Healthy banana bread

Healthy banana bread

By Sarah Cook
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(92 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 1 hr, 15 mins

Easy

Cuts into 10 slices

Have your cake and eat it with this low-fat, healthy banana loaf - perfect for breakfast and beyond

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable
  • Healthy

Nutrition: per slice

  • kcal145
  • fat2g
  • saturates1g
  • carbs24g
  • sugars9g
  • fibre3g
  • protein6g
  • salt0.6g
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Ingredients

  • low-fat spread, for the tin, plus extra to serve
  • 140g wholemeal flour
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
    Bicarbonate of soda

    Bicarbonate of soda

    Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-…

  • 1 tsp baking powder
    Baking powder

    Baking powder

    bay-king pow-dah

    Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…

  • 300g mashed banana from overripe black bananas
    Banana

    Banana

    bah-nah-nah

    Probably the best known, most popular tropical fruit, their name probably derives from the…

  • 4 tbsp agave syrup
    Agave syrup

    Agave syrup

    Agave syrup (also known as agave nectar) is a naturally occurring sweetener similar in…

  • 3 large eggs, beaten with a fork
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • 150ml pot low-fat natural yogurt
  • 25g chopped pecan or walnuts (optional)
    Pecan nuts

    Pecan

    pee-kan

    Related to the walnut, pecans are native to America, and grow enclosed in a glossy, browny-red…

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment (allow it to come 2cm above top of tin). Mix the flours, bicarb, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.

  2. Mix the bananas, syrup, eggs and yogurt. Quickly stir into dry ingredients, then gently scrape into the tin and scatter with nuts, if using. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins-1 hr 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

  3. Cool in tin on a wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature, with low-fat spread.

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Comments, questions and tips

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javvy_sprout
6th Oct, 2019
3.05
Have made this recipe a few times and although relatively quick and easy to make, I don't find the taste satisfying enough so find myself spreading nutella or jam over a slice which then makes me wish I'd just gone ahead and baked a 'naughty' banana bread in the first place! Also, I can taste the bicarb despite following the recipe to the letter so although I had good intentions of enjoying a healthier version of banana bread, I think in future I'll just go ahead and enjoy the real thing instead.
Katie Whitelock's picture
Katie Whitelock
22nd Feb, 2019
4.05
This is great recipe for a Banana Bread, It is Easy, Cheap and made in a short amount of time. The Bread however is closer to a Tea Loaf; In Which you can spread butter on and have with a cup of tea, Rather than normal banana bread which is closer to a slice of cake. If you are looking for a dessert, This recipe is unfortunately not for you.
Brownie1985
8th Feb, 2019
2.05
I made this today and wasn’t so keen but perhaps it’s my baking. I couldn’t get the syrup in my supermarket so I used honey. The actual taste was okay but the crust really wasn’t pleasant, very tough and I had to turn the temp right down. I like the healthy side of it but don’t think I’ll be making this again.
Denn Leavy's picture
Denn Leavy
27th Oct, 2018
5.05
This is the first thing I've ever really baked by myself and I really enjoyed it. I'm currently in the throws of losing weight and it's an excellent low calorie treat. Yeah, it is a bit bland, but it's not meant to be decadent. I think next time I make it I will most likely use a bit more flour and a bit more Banana. Other than that, this is a great recipe! The true test will be to see what my 2 year old makes of it as he is a Banana feind! :)
RanjD
20th Jun, 2018
4.05
Made this today, liked the fact there was no butter or sugar in the ingredients. Went down well with the kids as a healthy snack.
Jenna Ahmad's picture
Jenna Ahmad
17th Feb, 2018
4.05
Tried this out today and it's quite nice! You can definitely tell it's 'healthy' so would advise using really ripe bananas for that extra sugar boost! I also added white choc chips and nutella to cover the top. I had to decrease the temperature of the oven to 140 degrees as the top was just burning when cooking but will definitely try this out again!
jfemurphy
13th Feb, 2018
5.05
This recipe was very easy, quick, and tasted great - a really good use of old bananas in a healthier way than normal banana cake. I added dark chocolate chips (so much for healthy!) which tasted really nice.
jooly63
23rd Oct, 2017
4.05
Just made this using maple syrup as I hadn't got agave, sprinkled in some cinnamon and chopped up a few dates for a bit of texture as I'd no nuts! Other than it taking a lot longer than the given time, (covered it with foil to stop it burning towards the end), it eventually turned out quite well. P.S It did expand upwards in the tin and erupt volcanically over the top!
Mollie882
6th Dec, 2016
3.05
I can see what people mean about this bread being a bit bland. I found the same, even after adding slightly more than a pinch of salt, and some cinnamon. The texture was lovely though (I used 3 medium eggs and half a cup of yogurt). I used maple syrup instead of agave. To liven it up, I've eaten it toasted, spread with a dash of peanut butter - scrummy!
shazzaspannered
22nd Sep, 2016
4.05
Made this yesterday and pretty impressed with it. I used two very overripe bananas and one normal. Used a bit less yoghurt as I'd read other reviews saying the batter can be too wet and not cook in the middle and it came out perfectly. Also chucked in some blackberries that we recently picked that needed using up. Yes it's not sweet and mine is more like a malt loaf but I never thought it would be that sweet as otherwise it wouldn't be a healthier version of bulk standard banana bread.

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Daisy_Dentist
1st Jan, 2019
My daughter is allergic to egg...I have found the Vegan Banana Bread recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2277635/vegan-banana-bread Any idea how I can make the Healthy banana bread without the calories of the vegan one?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
2nd Jan, 2019
Thanks for your question. We haven't tested this but you could use this recipe, substituting the eggs for Orgran No Egg, which is available from the health food shops like Holland & Barrett and large supermarkets.
swozi182
24th Nov, 2018
Is it plain wholemeal flour, or self raising?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
27th Nov, 2018
Thanks for your question - yes, just wholemeal not self-raising wholemeal.
daisy84x's picture
daisy84x
31st Aug, 2016
Do you have to use agave syrup or can you use something else?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
8th Sep, 2016
Thanks for your question. We would suggest using agave syrup in this recipe to maintain the same sweetness and nutritional values. Agave syrup is available from all big supermarkets now. You could use honey as an alternative but be aware this will change the flavour. We have not tested it with honey so let us know if you decide to give it a go!
thedutchies
1st Sep, 2016
Maple syrup would taste nice too, instead of agave syrup.
ninahelen
12th Nov, 2013
I baked the bread using 100% self raising flour as I didn't have whole wheat in house. I baked it for more than 80 minutes and it did rise well but when cooling down it completely collapsed at the top and sides and is very soggy inside. Any advice on what went wrong here? Thanks, Nina
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
18th Dec, 2013
Hi Nina, The answer kiya posted is perfect for this question.  
kiya
5th Dec, 2013
If you have used entirely self raising flour and still used the same quantities of baking powder and bicarb soda as stated in the recipe, you might have ended up adding too much of the raising agents, in which case the cake/loaf would rise as you mentioned but it would rise too much and upon cooling won't be able to hold it's weight and will start to sink. And if it sinks it then can't aerate and cool as it should and the end product may well be denser and even soggy. Baking really can be a precise science sometimes!
jogster
23rd Dec, 2018
5.05
Lovely recipe which I made with my 3 year old. I didn't have agave so used (same quantity of) maple syrup instead. Also added 3 tbsp of soft brown sugar and 100g of choc chips as I had these to use up. Turned out moist and delicious. I use loaf tin liners which did stick to the cake a little as there is so little fat in the recipe but was easy enough to remove. Would make again.
Jelka
9th Jul, 2017
5.05
I've made this recipe many times, often adding cinnamon and pecans to the mix for extra tastyness. Last times I tried making it vegan. Swapping the yoghurt with a soy substitute, and removing the egg. I added 450 grams of mashed bananas, and in the wet mixture I added half a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of water and two tablespoons of rapeseed oil. The result was a great tasting, moist banana loaf. It collapsed a little while cooling, and was a little bit denser than the regular one, but nothing too much, it was still great!
amul
6th Nov, 2015
To speed up the ripening of the bananas store them in a brown paper bag
LaVieAvecGoodFood
3rd Mar, 2014
Replaced the agave syrup with maple syrup and added 1-2 spoons of raw sugar. Used only baking powder. Used only white flour (had no wholemeal around), but I crushed the walnuts finely and this made the bread have a wholemeal texture.
kiya
5th Dec, 2013
This is genuinely really delicious- don't be put off by the healthy tag. To make it EVEN MORE healthy and yummy however, I have adapted it slightly. I use wholemeal spelt flour(a lot of people who react badly to wheat find spelt more tolerable, it also has a broader spectrum of nutrients) which turns out really nicely. So far I've only substituted it for the regular wholemeal flour and have used self raising flour as per the recipe, but i'm sure you could use just spelt flour and just add a little more of the raising agents in the recipe. I also add lots of seeds, whatever I have on hand, so far a mix of linseeds/flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds(maybe half a cup of each, whatever you fancy), and add walnuts into the wet mix. Nuts and seeds really boost up the nutritional value and give good energy. I would also definitely recommend you really make sure you do use very over ripe/ black bananas, as this is where a lot of the sweetness comes from in this loaf, so otherwise you can end up with a slightly blander or more savoury loaf. Agave syrup can be quite tricky to find and possibly quite expensive. I would say don't hesitate to use maple syrup or mild honey if these are more accessible and budget friendly. A very good recipe as it is overall, I just made these changes to suit my own tastes. I make it in bulk, let it cool, slice it into toaster suitable widths, and freeze it- very handy and quick. Guilt free and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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