• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Email Series!

5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Free Email Series!

    5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

    Free email series of my best tips!

  • Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes

Rachel Cooks®

Easy Healthy-ish Recipes

  • Recipe Index
  • The Basics
  • Free Meal Plans

Dinner Made Easy:

Slow Cooker

5 Ingredients

Grilling

Make Ahead

Sheet Pan

Tacos

Pizza

Home Recipes by Type Breads & Muffins Quick Breads
FF Freezer Friendly VG Vegetarian

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate & Coconut

4.75
/5
1 hour hr
12 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 07/27/2015Updated: 06/15/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate and Coconut - get the easy and delicious recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Healthy whole wheat banana bread with chocolate and coconut. You’ll love the chewy but still moist texture of this healthy bread. The chocolate chips are perfection with the banana and coconut!

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate and Coconut - get the easy and delicious recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Whole WHAT? Whole wheat, baby! And guess what, you can’t tell!

Ha. Okay. Dorkiness aside, I use whole wheat flour any chance I get. Many times you can’t tell it’s there, but sometimes you can. And when you can, oftentimes it’s better! I love the texture and flavor whole wheat flour adds.

I always use whole wheat flour in my basic recipe for reduced fat banana bread now, even though the recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and the bread is still always super moist and perfect. 

Image of whole wheat banana bread in a loaf pan

If you’re loving the sounds of this so far – you can also check out my banana bread muffins, based on the same recipe. And OH YEAH – chocolate banana bread too.

My husband loves my original banana bread so I’m sure he was probably annoyed that I put coconut in it. He just adores (sarcasm) the fact that I’m a food blogger who is always trying something new, messing with his favorites.

Actually, it’s more like a love-hate relationship. He loves the food blog (food! income!) but he’s a traditionalist when it comes to food. Don’t mess with his chocolate chip cookies (that lil’ post is devoted to Ben) or his tuna noodle casserole. And yes, I blogged about tuna noodle casserole. It’s his fave! I put an interesting ingredient in mine…

So when he saw the insides of this bread and spotted coconut, he was probably less than thrilled. But Ben — FOOD! Income! He still happily ate it without complaints (he’s a great sport). When I pried, because I can’t help myself, he said, “Yeah, I’d probably like it better without the coconut next time.”

Image of a loaf of banana bread flecked with coconut and chocolate chips.

But – I will be making this again, and again, because I love the coconut in it. You could go with a less obvious, smaller, shredded coconut to get it by the coconut skeptics. But I’m obsessed with Bob’s Red Mill flaked coconut. (Not sponsored, by the way!) I love the huge pieces of coconut. They give this bread such an awesome texture and flavor. This coconut is amazing in granola too.

PS: Coconut, chocolate and banana – a trio that’s just meant to be.

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate and Coconut - get the easy and delicious recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Looking for more delicious quick breads?

 

  • Whole Wheat Banana Bread
  • Healthier Pumpkin Bread
  • Maple Stout Quick Bread
  • Whole Wheat Applesauce Bread with Walnuts
  • Whole Wheat Cornbread
  • Whole Wheat Caramel Banana Bread

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate and Coconut - get the easy and delicious recipe on RachelCooks.com!
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Coconut

4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
10 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
You'll love this healthy whole wheat banana bread with chocolate and coconut. The chocolate chips are perfection with banana and coconut!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas, depending on size)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (or 1 snack size container)
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (can also use all-purpose flour or a combination)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • ½ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking or baking spray, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mash bananas (I use a potato masher). Add sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Stir to combine.
  • On top of the banana mixture, add flour. Make a small well in the flour and add baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir gently to mix the dry ingredients into each other on top of the wet ingredients.
  • Stir everything together until just combined. Fold in coconut and chocolate chips. Scrape batter evenly into prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging.
  • Transfer loaf pan to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Run a knife around edges of bread to loosen from pan. Invert onto rack and turn bread out of pan. Cool completely before slicing and storing.

Notes

  • This freezes well. I almost always double the recipe and wrap one loaf in foil, then put in a freezer zip-top bag and freeze.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 339kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 267mg, Potassium: 345mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 87IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
Verdict: Love, love, love.
Husband’s take: Oh, you know.
Changes I would make: None! Sorry Ben!
Difficulty: Easy!
Free email series

5 Time & Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

FREE BONUS!

You May Also Like...

  • Whole wheat banana bread, partially sliced.
    Whole Wheat Banana Bread (one bowl!)
  • Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread | RachelCooks.com
    Whole Wheat Reduced-Fat Chocolate Banana Bread
  • This whole wheat banana bread uses very little oil and 100% whole wheat flour. The caramel bits add the perfect touch of sweetness. Get the easy quick bread recipe on RachelCooks.com!
    Whole Wheat Caramel Banana Bread
  • Loaf of healthy banana bread, partially cut into slices.
    Healthy Banana Bread
These Cinnamon Toast Crunch No-Bake Bars are undeniably sweet and gooey – and the cinnamon will have you coming back for more. Get the easy recipe on RachelCooks.com - the kid in you will be happy you did!
Previous Post
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
Next Post
Sharing by the Shore Food Blogging Retreat

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

  1. Quaidoo Stephen says

    April 8, 2019 at 10:38 am

    … definitely, i’d be trying that.

    Reply
  2. Quaidoo Stephen says

    April 8, 2019 at 10:28 am

    ‘haven’t been able to make it yet…but,I really dote on your selfless DEVOTION into leading us to acquire proper baking skills and healthy-yummy bakes.GODSPEED dear

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      April 9, 2019 at 9:18 am

      Thank you :)

      Reply
  3. Kathleen Kinder says

    November 12, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    I’ve now made this bread twice and it’s incredibly delicious! The only changes I made were to reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup, and use 2 1/2 T of butter in lieu of the oil. Oh, and I also used dark chocolate chips…This is my new favorite bread :)

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      November 12, 2017 at 7:56 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. Love the use of butter…always a good move. :)

      Reply
  4. Trish - Mom On Timeout says

    July 28, 2015 at 6:14 pm

    I am loving all that texture in the bread – looks amazing!!

    Reply
  5. Emily @ Layers of Happiness says

    July 28, 2015 at 12:22 am

    Both whole wheat flour and cornmeal are totally underrated! They both give so much texture an flavor. I love a good banana bread – this one looks SO yummy!

    Reply
  6. Jen | Baked by an Introvert says

    July 27, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    This bread sounds fabulous! I love banana bread a million times over. Can’t wait to try this healthy version.

    Reply
  7. Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen says

    July 27, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    We’re on the same wavelength with our whole wheat banana breads today! :) I never would have thought to add coconut to my banana bread but now I’ve just got to try it!

    Reply
  8. Katalina @ Peas and Peonies says

    July 27, 2015 at 12:11 pm

    Hi Rachel, I love banana bread, I must have 4 recipes of different versions on my blog, yours is a must try, love the healthy version and all the chocolate and coconut. Have a great week.

    Reply
  9. Sues says

    July 27, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    This looks wayyy more delicious than the average banana bread!!

    Reply
  10. Melanie @ Gather for Bread says

    July 27, 2015 at 9:14 am

    I adore coconut. Perfection!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Rachel! Life can be complicated, cooking shouldn't be! I believe that you can put a delicious meal on the table without stressing. It's possible, and I'm here to help. Have a seat at my table...let's chat, eat, and have fun! Read more...

Air Fryer Instant Pot 30 Minutes One Pan Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Slow Cooker Vegetarian 5 Ingredients

Trending

Cooked salmon fillet on a grey-toned plate with cooked asparagus spears. The salmon is being flaked with a fork.

Air Fryer Salmon Recipe

Pizza pasta being scooped from a pan with a wooden spoon.

Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 20 minutes

Image of a giant bowl of spaghetti with turkey meatballs.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Asparagus Panzanella Salad

Seasonal

Cilantro lime rice in a bowl garnished with a lime wedge.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Round white bowl filled with guacamole, one chip dipped in.

How to Make Guacamole

Pico de gallo in a white bowl.

The Best Pico de Gallo

Overhead view of jar of taco seasoning with a wooden spoon in it.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
Free Bonus!

5 Cooking Secrets to Save Time & Stress

Free email series of my best tips and recipes!

Featured On:

Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
© 2023 Rachel Cooks®
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled