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]
Janice Blaze says
I freeze ripe bananas to make homemade banana mild shakes. Can I used the frozen bananas to make banana bread?
Shana says
I haven't made this particular recipe, but for my mom's banana bread recipe I always use ripe bananas from the freezer. I throw them in the freezer with the peels on when they are getting a lot of black. Take them out to thaw in the fridge or countertop. Then squeeze them out of the peels when mixing it up. If you find the recipe to bake a little wet, maybe add some more flour next time to balance out the additional moisture from freezing.
Christy says
These turned out great! I was worried about using the coconut oil at first, but my husband whipped it with the kitchen aid mixer. These are almost like biscuits-- my two year old loves them. Thanks for such an easy, nutritious recipe that won't overexpose my munchkin to sugar! Great for breakfast or snacktime. Love this website :)
Jessica says
Do you use organic honey and maple syrup or buy local. Is there a big difference between the two? I can only find organic in health food stores, but have a lot of access to honey and syrup from local farmers that aren’t organic.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. Both are good options. Anytime we have a chance to buy quality local products (after conversing with the growers), we feel good about it. ~Amy
kelly says
hands down, the best banana bread i've ever tried. baked beautifully, rose perfectly, and everyone who tried it asked for the recipe. (i am sending them to this site!) made a double batch as i had a lot of bananas to use up, subbed a heavy 1/3 cup of homemade applesauce for half the oil, and OMG it is delicious, and (mostly) healthy! i will be making this again and adding nuts, berries, etc, next time.... thanks for sharing!!
Jessica Langdon says
Hey :) I'm just curious....I'd like to start using Coconut oil in my baking like you do (we're on day 4 of our 100 day pledge) but I don't know if that measurement is hard or do you melt it?????
HELP!!!!!!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jessica. You do melt the coconut oil first. Here is more information on cooking with coconut oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
Diane says
This was moist but wasn't sweet enough for our family.
Rebecca says
Thanks Amy. Another success with spelt flour, I sub the whole wheat for spelt and it turned out lovely and moist!
Rebecca says
Found this lovely website in my endeavours to find healthy baking treats with natural sugars!
I am experimenting with spelt flour at the moment, I am able to sub the w/wheat flour with spelt?
Thanks, Rebecca :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Rebecca. I've substituted spelt for whole wheat with success but have not tried in this recipe. Let us know how it turns out! ~Amy
Rebecca says
Hi Amy,
It took a little time but I have just baked this delicious banana bread loaf with spelt flour. The spelt worked really it can be sub 1:1 for whole wheat flour. Just keep an eye on the time as the spelt bakes quicker than normal flour.
Also added 1/2 cup blueberries as they were on sale at my local grocer. YUM!!
Thanks for the recipe :)
laelia says
i just made muffins with this recipe and omitted the eggs. turned out great!
Meridith Whitaker says
Thank you so much for this 'real food' recipe! After reading some of the comments, I made a few changes to make it work for my taste. Used 1 cup oat flour in place of 1 cup wheat flour, added 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, added 1 tsp of cinnamon, and added just a little more honey. Baked as muffins at 350 for 15 mins and they turned out perfectly!
Janelle says
THIS IS FANTASTIC!! Best banana bread ever!
CJ says
Your banana bread recipe is delicious! Since finding this recipe, I've made the loaf a couple of times and I've also used the recipe with some chocolate chips added to the batter to make delicious banana chocolate chip muffins. Since my daughter is allergic to eggs, I use the flax + water replacement and it turns out great.
Deb says
Does anyone have a suggestion on what to use to "grease the pan". I see this all the time and do not want to use cooking spray for obvious reasons. Does anyone use coconut oil and spread it in its solid form???
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Deb. A little coconut oil should work fine. Enjoy. ~Amy
cara says
I rub a little ghee on my pans as a substitute for cooking spray.
Melissa says
Mine is baking in the oven and I used mostly applesauce with a little veg oil. Mix seemed dry, so I hope it comes out!! First timer!
Cheryl Zandbergen says
Moist, delicious and real! My only wish is that it didn't use so much oil. Perhaps I will sub applesauce next time.
Michelle says
I have the same question about the yogurt I am dairy free and like the look of this recipe could I use some coconut milk.
Michelle says
ok I made this recipe using coconut milk instead (plus I used reg flour bc I am out of wheat) and I think it was just fine but if I get some reg coconut yogurt I will use that next time but I liked it.
Jessica says
I might have missed this question in the comments already, but is there a substitute that I can use for the yogurt? My son is allergic to dairy, but I would love to try these. Thank you!
Denise says
If you live by a whole foods, they have dairy free yogurts.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. I've used coconut milk yogurt with success. ~Amy
Amber Willenbrock says
I really need a plain whole wheat bread recipe, I can do in my bread machine. Help!?
Laura says
Lisa has a recipe for honey whole-wheat bread for the bread machine posted here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/17/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/
Candi says
These are AMAZING! I have made them twice now and froze the leftovers for my children to eat at breakfast. Thank you so much!!
Domenique says
PERFECT EVERY TIME!
I'm the only one in the house that eats anything with wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour, but this was a hit! I've made this several times and even made a few batches and frozen it for later because the whole family loves it. It's good as a school/work snack as well as toasted for breakfast with some fruit.
Gloria says
These were GREAT!! I was a little nervous with the whole-wheat flour but my teenagers loved them 14&16!!! I did add 4 1/2 bananas because that is what I had turning very brown and I didn't want to waste them. I also added 1/3 cup of plain yogurt instead of the 1/4 and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. They were very moist muffins and delicious!!! I just came upon your website and absolutely LOVE it. My daughter and I are enjoying trying your new recipes. She said to me "mom, she not only tells us what not to eat but she is giving us awesome replacements". I whole heartedly agree. Thank you for all you are doing!!!!!!!!!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lauren. No no, don't do it! They are sweet enough with the honey and banana. I promise. ;) ~Amy
Lauren says
I am going through a detox right now (weird personal sharing, I know) but I am not supposed to have processed foods. So I am trying these as muffins because I am CRAVING something sweet! I'm excited to make them today. Do you think if I added say, a half cup of organic cane sugar would be too much?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Margarita. I have used both unsweetened apple sauce and coconut milk for substitutes when baking. I reduced the coconut milk amount by a bit because the consistency is so much different. It may be a bit of an experiment. Let us know how it turns out. ~Amy
Margarita says
Hello, just made this for my family and it was a big hit. Question: what I can substitute the yogurt for in the recipe. I'd like to make it for a family member who cannot eat dairy. Thanks!
Megan says
These are to die for! I used King Arthur 100% whole wheat (prefer to white whole wheat), made mini muffins and baked for 13 mins. I also added a few natural dark chocolate chips. Have to freeze 1/2 the batch quick before they are gone! As usual, this recipe of yours rocks!
Michelle says
Will they not turn out alright if I use non fat yogurt?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Michelle. We do not use low fat or non-fat items and here is why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/. ~Amy
Caroline says
We make your pumpkin bread recipe weekly and LOVE it, so decided to give this one a try too. I made it gluten free using a combination of gluten free flour and oat flour plus 1 tsp xanthum gum. It was fantastic and no one could tell the difference! One question, we are experimenting with gluten free and just wondering what your thoughts are on xanthum gum, if it is considered an acceptable real food? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Caroline. Xanthum Gum is on the long list of items that have been highly processed from corn parts: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/08/25/the-deal-with-corn/. A better and more nutritious alternative might be using flax or chia in its place: http://glutenfreegirl.com/chia-seeds-and-flaxseeds/. Hope this helps. ~Amy
Leen says
Made these Banana Muffins (and some mini muffins with the leftover batter) yesterday. They are delicious!
For the regular sized muffins I baked them for about 20-25 minutes and for the mini muffins 10-15.
Thanks!
Stephan says
I've made the banana pancakes a few times and the whole family loves them and the leftovers are a great on the go breakfast. For the first time i'm trying the banana bread. The batter was a bit dry but i'm just going to trust it and put it in the oven. Have a healthy day!
Tonya says
I just made these pancakes and they are delicious! This is my new favorite pancake recipe. The maple syrup really brings out the flavor. I added a little cinnamon to the dry ingredients. I can't wait to freeze the leftovers and eat them throughout the week.
Afton says
This makes a great loaf of bread, but do you have adjusted time/temperature if you wanted to make these as muffins?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Afton. I just made them and had good results with 16 minutes at 350. Keep in mind that every oven is a bit different. Good luck. ~Amy
Mary says
Really good recipe, I also added cinnamon, gloves, nutmeg, and pecans! I added and additional 1/4c of yogurt because I was worried about the dryness. I'll replace my old banana bread recipe with this, thank you!
Diedre says
This is so good. I have made this multiple times and I agree who needs a cup of sugar added. THis is sweet enough. have added walnuts, pecans and raisins in the past. Today used my new stoneware loaf pan from pampered chef and it just slid right out. This is my go to bread also for welcoming new neighbors to the neighborhood and when they ask for the recipe I direct them right here. Love this website.
Ruth says
I tried this, and I love it, I followed the recipe to the letter, but it came out dry?...did I do something wrong?.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ruth. Bread making is imperfect and results can vary depending on the batch. Some readers have had success by adding applesauce or more banana. Hope that helps. ~ Amy
Gloria says
Try a little more yogurt (I used 1/3 cup) and more bananas. I had 4 1/2 that NEEDED to be used. My muffins were GREAT and very moist.
Hope that helps! :-)
Sanddi says
SUPER good! I didn't even melt the coconut oil, just mixed it all in. I was a little worried because the dough was really thick and I'm used to a wetter dough... but it turned out really good in the end.
Lacey says
I just started the real food journey and this recipe was a hit! Thank you!
Jennifer says
Made this today, so yummy! I was worried it would not taste good using all wheat flour, but it turned out great! My girls wanted to eat the whole loaf, had to hide it from them! Thanks for this recipe! Love your site!
Melissa says
Just pulled this out of the oven. Delicious! Mine came out perfect, but since I never have any luck with 100% whole wheat bread, I did substitute a mere 1/4 cup of the whole wheat with bread flour. Absolutely perfect. Not very sweet, but that's how we like it.
Tina says
Will this work with gluten free flour?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tina. We have not tried this with gluten free flour and you might have to experiment a bit. Let us know how it turns out. ~Amy
Sydney says
I tried it with half whole teff (a gluten free flour) and half whole wheat and it made the texture wonderfully cakey. So I think with 100% gluten free flour it would still be good, just a little cakier than the original recipe. Best of luck.
Sydney says
Whoops I meant to put 5 stars. Sorry.