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 I’m 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 I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll 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 don’t even have to tell anyone it’s healthy! ;) Recipe yields one loaf.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda*
- ¼ cup hot water*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5 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 it’s an unnecessary step. If you prefer, you can just stir in ¼ cup water or milk (any kind) into the oil/honey/eggs and whisk the baking soda in with the spices. I’m leaving the recipe as is because I know so many of you love it as written!
Need to omit the eggs? I’ve 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 nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I have just popped my loaf in the over and I’m impatiently waiting for it to finish baking!! Oh, but what is that I smell??!! The aroma fills the house with comforting hints of banana, vanilla and cinnamon! It was a cinch to throw together and if it tastes half as good as it smells, that would be good enough for me!! But let’s see how it comes out; I’ll let you know!!!!
This recipe was heavenly! I added fresh blueberries but otherwise did everything exactly as directed. I will be making this frequently!
Loved this recipe! It was so simple and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen..I baked it in a skillet as I didn’t even have a loaf pan. It turned out well. I have shared your recipe with my friends and family.
Thank you!
I have been trying to find the perfect banana bread for years. I’m proud to say I’ve finally found it! Instead of water I went with almond milk it came out perfectly I also added chopped walnuts.
Thank you for sharing, Kim!
Misread the recipe and used a half cup of olive oil instead of one third. So, I tossed in a bit more flour until the consistency seemed right. After dumping into my loaf pan, which was greased with olive oil spray, I realized I missed the hot water / baking soda step. Back into the bowl, added water and baking soda, touch more flour and back into a fresh pan. TURNED OUT AMAZING.
Very forgiving recipe. Honey flavor really comes through. Could almost be called honey banana loaf. Thank you. Good stuff.
Oh no! I’m glad it still turned out, John. Thank you for sharing.
I tried this in a square pan, I don’t have a loaf pan unfortunately. So far it’s cooling and smells a bit burnt, however it’s pretty flat and looks like a brownie stack as opposed to a bread that should rise. What could possibly be the reason? I followed the recipe to the T, only used a bit less oil than suggested, and added some cocoa powder for flavor. Dyin to make a risen banana bread! :(
Hi Anandi! If you baked this in a pan with a wider base, your bread probably finished baking sooner than directed here. It’s hard to say without seeing a picture, but I wouldn’t expect it to rise as high in a larger pan, either. It shouldn’t be entirely flat/dense, though. If you used the eggs and baking soda the recipe called for, I’m not sure why it didn’t rise. Cocoa powder might absorb some moisture; perhaps it needed the full amount of oil to counteract it. Just guessing here!
Hi Kate, I baked the bread for afternoon tea today, my family loved it, in fact the smell was so good during baking, my children kept asking it is done yet
I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Lucy.
hello! great recipe, we really loved it! i want to bake smaller versions for a few friends and am wondering if i can use the same amount of batter for two 8×4 pans instead of the one 9×5 pan? or should i make a bit more batter? if so, how much should i increase ingredients by. relatively new to baking, so excuse me if this is a dumb-ish question :). thanks so much!
Hi Eian, you could try it, but I’m not sure without trying it myself. I believe they are the same amount of cups for the volume so it should work(doing two 8×4). You shouldn’t have to increase the ingredients but you would want to decrease the baking time. I would suggest by half and adjust from there. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I really like this recipe! I used milk instead of water and after 50min it was still very raw inside so I thought 65min would be good but I think 55min would have been perfect. It’s a tad dry but still very YUM!
Will a King Arthur 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan work with this banana bread recipe? (Instead of a 9″ x 5″ pan.)
Hi Larry! I don’t believe it is the same by volume.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve made it several times now and I enjoy it a lot for being higher in fiber and much lower in sugar. It’s just what a wanted – slightly sweet and hearty.
I do have one suggestion though. I found the baking soda left a very annoying metallic aftertaste and the more I thought about it the more I wondered why it ever used soda in the first place. Bananas are not very acidic and soda needs acid to work with. They are a little acid but the riper they are the LESS acidic. I started comparing recipes and baking powder is a lot more commonly used. So I reduced baking soda to 1/2 tsp and added 2 tsp baking powder to take over for that reduction. The result was a loaf that rose a little better and had no metallic aftertaste at all.
Hi Matt! Thank you for your feedback. I find soda works the best for me here. I would make sure you are using fresh and ensure it’s the right amount. I’m sorry you didn’t love this one!
Hi Kate! Can I use the same amount of Unbleached all purpose flour instead?
Hi Jessica, All purpose flour tends to work well in recipes like these. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Delicious! Followed recipe exactly and added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Came out very fluffy.
I tried to make it according to your instructions just that alll ingredients were mixed in mixie.. including baking soda.but after taking it out from oven it subsided n was wet.what went wrong?
Hi Suhana, I’m sorry to hear that! Was it wet in the center? It may have needed a few more minutes in the oven.
fantastic recipe, easy and the bread is delicious
This was terrible. The baking time is way off. Dry. Too much whole wheat.
This is one of the only “healthy” recipes that my whole family will reliably eat. I have a picky daughter and husband who both typically don’t like whole grain food. I use maple syrup and olive oil to make it, typically. I can no longer find whole wheat pastry flour, so I’ve been using white whole wheat flour. My husband now eats this instead of a pastry for breakfast!
Since the first time I made it, I’ve been making it twice a week. To speed things up, I throw everything except the flour in a blender, then pour the mixture into a bowl, and add the flour maybe 1/4-1/2 cup at a time.
The recipe is brilliant. I did make a few changes as I did not have Vanilla, I added some chopped dates and sunflower seeds to the batter. I also used a MultiGrain flour and the cake turned out soooo good!
Soft, beautiful colour and best of all no sugar! It is a lockdown treat I am going to keep making for the family. I will put up the pictures on Instagram and tag you.
Thanks once again.
Thank you for sharing your changes and feedback how it worked, Christina! I appreciate it.
what is the size of cup?
Hi! It’s US standard size measurement.
Hands down one of my favorite banana bread recipes! I used 50:50 rye four to whole wheat, added extra bananas and blueberries, and used yogurt instead of water. Yuuuuum! Thanks for sharing this recipe :)
Hi from India! I followed your recipe exactly and wound up with the best banan bread I have ever tasted! Thank you so much! The honey makes a world of difference and the bread was perfectly moist.
Hello! I’m glad you loved it. I appreciate the review!
I have baked banana bread for the first time last week as per your recipe. I was surpriced and impressed at how easy it is to make and the result was so so yummy. Thank you very much for sharing the recipe. I will certainly be baking more banana bread from now onward. Thanks Kate.
This banana bread is so good! I love that it’s still healthy, while being so delicious that I can’t help but sneak pieces throughout the day. Perfect for delicious food pleasure without the extra calories…
Fabulous recipe Kate….l am well seasoned in years and have made many banana breads but this is by far the best that l have ever eaten.
I made a couple of changes to suit my individual taste…..my whole wheat choice was Red Fife and l added 1/4 cup of a mixture of seeds and ground nuts….it was delicious…thank you from the bottom of my heart……we all should be “all for healthy”
Jean
I’m not much of a baker, so I loved how simple and wholesome this recipe is. I’ll definitely make it again.
I did a few things differently though. 1) I had to cook it a bit longer, and I raised the temperature 25 degrees for the additional time. I don’t have a real oven (I have a fancy microwave that doubles as an oven), so that might have been why it took longer for me. 2) I used agave instead of honey. 3) I added walnuts on top for garnish and some crunch.
This is probably the best thing I ever baked, and I like that it’s not too sweet. I wish I could add a photo too, because it looks as great as it tastes.
This is now my go-to banana bread recipe, it’s so good! I actually omit the honey, so the only sugar is from the bananas themselves which is sweet enough for me but totally personal preference. So nice to find a guilt-free banana bread!!
I made one last night with dark choc chips and added cacao powder to half the mix to make it marbled and it was sooo good.
I literally make this every other week or so with different variations I love it so much!
Hi, can i use coarse whole wheat flour?
Hi Cindy! You will want regular whole wheat flour for this to turnout as written as other elements of the recipe would need to change – due to different moisture requirements and may need to adjust leavener.
Can i use wheat bran for this recipe?
Hi Cindy, unfortunately I don’t believe that will work.
Thanks you for this super easy recipe. My banana bread turned out just perfect. This is definitely going to be my go-to recipe
I’m happy you loved it, Preeti! Thanks for your review.
This was absolutely delicious and super easy to make! I replaced 3/4 cup of the flour with oatmeal blitzed in a food processor. I also added a cup of blueberries and dark chocolate chips. Baked for 45 minutes, which was perfect.
This is the most amazing bread and soo easy to make! I have made it now 5 times and I will never let bananas go to waste ever again!! just yummy !! Last time around I even put a little swirl of Nutella in and cooked and every now and then when you would eat a slice you would get a bit with Nutella and banana and oh soo good!! thanks for the recipe. Its on my top 10 list!
I love your recipes. I’d like to add zucchini. If I add one to this do I need to make any other modifications to the flour?
Hi Jaclyn! I wouldn’t recommend adding zucchini to this as the moisture content may not have it turn out. I would suggest my zucchini bread instead.
I love this recipe! Been my all time favourite and no one can even guess its super healthy coz it tastes sooo good and is so soft! I always make it with flax flour instead of the eggs
Made it and it turned out so so so good! Wow!
Can we make this without eggs?
Hi! See the notes below the recipe about omitting eggs.
Can this recipe be used with buck wheat flour?
Hi Marie! Checkout my other banana bread recipe for alternative flours that work well.
I make this for my family often (my 2 year old loves it). I would have made it over 30 times and it is by far the best recipe going for an arvo snack – considering it’s delicious and healthy.
10 stars I say.
Why did my cake turned our looking beautiful in the outside but a cooked sticky mushy mass On the inside ? :(( it was quite runny so I added only 1 egg
Hi Aleks! I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you bake it for? What type of baking pan did you use?
The flavour was delicious by the way, and my baking skills are not very good. I’ve used loaf pan and cooked for 60min at 165def Celcius. Is it meant to be of a dryer consistency or more of a guey solid and wet one?
I would love to try making it again.
Hi! It would be moist, but not wet. If you try it again, let me know. It may just need a little more time in the oven since ovens can vary.
I love this, it’s tasty and moist and delicious! I must have baked hundreds of different banana bread recipes so far and this is the best!
Beautiful recipe, thanks for sharing it! I’ve added some dark chocolate chips + a dash of orange juice and it’s perfection.
Oh goodness, I just made this recipe and it’s delicious. I added about 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts too.
Thank you for sharing, Shelli! I appreciate your review.
I dont comment very often but had to get on and say this is one of the best banana recipes I have made. I subbed flax meal to make it vegan and used soft white wheat. It is so moist and flavorful!
I’m glad you did, Stephanie! I’m glad you loved it.
Loved this recipe!
I have tried this twice and turned our brilliant each time.
I used Wegmans Whole Wheat Flour i found in their bakinh section.
Skipped the cinnamon and used brown sugar instead of honey/maple syrup.
This time i made 1.5 times the batter and could make 6 muffins and one hearty loaf.
Wonderful, Shweta! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Can i substitute canola oil for olive oil?
Hi! I prefer olive oil, but it should work fine. I hope it works for you!
Love it! Try using Garam Massala for the spice. Very good combination!
I don’t know what went wrong. Batter was very Runny and cake hardly rose. Very stodgy. Ingredients all correct. I used stone ground bread flour. Do you think that could be the problem.
Hi! Yes, this one wasn’t designed to be used with bread flour. It can impact the recipe as it is different.
The banana bread tastes absolutely amazing and it rose so nicely!! I’m sure the loaf would have been gone last night if I had not made it close to midnight .
I made three modifications and that was the use of jaggery instead of honey, avocado oil in place of the recommended oils and lastly, I added less than half a cup of roughly chopped walnuts to the flour so that the walnuts wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the loaf.
Added in choc chips and chopped up walnuts. Yum!
Such an easy and yummy recipe! Tasted great!
This recipe is wonderful! I added a good splash of sparkling water instead of regular water or milk — I don’t know if it made a difference, but I was worried the bread might turn out too dense. It is a perfect texture. I used good quality maple syrup (full of antioxidants!) instead of the honey. I might try an extra banana next time, but it is a really lovely bread! I added walnuts for an extra health boost. Thank you for sharing this receipe.
Amazing healthy recipes!! Thank you!!!