Whole Wheat Banana Bread (one bowl!)

Whole wheat banana bread is a staple in my house – my kids love it and it’s a perfect way to use ripe bananas. It freezes well and makes a great lunchbox treat!

This banana bread recipe is one of my favorites and it’s one that I make so frequently. I even let my type-A personality take the backseat sometimes and let my kids help me out with it. They love using the potato masher to mash the bananas. They also love talking me into adding some chocolate chips.

I’ve shared a few varieties of this bread: whole wheat caramel banana bread, whole wheat banana bread with chocolate chips and coconut, reduced-fat chocolate banana bread, and skinny banana bread muffins! We really do love this whole wheat banana bread in every shape and form.

About This Banana Bread

Even with all its different variations, this recipe is the one I go to most often. If I have enough bananas, I almost always make two loaves. I’m all about doubling up on things because it isn’t much more work to use a bigger bowl and wash two loaf pans. Then we have one loaf to enjoy right away AND a loaf to freeze. Yay!

I’ll run through the recipe here with lots of additional tips but feel free to jump to the recipe card below. You’ll find complete instructions and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

• Bananas! It wouldn’t be banana bread without bananas. You’ll need one and a half cups of mashed ripe bananas which is about 3 large bananas. Use nice ripe bananas, the riper the better. Bananas with brown speckles or even completely brown are best for banana bread.
• Applesauce: You’ll need a half cup which happens to be just the amount that’s in the snack sized servings of applesauce. The applesauce replaces much of the oil that’s usually added to quick breads. I usually use unsweetened applesauce.
• Oil: While most banana bread recipes have up to a cup of butter, this healthier recipe has only 2 tablespoons of oil!
• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour adds lots of nutrition and fiber and gives the bread a hearty texture. If you prefer, all-purpose flour can be substituted or even a combination of the two flours.
• Sugar: Use regular granulated white sugar. There’s a lot of natural sweetness from those ripe bananas and the applesauce.
• Eggs: Most quick breads contain eggs and this bread is no exception.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds a nice sweet flavor. If you like to vary things a bit, try maple extract.
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt: Normal quick bread ingredients, they add leavening and keep the bread from tasting flat.

How To Make This Recipe

When I first began making this banana bread, I’d always use three bowls. One bowl for mashing the bananas, one to combine the wet ingredients, and one final bowl for the dry ingredients. It’s the type-A in me again, probably. Everything in its place!

Then I remembered that I don’t like doing dishes, so I switched to the method I use now for most of my quick breads and muffins. With this method, you only need one bowl.

Guess what? Your bread turns out the same whether you use three bowls or one. And it’s a third of the dishes. That’s a beautiful thing, right?

Here’s how to do it: Start off by mashing the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. To the bananas, add the sugar and the rest of the wet ingredients: eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.

Give the contents of the bowl a vigorous stir, making sure the eggs are well blended. You shouldn’t be seeing runny whites or yellows.

On top of that mixture, gently add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Give those a little toss together – I use my fingertips! – before stirring them into the wet ingredients.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture until there’s no dry parts. Try not to overmix the batter. It will look a little lumpy and that’s okay. Overmixing makes the bread tough or have a lot of big holes.

Scrape the batter into a loaf pan and bake! It will take about an hour. Use the toothpick method to test if it’s done.

Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes or so before removing it from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

When it’s completely cool, slice the bread into ten delicious slices.

While this bread is completely delicious on its own, to dress it up, try spreading it with gingerbread butter, orange honey butter, or just plain butter. Peanut butter is really good, too. For fancier brunches, serve it with vanilla bean whipped cream cheese.

I know you guys are going to absolutely love this whole wheat banana bread as much as we do!

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• Add chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips to the batter. My kids love this variation. If we weren’t a nut-free family, I’d add peanut butter or butterscotch chips for a treat.
• Add chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter for banana nut bread.
• If you like warm spices, a teaspoon of cinnamon adds a whole new dimension of flavor. Add it with the dry ingredients.
• Not crazy about bananas? Try healthy pumpkin bread (or pumpkin streusel bread!), applesauce bread, or whole wheat zucchini bread.

Make-Ahead Ideas

As I mentioned above, I usually make a double batch which yields two loaves: one to eat fresh, and one to freeze. You’ll need six ripe bananas which is a lot of bananas! Whenever I have extra ripe bananas, I peel them and put them into a freezer safe container for later use, like baking that extra loaf of bread. Thaw them slightly before using. They may look a bit juicy and brown but don’t worry, the bread turns out fine. If that sounds like a good plan to you, you can read more about freezing bananas.

Storage Tips

This bread will keep on the counter for three days or in the fridge for up to a week. Always make sure home-baked breads or muffins are completely cool before storing in an airtight container or resealable bag. Warm bread in an airtight container will produce moisture which promotes spoilage.

This banana bread freezes well. It will keep at least a month in the freezer. Freeze the loaf whole or cut up into slices so you can easily grab one and go. It makes a great lunchbox treat.

more Banana Recipes

Have a bunch of brown-speckled bananas sitting on your counter? The riper the better! All of the recipes listed below are delicious ways to use up ripe bananas. Try:

• Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Healthy Banana Pancakes — whole wheat
• Skinny Banana Bread Muffins
• Banana and Chocolate Pudding Dessert Bites
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Milkshake
• Banana Split Pancakes
• Creamy Mango Banana Smoothie