Honey Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Your search for the perfect healthy banana bread recipe is over! Made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey, it's decadently fluffy and sweet.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I have been hunting for the perfect whole wheat banana bread recipe lately. The first was too sweet to stick with me from breakfast to lunch; the second was dry and lacking in flavor.
This banana bread recipe is just right: 100% whole wheat, naturally sweetened with honey, with a light, decadent crumb. Plus it is a cinch to mix together and only requires one bowl. My search is over!
Since I live by myself, I like to bake a big loaf of banana bread and freeze it for later. Once the bread has cooled, I slice it and store the slices in a freezer bag. When Iโm ready to eat it, I just throw a frozen slice in the toaster. My homemade breakfast or snack is ready in minutes!
How do you like your banana bread? For some extra protein, I like to top it with pecan butter or peanut butter. If Iโm feeling indulgent, Iโll add honey, butter, Nutella or maple cream cheese. Huzzah!
Honey Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe
Your search for the perfect healthy banana bread recipe is over! Made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey, this banana bread is decadently fluffy and sweet. You donโt even have to tell anyone itโs healthy! ;) Recipe yields one loaf.
Ingredients
- โ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ยฝ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
- 1 ยพ cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda*
- ยผ cup hot water*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9ร5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs and beat well.
- Stir in bananas and vanilla, then stir in the salt and cinnamon. Lastly, stir in the flour, just until combined.
- Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then mix briefly into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl with a toothpick or the tip of a butter knife for a pretty marbled effect.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Be sure to check that the bread is done baking by inserting a toothpick in the top. It should come out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Pedgi at Allrecipes.
Loaf pan recommendations: I love baking bread in my Le Creuset stoneware loaf pan so much that it deserves a mention. I also adore my new turquoise Fiesta stoneware loaf pan. Both are non-toxic, heat evenly and clean easily. Highly recommended!
*Baking soda/water update 10/13/14: After several years of being baffled by the hot water/baking soda trick, I can now definitively report that itโs an unnecessary step. If you prefer, you can just stir in ยผ cup water or milk (any kind) into the oil/honey/eggs and whisk the baking soda in with the spices. Iโm leaving the recipe as is because I know so many of you love it as written!
Need to omit the eggs? Iโve heard from other commenters that flax eggs/chia eggs work well as replacements for the eggs. One commenter even said the bread turned out well when she forgot the eggs!
Want to make muffins? Check out my healthy banana muffins, which are a riff on this banana bread!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
hi kate, this recipe looks wonderful but i live in the uk and we have plain or self-raising flour (also strong but thatโs for bread making). can you tell me which would be closest to pastry flour? iโve just discovered your site and want to make all the delicious things. thanks in advance.
margaret
Hi Margaret, I think plain flour or any variety of whole wheat flour would be a good replacement for the pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is very finely milled whole wheat flour that I like to use in cookies and quick breads. Bread flour might be too glutenous for this bread.
Hi Margaret, I am not sure whether you will read this post, but just in case you do I thought I would tell you that Waitrose sell Whole Wheat pastry flour. Hope this helps.
This banana bread was so delicious and sooo moist! :) Love it!
Iโm glad you enjoyed the bread, Lidiya! Thank you for commenting!
I made this, and used whole wheat bread flour. Turned out great!
Also, I adapted a method from Cooks Illustrated and microwaved the bananas for 5 minutes to extract the juice! I used that instead of hot water to mix the baking soda. 4-5 bananas worked, and the bananas can be frozen when you start microwaving them.
Brilliant recipe, and the honey is sweet enough to counteract any bitterness from the whole wheat flour. It was a hit!
It was delicious but didnโt rise and I followed instructions exactly
Iโm sorry to hear that, Leah. Has your baking soda expired? I donโt know why else it wouldnโt rise.
This is the fourth time Iโve made this now, itโs great and the yummiest treat ever! Thank you for this post!!
Youโre welcome, Elouise!
Wow wow wow.
Ok I think it best to start this comment off by saying that I absolutely abhor banana cake, Its a textural thing, and usually they are too mushy, which is a no no for me Its a real shame, because i adore bananas and use them daily in an effort to be super healthy. Well today Aja, my Swedish fiance, decided to have a go with your recipe instead of the ones she has been using, and wow what a difference. She followed your recipe to the letter and as we speak i am sitting in front of my new favourite weekly treat. It is moist but the texture of the crumb is perfect, crumbly without a mushy bit in sight. I absolutely love this cake and i will sneak another slice while she is on the phone.
Gorgeous recipe thanks Kate.
Christopher, so happy to hear that you have found a banana bread that you love! Thank you for telling me. :)
oh my goodness, this recipe is amazing! I was waiting for my bananas to go brown and this morning, they were perfectly spotted.
I made a few changes โ I used spelt flour instead of whole wheat, and added pecans and coconut, all which worked out perfectly!
I always love your recipes Kate, and this one is definitely going to be another favourite.
Thank you for commenting, Kate! So glad youโre enjoying the recipes. Pecans and coconut sound like wonderful additions.
Banana Bread was delicious! Thanks for sharing! Love your recipes!
Thanks, Erica! Iโm so glad youโre enjoying the recipes. :)
Iโm a little late to the recipe, but wanted to say thank you!! I didnโt actually make banana bread this time, but I wanted a whole wheat/honey recipe base to use up some zucchini hanging out in the fridge. It was wonderful!!! Iโm a chronic quick bread recipe hopper, but I will be sticking with this base in the future! It even beat out standard โnon-healthyโ recipes!!!
For anybody that wants to make it zucchini bread, I used two small zucchinis (about 1 1/4 cup shredded) in place of the bananas. I also added some slivered almonds that were hanging out in the pantry.
I did tweak the recipe a little based on what I had available- 1/3 cup of honey instead of 1/2 (that was all I had left!!). I just have regular whole wheat flour, not pastry, and that worked out just fine, just in case any of you out there were wondering. I also subbed 1/4 cup of the flour with ground flaxseed, which I do with most things I bake. I also doubled the cinnamon, but only because Iโm a cinnamon freak and could basically eat it plainโฆ
Itโs a brilliant recipe, and Iโll be using it as a base for the rest of my quickbreads! :) I may even have to go invest in some whole wheat pastry flourโฆ
Thank you thank you thank you! (And if you at home were wondering if you should try this- DO IT!)
Kara, thank you for commenting! I really appreciate you sharing your substitutions. Iโm excited to try this bread with zucchini soon. Your version sounds so great!
Iโve made this bread about 5-6 times before and loved it. The flavor and the texture are just great. However, the last two times Iโve made it its been very dense and undercooked (despite cooking it 1.5 times the recommended time). Iโve followed the recipe exactly as I had before, and Iโm not sure why itโs not coming out as awesome as I know it can be! I saw a previous comment about a similar problem, was it ever solved? I donโt think itโs my oven, Iโm not sure if it has to do with a specific ingredient or somethingโฆ
Kimberley, I wish I had an answer for you! Sometimes baked goods can be finicky. I would check to make sure youโre using fresh baking soda as it can lose its potency over time. Otherwise, Iโm not sure what the problem could be. :(
Thanks for this awesome recipe! Being Vegan, I substituted the eggs with flaxseed and still great results! Yumm!
Thatโs great to hear! Thank you for sharing your substitutions, Shalena. Itโs about time I learn how to bake with flax eggs.
I was looking for a whole foods banana bread recipe today and stumbled upon this. I love that in addition to using unprocessed ingredients it also uses coconut oil instead of butter. My toddler really enjoyed helping make and eat it. I was so pleased I ended up finding another recipe on your site to make for dinner. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Ashley, thank you for commenting! Iโm so glad your family is enjoying my recipes. I bet making quick bread with a toddler would be really fun. :)
Thanks for the recipe Kate, I was looking for a recipe to use up my giant honey jar and it was a big hit! The texture is perfect and I love the cinnamon-marbled top. Next time I might use a bit less sweetenerโฆ
I was intrigued at the baking soda in water debate. I followed the steps but I used baking powder instead (this is what I had in my pantry), which is basically baking soda + other rising agents. Mixed with hot water, bubbles started to form. I mixed it instantly with the dough, and popped in the oven. The result is a light crumb with noticeable holes formed by baking powder bubbles.
Thanks for this recipe!
Agathe, thank you for commenting! Iโm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Your baking powder results are interesting!
Iโve made this several times now- usually as muffins, which takes me about 20 minutes in my gas oven. I have substituted roasted sweet potato and squash for the banana, maple syrup for the honey, and whatever odds and ends of dried fruit and nut happen to be around (I work at a bulk food store, so I end up with a lot of random things). Iโve tried it with spelt flour, and a mixture of spelt and oat flower, and that works, too. Basically in my experience this recipe is pretty hard to break, and Iโve had such fun using it as a template. A few weeks ao I made some for my brother and my coworkers ate all but three before I could go see him after work! So, thanks. It may sound like a small thing but I am a happier person knowing I can whip these up in a flash.
Kathleen, so glad youโre loving the banana bread recipe! I want to try your spelt and oat version next. Yum.
And by flower of course I mean flour. Summer is getting to me!
Kate, I love this blog SO MUCH!! Such delicious, healthy recipes! I made this bread today because I had some mushy bananas lying around and I love it! The best whole wheat banana bread Iโve tried. I threw some flax seed and sunflower seeds on top for a little crunch, and used Isis Biodynamic whole wheat flour instead of pastry flour. If you havenโt heard of Isis, you should look it up. Especially since you are such a fan of using whole foods :) Thanks for the amazing bread, I check weekly for new recipes!!
Thank you, Rebecca! Iโm so glad youโre loving my blog. :D Your version sounds great. Iโm off to research Isis flour now!
I am not a baker, but I do love baked goods. Naturally, Iโm always trying to find a way to make them a little healthier so that I can have more of them. Just made this bread and I LOVE it. Just the right amount of sweetness that you donโt feel like youโre eating a piece of cake. Will definitely make this again. I added walnuts, cranberries, a little bit of applesauce and used almond extract instead of vanilla because I was out of it. Excellent! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Kelly, Iโm happy to hear that you loved the banana bread! Your version sounds delicious.
This was absolutely phenomenal! It was a huge hit with my family. It tastes so moist and unhealthy! :) Thank you for the simple recipe. Very happy I came across your website.
Victoria, thank you! Iโm so glad you loved the banana bread!
Iโm late to the party but I made these this past weekend and they were so delicious! Weโve always loved banana bread in my house (my husband could live off it) so I wanted to find a healthier recipe with less sugar added. I googled โwheat banana breadโ and when your page came up in the results I ran with it! Iโve loved following your blog the past year โ and this recipe is a new favorite! The only thing I changed is the cinnamon โ I have an allergy so I swapped it for some nutmeg and cloves instead, and itโs delicious. Almost a banana spice muffin. I only used 2 frozen bananas and I think next time Iโll use 3 โ other than that this recipe was delicious! Thanks for sharing it with the world :)
(and I say โtheseโ because I made them as muffins, which turned out wonderfully)
Thanks, Lis! Iโm glad you enjoyed the bread!
No one will ever get this far down in the comments to read this but Kate, I made this bread with honey from my own hives. It is a great recipe! and a great way to use your honey!!!!! I also threw in some blueberries I just picked so I changed it up a little. Awesome. Thatโs all I can say.
I scrolled all the way down to add my own comment in hopes to get a reply from Kate. Lol. Or anyone who took the time to calculate the calorie count!
But Michele, I wish I could purchase honey from you! I live in northern Canada and the Hutterites have not came to town yet with theirs!! Iโm in need!! Lol.
Good on ya!!
Hi Tina! Thanks for commenting. I hope you enjoyed the banana bread!
Hooray! Thank you, Michele! Your local honey blueberry version sounds incredible!
Best banana bread Iโve tasted so far! Always on the look out for cake recipes that donโt contain processed sugar and this just went down a treat with my 2 hungry boysโฆand me :-) We added a few chocolate chips for good measure but don
Think I will next time, itโs perfect as it is.
Thank you, Mohini! Glad you all enjoyed the banana bread!
I LOVE this recipe. This is the only way I make my banana bread, and I think Iโve made it about 10 times already. Iโve made it with regular and pastry whole wheat flour and both work, but have found the pastry flour does make a difference. Great with walnuts and chocolate chips too!
Thanks, Adina! So glad you enjoy this recipe!
Hi Kate! Thank you a million times over for sharing this recipe. Iโm in LOVE! Banana bread is always amazing but this healthy version completely blew my mind, it turned out sooo great! I threw in a few chocolate chips and topped the bread with some oats and it was just perfect. Iโll be blogging about it soon!
Thatโs great to hear! Thanks, Gayatri!
Iโve been reading your blog for a while now and finally made one of your recipes. This banana bread didnโt disappointโฆso good!
Hooray! Thanks, Jennie!
might this recipe work eggless ( replaced with yoghurt or the likes?)
Hi Katie
I stumbled upon this while searching for โhealthyโ recipes for a friend, and I am so glad to have found it.
Made it last night with buttermilk instead of water, and even though I mistakenly used 1/2 a cup of buttermilk instead of 1/4th, it still came out lovely. Admittedly, I added 1/2 a cup of dried cranberries and a handful of walnuts to counter the extra liquid, and baked it for an extra 10 minutes!
I think I will be repeating the mistake in future too :-)
Thanks, Shabs! Iโm glad you found my blog and enjoyed the banana bread! Your version sounds delicious.
This is an awesome and delicious banana bread recipe. My All time favorite.
Hooray, thanks Jess!
could i replace some of the whole wheat flour with Oat flour? maybe 3/4 cup?
Yes, I think so! Another commenter reported success with some oat flour.
HI! This recipe looks amazing, and I really want to bake it tonight. I am just wondering if there was a way to sub for the honey? We are completely out, and we just got a huge snow storm, so Iโd rather not go out if I donโt have to. Thanks!!
Hi Rebecca, Iโm sorry I didnโt get back to you last night. Real maple syrup works! I think agave nectar would, too.
Yep, it worked..
Dear Kate,
Iโm from India. I just baked this bread for my husband as a birthday surpriseโฆit has risen beautifully and looks gorgeous. I topped it with walnuts as wellโฆ Now canโt wait to taste itโฆ Once it cools offโฆ
Thanks for such an awesome recipie!
Had a questionโฆ If I need to substitute the eggsโฆ What do you suggest swap it with?
Cheers!
Hi Rohini, glad it turned out well! Iโve heard flax eggs or chia eggs work in place of the ggs. Actually one commenter said the bread turned out well when she forgot the eggs!
This is my fifth time baking this banana bread and Iโm still in love with it!
I always cut and freeze it, so whenever I oversleep and Iโm late for Uni (student party life, yay) I just pop one or two slices in my toaster and Iโm good to go. Also this is great as a low budget breakfast, just like lots of other recipes on your blog.
Vegetarian greetings from Berlin!
Thanks, Luzia! Glad you enjoy it! :)
This is a great banana bread recipe! Iโve made a few different healthy banana bread recipeโs & they usually turn out fairly dense. My husband & I both love this recipe because it is so light & fluffy, not dense at all. I use maple syrup instead of honey & only a quarter cup. Also, I only have a glass loaf pan so I cut the oven temperature back to 300 & bake for around 70 minuteโs. Thanks so much for posting & Iโm looking forward to trying your other recipeโs. :) :)
Thanks, Mandy! You might enjoy my pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins as well.
Hi Kate! I just made this for Galentineโs Day, and I have to say that I did not expect so many comments on how moist and tender the bread tasted! Thanks for helping make today so special for my friends and me! :)
Yay, thanks Connie!
Just finished off the first bite of this banana bread, and IT IS WONDERFUL! I did have to cook it an hour and 15 minutes, and I added 1 tsp vanilla, a bit of mace, and some cinnamon. Just Perfect!
Happy to hear it, Gregor! Thanks for commenting!
This was a super easy recipe. Prep time was a cinch, as was clean-up. I added some vanilla extract per one of the reviews. I normally add walnuts to my bread, but b/c of a tree nut allergy in the house, I had to come up with something else to add. I added about a cup of fresh blueberries and some dried cranberries to the batter. What a wonderful addition. Next time Iโll add more blueberries as I loved the flavor it added. I used 5 very ripe bananaโs and the bread was super moist. I had enough batter left over to make 6 muffins in addition to the loaf. Iโd like to reduce the butter next time also and replace it wtih applesauce and add some chopped up apples to the batter as well. This is a keeper. Thanks!
Thanks, Maria! Glad you enjoyed the bread. Thank you for sharing your substitutions!
the reason why u have to mix the hot water with the baking soda is to be sure that it dissolves. u can also use warm water.
Havenโt made banana bread too many times before but this is definitely one I will try again! I used white whole wheat flour, a healthy cup of mashed banana, and filled half the 1/3 cup of oil with vanilla greek yogurt. Baked a couple minutes over 65min at 320 degrees (due to the dark loaf pan), and finally added 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips. Turned out great! Moist but not sticky, with a soft crumb, and ooey gooey chocolate chips! My two toddlers love it! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Alina! Glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this recipe for the first time. I donโt bakeโฆ Ever really. But I decided to try this. I used maple syrup instead of honey and made it as muffins instead of a bread (my little boy loves muffins) It is delicious!! Just warm out of the oven. Will be making this over and over!!
Thank you, Cecile! Happy to hear that you are both enjoying the bread (I mean, muffins!).
I loved this recipe, and so did my family! Iโve made this recipe multipe times already. I use about 1/4 a cup of agave nectar combined with 1/4 a cup of honey to sweeten this bread. It makes for the perfect sweetness without a high GI! (Agave is lower on the GI)
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
hello kate!
how do u think would the bread turn out if I omitted the banana or the pumpkin puree? Would it be too dry? Although I loved both cakes I would like to have a simple honey whole wheat bread . What do u suggest?
Hi Joanna! Good question. I havenโt tried, but Iโm not sure how well that would work. I think you would need to add some milk in place of the bananas, but Iโm not sure if it would be a 1 to 1 substitution. I do, however, have a naturally sweetened quick bread recipe here. You can use honey in it. Itโs more dense than this one.
Yummy! I loved the banana bread and so did my husband!
Thanks for the recipe
Glad to hear it! Thank you, Rita!
Iโve tried this recipe which tasted good, but I find that the coconut oil overpowered the taste of the bananas. although I added 2.1/2 banana. Next time I will reduce the coconut oil or add more bananas, because I prefer to taste bananas instead of the coconut oil.
โIโve tried this recipe which tasted good, but I find that the coconut oil overpowered the taste of the bananas. although I added 2.1/2 banana. Next time I will reduce the coconut oil or add more bananas, because I prefer to taste bananas instead of the coconut oil.โ
After having read the recipe over, I realized that I had made a mistake with the ingredients. I put in to much coconut oil. I apologise.
Hi June, thank you for letting me know! I have never noticed a strong coconut oil taste (some are more sensitive to the flavor than others), so I am glad you found your mistake. I hope you love your second batch.
Hi Kate and Cookie too. I made your recipe using sprouted wheat flour and half and half. It turned out well. We spread ours with more honey and/or butter. Great recipe Kate!
Awesome! Thanks, Jodi!
Tried this tonight, no substitutions/changes. This will definitely be replacing my usual banana bread- itโs delicious, moist and light and I love using whole wheat flour and coconut oil and honey instead of white flour and sugar. Great job!
Yay, thanks Jess!
Thank you so much for this recipe, itโs amazing! I ended up making some changes though. In other recipes I saw, they substituted apple sauce for the oil so I did that. I also reduced the amount of honey to a 1/3 cup because the apple sauce is a natural sweetener. I accidentally ran out of honey while I was making this so I ended up using 1/6 honey and 1/6 maple syrup. I also decided to use 3 and a half bananas for this bread even though it was over one cup. As for the water and baking soda, I used your note at the bottom and used 2% milk instead. Overall, I am super happy with this recipe! It was delicious and also moist. Canโt wait to make this again!
Thank you, Sarah! Your version sounds awesome. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is delicious. My two year old loved it, and Iโm so glad it is made with whole wheat flour. I added walnuts for a bit of extra oomf. I canโt wait to try your tip of slicing, freezing, then toasting.
Thank you, Esther!
Hi Kate, Iโm super excited to make this recipe, especially since I have a bunch of overripe bananas that need using up!
Quick question, I only have self raising whole wheat flour, and canโt be bothered to go buy plain whole wheat flour, so should that be okay? or shall I omit the baking soda?
Hey Molly, Iโm sorry I didnโt answer your question sooner. Iโm not sure, since Iโve never baked with self-raising! From what I understand, each cup of self-raising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, so I think youโd end up with way more baking powder than the recipe calls for.
Oops sorry, forgot that self-raising flour is a UK thing. Iโve just taken it out of the oven & loaf tin and canโt help but sneakily munch on the crumbs that have fallen off (and chunks of it that havenโt! ) and itโs so so yummy!
I got confused trying to figure out the ratio of baking powder/soda I needed, and decided on 1/2 a tsp of baking soda, and it was perfect! Itโs the first time Iโve baked something that actually looks like the picture!
Iโve been obsessed with your blog for ages now, and making a decision of what to bake first has been sooo difficult! Glad I chose the banana bread recipe because itโs definitely a keeper!
I love how your blog is all about healthy eating and sugar substitutes, itโs really inspired me to start cooking and baking more, and eating healthy!
Thank you Kate!
Thank you, Molly! I really appreciate your sweet comment! :)
Hi Kate,
I have seen people substituting applesauce for oil. How do I make applesauce if I want to do the same?
I used to bake the apples and then grind them to a puree when making applesauce for my baby and freeze โem in batches. Wanna know if there is another ( read better and quicker) way of doing this :)
I have a recipe for that! Since youโd want smooth apple sauce for oil substitution, youโd probably want to chop the apples into smaller pieces. You might not even need the full amount of maple syrup listed there, either.