How to Make Healthy Banana Nut Bread (Without Added Sugar!)

Name: How to Make Healthy Banana Nut Bread (Without Added Sugar!)
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 57 min
Ingredients: 5 very ripe bananas, (mashed); 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/8 tsp sea salt; 1/2 cup raw walnuts, (chopped); 1/2 tsp coconut oil, (for greasing loaf pan)

Date: Nov 30, 2018 by Lacey Baier · This post may contain affiliate links · 69 Comments

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Got extra ripe bananas? Here's a super yummy, healthy, and easy banana nut bread recipe. This moist banana bread has just the right amount of walnuts, and makes a great breakfast or healthy snack. Plus it contains no added sweeteners!

Healthy Banana Nut Bread Recipe | Easy and delicious healthy banana bread recipe | A Sweet Pea Chef

Do you ever randomly decide that you want to bake something?

You know...if you’re craving something and then suddenly realize you happen to have all the ingredients. And you start going into a baking frenzy. Do you ever do that? Or is it just me?

Thank goodness for ripe bananas and random cravings because they brought this banana bread with walnuts to life.

And not to spoil things for you but it’s oh-so-good. And quick and easy. And totes delicious. All my fave things!

Plus is there any better smell than that of banana walnut bread baking in the oven? It’s heavenly, don’t you think? The sweet smell of bananas and walnuts with a touch of cinnamon and bread loaf goodness.

Y.U.M.M.Y.

A bowl of raw walnuts that will be used to make Healthy Banana Nut Bread.

I’m not kidding when I say that this banana nut bread can be prepped and in the oven within 7 minutes. Seven minutes. Man, I love quick banana bread recipes! Especially the healthy ones.

I’ll share all the secrets of this banana bread including how to make banana bread healthy, how to make low sugar banana bread, how ripe should bananas be for banana bread, how to ripen bananas for banana bread, how to store banana bread, and how to freeze banana bread. Keep reading!

After this post, banana nut bread will be a piece of cake.

Mashing bananas with a fork in a mixing bowl to make Healthy Banana Nut Bread.

Mixing the wet ingredients for the Healthy Banana Nut Bread Recipe including mashed bananas, egg, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA NUT BREAD

Some people are intimidated by baking recipes. And, to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of baking, either. I get freaked out about baking soda and baking powder or yeast and I don't want to mess anything up and ruin it. But I really promise you that this easy healthy banana bread recipe will be a success. Just follow these easy steps.

To make healthy banana bread:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F;
prep the loaf pan;
mash the ripe bananas in a mixing bowl;
add the egg and vanilla over the mashed bananas and stir to combine;
mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl;
add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients;
stir to combine but don’t over-mix;
fold in the nuts;
pour the mixture in the loaf pan and bake.

Pretty simple, right?

Adding walnuts in the banana bread mixture.

Folding the walnuts in the banana bread mixture.

IS BANANA BREAD HEALTHY?

Wait, Lacey... you went on and on about healthy banana nut bread but... is banana bread healthy? Like for realz?

Look, I'm not gonna lie, banana bread is not usually that healthy, despite being made with bananas. And, before I started my clean eating journey, my banana bread wasn’t healthy, either. It had tons of butter and sugar. Plus all-purpose flour.

I know, not that healthy.

But, after experimenting with other healthy bread recipes and even healthy banana nut muffins, I realized I can totally make any bread healthy. Including this banana nut bread!

So yes, this is healthy banana bread. For realz.

A pictures that exemplifies how ripe bananas should be for banana bread by showing 3 different bananas in different stages of ripening.

HOW RIPE SHOULD BANANAS BE FOR BANANA BREAD?

This is a frequently asked banana bread question. And the answer is – really ripe. Like so ripe that you wouldn’t eat them because they're too mushy. Basically, bananas are perfect for banana bread when they are almost entirely dark brown or black. This is how ripe they ideally should be. You know why? Because the riper the bananas, the sweeter the taste of the banana bread. This is one of the secrets of this no added sweetener banana bread.

However, don’t be sad if you don’t have overripe bananas. You can still make this low sugar banana bread without adding sugar to the recipe. You just have to learn how speed up the process of ripening bananas!

How to ripen bananas for banana bread:

line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper;
place the unpeeled bananas on the baking sheet;
bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the bananas blackened.

un-peel the bananas;
place them on a microwave safe plate;
microwave them for 30 seconds.

You can use these methods to ripen bananas for banana bread, but also for other banana recipes, including banana cake.

Freshly baked Healthy Banana Nut Bread in a loaf pan.

Healthy Banana Nut Bread on a cutting board surrounded by banana slices and walnuts.

MAKING LOW SUGAR BANANA BREAD

This low sugar banana bread is everything you want in banana bread...

it’s dense;
it’s moist;
it’s flavorful;
it has texture from the walnuts;
it’s healthy;
it’s definitely a keeper.

Curious how to make how to make healthy banana bread that is low sugar? Here's what you should do:

replace all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour;
replace butter with coconut oil;
use really ripe bananas and skip adding any additional sugar or sugar alternatives, which is exactly what I did with this healthy banana bread and it turns out perfectly and sweet enough despite being sugar-free.

Considering just how much sugar banana bread usually calls for, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised to see how sweet this banana nut bread actually is.

HOW TO STORE BANANA BREAD

Believe me, it WILL be hard to resist eating the entire banana nut bread in one sitting. But if you do, you have to store it properly. Which means wrapping it in plastic to maximize shelf life and to keep it moist and dense.

You can store banana bread…

at room temperature (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) for 1-2 days;
in the fridge (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) or about a week;
or in the freezer (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) for up to 3 months.

2 serving plates with 2 slices of banana bread on each plate. Slices of bananas and walnuts are placed on and near the plates for garnish and as decoration.

3 MORE HEALTHY BREAD RECIPES

I hope you’re excited to try this banana nut bread recipe, and I can’t wait for you to try it and tell me how you like it. In the meantime, I’ll share 3 more healthy bread recipes because you deserve all the healthy and yummy breads in the world.

ONE BOWL HEALTHY PUMPKIN BREAD

A favorite healthy bread recipe of mine, besides the healthy banana bread (doh!), is this One Bowl Healthy Pumpkin Bread.

This pumpkin bread is another low sugar bread recipe that makes moist, healthy, and delicious bread. With amazing pumpkin flavors. Plus it’s super easy to make and ready in less than an hour. Get the recipe.

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Healthy, simple, delicious, and perfect for chocolate cravings. That’s how I’d describe this Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

Zucchini in chocolate bread? Yes. Zucchini is good in chocolate bread and the taste of the bread is totes amazing. I promise you that. Get the recipe.

APPLE PUMPKIN BREAD

The last recipe on today’s healthy bread recipes shortlist is my Apple Pumpkin Bread. Perfect for cold months and with amazing pumpkin and apple flavors, this bread is definitely yummy.

Of course, it’s also healthy and clean eating approved. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Get the recipe.