Simple & delicious Healthy Banana Bread. Whole-grain, oil-free & perfect for breakfast or snacking!
This Healthy Banana Bread recipe is the perfect way to use up very ripe bananas. I'm one of those crazy people who likes to eat slightly green bananas. Once they get yellow and spotty that's it, I can't eat them.
That doesn't stop me buying too many every week though, just so they can go soft and spotty. I love baking with over-ripe bananas and making Vegan Banana Pancakes and I also like having some in the freezer for smoothies and nice cream.
One of the many reasons I like Vegan Banana Bread so much is that I can fool myself into thinking I am not eating cake. It's bread, and Healthy Banana Bread at that.
This recipe is made with unrefined wholegrain spelt flour which gives it a lovely wholesome flavour. Much better than when made with regular all purpose flour. It only contains half a cup of sugar and no added oil, although if you want to, you can swap out the nut butter for oil.
It's also full of fruit .... Hello? 3 WHOLE Bananas .... It's practically a fruit itself ;O)
I kind of defeat the object of making this Healthy Vegan Banana Bread oil-free, because I like to slather my slices with homemade Vegan Butter. They are so good together! Nut butter is a lovely oil-free spreading alternative though. It works so well on banana bread.
I like to put a little twist on my recipes whenever I can and this one is no different. This Healthy Banana Bread has a tiny touch of cardamom added to its batter. Cardamom works really well with banana and it gives the bread a beautiful subtle fragrance. It really is a good combo. If cardamom is not your thing though feel free to omit it.
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What do you need to make Healthy Banana Bread
To make this banana bread you will be needing:
- overripe bananas – the spottier the better!
- spelt flour – not set in stone though, you can use all purpose or a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour instead
- sugar – any kind you like but as this is a healthier banana bread I like to use coconut sugar.
- nut butter – Adds flavour and healthy fats. And because of those natural healthy fats we don't need to add any oil or vegan butter to the recipe.
- blackstrap molasses or regular molasses – my banana bread secret weapon!
- cardamom - It's optional but recommended. The fragrant flavour works so well with the banana!
- and the usual suspects like salt and baking powder
What makes this banana bread healthy?
Unlike traditional banana bread recipes, this one uses spelt flour instead of all purpose white flour. Spelt flour is whole grain and a much healthier and less refined flour.
Assuming you choose to use coconut sugar when making it this recipe is refined sugar free.
It's got 3 whole bananas in it!
The fat in the banana bread is naturally found in nut butter. We aren't using vegan butter or oil.
Blackstrap molasses contains lots of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and selenium.
How it's done
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Step 1: Mash the bananas then add the nut butter, sugar, molasses, cardamom and salt and give it all a whisk.
Step 2: Add the flour and baking power and mix gently.
Step 3: Spoon into a pan and bake.
Success Tips
- Weigh the ingredients, particularly the flour, for the very best results.
- Don't over-mix the batter.
- Use really ripe and spotty bananas
What do I do if I don't have overripe bananas?
If none of your bananas are super ripe and spotty, simply place 3 of them in a baking tray with their skins still intact and bake them on 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. They will be black. Allow them to cool before going ahead with the recipe.
How to freeze banana bread
Cool the banana bread thoroughly on a cooling rack then wrap really well (either in a freezer safe storage container or a freezer bag) and place in the freezer. You can keep it whole or slice it prior to freezing. Slicing it enables you to pull out a piece or two as needed rather than defrosting the entire loaf.
It can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature. Placing it on a cool rack where air can circulate ensures that it doesn't get damp.
Ways to adapt this recipe
Feel free to make this recipe your own. You could add:
- chocolate chips
- chopped nuts
- toasted seeds
- blueberries
- raisins or other dried fruit
- a vegan cream cheese frosting (there's one in my cookbook)
- switch the banana for pureed sweet potato, pumpkin or butternut squash
This is why I am loving this Healthy Vegan Banana Bread:
- It's quick and easy to make
- It's full of healthy ingredients
- It uses up your 'past it' spotty bananas
- It's great for make ahead breakfasts
- It freezes perfectly so you can double up on the recipe for another time
Hungry for more?
If you are liking the banana bread vibe, then you will probably also enjoy my Best Vegan Banana Bread and my Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread.
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas , make sure they are very ripe, (plus some extra slices for the top)
- 4 tablespoons cashew or almond butter , or 60mls | 1/4 cup coconut oil (liquid measure)
- 115g / 1/2 packed cup sugar , plus a little extra to sprinkle over the top before baking. Any sugar will do but I like coconut sugar.
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ,OPTIONAL - can be omitted if you don't have any or don't like cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 230g / 2 cups spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a loaf pan (I used an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan )and line with a strip of parchment paper along the bottom, making sure it comes up over the ends so you can use it as a handle to lift the loaf out once cooked).
- Peel the bananas then mash them with a fork or use your stand mixer to beat them up into a puree.
- Add nut butter/coconut oil, sugar, molasses, optional cardamon and salt and beat well until smooth.
- Add the flour and baking powder and gently fold it all together. Do not over mix. You want it so that it is just combined and so that you cannot see any dry flour throughout the mixture.
- Pour into your prepared pan.
- OPTIONAL - Top with some sliced banana and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Bake in oven for around 50 minutes or until a tooth pick or skewer comes out clean when inserted through the middle.
- Lift out of pan, remove parchment paper and cool on a cooling rack.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy only. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Maureen Cram says
I bought some spelt flour (took me a while to find it here in South Africa) and by then I couldn't remember why I bought it! Sigh... so just looking for recipes in which to use it and found this one! Making tomorrow for sure. I know it will be fantastic - your recipes always are xxx. I am a cardamom fan.. I use it in carrot cake, banana bread and my Christmas stollens. So thank you so much for this recipe and for using cardamom :).
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope you enjoy it Maureen, and there are lots more spelt flour recipes where that came from. It's my favourite flour!
Courtney says
Just made this with whole wheat flour and tahini because I didn’t have spelt flour, almond or cashew butter. Annnnnd it was amazing! Another fool proof virtual vegan recipe. Thanks, Mel.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Courtney! Bananas and tahini are great together!
Norah says
I've made this for the third time now. First time with whole wheat flour and the last two times with buckwheat flour. All of them turned out amazingly soft, moist and they smelled heavenly! Thank you for this foolproof recipe; I'm now confident to make banana bread any time now :)
P/s I was thinking about another comment maybe a combination of almond meal and buckwheat flour might work because buckwheat flour can give a sticky, mochi-like texture to the batter and help hold the meal together. Just a thought and maybe I will try it next time.
Susan says
I made this today for the first time and it is absolutely delicious. I used peanut butter because I didn’t have anything else. Thank you for another great recipe 😁
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Susan! I'm glad you are enjoying it!
Dawn Fitzgerald says
Have you made this with almond meal? Just wondering about a healthy GF option.
A Virtual Vegan says
No I haven't. Just almond meal will not work. It would just crumble. You would need another flour or starch too to give it structure.
Kallie says
I made this today and the house smelled like banana-bread heaven.
I loved how quick it was to whip up. I loved that it has no oil. I didn't have quite enough almond butter (it is VERY expensive here in NZ) so I did half/half with peanut butter - which didn't seem to affect the taste at all. Both kids and husband inhaled it - and my husband said... "I could eat this for days!" My rather fussy son gave it a 9.5 out of 10 - and this was only because he prefers cinnamon to cardamom - so that was high praise indeed.
We will be making this on repeat, and I shall take your advice and make double next time so I can have one pre-cut in the freezer for easy lunchbox fillers when school starts up again.
Thank you so much for all the time and thought and testing you put into making these recipes so very user friendly. I'm very grateful
A Virtual Vegan says
Maybe next time you make it you can use some cinnamon instead of cardamom so we can get a 10/10 from your son ;O) Ha ha!
I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it Kallie and thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating/feedback. It's much appreciated!
Dominique says
I made this for my super fussy grandpa and he loved it! Best vegan banana bread I've made so far. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Melanie McDonald says
That's awesome Dominique. I'm really pleased your grandpa enjoyed it!
Emma says
How much calories have the whole bread?
The whole recipe was simple and the bread just taste amazing
Melanie McDonald says
I'm glad you enjoyed the banana bread! Nutritional information is given underneath the recipe.
Anissa says
I made this today and I really like it. I used whole wheat flour instead of spelt (because that's what I had on hand) and powdered sugar instead of regular sugar (for the same reason), plus I added some chopped walnuts to the mix before baking because my family likes nuts in their banana bread. For the nut butter, I used peanut butter. Great, healthy and delicious recipe!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Anissa!
Lynda says
Beautiful. The cardamon adds a lovely touch. We really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Leslie says
I did not like this. Had a weird aftertaste. Also made a pumpkin, chocolate chip, walnut bread at the same time and it blew this away.
Lillian says
Could I leave out the cashew butter and just use more bananas to make it no added fat? Cashew butter is too expensive
A Virtual Vegan says
It needs some fat or the results aren't so good. I tested it without and reduced the amount of cashew butter as much as I could without it the cake becoming gummy. If you use more bananas instead it will end up too wet. Any other nut butter would work and you can use coconut oil instead. Hope that helps!
Patrick McCoy says
This recipe is awesome! Super easy and healthy. I had a couple bunches of ripe bananas and this was a great way to use them up. And the cardamom goes really well with the Black Strap Molasses.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Patrick. Thank you for letting me know!
Aalia says
THE BEST I HAVR EVER HAD
This recipe is absolutely gorgeous -sweet and moist ( I love the word;don't hate) I loved this warm out of the oven and my father who is usually very fussy devoured half of it
A Virtual Vegan says
Wow! That's a compliment I will take. Thank you so much. And just for the record..I like the word moist too! It describes cakes like this perfectly!
Rita says
delicious great recipe
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.