With this healthy banana bread recipe, you're only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! It's made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten free—check the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf (about 10 slices).
Recipe by Cookie and Kate on May 4, 2020
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT55M
Total time: PT1H5M
Rating
4.9 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
Banana bread
Ingredients
⅓ cup (75 grams) melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
½ cup honey (168 grams) or maple syrup (155 grams)
2 eggs
1 cup (225 grams) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
¼ cup (56 grams) milk of choice or water
1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
1 ¾ cups (220 grams) white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour**
Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…
Categories
Quick bread
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 233 calories
Carbohydrates: 36.3 g
Protein: 4.6 g
Fat: 8.9 g
Saturated Fat: 6.5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 37.7 mg
Sodium: 260.6 mg
Sugar: 18 g
Reviews
Ashmi on 2026-07-05 (5 stars): Perfect recipe! The bread came out perfect, delicious and moist. I always add chocolate chips. I ran out of flour, so I went half with flour and half with oat bran and I was concerned quite a bit if it would turn out ok, and it did! I think I will use it always now because oat bran added a texture that I liked and husband approved!
M on 2026-09-10 (5 stars): This is my families absolute favourite banana bread recipe! I notice that my bake time is sometimes off though, the centre stays sort of uncooked while the crust gets too dry. Can you suggest a temp/bake time for this issue? Perhaps I added too much banana the last time (I didn't measure!). Thanks so much!!
Sarah Stubbs on 2026-07-06 (5 stars): Lovely easy recipe
Carol on 2026-08-29 (5 stars): I made this using the maple syrup and added lots of chopped walnuts. SO GOOD!!
Will definitely be making this again.
Sedia on 2026-07-06 (5 stars): I made this banana bread today and I substituted honey with date syrup and added a handful of walnuts which is my favorite part for banana bread. Thank you
Lynn McClary on 2026-08-11 (4 stars): I just did something similar added honey and 1/4 cup of brown sugar and chopped walnuts. Baked for 65 minutes but a bit dry as was the crust. I am thinking next time of adding a second banana and bake for 55 minutes.
Karen on 2026-07-09 (5 stars): I made this recipe today using the coconut oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup and Whole Wheat flour and that proved to be just sweet enough. The loaf measured 2 inches high in the centre when sliced and about 1 1/4 inches high along the outside perimeter. Should the banana bread bake any higher in the 9”x 5” loaf pan ?
Nancy Bennett on 2026-07-10 (5 stars): I have remade this recipe so many times. It's been really light and sensitive on my stomach. I was so happy when I found out I could eat it. Last year I got so sick for 4-5 months not being able to keep anything down was living off of rice cakes and dino nuggets it was so bad. So this recipe means a lot of me when I found out I would still eat it without issues. So thank you for that a lot. I found it maybe 2 years ago. I've added so many different things to this recipe nuts, coconut shavings, peanut butter(my favorite add in), nutella, and even chocolate chips.
Julie on 2026-07-13 (5 stars): I started mixing away before reading your notes or previous comments. My brain said “baking powder” until I was in the instructions and saw soda. I substituted a tablespoon of baking powder for the soda and did in fact use melted butter because I ran out of our other neutral oils this morning. But man I wanted banana bread! I only had about 1/3 cup of honey I had infused with vanilla bean last week so I added a few drops of pure monk fruit extract. I mixed in monk fruit chocolate chips. The much paler and cakier banana bread is still very satisfying. I’ll do it right next time!
Sandra L Murphy on 2026-07-19 (5 stars): I've been searching for a good banana bread without all the butter.
This recipe was delicious!
My bread came out perfect!
Georgina on 2026-07-20 (5 stars): I keep coming back and making this recipe over and over again. I nearly always have the ingredients in the fridge and the pantry. So handy, quick and never fails. Thanks! Georgina x
Mar G on 2026-07-21 (5 stars): I have made this recipe so many times that I have the entire thing memorized.....in fact, I now find myself buying bananas specifically so that I can make this bread. My friends and family are also obsessed and I usually have to make two batches minimum otherwise it's all gone within 24 hours!
Lily on 2026-07-24 (5 stars): I made this banana bread receipe for the first time. It was incredible. I followed the receipe to the T and the feedback from my family was delicious, it tasted clean and beautifully balanced.
Thanks so much. My mum has asked for her own loaf. So off to baking for me.
Breccia F on 2026-07-30 (2 stars): This Site is riddled with Ads. Uggh.
If you want a Healthier Banana Bread: replace half the oil with applesauce, replace half the honey with liquid stevia and, of course, use whole wheat flour.
Hillary on 2026-09-03 (5 stars): Free recipes mean you get some ads. If you want no ads, you pay for a cookbook.
Lorissa Wong on 2026-08-03 (5 stars): Delicious!! I added a teaspoon of baking powder in addition to the baking soda. I added an extra banana, reduced the maple syrup to quarter cup and stirred in monk fruit extract. I also reduced the cinnamon to 1/3 teaspoon and added walnuts and raisins and baked for 50 minutes. My husband who doesn't like bananas loved it. We had it for dinner. Beautiful texture.
Lisa on 2026-08-07 (5 stars): I love this recipe and have been making it for more than 5 years!! I usually add blueberries & toasted chopped walnuts and bake it in a 9x9 square pan lined with parchment. I like to use whole grain spelt flour, and sometimes use 1/4 cup of oat or wheat bran as part of the flour.
I have 2 questions:
-I've used a lot of different oils, what do you think about avocado oil?
-Can I substitute yogurt for the milk?
Andrew C on 2026-08-08 (5 stars): My wife made this for us yesterday. EXCELLENT recipe! Had a slice this morning with cream cheese and peanut butter with the regular cup of coffee. Thank you for sharing this! We used Melina's EVOO as our fat of choice. It's 6% saturated fat per tablespoon, so it's a little better on that department than typical EVOO.
Iris Johnson on 2026-08-10 (5 stars): Thanks for sharing your awesome banana bread recipe. I used coconut oil, honey and walnuts. Yum.
Mary on 2026-08-15 (5 stars): I just made this recipe and loved it. I love the healthy ingredients and that it's easy to make. My husband loves it too.
Madison on 2026-08-17 (5 stars): I love this banana bread recipe so much! I've made it for my family multiple times and it always gets devoured immediately. Definitely is my go to banana bread recipe!! It is the perfect combination of a sweet treat that is surprisingly healthy too.
Kathy Thomas on 2026-08-17 (5 stars): I made this banana bread and it is top notch delicious!!
All of your recipes are!!
Melissa B. on 2026-08-22 (5 stars): This is my go to banana bread recipe. I’ve been making it for years and it’s always delicious!
Lauren Altschuler on 2026-08-22 (5 stars): I didn’t have any regular flour in the house but had and used spelt flour, instead, creating a richer flavor and lighter texture.I also needed to get rid of some blueberries so I added blueberries and toasted walnuts and mind blown!
Alessia on 2026-08-28 (5 stars): Dear Kate, I have made this recipe so many times since the last 7 years and every time people come to me asking for the recipe. It's the only cake my kids would eat and it's my to-go recipes for kids parties, picnics and social gatherings. So I am here to thank you for sharing your fantastic culinary skills with us :-) !
sierra on 2026-08-29 (5 stars): All your recipes are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. I've come back to your recipes over and over through the years!
Debbie on 2026-09-05 (5 stars): I just made (and ate) your banana muffin recipe. I added in a handful of chocolate chips and passed on the oats and sugar topping - they are amazing! I will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Deborah Lake on 2026-09-06 (5 stars): I don't know if I've commented this before on other recipes but I just wanted to say thank you. When I search up a recipe and it comes up Cookie and Kate, I print it immediately! No need to dredge through the comments to see what everyone changed to make it great. It's just great for my anxiety and such a time saver. You've found (one of...) your gift! Thanks Lady. Also, I'm here again printing a fresh copy, yes I've made it many times, yes it's great as is.
Katie on 2026-09-06 (5 stars): This is my go to recipe for banana bread. I’ve made it at least a dozen times and it freezes well. I love that this is sweetened with honey and has no added sugar for my kids. My family loves this banana bread.
Kelly on 2026-09-09 (5 stars): After devouring my first generous piece of this loaf, I had to jump in the comments to share how happy I am! I used EVOO, maple syrup and oat milk - I'm very pleased with how this turned out! It's moist, it tastes like banana bread, and it tastes healthy in a light, nourishing, and feel-good way. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Enoka on 2026-09-11 (5 stars): I made it exactly as the recipe says and it took only 40 minutes to come out perfect! It has only a tad of sweetness which I like! I used Evoo and you can hardly notice it. Delicious with a little cream cheese and a cup of tea! ;)
Thank you!
Jeff Stanton on 2026-09-21 (5 stars): Thank you, this is a very healthy and easy to follow recipe. We always buy bananas and I struggled with what to do with them when they start getting too ripe. I hate throwing them away. My wife and I love this recipe. I make at least 1 loaf a week, sometimes 2. It freezes well and is always delicious. No more wasted bananas. A while back we changed our diets to be much more focused on healthy eating. Your recipe is a perfect fit for us and is so delicious. Thank you for posting this recipe so we could find it and enjoy it. It's the best.
David Harris on 2026-09-22 (5 stars): This recipe is awesome, the whole family loves this banana bread and it super easy to make. I use shoes spelt flour and think it bakes best without additional walnuts. It is great toasted with a bit of butter to make it slightly less healthy ;)
Paul on 2026-09-29 (5 stars): This is a great recipe, I love this bread and often add different dried fruits, dark chocolate chips and even blueberries to it. It's an awesome alternative to using butter and sugar.
