweet items such as these?
100 Days of Real Food says
I use coconut oil for these bread recipes...it is still a new change for me as well, but it is going well so far! You may have to heat the coconut oil to make it a liquid for easier measuring.
Ashley H. says
Just made it this morning. Smelled sooo amazing in the oven and tastes even better. I used plain greek yogurt, coconut oil, and added ground cinnamon.
Ashley says
Thanks so much, will try it!
Ashley says
What would you recommend to substitue for the yogurt? I have a dairy allergy in my family but would try to make this bread for her. Any suggestions?
Michelle says
I just use extra banana and it turns out great.HTH!
100 Days of Real Food says
There are some soy and coconut based yogurts on the market that might work although I have not tried that substitute myself.
Kristina says
Went searching for a whole wheat banana bread as an alternative to my regular family recipe (full of sugar) and am I ever glad this is the one I found! Delicious recipe - I add cocoa nibs (am currently living in Belize where I can get delicious cocoa products from a local farm) and it makes it a nice treat! Am loving looking around your site, you have a new fan for sure!
Robyn says
Thank you! My son is 15 months and will eat almost nothing (his doc says he's fine and it's a phase). I struggle to feed him anything at all, but he likes things like this. I'm going to make mini muffins for breakfast. He'll eat 1 prune and 1 mini muffin, and I have to be happy with that. I appreciate that these aren't sugary.
Paula says
I made this recipe as a loaf before and loved it, today I made it as muffins and added a cup of toasted chopped walnuts, and baked for 23 minutes at 350 degrees. Awesome! I love that it only has 1/4 cup of honey as a sweetener!
Karen says
Was so good and banana tasting with oat flour and maple syrup. I also added cinnamon and an extra egg to keep it moist. I didn't have yogurt on hand, so I substituted apple sauce. So yummy! I am giving birth tomorrow and plan on bringing it to the hospital with me and I know the hospital food will be disgusto!!
Ali says
I was just thinking I would try this with pure maple syrup instead of honey just cuz I like the taste better... now I am defnitely going to! thanks!
Karen says
Am going to try it tonight with Oat Flour as I am off of wheat for now, and am going to substitute maple syrup for honey. Will let you know how it tastes!!
Stephanie says
Do you ever use whole wheat pastry flour in your cookies or muffins ? I have used it over the years and it seems to give a slightly lighter texture to some things.
If not, have you tried it, and if you have but do not use it, why ? I am trying to learn here and if it is not as good, I want to know I want to use what is healthiest and I am learning that many times what you think is healthy is not !!
100 Days of Real Food says
Whether you use whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, or even King Arthur's "white whole wheat" (it's still whole wheat, but from a lighter variety of wheat) those are all 100% whole-wheat products and equally nutritious, which is what matters. I do use whole-wheat pastry flour in cookies and cakes, and you could definitely try it in some of the other recipes like muffins too. I think it is personal preference.
Kathie says
I had the same experience as Rachel H- my bananas were very ripe, but it doesn't really taste like banana, just plain wheat bread.
rachel h. says
I made it again tonight and added some cinnamon and nutmeg and a handful of chocolate chips. It is very good.
Lindsay says
Oh man these are the bomb! My girls have been begging me to make banana muffins this last week. I am ashamed to admit my old recipe used white flour, a stick of butter, and a cup of sugar!!! Fingers crossed this passes the kid test in the morning. I used coconut oil and I think it makes them taste even better!
rachel h. says
I don't know why, but the banana flavor didn't really come through in this one, and I used 3 very ripe bananas. It smells like banana bread, but tastes closer to plain wheat bread. I think I will add in a few spices or a handful of chocolate chips next time. I loved your zucchini bread recipe though. It was perfect as listed.
Karen says
Try whole wheat white flour or wheat pastry flour, or even oat flour. They are not as strong as whole wheat.
Gretchen Harmon says
I used the whole wheat white flour and it definitely smells like banana bread, but doesn't taste like it at all. Now I DID make a double batch with five bananas as I am not a HUGE lover of bananas, but there is literally not much banana flavor at all. I could have used three more and it may have tasted more like banana bread. My girls and I have no problem with how it turned out, but it definitely came out more like wheat bread than banana. I know my husband won't want to eat this, but it's just a matter of weaning him over, which may take a bit of time. And my bread definitely came out of the over in the same shape as it went in. I have NO IDEA Lisa what you did to make it come out all smooth on top. I was hoping to make a sugar batch of banana bread and a batch of this and put one slice of each in (I usually put two slices per wax paper and freeze the entire loaf/loaves until we're ready to eat it) to see if I could confuse my husband but he will DEFINITELY notice based on shape alone that I did something different. Practice makes perfect!
Gretchen Harmon says
Oh and I also used applesauce instead of oil so that may be part of the "dry" level of the bread as well.
CJ Tessmer says
I have been searching for a wheat banana bread recipe for the past 2 years - one that is moist and flavorful. This one truly fits the bill! Thank u so much for sharing it!
Jen P. says
Bless you! I just looked in my Betty Crocker cookbook and the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar. That is just insane! I knew you had to have a way to make banana bread much healthier. I am so glad I came across your page a few months ago.
As soon as my frozen bananas thaw I am making this for my family to have for dessert tonight. Yummy!
mandy says
Do you think you could substitute pumpkin for the bananas and get a similar result? Maybe add some cinnamon and nutmeg? They have a similar consistency...just wondering your thoughts.
100 Days of Real Food says
If you are looking to make pumpkin bread try this recipe! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/28/recipe-pumpkin-bread/
Laura says
i used this banana bread recipe with pumpkin and they turned out great!! i also added ground cloves and omitted the vanilla.
Leah says
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.
Amy says
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!
YH says
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.
YH says
Oh, and also made them into muffins -- made about 20, and they took about 12-14 minutes to bake. Thanks again for this website!
Becky says
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!
Mimi says
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 :-)
Carla M says
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.
katie says
Is there something I could use besides honey?
100 Days of Real Food says
You could try maple syrup instead.
Tiffany Tamm says
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 :)
100 Days of Real Food says
I think that would work, but I've never tried. Only one way to find out! :)
Morgen Lacroix says
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!