This banana bread with honey is the best healthy banana bread recipe made with simple, nourishing ingredients that taste delicious!

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As a registered dietitian, I’ll be the first to say that healthy is a very subjective term that’s definition can look a little different for each of us. For this recipe, I use whole grain flour, heart healthy oil, and honey for sweetener — plus of course, bananas!

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

Classic Banana Bread Flavor – I wanted to maintain all the crave-able, classic banana bread flavors in this healthier recipe and all the recipe testing paid off — it’s perfection!
Simple Ingredients – all you need is ten ingredients, and pretty simple ones at that!
One-Bowl – everything is made in one bowl, then poured into a loaf pan so the oven can do most of the work!
Kid-Friendly – I’m sure it goes without saying, but this banana bread recipe is extremely family-friendly. My kids can never get enough!
Freezer-Friendly – I love freezing slices individually and thawing a slice to enjoy with a protein shake for breakfast or as a snack with some afternoon coffee or tea.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions:

For a full ingredient list with quantities, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

ingredients to make healthy banana bread with honey

Bananas – use overripe bananas, as they’re naturally sweeter and mash easily. Note that the recipe calls for a cup and a half of mashed potatoes instead of a certain number of bananas, as banana sizes vary and I want you to be able to easily recreate this delicious banana bread!
Honey – metabolically, sugar is sugar, but I love the subtle flavor the honey adds to this banana bread, plus it’s not a refined sugar, if that’s important to you.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a heart healthy oil, this helps create the perfect texture with a tender, moist crumb.
Egg – one large egg, to serve as a binder and help give our banana bread structure
Vanilla – you can use vanilla bean paste or extract, but this lends a delicious sweet and cozy flavor.
Whole Wheat Flour – my favorite flour to use in white whole wheat flour (it’s 100% whole grain, just made with the white whole wheat grain instead of the red whole wheat grain, but it’s slightly lighter in texture). You can use regular whole wheat flour (it’ll be slightly denser), whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, or a gluten-free cup-for-cup/ measure-for-measure flour blend.
Leavener – baking soda, which helps the bread rise and create a fluffy texture.
Cinnamon – a must in banana bread for all the warm and cozy vibes!
Salt – hear me out, your baked goods need salt! It helps pull together and enhance all the flavors.

How to Make Healthy Banana Bread

For complete instructions, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

bowl of wet ingredients for banana bread

It’s pretty standard for a banana bread – mix all the wet ingredients together, then gently stir in the dry ingredients. Pour it into a greased loaf pan and bake away!

Banana Bread Mix-Ins

While this healthy classic banana bread is fantastic on its own, it can be fun to change it up with different mix-ins and toppings!

Chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Cinnamon chips
Chopped nuts
Pumpkin seeds
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Dried cranberries
Dried cherries
Banana slices on top
Turbinado sugar on top
Streusel topping

How to Store

Banana bread can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to three days. It can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to one month.

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