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August 20, 2015 39 Comments

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

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This healthy whole wheat banana nut bread swaps half of the oil for unsweetened applesauce, reduces the amount of sugar, and subs in whole wheat flour– just enough changes to feel good about eating it for breakfast without sacrificing the flavor.

Of all the delicious, carb-y foods in the world, banana bread holds an extra special place in my heart. Growing up, my mom always made us a delicious healthy breakfast before school, and we rotated through things like oatmeal, smoothies, scrambled eggs, and muffins. My personal favorite, though, was always a thick slice of whole wheat banana nut bread.

Banana bread was actually one of the first things I learned how to bake when I was 7 or 8, and that’s when I quickly found out that a bunch of speckled bananas sitting on the counter was a veryyyy good thing.whole wheat banana bread batterI’ve developed this whole wheat banana bread recipe using a few simple healthy swaps that don’t sacrifice the flavor. (Trust me, I’d rather eat a plateful of raw Brussels sprouts than a bland or dry piece of banana bread!) These swaps help me feel better about enjoying banana bread for a breakfast or snack since its nutritional stats no longer resemble straight-up cake.

First, I cut back on the amount of sugar in the recipe since ripe bananas are naturally sweet.

Second, I sub in whole wheat pastry (or spelt/kamut) flour for the white flour to add some extra fiber and staying power to the bread.

Third, I use a healthier oil like olive oil, coconut oil, or grapeseed oil rather than canola or vegetable oil.

Finally, I swap half of the oil for unsweetened applesauce to cut back some of the calories. I’ve found that swapping out more than half of the oil does change the texture of the bread, so I like using a combination of half applesauce and half oil rather than all applesauce. I typically use a lunchbox-size cup of applesauce so I don’t have an entire jar of applesauce open in the fridge afterwards.applesauce substitution for healthy whole wheat banana nut bread

The result is a perfectly moist, healthier whole wheat banana nut bread with a great texture and just the right amount of sweetness.

If you have leftover bread after the first day or two, you can wrap it in aluminum foil, freeze it, and defrost it in the fridge overnight for breakfast the next morning. It freezes perfectly!

If you try this healthy whole wheat banana bread, let me know in a comment (with a star rating!) or take a photo and tag me @livbane on Instagram! I’d love to see!

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5 from 1 vote

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

This healthy whole wheat banana nut bread swaps half of the oil for unsweetened applesauce, reduces the amount of sugar, and subs in whole wheat flour– just enough changes to feel good about eating it for breakfast without sacrificing the flavor.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves (12 slices per loaf)
Calories: 185kcal
Author: Liv

Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole-wheat flour*
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut sugar (can sub regular sugar)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, measured in liquid state or avocado/grapeseed oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 6 ripe, spotted bananas
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350. Optional: toast walnuts in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes on a small baking sheet, or until slightly darkened and fragrant.
  • While the walnuts are toasting, mix flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and stir until flour is just barely incorporated into the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Add mashed bananas and nuts and stir until incorporated.
  • Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans and fill, making sure they are filled with the same amount of batter for even cooking. Bake at 350 for 48-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean. Tent tops of the loaves with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking if necessary to prevent them from becoming overly browned.
  • Wrap loves in foil and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap loaves or individual slices of banana bread in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or unwrap foil, wrap in a paper towel, and defrost in microwave.

Notes

*Regular storebought whole-wheat flour may make the loaves a bit denser than you're expecting. I used a mixture of half spelt and half kamut flour, but storebought whole wheat pastry flour is another good option for maintaining a good texture.
Alternatively, you can use half unbleached white flour and half 100% whole-wheat flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Sugar: 16g

A Healthy Liv original/adapted from a family recipe

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Comments

  1. Alison @ Sweetly Petite says

    August 20, 2015 at 8:54 am

    Ohh I love banana bread! My mom used to make it quite frequently when I was younger. She would put mini chocolate chips in it so it tasted extra good.
    I think it is great of you to “healthify” the recipe instead of changing most of the ingredients completely. Sometimes the real deal is the way to go.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 11:26 am

      Mmm…We used to always add chocolate chips to our banana bread, too, but somehow as I’ve gotten older, I actually prefer it with just nuts now. It makes NO sense because I’m obsessed with chocolate!

      Reply
  2. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    August 20, 2015 at 7:11 am

    Yum! I love banana bread.
    I am all for making desserts healthier, as long as they taste great too. Life is too short of bland desserts.

    Reply
  3. Jamie says

    August 20, 2015 at 9:55 am

    First thing I learned how to make were my moms famous sugar cookies from scratch! 🙂 I too like olive oil and coconut oil to bake with. I just got avocado oil and I’m interested to see how that works in recipes.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 11:23 am

      Ooh, I’m curious how the avocado oil will work! You’ll have to let us know on your blog 🙂

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    August 20, 2015 at 11:07 am

    This looks good!! On my ‘to try’ list!

    Reply
  5. Kerri mCgRAIL says

    August 20, 2015 at 11:38 am

    Mmmm that banana bread looks so good! I love when I have super ripe bananas because they are perfect for baking! I love using coconut oil for baking, but usually don’t cook with much oil. Making little swaps for ingredients really does help to make baked goods healthier without sacrificing flavor!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:53 pm

      I typically use as little butter & oil in my cooking as I can get away with, but I’ve read so much recently about the healing benefits of healthy oils that I’ve started to reconsider…still, I love that substituting oil out cuts so many calories because less calories per slice of banana bread = eating more slices of banana bread 🙂

      Reply
  6. Elly Leavitt says

    August 20, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    I’m with ya on the going-all-out-on-desserts part (down with healthy sweets!) but this looks amazing! Will have to try, thanks for sharing xx

    Reply
  7. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    August 20, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    LOVE banana bread! I’m pretty much with you on healthifying desserts. That is, usually it’s a terrible idea, but sometimes small changes turn out just fine, especially with quick breads.
    The first things I learned how to make (that I remember) were shrimp scampi pasta and brownies. Random and delicious 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Uh, yum! Now you’ve got me craving homemade brownies.

      Reply
  8. Nicole says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    Yum! This actually looks so easy to make. And it’s a great way to use up any overripe bananas!

    -Nicole
    Meet Me in Midtown

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      YES! I love making banana bread and to use up bananas that I’d probably have to toss out otherwise. No wasting food here!

      Reply
  9. Abbie says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    I honestly don’t remember what the first thing I learned to make was, but banana bread was definitely up there! That and monster cookies were like my things that I made. Actually, cookies in general were my jam. 😀 I think my favorite oil to cook with is coconut oil. It is rather a recent addition to our kitchen (a couple years ago), and before that we pretty much solely used butter in baked goods. Still love that stuff. 😉 Now I want banana bread… Especially after it’s been frozen and defrosted and it’s extra soggy and moist…yeah I’m weird to like soggy bread! 😀

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:54 pm

      Monster cookies were another one of the first things I learned to make! So easy and delicious 🙂

      Reply
  10. Liz says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    Yum! Banana bread is one of my favs.. and my boyfriend will literally eat an entire loaf of it on his own! I’ll have to try this one- he’ll be so excited 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Yay, hope you two love it! I have to restrain myself from eating half a loaf at a time hah.

      Reply
  11. sarah says

    August 20, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    Looks yummy! Banana bread was also my first recipe that I learned how to make all by myself, I remember being so proud making a loaf for my family when I was about 8 years old!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Twins! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Dani @ Dani California Cooks says

    August 20, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    This looks delicious! My bananas seem to go from too green to too ripe all the time, so I’m always looking for new ways to switch up using them.

    Reply
  13. Lacey @ Runs and Roses says

    August 20, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    If I could marry one food it would be banana bread. Its perfect pretty much any way its made. I love the healthy substitutes you used!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 20, 2015 at 8:56 pm

      HAHA. Can I be invited to the wedding?

      Reply
  14. Ellie says

    August 20, 2015 at 9:15 pm

    Bananas are the perfect fruit 🙂

    Reply
  15. Lauren @ ihadabiglunch says

    August 21, 2015 at 12:02 am

    It’s so exciting having ripe or overripe bananas laying around — it’s like a blank slate! Banana bread is the bomb.

    Reply
  16. Kate says

    August 21, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    I like making healthy sweet treats, if only so I can eat one everyday. 😛 I don’t usually refer to them as a dessert, but a snack anyways.
    The first thing I remember baking is cookies. However, I don’t how much slicing up the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough counts for “baking”, lol!

    Reply
  17. Amy Basso | Amy's Apron says

    August 21, 2015 at 6:49 pm

    I love healthy make-overs! I love the addition of whole wheat flour and coconut oil for this banana bread!

    Reply
    • Annette B Stoots says

      May 31, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      Can I use Stevia instead of sugar for the banana bread?

      Reply
      • Liv says

        May 31, 2019 at 5:34 pm

        Hi Annette! Unfortunately, I haven’t tried stevia in this recipe so I would suggest finding a Stevia-specific banana bread recipe that’s tried-and-true!

        Reply
  18. Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says

    August 23, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    Banana bread is one of my favorite things ever, so I’m always on the lookout for good recipes. I’ll have to try this out one day!

    Reply
  19. Megan says

    August 31, 2015 at 12:22 am

    This looks SO super yummy! I’m definitely going to have to try to make these.

    Also, I know it’s super random, but I would love your tips on how you get so many comments on each of your posts. 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 31, 2015 at 2:00 pm

      Hey Megan! I like to ask questions at the end of mosts of my posts to encourage reader engagement. I also try to respond to as many comments as possible (especially when they’re thoughtful comments or they ask a question) to let readers know that I really appreciate the time they took to leave feedback, plus it helps me get to know my readers better!

      Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read as many blogs as I’d like, but when I can, I like to leave encouraging comments on other bloggers’ posts to build relationship with them. The bloggers I get to know that way will sometimes comment on my posts, too.

      Reply
  20. April says

    September 3, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    I don’t have whole wheat flour 🙁 can I use regular white flour? And if so, how much? Do I use the same amount, 3 cups as the recipe calls for??

    Reply
    • Liv says

      September 4, 2016 at 10:31 pm

      Hi April! Yep, you can substitute the same amount of white flour as whole wheat flour!

      Reply
  21. Nadine says

    November 8, 2016 at 11:41 pm

    Hi!

    Can I use 5 bananas instead of 6? If so, will I need to reduce the amount of flour I use?

    Reply
    • Liv says

      November 9, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      Hi Nadine! The bananas really help keep the bread moist, so if you only have 5 bananas, I’d recommend halving the recipe and just using 3 bananas and halving all of the other ingredients, too.

      Reply
  22. Stephanie says

    November 13, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    Can I use gluten free flour

    Reply
    • Liv says

      November 13, 2016 at 8:22 pm

      Hi, Stephanie! I haven’t tried using gluten-free flour for this recipe. Using a recipe developed specifically for gluten-free flour may be a safer bet, but if you try it, please do report back and let us know how it goes!

      Reply
  23. Diana says

    February 18, 2019 at 11:26 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! Is there an alternative to adding sugar? I wonder if cutting the sugar in half will affect the end result?

    Reply
    • Liv says

      February 19, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      Hi, Diana! You can certainly omit some of the sugar. This is already a reduced-sugar banana bread, but you could try 1 cup to start and then next time, decrease the sugar even more if you think that’ll work for your taste buds.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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