Made with wheat, oats, and walnuts, Healthier Banana Bread is the guilt-free way to using up your overripe bananas! You won’t be able to tell the difference!
No kitchen should be without a delicious and reliable banana bread recipe (bonus points if it’s healthy) and I’ve got just the one for you today. In the spirit of living a healthier year, I’m sharing this Healthier Banana Bread recipe so that you can add more fruit and whole grains to your diet!
I modeled my Healthier Banana Bread recipe after King Arthur Flour’s 2018 Recipe of the Year – Whole-Grain Banana Bread, with slight modifications to make it just a tad healthier and more interesting for my palate.
Perhaps one of the best outcomes of this banana bread is how well it freezes. I made multiple loaves about 8 months ago and froze them. I served them for brunch just last week when I had unplanned company over. By the end of brunch, my guests were asking for the recipe!
How to Make Healthier Banana Bread
Start by mixing together the dry ingredients – wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
My Healthier Banana bread boasts a whopping 2 cups of whole wheat flour! Trust me, you won’t know the difference.
Next, cream together the butter and brown sugar.
Once creamed, mix in in very ripe mashed bananas. You’ll need 2 cups of mashed bananas, which is about 4 to 5 medium bananas. Make sure the bananas are very ripe, indicated by many brown spots, if not covered in brown spots. Very ripe bananas are sweeter and carry the most banana flavor.
Pro-tip: If you need to ripen your bananas quickly, speed up the ripening process by baking whole and unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 30-40 minutes. The bananas should be completely brown and soft. Let cool before using.
Once the banana is mixed in, add in eggs and vanilla extract. Then, the flour in three additions.
Finally, stir in by hand chopped and toasted walnuts and old-fashioned oats.
Toasting walnuts renders out the oil in the nut and gives the walnuts and the bread that heavenly nutty aroma.
To toast walnuts on the stove, place the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet in a single layer over medium-low heat. Heat for a few minutes while stirring frequently until the walnuts are slightly darker and a nutty aroma is produced.
To toast walnuts in the oven, place the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the walnuts are slightly darker and a nutty aroma is produced, flipping the walnuts every couple of minutes to prevent burning.
Transfer the batter to a greased 9″x5″ loaf pan and smooth out the top. For an extra touch of deliciousness, sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar over the batter. Bake until a toothpick, cake tester, paring knife, or any other long thin food-safe object inserted in the center comes out without any wet batter.
Can I use vegetable oil instead of butter in Healthier Banana Bread?
Yes! Instead of creaming, replace the equivalent amount of butter with vegetable oil and stir with the sugar, bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Then, add the flour mixture, followed by the walnuts and oats.
Can I Make Healthier Banana Bread Gluten Free?
Yes! Just substitute the same amount of a gluten-free flour, like King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour, in place of the wheat flour.
What Type of Pan Should I use to Make Healthier Banana Bread?
For this particular batter, you can use any 9”x5” loaf pan – glass, stoneware, silicone, or steel. You would just need to adjust the bake time and oven temperature.
Check out the notes section below the recipe, at the bottom of this post for time and temperature adjustments.
Can I Freeze Healthier Banana Bread?
Absolutely! As I mentioned earlier, the bread freezes very well. To freeze uneaten slices or an entire loaf, wrap in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 year.
When ready to serve, remove the slices or loaf from the freezer and let thaw at room temperature overnight. Once thawed, warm slices in a toaster oven, if desired.
Healthier Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 - 5 bananas)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (toasting instructions in post above)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
Topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Following the guide in the notes section below, preheat oven based on the material of the loaf pan being used.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, cream together on medium speed the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the mashed bananas. Beat on medium-low until combined.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the flour mixture in three additions. When only a few streaks of flour remain, turn off the mixer and stir in the walnuts and oats by hand.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over the batter. Use all of it!
- Bake for the time indicated by the guide in the notes section below, based on the material of the loaf pan being used. Bread is done when a toothpick, cake tester, paring knife, or any other long and thin food-safe object inserted in the center comes out without any wet batter (moist crumbs are ok!)*.
- Allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Loosen the loaf from the sides of the pan with a thin knife. Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Evolved from King Arthur Flour.
Bake Time & Temperature Based on Loaf Pan Material
Glass: Bake in a preheat 325°F oven for 70 – 85 minutes.
Stoneware: Bake in a preheat 325°F oven for 70 – 85 minutes.
Silicone: Bake in a preheat 350°F oven for 55 – 70 minutes.
Steel: Bake in a preheat 350°F oven for 55 – 70 minutes.
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