This fluffy and spiced banana bread is sweetened with maple syrup for an actual excuse to have dessert for breakfast. It’s super moist, delicious, and the perfect way to start your day.
Why This Is The Best Banana Bread Recipe
It’s the go-to breakfast for people who love dessert-like treats in the morning.
- Great for on-the-go. Pack slices in Ziploc bags for an easy on-the-go breakfast.
- Naturally sweetened. There are no processed sugars in the recipe, only bananas and maple syrup.
- Freezer-friendly. This loaf is a life-saver during hectic weeks. Just thaw and enjoy!
- Versatile. Keep it simple or make chocolate, blueberry, or cream cheese variations.
What You’ll Need
Nutmeg is typically underrated but it keeps things from becoming too sweet and spiced. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- White whole wheat flour – All-purpose flour works too.
- Baking soda – This is not the same as baking powder, so don’t swap them.
- Cinnamon – It needs to be ground cinnamon. Feel free to use nutmeg instead.
- Nutmeg – This can be left out but don’t add more cinnamon.
- Salt – Kosher salt is best.
- Bananas – They need to be ripe.
- Maple syrup – You can use raw honey or agave nectar.
- Coconut oil – Corn and canola oil are good swaps.
- Vanilla extract – Choose brown or clear extract.
- Eggs – Liquid eggs work too.
How to Make Banana Bread
It’s an easy baking project for all-level bakers. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Prep the oven. Preheat the oven 350F. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Set it aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and eggs until completely smooth.
- Combine them. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just-combined.
- Bake it. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf fan. Use a spoon to gently smooth out the top. Pop it into the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
Browned bananas are my secret ingredient because they’ve got an extra concentrated sweetness.
- Cover the pan. If the top and edges of the bread are starting to brown too much, cover the top of the pan with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time to prevent burning.
- Watch the temperature. Sometimes ovens aren’t well calibrated and this affects baking times. Pop an oven thermometer inside to make sure you’re at the correct temperature. This will prevent the muffins from turning out raw or drying out.
- Make muffins. Line a muffin tray with liners. Pour batter into each liner until 3/4s full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Mash well. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas until completely smooth. Chunks are great but they do reduce how long the muffins will last due to the banana‘s fermentation.
- Use leftovers. This recipe is perfect for using up those leftover bananas that have started to brown. Don’t worry if the bananas don’t look pretty anymore. No one will be able to tell because the flavor will be super sweet and yummy in the muffins.
Banana Bread Variations
The tangy cream cheese variation will impress everyone you know, but try your favorite.
- Chocolate chips – Fold 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
- Pumpkin spice – Mix 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice into the dry ingredients.
- Blueberries – Fold in 1/2 cup fresh or frozen (but thawed) blueberries into the batter.
- Cream cheese – Beat 4 oz cream cheese with 1 egg yolk until smooth and fluffy. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan and then spread the cream cheese mixture on top. Add the remaining batter on top and bake as usual.
- Nuts – Gently stir 1/2 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts into the batter.
Serving Suggestions
This fluffy banana bread is a great breakfast option with a glass of milk, a cup of tea, or your favorite coffee. My Sweet Cream Iced Coffee is a go-to. If you prefer chai, try my Iced Chai Tea Latte. For a plant-based option, go for my Coconut Milk Thai Iced Coffee. Smoothie bowls like my Green Smoothie Bowl and Cherry Almond Smoothie Bowl are another great option to keep things fruity and sweet.
How to Store Banana Bread
Let the banana bread cool for 1-3 hours before storing to avoid spoilage.
- Counter: Place it in an airtight container, away from direct heat, for up to 3 days. If the weather in your area is humid, it’s best to store it in the fridge.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container, away from strong-smelling foods, for up to 6 days. Set it on the counter for 10 minutes before digging in to let it come down to room temperature.
- Freezer: You can store it whole or sliced. Wrap it in plastic wrap twice and then transfer it to a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or set it on the counter for 30-40 minutes or until it reaches room temperature.
More Easy Bread Recipes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Gluten Free Healthy Banana Nut Bread
- Easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices) 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This cinnamon-banana bread recipe is sweetened with maple syrup for a wholesome, on-the-go, dessert-like breakfast.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- To a large bowl, add white whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir together and set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add mashed bananas, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and 2 eggs. Whisk together until the wet ingredients are smooth.
- Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients. Using a spatula stir all the ingredients together.
- Pour the banana bread mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth out to make sure the batter is even.
- Place in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. Until it passes the toothpick test and comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before devouring!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 166 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
47 comments on “Banana Bread”
I have made this basic banana bread a lot of times; I use sprouted whole wheat flour so I find that adding extra spices and maybe one extra banana really makes it work with the heartier flour. Love the recipe at its core!
I love the additions making it your own! So glad you love the recipe!
Hello Krista, This is my go to banana bread recipe! My kids and I make this all the time. They like to mash up the bananas and stir. It’s simple and delicious. I usually use 3 bananas and 3/4 cup of sugar.
Really good blog worth reading know good chef
This is one of my favorite recipes! I just searched for it to make it again. Not bland the least bit!
Can you please specify how many cups of mashed banana is needed. Bananas vary greatly in size, so ‘4 bananas’ can be very different. Thanks!
yes, it would be about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana
I just made this with my 4 year and we love it! So moist and natural ingredients! I’m linking to this from my blog!
WOW this banana bread is really good!!! 10/10 recommend making. Super impressed and will certainly make again. It’s hard to find recipes that are good for you and taste good!
First time making Banana Bread and it was really good! I added chocolate chips and extra nutmeg (I loove nutmeg) and tasted really yum.
They are kinda bland but I mean it’s whatever bc we just added jam to it to make it taste better
Oh that’s a bummer. I eat this plain because the cinnamon and maple syrup add so much flavor!
I was looking at making this but I will probably substitute honey for maple syrup. Was the sodium calculated correctly? 978 mg/slice is very high – not very heart healthy.
eekkk… I recalculate it that was way off. The correct sodium amount is 166 mg… not sure how it got 978 mg (sorry about that) I hope you enjoy Lee!
I can’t find white wheat flour 🙁 can I substitute Regular flour?
yes you can definitely use all purpose
Made this tonight – turned out beautifully! I even took your cue and added sliced bananas on top – great way to score the otherwise very wet dough to encourage it to rise even more. You might want to add that in the instructions. I used whole wheat flour (not white), and had to add a good 25 minutes extra to the cook time. I didn’t have any vanilla on hand, so just skipped it; subbed olive oil and honey – still tastes great. The top bananas caramelized beautifully, and the bread made the house smell amazing. I’m wondering if molasses would taste good? I have some I never seem to use…
Anyways, I’ll give it 1-2 days tops before it disappears.
hahaah.. that’s awesome! So glad you liked it Adam! 🙂
Wholemeal and Wholewheat flour area just different names for the same thing in different countries.
I tried this recipe for the first time and it was AMAZING! I reduced the amount of maple syrup to 2 T and that was enough for me, because the bananas were so ripe anyways. It came out incredibly moist and delicious after about 40 minutes in the oven. I poked in a toothpick and it came out clean, so don’t worry lol.
I really recommend this recipe! Some changes that I made were to bake it for only 40 minutes, and reduce the amount of maple syrup. I also baked it with 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour because I didn’t have any white whole wheat.
Hi! What if I added a cup of oats, do you think that would work?
You’d have to reduce the flour then or it will be too many dry ingredients.
Yummy cupcakes amazing pictures
Hi,
It’s almost impossible to X opt out of the email subscription request screen
Fix > move the X more to the left. I’m using an apple phone – model 6s I think
Will give rhe recipe a try
Hey Ed, Sorry about that. Those can be a little tricky. I’ve since moved it.
Just made these and I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! Made a few changes, added walnuts, plant based protein powder, and fresh bananas in the middle and top. Again, I LOVE THEM…
I am dying to try this recipe and this may sound VERY silly but, is there an alternative for the “whole wheat flour”? Is “wholemeal” flour (in Australia) the same thing?
Hmmm… not sure. I’ve never heard of whole meal flour before. I would just use the regular flour that you can purchase at the grocery store.
Aussie living in the US here! For future reference, in case someone asks again –
Yes, they are the same thing (wholemeal/whole wheat) 🙂
1 stick of butter is 122.5g (I usually just say 125g and call it a day)
Baking soda is bicarb soda
If you’re ever stuck without a calculator, 350F = 180C
Lol – so many disasters behind this knowledge!
This is the best banana bread recipe, it taste so natural, my husband loves it too, I have made this recipe about 9 times so far in four months, right now I’m baking one for a family gathering, it just taste so good, I like to add walnuts to it.
Thank you for your recipe, it’s amazing!!! God bless you.
Ohh thank you so much Andrea! I’m so glad you like it. We make this weekly at our house too!
This has been my all time favorite banana bread over the last couple of months, even with flax “eggs” (we’re vegan). It’s super fluffy (check your baking soda if it isn’t, it could be no longer active. I had this problem a while back), moist, and perfectly sweetened. I did have to put foil on it near the end for ten minutes to make sure the inside baked properly, but it just rose so fast, so that was probably why. 🙂 Thank you so much for this recipe!! I’m planning on making chocolate banana muffins out of it this morning!
Loved this recipe! Had some leftover bananas and decided to make this. Wonderfully moist and just the slightest bit crunchy on the outside! I only had 2 bananas so I halved the recipe and used honey instead of maple syrup. Delicious taste and texture, will definitely be making these again soon!
Was a waste of ingredients. Turned out horribly. Didn’t rise.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that Corrine! Did you forget the baking soda?
I love, love your recipes and would love to navigate this website more BUT these annoying google ads are covering half of the screen including the content I am reading. Its really annoying. I get that you need adds but if you could please put them in places where they don’t cover the actual content.
Thank you so so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
Ohh I’m so sorry Nicole. Are you viewing it on mobile or desktop? That is helpful to know, so I know where to make the changes. 🙂
I have always been obsessed with banana bread but the bakery I like for this perticular product is pretty far out of my way. hopefully this recipe will save me from the struggle to go all the way to buy bread. thanks in advance.
I hope it does too. I know it’s a hit around our house!
I turned the bread into muffins, but I have had better banana bread before. I guess it was just the lack of sugar that made me go “there’s something missing here.” Other than not satisfying one’s sweet tooth, it is a winner for those cutting on sugar and looking for a healthier snack option!
This banana bread sounds wonderful! I can see why it would be on repeat! Perfect as a breakfast treat or afternoon snack!
Nothing beats banana bread. Love everything about this healthy, yet simple recipe.
I LOVE the banana slices on top!
Love when banana bread is healthy. I would eat the whole loaf 🙂
Oh this banana bread looks delightful!
My kids love banana bread, so I’ll definitely have to try this!
Love the healthier spin on this…btw, totally stealing the slathering peanut butter on my slice now 🙂