Moist Banana Bread Recipe with Whole Grain and Yogurt

This healthy banana bread is ultra-moist, egg-free, and reduced in sugar. The loaf is packed with five ripe bananas for maximum flavor and an irresistible texture.

If you’re craving something both delicious and nutritious, this recipe is for you.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• How to make healthy banana bread
• Substitutions
• Tips
• Storage
• Similar recipes
• Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

This version builds on our banana nut and vegan banana bread recipes with a few small but important tweaks to make the loaf moister and more wholesome. Adding extra fruit to the batter improves both flavor and texture, so this recipe uses more bananas than a standard loaf.

What to expect:

1. Five large bananas for great sweetness and moisture.
2. Reduced sugar — only 1/4 cup — thanks to the extra bananas.
3. Egg-free and low in saturated fat by replacing eggs and butter.
4. Heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
5. Use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour for added fiber (or all all-purpose if preferred).

You can easily turn this batter into muffins for a grab-and-go breakfast.

1. Gather your ingredients

You will need: ripe bananas, almond milk (or other milk), extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate chips or walnuts, brown or regular sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, and baking powder. We use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour for texture and fiber; if you don’t have whole wheat, use all-purpose.

2. Make the batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9 x 5 inch (24.5 x 10.5 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.

Mash 3 of the 5 bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher. Add almond milk, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and vanilla extract; stir until well combined.

Sift the dry ingredients — whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda — into the wet mixture. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined; avoid overmixing to keep the crumb tender.

Tip: Sifting helps create a lump-free batter.

3. Add-ins & bake

Slice the remaining two bananas into bite-size pieces and fold them into the batter along with dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts if using. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 50 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center — it should come out mostly dry. If it’s still wet, bake 5–10 minutes more. Some ovens may need up to 60 minutes. Cool the loaf on a rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Substitutions

Whole wheat flour: Use all-purpose flour instead.

Extra virgin olive oil: Use regular olive oil, avocado oil, or another neutral vegetable oil. For an oil-free version, replace oil with unsweetened applesauce.

Almond milk: Any plant or dairy milk works (oat, soy, rice, cow’s milk).

Dark chocolate chips: Substitute chopped walnuts, pecans, or other nuts.

Vanilla extract: Use scraped vanilla bean seeds for a richer vanilla flavor.

Tips

1. For maximum rise: Bake the bread immediately after mixing. Preheat the oven and prepare your pan beforehand.
2. Don’t overmix: Overmixing creates a dense, gummy crumb. Mix gently by hand with a spatula.
3. Let it cool: Wait until the loaf is mostly cool before slicing — it will cut cleaner and taste better.

Storage

Room temperature: Wrap in plastic or keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Refrigerator: Keeps about 5 days when wrapped or stored airtight.

Freezer: Cool completely, slice, separate slices with parchment, and freeze up to 3 months.

Quick breads & muffins: Try peanut butter banana muffins, banana zucchini bread, vegan zucchini bread, pumpkin muffins, apple muffins, zucchini muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon muffins, or sweet potato muffins for other wholesome bakes.

Easy bakes: Other simple desserts include vegan carrot cake, vegan apple cake, biscotti, easy vanilla cake, vegan brownies, vegan lemon cake, lemon blueberry pound cake, and vegan apple crisp.