One Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Every Friday morning, I wake up, head downstairs, put the kettle on to boil for coffee, and start making banana breapples ad. Fridays are what we call "Family Day" in our house, which means no work, no chores, no emails, no homework. Just us doing fun stuff as a family. And we start off Family Day each week with a pot of coffee and a loaf of hot banana bread.
Why are Fridays banana bread day? Well, we always seem to have 2-3 ripe bananas on Fridays (leftover from the then-green bunch I bought at the grocery store the previous weekend). In theory, I could just buy fewer bananas each week, but I'm a pretty big fan of this banana bread tradition, so I'll keep buying my big ole bunch each week.
Since we're eating banana bread on a regular basis, instead of as an occasional treat, I've been working on perfecting a healthier version of the cake-like, sugar-bomb banana bread we are all so used to loving. That kind of banana bread is awesome, but not so awesome when you eat a whole loaf of banana bread in a couple of days (we're lucky if it makes it through the weekend).
My version is 100% whole wheat, naturally sweetened using bananas, applesauce (learn how to can applesauce to make your own), and maple syrup, and uses coconut oil and walnuts for some super healthy fats. Which, I know, sounds kinda like biting into banana-flavored cardboard-but, just like with my whole wheat pumpkin bread, it's actually incredibly moist, tender, and still lightly sweet. And of course, it's packed with yummy banana flavor.
And because on my day off, I quite enjoy being lazy and not doing any dishes, the batter for this bread all comes together in one bowl. No sifting or incorporating in increments or whisking eggs. None of that. Dump it all in. Mix. Pour. Bake. Nom!
This recipe is incredibly forgiving, which means there is a ton of opportunity for adapting. Throw in a handful of chocolate chips or dried cranberries. Swap out the applesauce for homemade pumpkin puree. Don't want to use all whole wheat flour? Don't! Hate walnuts? Leave 'em out. Want to use cane sugar instead of maple syrup? Go for it. Have fun! It's really hard to mess it up. I promise. Enjoy.
📖 Recipe
One Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 1 ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, applesauce, and vanilla until well blended.
- Add in the baking soda, salt, flour and walnuts, and mix until everything is just moistened-do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Want a gluten-free or paleo banana bread? Check out our Almond Flour Banana Bread recipe!
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I love whole wheat recipes good and easy, and so handy to use up leftover Bananas. I use honey and a sprinkle of raw sugar on top for something special. A Favorite snack for my toddlers😋
We're so happy to hear it's a hit with the toddlers! That's truly the highest of praise! Thanks so much =)
Can you give the nutrition information?
There are lots of great calorie calculators out there that you can use!
I love this *easy and healthy* recipe and this solves my headaches of left-over bananas.
I just make the bread and love it! I don't have apple sauce right now, so I use 2% yogurt. I will try with pumpkin puree next time. Thanks!
This sounds so good and easy!! I'm not a fan of coconut - I know I'm in the minority! - can I substitute with something else? Thank you!
Melted butter would work just fine. 🙂
I just made this and it came out great. My family and I love it, very moist and lightly sweetened. I used pumpkin purée as I didn't have any applesauce available. It was so easy to make....I just pinned this. Thanks for sharing???!
This looks easy and delicious!
This banana bread look amazing, healthy too!
yum! this sounds so delicious right now! pinned - thanks for sharing!
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What a great recipe! I love that you use coconut oil in it. And family day is a great idea. I wish we could pull that off in our house.
Everyone should have an easy (and healthy!) banana bread recipe in their back pocket. Love this one 🙂
This looks delicious! I love banana bread and this one seems much healthier. I'll have to make this for my family. They will love it!
I wish I could implement Family Fridays! I'm pinning this bread =)
YUMM! This looks super simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing it 🙂
It looks delicious! Banana bread baking makes the whole house smell good.
Yum! I make something similar (don't often use a recipe but the ingredients are more or less the same as yours!) and its great as a lunchbox filler too. Totally with you on the extra bananas trend!