Easy and super healthy banana bread made with wholegrain spelt flour, honey and olive oil. This banana bread recipe might just be the best ever! With a perfect rise, a moist crumbly finish, and a scattering of nuts for that extra boost of healthy fats.
Homemade banana bread
Is there anything more satisfying than a slice of healthy, moist banana bread; washed down with a warm mug of tea? Surely, this is the best thing you can hope for on a visit to a friends house or when arriving home after a long work day? Yes I think so – some lovely, homemade banana bread, fresh out of the oven and a pot of freshly brewed tea will do very nicely.
Its so delightfully simple thats its a wonder that I don’t have a banana loaf on the go at all times! Particularly as more often than not, we get to the end of the week and find that theres a couple of uneaten and overripe bananas left in the fruit bowl. Previous banana bakes, like my Banana birthday cake, have been ever so slightly overindulgent. So, in order to secure more frequent-making of banana bread, I decided it was about time I attempted a healthy, wholegrain, no refined sugar banana bread. One that was also easy to make, didn’t compromise on texture or flavour, and of course, it had to be completely guilt free.
If you are looking for something a little more indulgent why not try some brownie chocolate muffins?
What makes this banana bread healthy?
To be sure that this recipe truly meets the ‘healthy expectation’, I replaced all refined sugars with honey and reduced the saturated fat content by swapping the butter for 3 tablespoons of oil. Instead of plain white, refined flour, I replaced some of the flour with ground almonds and the rest with organic wholegrain spelt flour
. Just to make sure it really is a super healthy banana bread loaf I also included an extra egg white and a teaspoon of organic apple Cider Vinegar
. The end product: a wholesome, flavourful, nutritious and no mess banana bread treat.
Ingredients for banana bread
The ingredients that are needed to make this wonderfully, wholesome and nutty banana bread loaf are:
- 2 Large ripe bananas (or 3 small)
- 6 tbsp Honey
- 2 Large eggs
- The white of 1 egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 50g Ground almonds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 175g Wholegrain spelt flour (or any other variety of wholegrain flour)
- 10g Flaked almonds and 25g chopped walnuts for a nutty topping (optional)
TIP: For gluten free banana bread replace the wholegrain flour with gluten free flour and check the labels of all other ingredients for any traces of gluten.
How to make banana bread
The instructions for this easy banana bread recipe could not be simpler. Theres no need for any mixers and theres certainly no concerns over adding eggs too quickly or mixtures splitting. No, – this recipe just needs a bowl, a whisk, a rubber spatula or spoon, and a lined loaf tin. Wet ingredients go in first followed by the dry.
- Start by pre-heating the oven to 165 degrees C. Then lightly grease a loaf tin and stick a strip of greaseproof paper (should be as wide as the length of the tin) to the inside. (Paper just needs to cover the base and the 2 long inner sides)
- Peel the bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash the bananas to a rough pulp (no need for the banana to be pureed as a few lumpy pieces adds to the texture and flavour).
- Once the bananas are mashed, add in all the other wet ingredients: 6tbsp honey, 2 eggs and one egg white, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice), and 3 tbsp of olive oil.
- Whisk together until fully combined.
- Next add all the dry ingredients, apart from the flour, to the wet mixture: 50g ground almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda. use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir together.
- Lastly add the wholegrain spelt flour (or other variety of wholegrain flour) to the bowl and fold in gently using the spatula.
- Carefully pour the banana bread mixture into the lined loaf tin.
- Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and chopped walnuts. Alternative fold the nuts into the mixture before transferring to the tin. Place the loaf tin in the centre of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown and a inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a minute or two before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack.
- When completely cool, remove the greaseproof paper, slice and serve.
What else can you add to banana bread?
To make this recipe your own, try adding different toppings or mix the toppings into the banana bread mixture. If you’re not a massive fan of nuts you could try blueberries, chopped dates, chocolate chips, sultanas, black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, orange peel or lime zest.
What nuts go well with banana?
My favourite nut to go with banana is the walnut. Banana and walnut is a classic combination of sweet vs bitter and smooth vs crunchy, which is often found in the banana loaf recipe. Peanut butter and banana is obviously another well know classic combination. This salty nut-butter can be used to spread onto a slice of the finished loaf. Other nuts you could try: chopped hazelnuts, pistachio nuts or pecan nuts.
How do you keep banana loaf cake moist after baking?
Banana cake will keep well for at 3-4 days if stored well. Wrap the banana bread in two layers of cling film or foil. Then store in a sealed, container at room temperature.
Can bananas be too ripe to use in this recipe?
If the banana skins are completely black they may well be off. In which case its probably not worth using them. I have used bananas that have skins ranging from pale yellow to brown spotty and find that these always work well. Bananas with brown spotty skins will be softer and so will mash up easier, but the taste isn’t really affected. Bananas with green skins are too underripe and will be very hard and less sweet. To speed up the ripening process, loosely wrap the bananas in a brown paper bag.
For more healthy baking ideas why not try spiced pumpkin muffins, mint chocolate courgette muffins, apple crumble, or almond carrot cake.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Large ripe bananas or 3 small
- 6 tbsp Honey
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 Egg white
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 50 g Ground almonds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 175 g Wholegrain spelt flour or other variety of wholegrain flour
- 10 g Flaked almonds and 25g chopped walnuts for a nutty topping optional
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or spoon
- Loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper
- Cooling rack
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating the oven to 165 degrees Then lightly grease a loaf tin and stick a strip of greaseproof paper (should be as wide as the length of the tito the inside. (Paper just needs to cover the base and the 2 long inner sides)
- Peel the bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash the bananas to a rough pulp (no need for the banana to be pureed as a few lumpy pieces adds to the texture and flavour)
- Once the bananas are mashed, add in all the other wet ingredients: 6tbsp honey, 2 eggs and one egg white, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice), and 3 tbsp of olive oil.
- Whisk together until fully combined.
- Next add all the dry ingredients, apart from the flour, to the wet mixture: 50g ground almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda. use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir together.
- Lastly add the wholegrain spelt flour (or other variety of wholegrain flour) to the bowl and fold in gently using the spatula.
- Carefully pour the banana bread mixture into the lined loaf tin.
- Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and chopped walnuts. Alternative fold the nuts into the mixture before transferring to the tin. Place the loaf tin in the centre of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown and a inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a minute or 2 before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack
- When completely cool, remove the greaseproof paper, slice and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Banana cake will keep well for at 3-4 days if stored well. Wrap the banana bread in two layers of cling film or foil and then store in a sealed, container at room temperature. Can bananas be too ripe to use in this recipe?
If the banana skins are completely black they may well be off, in which case its probably not worth using them. I have used bananas that have skins ranging from pale yellow to brown spotty and find that these always work well. Bananas with brown spotty skins will be softer and so will mash up easier, but the taste isn't really affected. Bananas with green skins are too underripe and will be very hard and less sweet. To speed up the ripening process, loosely wrap the bananas in a brown paper bag. What else can you add to banana bread?
To make this recipe your own, try adding different toppings or mix the toppings into the banana bread mixture. If you're not a massive fan of nuts you could try blueberries, chopped dates, chocolate chips, sultanas, black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, orange peel or lime zest.
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Please note that this post contains affiliate links to products I am recommending (apple cider vinegar and wholegrain spelt flour), which means if you click this link and then go on to purchase the product, I will receive a small percentage – this will not affect the amount you pay. If you do click and buy – Thank you for helping in the continuation of this blog, it really means a lot!! I will only ever link to and promote products that I have tried and tested myself.
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