Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This whole wheat banana bread is a healthier take on an American classic, but tastes just as good, if not better than the original.

Who doesn't love cake-like quick breads that can be eaten for breakfast, dessert or as a snack? One of my go-tos is butternut squash bread, but today is about this chocolate chip banana bread.

Banana bread is one of those comfort recipes that is easy to make and fills the whole house with warmth. If someone walked in while you were baking it, they would immediately know that some magic is happening!

However most banana breads aren't the best for you. Now I'm not saying this healthy banana bread should be a part of a diet, but it definitely is much healthier.

With coconut oil instead of butter, maple syrup instead of sugar and whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, it is these three ingredients that help create a healthy banana bread.

Now I did add some chocolate chips, but let's be honest here, chocolate makes everything better and that is no different with this banana bread recipe.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• What Makes Healthy?
• Variations
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Other Bread Recipes
• Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Recipe Ingredients

• Bananas - the star of the show adds natural sweetness and moistness.
• Coconut oil - a healthier fat, but you can also use vegetable oil.
• Maple syrup - honey also works for natural sweetness.
• Eggs - helps bind everything together and lets the bread rise.
• Vanilla extract - adds flavor to the banana bread. You could always try homemade vanilla extract.
• Whole wheat flour - can use all-purpose if needed.
• Baking soda - a leavening agent the allows for the bread to rise.
• Cinnamon - extra flavor. Could also use pumpkin pie spice.
• Salt - enhances the flavor.
• Mix-ins - try 1/2 cup of mix-ins like mini chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or dried fruit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
3. Add the batter into the pan, making sure it is even. Bake for 50-60 minutes, covering with aluminum foil halfway through if bread is browning too quickly. At 50 minutes, start checking to see if bread is done every 5 minutes by inserting a toothpick or cake tester in the center where it comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
4. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing and placing on wire rack.

What Makes Healthy?

• Whole wheat flour - unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour is more nutritious.
• Coconut oil - has many benefits for your health, ranging from from helping your heart to encouraging fat burning.
• Maple syrup - not only tastes better, but has a lower glycemic index which causes your blood sugar to rise.

Variations

• Flour - if you are nervous about all whole wheat flour, you could use half whole wheat and half all-purpose. If you are gluten-free, I recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour.
• Mix-ins - I mentioned before, but you don't need to make plain banana bread. You could add anything from chocolate chips to nuts to fruits. My favorite combination is mini chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
• Vegan - you can make chia eggs. Just mix 2 tbsp of chia seeds with 5 tbsp water and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the chocolate chip banana bread. You can also use same amount of flaxseeds.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Use baking soda that is less than six months old since it has been opened. If you use older baking soda, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the bread. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
• If you want a slightly sweeter bread, increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup.
• If using nuts, don't skip out on roasting them. By roasting the nuts, they will stay crispy in the batter and bring out the flavor.
• If you want to freeze the banana bread, wrap the loaf in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place in a freezer-friendly storage bag. Freeze up to 3 months and then thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
• This healthy banana bread recipe can also be used to make muffins. Preheat the oven to 350°F, fill the muffin tins until about 2/3 of the way full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You could also try these vegan banana chocolate chip muffins.

Other Bread Recipes

• Beer Bread
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
• Brazilian Cheese Bread
• No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
• Homemade Naan

If you’ve tried this whole wheat banana bread or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.