Easy banana bread recipe (without oil, butter or sugar)

Time for an easy banana bread recipe. This recipe is delicious, but also perfect for making even more banana bread recipes in all kinds of flavors!

Making Banana Bread

It’s time for a good recipe for one of the baked goods I make incredibly often, my go-to banana bread recipe! It’s one of the most popular recipes over on my Dutch blog. Over the past few years, I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, especially in the proportions of different flours. Now I have found a combination that I never deviate from. And that’s when I know I have a good basic recipe. It’s a perfect destination for those overripe bananas on you kitchen counter.

A bowl, fork, spatula and some basic ingredients is all you need for making this recipe. No need for a hand or stand mixer. As always, all ingredients need to be at room temperature. Just follow the steps in the recipe card for the best moist banana bread recipe you’ve ever tried.

Banana Bread with Almond Flour

For my banana bread recipe, I use both all purpose flour and almond flour. You can make it with almond flour alone, but I find it a little too dense, and you can make it with all-purpose flour alone, but it gets a little less creamy and a little too firm for my taste. This combination works perfectly and results in an airy and creamy banana bread.

If you want to learn more about baking with almond flour, check out this article with a recipe for making your own almond flour.

What is banana bread?

Actually, the term is silly because I can’t really call it bread. Rather, it has the texture of a cake. Since there is no butter or sugar in this recipe, it is still more banana bread than banana cake. And that makes banana bread an instant healthy snack! Or as I like to eat it: a slice for breakfast with a scoop of yogurt on top. Delicious.

Healthy banana bread recipe

People often ask me if this is a healthy banana bread. I always tell them first of all that I am a (home) baker and not a nutritionist 😉 And although I don’t usually dare to make such statements, I would definitely dare to say that this is a pretty healthy banana bread! Simply because you won’t find any butter, oil or sugar in this recipe.

The banana bread is sweetened by ripe bananas, it stays nice and creamy thanks to the eggs and almond flour, but still airy thanks to the combination of baking powder and baking soda (and the eggs). A deliciously responsible snack! Can it be even healthier? Yes, by substituting whole wheat flour.

TIP: Looking for a less healthy banana bread? Try this cream cheese banana bread, it’s amazing!

How to make banana bread in different flavors?

As stated before: I have made many different kinds of banana bread. Although I think this is de best banana bread recipe ever, I still love to make different flavors. Here are a few of my favorite tweaks to this recipe:

• Adding chocolate chips for a chocolate chip banana bread recipe.
• Replace a bit of flour for Dutch processed cocoa powder for a chocolate banana bread.
• Make half of the batter chocolate flavored for a marbled banana bread.
• Add some sour cream to the batter to make it extra creamy. Cream cheese works too!
• Add (chopped) nuts to the batter for a banana nut bread.
• If you have a sweet tooth: add some sugar. I like dark brown sugar for a bit extra flavor.
• Add swirls of peanut butter, it’s delicious. You can do the same with Biscoff. Not so healthy, but oh so good!

Don’t want to make a banana bread? Scoop the batter in a muffin tin for delicious banana muffins. These banana oatmeal muffins are delicious too!