The best ever healthy no-added-sugar pumpkin banana bread is bursting with fall flavors and is made with no refined sugar, just healthy, real food ingredients. It’s also dairy-free and has just 150 calories and 5 grams of sugar per slice. Enjoy it plain or add some mix-ins: walnuts, pecans, raisins, or my favorite, chocolate chips!
Before I dive head first into this banana bread, I want to begin with a huge thank you for all of your sweet comments & congratulations on our big announcement the other week! Hubs and I are counting down the weeks (22 now) until our little peanut arrives. I know pregnancy posts may not be super exciting for or relevant for everyone who may read this little blog but, for those who asked or are wondering, I will be sharing occasional bumpdates along with some fun pregnant-lady stuff like maternity fashion faves and the joy of nesting in a small, San Francisco apartment.
Enough baby talk for now, though. Today I come bearing this delicious no added sugar banana bread, in part to make up for the long overdue recap of my 30 Day Sugar Challenge, but also because everyone should have a healthy, banana bread recipe in their back pocket–if for no other reason than to clear out the abundance of overripe bananas hiding in the back of your freezer.
As for the sugar challenge, it was harder than I ever anticipated, partly because I was secretly coping with some lovely side effects of early pregnancy, but also because I never once felt the “sugar-free euphoria” so many others seem to experience. I’m also not very good at mind games–especially when it comes to food restriction. Every day I missed having granola with my yogurt, and sadly, my morning lattes lost all their appeal. Unfortunately, that led to a rather unpleasant caffeine withdrawal as well. It was this banana bread saved me from cracking around the two week mark.
While I want to say I finished strong, I’ll be honest. I made it to day 21 before falling off the wagon, face-first into a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I know full well that deprivation is the root of why restrictive diets fail, weight loss or otherwise. I also know that, when giving up on a “diet”, it’s common to go from one extreme to the other. Clearly, I was no exception.
It wasn’t a total loss, though. During the challenge, I diligently tracked what I ate purely for the purpose of a before and after comparison. Overall, my total sugar consumption decreased by an average of 16 grams per day, about 4 teaspoons-worth. That may not sound like a lot (even I was rather unimpressed with that number at first glance) but in one year’s time those 4 teaspoons add up to nearly 13 pounds–about 2 ½ of those 5-pound bags you see on supermarket shelves. And while my consumption of added sugar decreased, the amount of fiber in my diet increased by more than 20% (from 19 to 23 grams per day). Potassium, too. The boost in these healthy nutrients likely came from all of the additional fruit (and banana bread) I was eating to satisfy those sugar and carb cravings.
I didn’t make it to day 30 but I did learn a few valuable things in the process. On a personal level, I stink at restrictive diets but so do most people which is why they’re just about the worst idea ever. I much prefer having a healthy relationship with all foods–including my chocolate chip cookies–and enjoying everything in moderation. I’m also way more sweet-sensitive now. As a result I’ve cut back on the amount of honey in my homemade granola, use a bit less vanilla syrup in my morning latte and now bake banana bread without any added sugar.
And after tasting this I’m not sure I’ll ever make it any other way–besides adding a handful of chocolate chips of course.
No Added Sugar Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
The best ever healthy no-added-sugar banana bread is bursting with natural sweetness, banana flavor and is made with no refined sugar, just healthy, real food ingredients. It’s also dairy-free and has just 154 calories and 5 grams of sugar per slice. Enjoy it plain or add some mix-ins: walnuts, pecans, raisins, or my favorite, chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed bananas (from 6–7 medium overripe bananas, see notes)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (or other neutral-flavored oil of choice)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla or banana extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease an 9×5 bread pan and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the bananas, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla . Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, transfer to a wire rack and cool another 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Recipe Update (9/8/19): After testing this recipe again, it’s not necessary to roast fresh bananas if they are very overripe. The best bananas for this recipe are heavily speckled and/or are nearly all black. I also reduced the amount of flour from 2 cups to 1 3/4 cup and found it is slightly sweeter and bakes a few minutes faster.
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Bananas: You must use overripe bananas as these have more fructose, and thus more natural sugar, than non-overripe bananas.
- Coconut oil: Avocado oil also works well with this recipe.
- Category: Snack
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12 of recipe (~3 ounce slice)
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 166 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
Keywords: no added sugar banana bread
Made this and loved it. Also haha, I actually found this while I am on the no sugar diet, as well. Funny how that works. Thanks for this! I’ve been craving banana bread. ❤️
This bread turned out perfect . It had a lovely springy texture, rose well . I cooked it for the hour and it was completely done and a nice crust .
I added some raisins.
I’ve been off added sugar for a month . This tasted sweet and yummy . Thanks for the recipe!
It sucks
★★★★★
I made the original recipe, Elle, without roasting my speckled bananas and the bread is delicious. Thanks! Not overly sweet and really filling. Love it and will be making it regularly.
★★★★★
Love this recipe- I’ve made it twice in the past week. I made this vegan with two ‘chia eggs’ – it worked great and I think flax eggs would work too. I did sub in a cup of whole wheat flour for white and added 2-3 tsp of cinnamon, but otherwise followed the recipe. The second time I made them as muffins – baked for 30 mins and they turned out great! I’ll be making this again – thanks!
★★★★★
My new favourite banana bread. Incredibly simple and a slightly dense, moist consistency, which is perfect with a cup of tea or as a substitute for breakfast when rushing to work. I only had wholewheat flour in the cupboard but you actually could not tell when eating it, and I admit that i did use a tablespoon of raw honey but it didnt really need it. I always freeze very overripe bananas in chunks and defrost upon need, and I find this breaks them down and releases the water and so, when mashed, the texture is very moist and works very well in banana bread or egg-free cakes where moisture is needed. Happy baking!
★★★★★
Can you reduce the oil in this recipe I see it has both oil and eggs for fat
Love, love this recipe! I spent 30+ minutes looking for a no added sugar banana bread. Have made it over 5 times, and it’s always a hit! I used olive oil and added chocolate chips.
★★★★★
I used whole wheat flour. It turned out ok, but the coconut oil created a strong undertone of coconut flavor that didn’t seem great for banana bread. If I try it again I will probably use a different oil.
★★★
Soft, moist, and delicious! I may never go back to sugared banana bread again. When it came out I was worried it would have a funky texture or be gooey somewhere in the middle because it didn’t crust the same way on top, but the texture was amazing! I honestly prefer it to regular banana bread. I was just a touch short on bananas so the last half cup was applesauce, it worked great as a partial substitute.
★★★★★
Just tried this recipe today and it came out great. Was finding a no added sugar banana bread recipe to make for my dad for his birthday as he loves bread and is diabetic.
I used plain flour with 25% wholegrain flour. Mixed olive oil and peanut oil as the ¼ cup of oil in the recipe.
The bread had the gentle fragrance of banana, just the a mild sweetness and was soft and tender.
I’m really glad the way it came out. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
I made this today following the recipe and ingredients to the letter and got a flat and stodgy cake. I think because there’s too little flour for the amount of banana. Very frustrating. First time I make a banana bread that fails.
★
Made it tonight. Easy, fabulous and tasty. Love that it has no sugar.
★★★★★
I accidentally forgot to add sugar and the bread is a little guwey.. But i think I am going to go in the journey of trying to make it with no sugar.
It’s a no-sugar recipe.
You called this pumpkin banana bread in your write up. Where’s the pumpkin?
The problem is the flour , you have to change it , with oatmeal or almond flour .
That’s what I would like to know too!
I tried this recipe last week, and am in love. I traded out for whole wheat flour, but in normal banana bread i have always cut out a lot of the sugar and still found it too sweet. This bread is perfect to my taste, and also has a very nice texture…. I had expected it to be a bit more stodgy than normal because of the amount of banana but it was a normal bread consistency, which was very exciting. I currently have a gluten free version in the over to bting to my brothers, as his wife has many food allergies, and am quite gooeful that will be just as good.
★★★★★
Really wanted to like this… Thought it sounded like a cool idea to cook something healthy but it had no flavor. Used Very ripe/rotten bananas, and it still didn’t taste like banana. Used melted butter, almond extract and added dates + walnuts. The consistency was smooth from the bananas but a bit gummy/heavy – which I would equate to apple bread. (I did use 2 cups of flour because I am at hight altitude). Not my cup of tea but we ate it nonetheless…
★★
This is a wonderful no added sugars banana bread. I used olive oil instead of coconut oil and it came out fine but I will get some coconut oil and see how I like that. Thank you for a great recipe.
★★★★★
This was really good! Perfect texture and sweetness! The whole family loved it!
★★★★★
This was such a pleasant surprise as I am 9 weeks into no added sugars. I’ve read the comments. My loaf was perfect. I added a drop or two of almond extract and chopped two squares of 86% ghiradelli chocolate. Delicious!
★★★★★
Can I make it with grass fed butter instead of oil?
Melted butter that’s slightly cooled might work. Let me know how it turned out if you tried it!
This was wonderful – thank you!! I’ve been looking for a no-sugar banana bread recipe for years. Usually “no sugar” translates to “gobs of honey instead of white sugar” or “tons of artificial sweeteners”. Yours is lovely, and is finally a recipe that isn’t sickeningly sweet! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
So glad you loved it — thanks for taking the time to leave a review! :)
Thank you for this GREAT recipe! The flavor and texture was excellent! I did need to bake it a little longer than the recipe called for, but I believe it’s my oven. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your time and effort in helping people with something that is healthy and can enjoy without the added sugar!!
★★★★★
So glad you loved it, Lillian! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! :)
Perfect! Used sweetleaf vanilla liquid stevia to sweeten and slivered almonds to add texture. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
Lovely!! I’d like to bake this bread in a cake pan (for my 1 year old’s birthday – looking for sugar free.) Do you have any advice for how to adapt it – if at all? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I just did this using this recipe! Had the same idea hah. I did half of everything and did a 6” cake pan took about 40-45 min. You could probably do two cake pans and stack them using the full recipe.
Looks delicious! How would you adjust the temperature/time for a fan assisted oven please?
We made this today cut the recipe in half. I used an immersion blender on 3 bananas then dumped them into other ingredients and used an immersion blender on that too it came out great.
My new go-to! I really love this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Super easy and sooo yummy!
★★★★★
Great recipe! You would never guess there was no added sugar. I made it with a gluten free flour blend (had to cook it an extra 20 minutes). I also got too many bananas, so I ended up making a batch of cupcakes with half the recipe, this time with a mix of almond and oat flour. Baked them for 30 minutes and they also turned out great! Thank you so much for this great recipe!
So good! Realized I was out of sugar when I went to make some muffins for breakfast. Found this delicious recipe and wasn’t disappointed one bit! My muffins baked in a paper lined muffin pan at 325 for about 27 minutes. Wish I could share a photo because they were so pretty.
Same here. Ran out of sugar. Great recipe!
Ann
Can you use almond flour or coconut flour for gluten intolerance?
I’ve never tried making it with almond or coconut flour but recommend substituting for all purpose as you normally would in other recipes. Would love to know how it turns out!
This recipe was really great! I added some chocolate chips to mine. However, the bread consistency was a bit off. It sunk in the middle a little bit when I removed it from the oven and the middle of the bread looked a little raw. Any suggestions on how to fix that? I tried baking it longer but that didn’t help with the consistency either.
★★★★★
Just seen this comment – it crossed my mind that breads and cakes can often sink in the middle if the oven is opened too early (or at all!) during the recommended cooking time. Hope this helps.
This banana bread was wonderful! I added chocolate chips, and my kids, who love sweets, loved it!
★★★★★
This recipe is spectacular! I absolutely loved how easy and moist this was. I roasted my bananas first, and it was perfectly sweet without any added sugar. Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for letting me know. ?
EXCELLENT Recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome summary of why most diets don’t work. Moderation is the key. And losing over 13 lbs is a goal I would be proud of.
I’m always bothered by having to add sugars to banana bread and was so glad to have found yours. Others were flavorless and just not sweet enough. I think you’re onto something by reducing the flour and using A LOT of banana. It came out moist and flavorful. I found I had to cook more than 60 mins, and was happy with results at about 70 mins. To make it a bit more healthy, all that I changed was that 3/4ths of a cup of flour was sprouted wheat flour and it turned out great and not heavy or doughy. This will be my go-to for VERY SUFFICIENTLY SWEET banana bread. Woo hoo!
★★★★★
I was worried to try this recipe without adding other sweetener such as applesauce or dates. But it was great. I did add cinnamon for a little extra. The tip on measuring the bananas helped a lot. I loved it!
★★★★★
Fabulous no-sugar banana bread. This recipe is a keeper!!! I’m wondering how many calories are in this bread, Elle!!
I’m so happy you liked it! I just updated the recipe with nutrition info. Enjoy!
I just found this recipe for no-sugar-added banana bread and will try this for my mother. She is allergic to sugar and most spices. And Vanilla, but I saw one comment where banana extract can be substituted. Shopping for bananas tomorrow, will get the ripest I can find.
I have made this recipe twice now, and loved the taste and sugarlessness both times! However, both times it came out very, very dense and more like pudding than bread. I don’t mind too much, but your pictures look more bread-like, so I was wondering why mine were doing this. (The way I cooked it? The ingredients? Too much banana?…)
Both times, I used glass loaf pans/dishes/whatever they were they were just about the right size, and I roasted my bananas until soft instead of waiting for them to be overripe. Both times, I wasn’t able to get the bananas smooth; they had quiite a few lumps, so that could be what’s happening. (When I get a food processor I could try doing that to them? or a stand mixer?)
I made the first loaf pretty much according to the recipe, I believe substituting some other type of oil for coconut and I added some spices. Again, it was pretty dense, tasted great!
Yesterday I made another two loaves, and they came out even more dense and less bread-ish, after baking for probably almost 2 hours. I used 13 bananas and coconut oil, no spices. This time I did also whip my egg whites and folded them in last after the yolks and dry mixture had been mixed in; I’d read it made the bread fluffier. The batter did look airy, but probably got mixed a bit past ‘just combined’ because I had to fold in the egg whites after combining dry and wet. When it came out of the oven it looked okay, not risen nearly as much as the first batch, but then it collapsed and ended up pretty much flat.
So could be the banana amount or texture, or the loaf pan? or how I baked it? and maybe the egg whites made it worse the second time.
At any rate, I love this recipe and the fact that it’s actually *banana* bread, not ‘cake with two bananas in it and two cups of sugar that it does not need’! The spices were definitely good (forgot them yesterday).
Hi Abigail! I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed this recipe, and I appreciate your feedback! I’ve had a couple of loaves turn out overly dense too. I just updated the recipe as I’ve found that measuring the mashed bananas (2 cups) and reducing the amount of flour from 2 cups to 1 3/4 cups yields a better (and more consistent) loaf. Let me know what you think! :)
When baking this, I followed the recipe to a T. Froze 7 bananas and made no substitutions. It was a lovely thick batter and filled my loaf pan almost to the top. I cooked it 65 mins. It looked beautiful when sliced. My only problem was neither my husband nor I could taste banana flavor. Why could this be, after adding 7 bananas? So disappointed.I’m wondering if I could add banana extract …is there such a thing?
Yes you can buy nanna extract from store
I think the more ripe (i.e. browner) the bananas are, the more flavour they have. You could try again with super-brown bananas?
Like Anna said, bananas are waaay sweeter and more flavorful when overripe. However, I found a technique that’s worked perfectly for me: you can just put normal bananas on a cookie sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for around 30 minutes! They’ll turn black and shiny, and then you can cut off the tops and squeeze them out (the liquid too).
You have to let the bananas completely ripen (black on the outside). They will be very sweet at this point and is the ONLY way you will be able to taste the flavor after being baked. Putting them in the freezer is just to preserve them after they completely ripen until use, or else they will rot.
Bananas have more flavor when they’re super ripe, and at least entirely browned.with some blackness. Perfect recipe for those bananas which are too ripe to eat plain…just let them go a few more days and they’re ready for this recipe.
Googled “no added sugar banana bread” and this recipe came up. i have made it twice in the last week, and it was AMAZING both times. I make it in four mini-loaf pans instead of one large loaf pan, and that speeds up the cooking time. I don’t think I’ll ever use another recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I so agree! I use mini loaf pans as well and only takes 30 minutes baking time. This is my all time favorite banana bread recipe. Will never use any other.
Just found this when looking to see if sugar had a purpose in quick breads. I can’t eat bananas but can have them baked but they are also high on the glycemic index. I think I’ll add 1 in lieu of the 3/4 cup sugar for this first time on a recipe. My recipe already has grated carrot, apple, and raisins. Just didn’t want to tweak it too much the first time! Thanks for your notes!
I know I’m late to this blog post. I’ll go see how you & your little family are doing. :)
You would actually be better off adding the banana and losing the raisins, as raisins are much higher on the glycemic index, and the more relevant gylcemic load than a banana. The poor banana gets a very unfair rap. It is loaded with vitamins, mineral, and fiber, and isn’t that high on the glycemic index, especially weight for weight compared to raisins. You can certainly and easily eat, in gram weight, much more raisins than bananas.
Simple and easy steps for recipe
I made this according to receipe and it came out like a brick and is more dense than a raw banana. What could have gone wrong
Did you sift the flour? Are you certain you used the right amount if soda? Also, where you live and the elevation can be a factor.
I forgot to add the additional 1 T. of coconut oil and found that made my banana bread a little dry. Oops.
was doing a search and found your recipe- thank you -thank you- thank you!! We don’t eat any kind of sweetener, this is perfect. We used gluten free flour. YUM!
Has anyone done the breakdown of the macros per serving in this bread?
This batter almost filled the 8×4 pan and my pan is really 8.5 x 4.5 It is in the oven now I hope it doesn’t spill over! The batter was also thicker than I’m used to. I hope that’s normal! I added 7 bananas after roasting them. They had been in the refrigerator for a long time so they were a little bit dried out. that could be why my batter was a little bit thicker. I also didn’t weigh my flour, I just scooped it out of the bin
so that could also be a problem.
Have made this bread soo many times ever since I stumbled upon it around 4 months ago. Thanks for the amazing recipe. I was short of 3 bananas so i replaced them with fee dates and raisins and also replaced the all purpose flour with oats and whole wheat flour. Turns out awesome every single time!!
Yum! Love your spin on it.
What do you do with the juice
Add it back!
What proportions wheat flor and oatmeal?
1:1
Thanks for this recipe!! Don’t like sugar free that use artificial sweeteners
Have diabetic person in our family and haven’t been able to find any bakeries that make sugarless cakes
Bakeries and Stores just have gluten free when there are so many people who can only eat sugarfee
This is an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing! Instead of using 2 cups all purpose flour, I used 1 c all purpose and 1/2 c. Wheat bran and 1/2 c.whole wheat flour. I added chopped almonds and unsweetened dried cranberries. Also added brown flax seeds.
Can I just subsitute Gluten free flour in this recipe?
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and it worked great!
I am going to try making this bread tomorrow my grang daughter is only on gluton free products so I will use gluton free flour
Jean
This is delicious! Other sugar-free recipes I’ve tried have been disgusting but this is soooo good!
I added sultanas and used chopped almonds instead of walnuts
I had some problems with knowing when the bread was done. I took it out the oven when the skewer came out almost clean at just over an hour baking time, but when I cut into it it was pretty raw inside. Do I just need to cook it longer, or could it be that I used the wrong type of flour (plain flour rather than strong flour, as it is labeled in the uk)?
I guess if you use frozen bananas you have to roast them to soften them…. I also enhances the flavor
I think the roasting was only for bananas that are NOT overripe nor frozen. And much easier is to just cut them up and toss in a frying pan with a lid for a few minutes. They soften right up. I, too have made it for years without any cooking of the bananas. I doubt we missed out on anything but extra work.
I have 2 pans in the oven. Yummy! I added a four packets of stevia. My husband is diabetic and I have cut way way back on sugar.It takes linger than thirty days but now I find things Luke the banana bread sweet enough without added sugar or sugary topping or sugary chips etc. That’s and keep at the no sugar thing. Sugar is so addictive!! My excuse is always an excuse. I deserve it because…it was a long day…because I am tired etc.
Do U think I can make this gluten free ?
looks very tasty :)
http://www.kiss-and-tell.de/
SF Banana Bread sounds terrific. It yields 12 servings….how many
Kcals per serving ? Am looking forward to a trial bake of this little
piece of wonderful.
When I first started paleo a few years back, I was amazed at how sugar sensitive I’d become. I had a sip of a gatorade a month after I began and found it way too sweet. I still have a sweet tooth, but like you I much more aware of my sugar intake and don’t need loads of it anymore. I’m quite happy with paleo chocolate chip cookies and the occasional smoothie. This recipe looks delish, thanks for sharing!
I am also looking for recipes that aren’t loaded down with sugar. This looks delicious! Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ll be trying it soon for sure!
currently im thinking of starting a 30-day sugar challenge as well…and this bread sounds wonderful. pinning it.
mmm, this banana bread looks yummy! love that there is no added sugar. But why do you have to roast the bananas? I make banana bread with fresh all the time without roasting. Just wondering, thanks!
Heather, I wondered the same thing about roasting the bananas…. I’ve been mashing overripe bananas for years to use in banana bread. Now I wonder if I’ve been ‘missing’ something all these years?!
Me three! Also wondering why they need to be roasted.
I don’t know the terms, but I’ve heard the science behind it. Basically, the “stress” behind freezing or roasting a banana causes it to produce what are essentially sugars. It will make your bananas sweeter, eliminating the need to add any.
If you don’t want to roast them, you can just stick them in the freezer ahead of time and then thaw them.
Now how am I supposed to focus after reading this? AH it looks amazinggggg. Pinning and baking for later this week :)
Hi Elle! Nesting in your SF apartment? Sounds fun! We moved to Walnut Creek and our place is three times that of what we had in Nob Hill. And I now have a car! Life is good. And I for one, would LOVE to read your pregnancy updates, especially as it relates to your nutrition and what you’ve changed. This banana bread sounds good! No sugar for a month would be tough, but I can see how you’d reap the benefits of it. Restriction NEVER wins. I eat all foods. It’s the way to go! :)
Bring on the bump updates!! Love the details on your sugar challenge– great messages on balance and moderation.
I love that you used a banana to sweeten this little guy instead of sweeteners!
Can you use almond or coconut flour?
I’ve never tried it with alternative flours but would love to hear your results if you do!