Healthy Banana Bread
Updated January 29, 2026
Quick Summary
This Healthy Banana Bread is moist, tender, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Made with ripe bananas, Greek yogurt, and whole wheat flour (or all-purpose), it’s a lighter banana bread that still tastes like the real deal. Perfect for breakfast, snacking, or a healthier treat, this easy banana bread recipe comes together in one bowl and bakes up beautifully every time.
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Overripe Bananas? Make Healthy Banana Bread!
Over the years, I’ve baked a lot of banana breads, from my classic banana bread to chocolate chip banana bread and even chocolate banana bread…and this healthy banana bread. It’s the loaf I turn to when I want something wholesome, but still incredibly delicious!
It’s naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, extra moist thanks to Greek yogurt, and tender with a soft crumb that’s full of banana flavor. It’s simple to mix together in one bowl, requires no fancy equipment, and fills the kitchen with that comforting, cozy aroma we all love.
Whether you’re using overripe bananas, looking for a lighter breakfast option, or just craving a slice of something wholesome, this is the banana bread you’ll want to bake again and again.
Ingredients (with Helpful Notes)
- Very ripe bananas: The darker and softer, the better for sweetness and moisture.
- Pure maple syrup: Adds natural sweetness with rich flavor; use real maple syrup for best results.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Keeps the bread moist and tender while adding protein.
- Eggs: Let them come to room temperature for smoother mixing.
- Avocado oil (or coconut oil): There’s no butter in this banana bread, just a little oil is all you need! If using coconut oil, melt and let cool slightly.
- Pure vanilla extract: Enhances the banana flavor.
- White whole wheat (or all-purpose flour): White whole wheat flour adds heartiness, but is still light in texture. You can also use regular all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda: Helps the bread rise and stay light.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth of flavor.
- Turbinado sugar: Sprinkled on top for a slightly crunchy finish.
Tips for Making Banana Bread
- Use very ripe bananas – The darker and softer, the better. They bring natural sweetness and maximum banana flavor.
- Room temperature ingredients – Let your eggs and Greek yogurt come to room temperature before mixing for a smooth, evenly textured batter.
- Mash bananas thoroughly – For even sweetness and a tender crumb, mash until mostly smooth.
- Don’t overmix – Once you add the flour, stir gently just until combined to avoid dense bread.
- Loaf pan size matters – A standard 9×5-inch loaf pan works best for this recipe. Using a smaller or larger pan can affect baking time and texture.
- Grease or line the pan – Use cooking spray, butter, or parchment paper for easy release.
- Watch the top – If the bread starts to brown too quickly, loosely tent it with foil during the last 10–15 minutes.
- Check doneness – Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let it cool completely – Cooling in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then on a wire rack, ensures clean slices and a tender crumb.
- Optional extras – Stir in chopped nuts or chocolate chips!
- Vegan & Gluten-free –To make this banana bread vegan, replace the eggs with flax eggs (1 tablespoon flax + 3 tablespoons water per egg) and use a plant-based yogurt. To make it gluten-free, swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
How to Store
- Room temperature: Store tightly wrapped for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Wrap slices or the whole loaf tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm slices gently before serving.
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium very ripe bananas, about 1 ½ cups mashed
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently stir just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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I have had a question about coconut oil for quite awhile but have never asked. What I s the difference between the solid and liquid coconut oil? Can the liquid be subbed for the solid that’s melted and then cooled? Thanks for your help and as always, a very yummy looking recipe which I intend to make.
You can melt the coconut oil.
Perfect! I saw this post last night as I was planning to make banana bread in the morning. I was going to use my mom’s recipe but wanted something a little healthier for my one year old.
Turned out great! I did turn the oven down to 325 with about 20 min left so it didn’t get too brown.
Glad you loved it!
I’m *always* down for a slice of banana bread goodness!
Me too!
I made mini loaves of this bread and added walnuts and chia seeds .I toasted it and topped it with Teddies peanut butter. It’s now my favorite recipe!!
So happy to hear!
Can you please explain the nutrition facts? It says a serving size is 12 g, which I took to be 12 grams. That would weigh more than a single bite of banana bread. Do you mean the g to mean something else?
We love healthier recipes for our sweet treats so this was perfect for us and the aging bananas in the fridge. It was easy and delicious! Thank you, Maria!
Cooked it over 55mins, really easy. I used 7 bananas, medium size, no sugar but rice flour instead.
Can I swap for coconut flour? Or oat flour? If so how much? Same amount?
I really liked this. I did have to use 1/2 a cup of quick oats because I only had 1 cup of flour. I used 4 medium bananas which made 1 and 1/2 cups of crushed banana and I put it all in. No sugar on top, but my husband liked it as well. Thanks for sharing. I give it 5 stars, but for some reason it won’t let me click on them.
Oh, I guess it did, just didn’t look like it on my computer screen! YUM
Glad you loved the banana bread!
Great recipe, already a classic in our home, thank you for sharing!
My daughter and I made this last night. Super moist and delicious. We didn’t have any whole wheat flour in the kitchen so we used two cups regular flour and 4 bananas.
Thanks. We will make it again. This time with the whole wheat flour
Has anyone figured how many points this would be for Weight Watchers?
Where is the egg in the ingredient list? Do I add one egg or two?
Right after the Greek yogurt:)
Can you substitute applesauce for Greek yogurt?
I haven’t tried it but it might work?? Let me know if you try it!
I substituted apple sauce for the coconut oil and it turned out great!
Hey, I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times now but just now I tried it with almond flour and it turned into mush from the oven. I’m wondering if you use almond flour, could that have an effect? Or is it possible that mixing the coconut oil with the maple syrup before adding to the bananas is a problem. I was in a hurry and did that so not sure what the mistake was…. either way, it was still pretty nice smashed up in some ice cream haha
Just curious why the Nutrition Facts panel doesn’t print with the recipe?Kay
Amazing!! I thought I had whole wheat flour, but apparently ran out awhile ago. I used all purpose flour instead, and followed the recipe in full. Baked it for 50 minutes exactly and it came out sooo perfectly!! Love it.
What do you think if I swapped the banana for spaghetti squash?? My toddlers are eating the squash and I have a bunch to do something with. They love this banana bread, it’s a staple in our diet!
The spaghetti squash has a different texture and isn’t sweet. I wouldn’t recommend it.
I made this last night before and proceeded rob dream about eating it for breakfast! So yummy!! The addition of chocolate chips doesn’t hurt
I only used a 1/3 cup maple syrup and find it perfect!
It was very nice and moist. I added 1/2 ts baking powder and 4 bananas and spelled whole wheat flour ( not very course) Thanks for the recipe
Made this yesterday. Very good.
I have made this multiple times now. It’s delicious and never heavy. I add some slice almonds or crushed walnuts on top. Only variation and it’s a winner !
I sincerely love all of the recipes I’ve tried of from Two Peas and Their Pod. They always turn out great. I have substituted GF flour and they still turn out pretty well. I love this alternative to banana muffins that normally hold a ton of sugar- kinda deceiving when you think “banana” makes something healthier but really most banana muffins are more like a banana cake. These ones are great and don’t have the processed sugar! Thanks for sharing a gift you have, Maria!
I had no greek yogurt and also no access to wheat flour, so I replaced the greek yogurt with cream cheese and the wheat flour with oat flour(I got some oats and popped them in the food processor) AND IT STILL CAME OUT GREAT, AWESOME JOB AT THE DIRECTIONS!
Hi Maria,
I have a question about the coconut oil..for this recipe, since I buy it as a solid do I measure it at 1/3 cup solid coconut oil and then melt it? or, do I melt the oil and then measure it at 1/3 cup?
Thank you for your help!
I measure it solid and then melt it.
Your recipes are always fabulous!!
I look forward to your posts and am always prepping my meals around your recipe options!!
Thank you for what you do
Thanks so much!
Hi! I love this recipe and have come back to it several times. Thank you for sharing! I usually incorporate about a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the mixture out of preference.
I wanted to ask, do you think it would work to add in 1/4-1/2 cup protein powder and/or a couple tbsps of ground flax seed to boost protein and fiber content? I was thinking I could add another banana or egg to the mix to increase the wet ingredients?
I haven’t tried protein powder, but flax should be fine! If you try protein powder, let me know!
can i use oat flour?
I haven’t tried it. It might change the texture a little bit.