Healthier Banana Bread
This healthier banana bread is refined sugar, oil or butter free. This banana bread uses greek yogurt, honey and the sweetness of ripe bananas! This healthy banana bread has been tested gluten free too!

When I started blogging I didn’t really have an interest in making “healthier” recipes. I am pretty sure my thought process was if the original recipe tastes good (butter, sugar & all) why mess with a good thing?

But I had to learn that healthier doesn’t mean bad or tasteless. It actually means getting creative and informing yourself about healthier ingredient swaps.
Because I love quick breads and muffins, and I probably won’t ever stop eating them, I thought healthier banana bread would be a good place to start!

Our one bowl 10 minute prep banana chocolate chip bread is one of the top recipes on our site, and for good reason (1 bowl and 10 minutes!) so we created a healthier one bowl 10 minute prep banana bread. No chocolate chips this time, but if you’re wanting to add them in, I’d suggest 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips.
If I calculated the calories correct, the whole loaf is about 900 calories! If you slice it into 8 pieces, that’s 112 calories per slice.
Ingredients
- bananas: sweetness and fat
- greek yogurt: healthier fat compared to oil or butter. Adds protein and moistness.
- honey: natural sweetener compared to sugar
- vanilla: flavor!
- egg: leavener and binder
- all purpose flour: gives structure – you can also use whole wheat flour or gluten free flour
- baking soda & baking powder: leavener
- cinnamon: a pinch of warm, cozy flavor
How to Make Healthier Banana Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth.
- Add in the greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla, mix.
- Stir in the eggs.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Gradually mix in the flour until no streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Can You Make Banana Bread with Fresh Bananas?
Typically I like to make banana bread with overripe, super spotty and brown bananas. When bananas reach that state in my house, I usually stick them in my freezer to keep them for later.
But maybe you don’t have overripe brown bananas on your counter or in your freezer. So
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas in the Oven
Keep the bananas in their peel, place on a baking sheet in a 300ºF oven for 20-30 minutes, until the peels become black and shiny.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
To freeze the whole loaf: allow it to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place the wrapped bread in the fridge overnight.
To freeze individual slices: allow the loaf to cool completely and slice. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap then in aluminum and place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place a slice in the fridge overnight. Or unwrap and microwave for 30 second intervals.
More Quick Breads

Healthier Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ripe spotty brown bananas
- ½ cup greek yogurt, plain or vanilla
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour or whole wheat **can be made gluten free too!
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth.
- Add in the greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla, mix.
- Stir in the eggs.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Gradually mix in the flour until no streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This banana bread is so moist and delicious- love the use of Greek yogurt :) Pinning!
Your photos are BEAUTIFUL! Love them, and love this bread! Healthier is always better and this bread just looks to die for! :)
Girl <3 <3 THANK YOU!
I love a good slice of banana bread! Honey and yogurt are great ways to lighten it up a bit!
I love those 2 ingredients in bread!
This banana bread looks amazing! Love this healthy version and the honey and yogurt sound like it makes for perfectly moist bread!
It’s delicious and you wouldn’t know it’s healthier!
Made this last night and oh my goodness this is delicious!!!! First time making banana bread without sugar and butter….this totally compares and I wouldn’t know the difference except for the fact I made it…lol :) LOVED…LOVED….LOVED!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
WOOOHOOO!!
Can I add zucchini to it too? I know it has a lot of water in it, do I need to omit or add something else to counter the water in the zucchini? My son and I can not wait to make the bread for Make it Monday!
Hi Melissa! I am not entirely sure since I haven’t tried it myself!
I’d start with 1 cup of shredded zucchini, squeezed dry…. Don’t change anything else to the recipe.
I’m making this for the first time and I noticed it doesn’t have any baking powder in it. Would you explain why? Thanks.
Hi Charlotte – the recipes calls for baking soda instead!
In this recipe the Greek yogurt supplies the acidity so just adding baking soda will give you the same leavening action as baking powder. I’m a bit of a food science geek and when baking gluten free, you have to know how things rise.
Recipe above shows both baking soda and baking powder.
I am all for healthier recipes but this bread tasted too strongly of honey for us. My kids spit it out ;( Have you tried it with 1/4 cup of honey? I don’t want to waste the ingredients so hope to hear from someone who has tried it. Thanks!
Hi Brandi! I haven’t tried it myself with 1/4 cup honey but I am a strong believer in trying new ideas – so I’d give it a shot!
I tried with 1/4 cup of honey and then added maybe a tablespoon of raw sugar. The sweetness was subtle. Very moist! The outside edges are a tiny bit chewy but the insides are perfect. Not sure how to get a crusty/crunchy edge. I divided into three mini pans and that worked well.
Loved the Greek yogurt and subtle sweetness! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi brandi. Try Rice Malt Syrup. It can replace honey. It is similar just not as sweet neither does it have a strong flavour. It is a mild sweet syrup. It also is called brown rice syrup by some.
Is there a way to find how many carbs are in it or per serving? I love banana bread but have gestational diabetes and don’t want to overdo my carb intake. If it is low carb, I will definitely be making this tonight.
Also, I’d any other low carb dessert or bread recipes you have. :)
30 carbs for a 1 inch slice made with honey, you can cut the honey down to 1/4 cup and save some carbs or else eat a smaller serving
Does this make one loaf?
Yes!
Sounds very yummy.
Can you make muffins instead of the bread? If yes, would I need to adjust recipe in any way?
Thanks Gina
I have been making this once a week for snack for my kiddos for school! They look forward to the day they get banana bread, and it’s so good they don’t need to know it’s healthier !! Love, love, love this banana bread!
I’m glad the whole family can enjoy it!
Can you omit the honey entirely and just count on the natural sweetness of very ripe bananas to provide the sweetness? Or perhaps replace it with more greek yogurt OR unsweetened applesauce?
I would assume you could omit the honey! Perhaps compensate with more greek yogurt?
You could add a few drops stevia or monk fruit.
Is the Greek yogurt used purely because it’s a liquid and would help combine everything or is there something else in it that’s absolutely vital to the recipe? I’m trying to figure out whether it would work just as well with an average dairy-free yogurt. Either way, sounds like it’s going to be yummy!!
Hi Bex! If you need to use a dairy free yogurt for your diet, I would definitely say give it a try! I would sub one for one.
Hi Beth… I am vegetarian can you please tell me what can I add instead of eggs in this recipe.
Hi Jasmine, I don’t have experience in vegan baking. My suggestion would be to look up a vegan banana bread recipe!
Why does the bread rise up in pan and then sink as soon as I take it from the oven? Any suggestions?
Hi Debbie! It doesn’t stay puffed up the same way regular banana bread does.. but the middle shouldn’t sink.
I used self raising flour for mine as well as baking powder, it rose and stayed puffed up magnificently!
Nice! I will have to try using self raising flour!
Delicious! I also added 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, reduced a little honey and topped it with lots of walnuts.
Great for dessert with a glass of milk, and excited to have it with yogurt or almond butter for brekky tomorrow!
Great recipe!
This recipe did not work for me. It sank when it came out of the oven and had a spongy texture. I was sad b/c I really was looking forward to it! I think it was too much honey and maybe needed another egg.
I just made this bread and it’s super yummy! I did substituted eggs for ground flaxseed, honey for maple syrup and yogurt for soy yogurt to make it vegan. I added the recipe to MyFitnessPal and I honestly don’t know how 1/8 of a loaf could be 112 calories! I get 220! Maple syrup has fewer calories than honey, the yogurt was only ~15 calories extra (for the whole loaf!) and ground flaxseed is 1/2 the calories of eggs.
Please share your calculation with me!
Can we sub the half of the honey by maple syrup ?
Someone has tried ??
:) Thanks
this looks like the best banana bread ever!
Such a perfectly moist bread!
I’m going to make this tomorrow to bring on the 8 hour bus ride to Boston for a class trip
Sounds good BUT I think I would add a cup of chopped roasted walnuts to it. Anyone try that.? I might also consider adding some dry fruit, raisins would be my first thought.
Hi Beth, I made this today and my toddler loves it! Suck a simple and delicious bake…thanks a bunch.
Can this be made in a bread maker?
Any nutritional info?
I’m afraid that there are more like 1700 calories instead of the 900 you thought for the whole recipe. It’s still a good number as it only works out to about 142 calories for 1 of 12 slices.
I’ve attempted this recipe twice and both times it has come out like a pancake and still runny inside. What am I doing wrong?
Just made this.It tastes delicious but it’s very moist.Almost wet like a sponge.Is that right? Dont want to eat it if it’s not cooked or something!
Every oven is different, make sure a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I’m 13 and was able to make it myself today!! I love that it’s both tasty and healthier???? Thanks for the great recipe!
Beth, cannot wait to try this banana bread!! Can I add chopped walnuts?
Thanks,
Teri
Of course! Feel free to make it your own!
I made this bread yesterday. I realized I only had 1/4 c of raw honey so I topped it off with maple syrup
And it came out great. Awesome bread and so healthy. Will definitely make again.
Yay! So glad it came out great! And sometimes we just have to improvise with what we have! Such a good idea!
Yay! So glad!
This banana bread is wonderful. Adding honey is ingenious! I love how this recipe also is low sugar, so many recipes are just too sweet. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with all of us!
Yay! I’m so glad you love it! You are so welcome!
Can you use plain yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
Yes!
CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE GLUTEN FREE FLOW
Hi Lynette! Definitely! I recommend King Arthur All Purpose Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.
I loved this banana bread!! Shared some with coworkers and everybody loved it! Great texture, not too sweet. I threw in some nuts and dry cranberries that I had and it was delicious. Great recipe for a not-too-sweet yummy treat.
Love to hear that JJ!
I started off making this recipe because I had everything needed but it has now become my new go-to recipe. I ran out of honey so I’ve made it with sugar and brown sugar, and I’ve reduced them both down to 1/3 or 1/4 cup even and it always turns out great. Very solid recipe!
Can I substitute the honey and use melted jaggery instead ?
Hi Mariyam! I’m not familiar with melted jaggery.
I think that the leavners in the banana bread recipe is too much. Can you pls explain why you need 1 tsp of baking soda as well as 1 tsp of baking powder and what is does? Can I just use 1 tsp of baking soda instead?
I thought this too…just made it and inside is really raw and runny?
Hi. Can I use 1/4 cup of honey instead of 1/2cup? I feel like 1/2 is too much for me.
Hi Jessica, if you reduce the amount of honey, please report how it turns out!
The bread came out great it was soooo delicious, but how many calories are in one serving?
Can I use oat flour?
Hi Emi! I haven’t tried this recipe with oat flour.
Oh my goodness. These were amazing. I made muffins instead of bread and baked them on 350 for 20 minutes. Will make them again!
I’ve made this quite a few times over the last couple months. Taste is always amazing but it is deflating SO MUCH as it cools. What am I doing wrong?
Moist, delicious, truly one of the best banana bread recipes that I have tried. Does NOT taste like it is missing anything because it is a healthier version. I think that it is better. 💕
Hi Beth,
I tried your recipe and the bread tasted yummylicious. It is so good, and the best part.. healthy. Never thought bread can be made oil/butter free. I baked it and the only thing was that it was a bit moist inside near the base.
I baked the bread on the center rack of the oven, and my oven only has top heating.
Can you suggest what do i do to avoid that moisture inside?
Also, what temperature and time if the use this same recipe for making muffins?
Thank you!
Hello. I love making this bread! Its so delicious. But we just switched our over to a convection oven. At what temperature and time should I bake the banana bread?
Delicious! I used oats instead of flour and I used less honey and added a few dark chocolate chips and walnuts. It turned out great.
After looking through the reviews, I decided to use 1/4 c honey and 1/4 c maple syrup. I agree that more than 1/4 c honey would have overpowered the banana flavor. I also cut the baking powder and baking soda down to 1/2 t each and added a small handful of chopped walnuts. I split the batter into my silicone 12 mini loaves pan, and it filled them perfectly. I baked at 350 for 30 minutes, and the loaves rose beautifully and did not fall after cooling. They turned out amazing! This recipe is definitely staying in rotation!
The video uses one egg, but the actual recipe is two eggs.
Hi S! I mixed a second egg in, but they part was cut in the video. Please follow the recipe and use 2 eggs.
Dang girl!! This banana bread is amazing! I love using honey instead of sugar + plain Greek yogurt. Will be making this on repeat!
Could I substitute the flour for oat flour?
Looks like a yummy recipe thanks😊