Monday 8 April 2019

Healthy Banana Bread

You know how banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake? Here’s a healthy banana bread recipe that’s ACTUALLY healthy: and tastes good, too!

Healthy banana bread

You may remember Alex and my opinion on muffins: they’re just an excuse to eat cupcakes for breakfast. Yep, we said it! Because sugar-loaded muffins make us feel horrible afterwards, we created our Healthy Banana Muffins, lightly sweet and made with oats and maple syrup in a blender. Well, we did it again! This time, we got our hands on banana bread. Because banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake, right? Typically it’s full of oil, refined flour, and refined sugar. We’re not out to vilify these ingredients: we literally just don’t want the sugar high and crash after we eat it!. SO: we’ve created this easy healthy banana bread, made of 100% whole grain oats (no flour) and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. And it actually tastes good. Keep reading for the recipe!

Easy healthy banana bread

How to make healthy banana bread

Our Healthy Banana Muffins are the starting point for this healthy banana bread recipe. And they were actually a reader request! Reader Lisa asked if we could create a healthy muffins recipe, preferably banana flavored. So, we decided to do it! We stumbled upon a blender muffin idea, where you whiz oats, bananas, eggs, spices and maple syrup in a blender to make a quick and healthy muffin batter. That makes these muffins 100% whole grain, but they come out light and fluffy! It’s actually some kind of miracle. So many of you have been making and loving these healthy banana muffins that we wanted to try them in another way.

Enter: our easy healthy banana bread recipe! It’s the same concept as the muffins: a blender banana bread that blends oats, banana, eggs, spices, and maple syrup into a delicious dough that’s 100% whole grain. Oh and it’s naturally gluten free too! The best part about it, and why we created it– is that it tastes delicious and satisfying, but it doesn’t leave you on a sugar high or jittery or make your stomach feel all funky. It’s literally one of my favorite “treats” lately, and it’s all good for you ingredients. (If you eat it in moderation, of course!) But even if you don’t eat it in moderation: it’s literally like eating a banana and oatmeal, with drizzle of maple and oil drizzled on top.

How to make healthy banana bread

Why make this healthy banana bread?

OK, so let’s say you’re a banana bread lover because you love it as a sweet treat. If that’s you: don’t make this recipe! Stop right here and go over to our Chocolate Banana Bread.

But if you’re looking for an oatmeal banana bread that is lightly sweet, 100% whole grain, and full of good for you ingredients, then this one is for you! Remember that it’s not going to taste like the sugary-sweet kind, but lightly sweet in a nuanced way. And it will feel so good on your stomach, too. Oh, and it’s also naturally gluten free and dairy free. We’ve included a flax egg variation to make it vegan, too! One recipe tester tried it that way for us and loved it.

Loaf with oatmeal

Looking for other healthy brunch recipes?

This easy healthy banana bread is perfect for brunch! Here are a few more brunch recipe ideas:

Blender banana bread | oatmeal banana bread

This healthy banana bread recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy-free. For vegan and plant-based, try the flax egg variation below.

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Healthy banana bread

Healthy Banana Bread

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  • Author: Sonja
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 14 slices
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Description

You know how banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake? Here’s a healthy banana bread recipe that’s ACTUALLY healthy: and tastes good, too!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mashed very ripe, nearly black bananas (about 4 large or 6 small)
  • 2 large eggs + 1 egg white (or 2 flax eggs, for vegan)
  • 6 tablespoons neutral oil (sunflower, vegetable or grapeseed)
  • 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups rolled oats, plus more for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Use neutral oil or coconut oil to grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Mash the bananas and measure out 2 cups.
  3. In a large blender, blend the bananas, eggs and egg white, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and kosher salt until combined. Then add the oats and blend again for a few minutes until a very smooth dough forms (if you’re using a regular sized blender, you may need to blend 1 cup at a time; our Vitamix is very large and could handle it all at once).
  4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the entire top of the bread with a single layer of oats; use your hands to gently press them down.
  5. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
  6. Let the bread sit in the pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around it and remove from the pan onto a wire rack to cool. Cut into slices. Store refrigerated (we actually like it best cold) for up to 1 week.
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Healthy Banana Bread, Easy healthy banana bread, How to make healthy banana bread, Oatmeal banana bread, Blender banana bread

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