This Classic Banana Bread is made healthier with whole wheat flour, applesauce and plain Greek yogurt! It’s super moist, perfect every time banana bread that’s good for you, too! Freezer-friendly and made in one bowl with no mixer. Includes step by step recipe video.
I am a banana bread fanatic.
*Post and recipe updated from original or April 2015
It is my favorite quick bread and pretty much the best smell in the world. I think baking yeast buns/bread and baking banana bread are tied for #1 Smells in All The World.
I’ve made you lots of banana bread recipes here on The Recipe Rebel: PB & J Banana Bread, Toasted Coconut Banana Bread, Samoa Banana Bread…. And they’re all delicious.
But I have a confession to make:
I like plain banana bread best. Yes that means without chocolate.
Don’t be hatin’. You know I love my chocolate.
But I believe that a good banana bread is like a good brownie: it needs no frosting, no glaze, no chocolate chips, no nuts, nothing. If it’s the perfect banana bread, then that should be enough.
This here is Perfect Banana Bread.
This wasn’t intended to even make it to the blog.
I had finished my recipes for the week, four of them, in 3 days (Monday-Wednesday). Photographed and everything.
So on Thursday (because I don’t know how to handle downtime of any sort), I was all like, “I should just bake, just to bake.”
Weird, right?
I knew I had lots of bananas in the freezer and I like to have a loaf of banana bread around for snacking, and I also love to have some in the freezer.
This is the recipe I’ve been sticking with for a long time. I’ve made it again and again and again and it turns out perfectly every time. But the only record I have of my version of the recipe is my comments on the original pin of the recipe from Cooking Light.
And since it was Thursday and I was done all of my other recipes I figured, “well I ought to snap a few pictures, and write up the recipe and be all official about it. No need to keep this perfection to myself.”
So that’s what I did.
And on my day off, I made you a bonus post.
Because I love you, and you deserve to have perfect banana bread.
It’s light, whole wheat, super moist, with reduced sugar and needs no other adornments. It’s made in one bowl with a whisk and no mixer. It’s freezer friendly.
It’s perfect. Just saying.
So even if I’m the only one to ever refer to this recipe, at least I have it written down somewhere!
Classic Banana Bread
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 100g
- 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt 114g
- 2/3 cup sugar 130g
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour* 130g
- 1 cup all purpose flour* 130g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×4″ or 9×5″ loaf pan (see notes)
- In a large bowl, mash bananas with a whisk. Add applesauce, yogurt and sugar and whisk until combined and somewhat smooth.
- Add vanilla and eggs and stir until combined.
- Add baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and flour and stir just until combined (don’t overmix – it doesn’t have to be smooth, just combined).
- Spread in loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, covering with foil at 30 minutes when top is light golden brown, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (up to about 1 hour).
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Rachel says
Ashley!!!!! I’m always asking you to deliver your baked goodies to your fellow Canadian BUT this time I went ahead and made this recipe exactly how you have it listed and oh my goodness! The loaf rose so much! Very moist too! It was divine! Thank you for sharing this guilt free recipe! 😉 I’m a plain Jane so plain anything is great! Can I just put the leftovers in a ziploc and it’ll freeze ok? I’d rather eat the whole loaf myself and my husband doesn’t like sweet stuff (strange I know!) so bonus —- all for me!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rachel! So glad you enjoyed the bread! Yes, you can put the leftovers in a ziploc and it’ll freeze perfectly! Hope this helps!
Debbie says
Hello, I am excited to try this, it’s been a long time since I have baked anything! I have a question though, I have heard that full fat is actually healthier and am wondering about using full fat greek yogurt. Will using full fat yogurt affect the recipe, other than the nutritional part? Thanks!!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Debbie! Full fat plain yogurt will work great!
Diane Shaw says
I’ve used the same recipe for 40 years but this is now my go-to banana bread recipe! So good! And I’ve told my kids and friends about it too
Ashley Fehr says
thanks Diane! This is my go to, too!
Shereen says
Can I use all AP flour? I don’t have wheat.
Ashley Fehr says
You can definitely use them interchangeably in here!
Meli says
What can I substitute for applesauce ? Any ideas ??
Ashley Fehr says
You can use additional yogurt or sour cream
Patty says
So I just made this bread and although it tastes delicious it does not look anything like yours. It didn’t rise much for me and it’s very dense. I did not have wheat flour so I used all white flour. Didn’t think this would cause it to be dense.
Ashley Fehr says
No, that shouldn’t cause it to be dense! It should rise plenty but it is not super fluffy, although it should be very moist. I’m not sure what would be the cause of that!
Marilyn Keller says
Hi…I am new to your post, this recipe sound and looks amazing..I have a question for you. …While we were in SeaSide Florida, before the holidays, we had a bread call ed ..BREAKFAST BREAD, bought at,PUBLIX SUPERMARKET.. I askedvforvtgeir revipe,but no luck in getting it.my questions is….cold youuses this recipe as a base and add in the other ingredients, like it had,dried apricots,currents or taisins,dried blueberries,dried cranberries,nuts..chopped pecans and chopped walnuts,it also tasted like a hint of bananas.it was a loaf bread shape,but not typical year bread texture.
I would appreciate any ideas you have.Thanks .
Ashley Fehr says
Oh, wow! That sounds delicious! Unfortunately I’ve never tried anything like that but I think you should be able to add in a mix of nuts and dried fruit to this bread and it would turn out just fine 🙂 I’d love to hear if you try it!
Marc says
What about a gluten free version ???
Ashley Fehr says
Not something I’ve experimented with yet! 🙂