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Up next in our “Healthy-ish January: Whole Wheat Banana Bread!
Let’s be honest: sometimes, when we think of “healthy-ish” baking, we think of flat flavor, unsavory texture, and an overall “blech” experience.
BB, this 100% Whole Wheat Banana Bread is anything. but. that. Not only is this my favorite whole wheat banana bread, it is actually my favorite banana bread periodT. Full stop. This is the banana bread that I have been searching for since the beginning of Begin with Butter. And it is now here for you to enjoy.
In this Post
About this Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Banana bread is such a classic. It’s appeared on tables everywhere; it’s a staple for birthday breakfasts, Galentine brunches, snowy Sundays, and every opportunity in between.
When I think about this banana bread, even now, I just take a deep breath and smile. When it comes out of the oven, it’s such a beautifully domed and caramelized loaf, usually featuring my favorite signature crack down the middle. When you open the oven door, the smell is utterly tantalizing, intoxicating you with beautiful banana flavor that’s embellished by the optional maple syrup. It’s going to take all of your patience to wait for this banana bread to cool, but wait you must. As it cools, those flavors simply merge together, in a perfectly layered multi-part harmony that will sing on your tongue. Every sense will be piqued as you finally bring this delightful banana bread to your lips. And you will be absolutely transported to a banana oasis when you taste it.
Recipe At-A-Glance
Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 5 minutes for measuring and prepping remaining ingredients
- 10 minutes for flax egg preparation
- 10 minutes for milk souring
Total Time: 80-90 minutes
- Cook Time: 55-65 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (8½” x 4½” pan)
Key Temperatures:
- Final internal temperature: 210°F
- Oven: True 350°F
Storage:
- Best made a day ahead for optimal flavor
- Can be frozen in individual slices for up to 2 months
Skill Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Equipment Needed:
- Pastry brush
- 8½” x 4½” loaf pan
- Mixing bowl set (large and medium bowls)
- Small bowls or deli cups
- Digital kitchen scale (very strongly recommended for the best outcome)
- Measuring spoons
- Fork (for mashing bananas)
- Whisk
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Oven thermometer
- Cooling rack
- Baking spray
Dietary Notes:
- Recipe written with flax eggs, but can use 3 room-temperature chicken eggs
- Can be made vegan with oat milk, vegan butter and flax eggs
- Nuts are optional (suitable for nut-free kitchens)
Ingredients in this Recipe
When you understand the science of ingredients, you’ve unlocked a super power! Let’s take a brief but fun trip to learn the scientific secrets behind each ingredient, so that you can not only make this banana bread, but deepen your baking knowledge as a whole. 🍌
White Whole Wheat Flour: Made from hard white wheat berries, this flour gives us all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat with a lighter, less bitter taste than traditional red wheat flour. If using red wheat flour instead, combine 127 grams of whole wheat flour with 144 grams of all-purpose flour for the perfect texture.
Leavening (Baking Powder & Baking Soda): This dynamic duo not only creates our beautifully domed loaf, but also promotes that gorgeous golden-brown caramelization we love so much on the top and sides of our banana bread.
Kosher Salt: More than just a flavor enhancer, salt is crucial in developing proper gluten structure and bringing out the complex sweetness of our ripe bananas. It also helps balance the natural sugars and creates depth in our final loaf.
Butter: We use melted butter here for good reason – when combined with sugar early in the mixing process, it helps create a tender crumb and adds richness. Vegan butter works beautifully too, making this recipe adaptable for all bakers.
Granulated Sugar: Working in harmony with our ripe bananas, the sugar doesn’t just sweeten – it helps create that gorgeous golden-brown crust and contributes to the bread’s moist, tender texture.
Flax Eggs: Just like chicken eggs, flax eggs provide structure and binding through their protein content, while also adding moisture to create that perfect banana bread texture. When ground flax seeds mix with water, they create a gel-like structure that mimics the proteins in egg whites, giving us the same wonderful results. This makes them a perfect swap for traditional eggs in our recipe.
Chicken Eggs (Alternative): Not into flax eggs? No worries! Three room-temperature eggs work perfectly here – just make sure they’re room temperature before mixing.
Vanilla: Whether you choose extract or fresh vanilla bean, this ingredient amplifies the banana flavor and adds wonderful aromatic complexity to our bread.
Milk: From whole milk to oat milk, your choice adds moisture and proteins that help create that perfect tender crumb. Each type brings its own subtle flavor notes to the final loaf.
White Vinegar: When combined with milk, it creates a DIY buttermilk that’s actually more acidic than store-bought buttermilk, which means it tenderizes our whole wheat flour even better! Skip the store-bought buttermilk here – our homemade version brings the perfect level of acidity for the most tender banana bread texture.
Maple Syrup (Optional): More than just sweetness, maple syrup brings incredible depth and complexity to our banana bread, while helping maintain that perfect moist texture. Its caramel notes create an amazing flavor harmony with our ripe bananas that’s truly worth the splurge.
Ripe Bananas: While you can “ripen” bananas in the oven, naturally ripened bananas (from heavily spotted to completely black) provide the best, most complex banana flavor. They don’t just provide sweetness – they’re crucial for that perfect, moist texture we all love in banana bread.
Nuts (Optional): Whether you choose pecans or walnuts, they add a delightful textural contrast and nutty flavor that complements the banana perfectly. But feel free to skip them for a nut-free version – this bread is delicious either way!
Banana Extract/Liqueur (Optional): This secret ingredient can boost the banana flavor, especially if your bananas aren’t quite as ripe as you’d like. It’s optional but adds an extra layer of banana goodness.
Techniques Used in this Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Working with whole wheat can make even seasoned bakers question their abilities. Fear not, lovely BB! I’ve created a how-to video to help you see the important textures and techniques that I use in this recipe.
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Want more guidance on techniques after watching this video? Check out these amazing posts on the BwB site!
- Sifting: Quick Technique, Huge Impact
- Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
- Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
- Flax Eggs: A Multi-Tool for Vegan Baking
- The Role of Eggs in Your Baked Goods
- The Science of Sugar
These resources will help you go forward with confidence as you make this incredible recipe. They will help you make this banana bread your absolute favorite banana bread recipe of all time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep this banana bread from becoming really dense?
Whole wheat flour contains nutrients (yay!) that can make anything more toothy and dense. Indeed, that’s part of whole wheat flour’s charm! It’s also why I’ve chosen whole wheat flour as the star of the show during healthy-ish January!
To avoid this loaf becoming dense or heavy, just remember that gentle is the name of the game once you mix the wet and dry ingredients. The more you work the flour, the more gluten development you’ll get, and the more dense and chewy you’ll make the bread. Additionally, once the bananas are added, make sure to gently fold them into the batter, so that you don’t accidentally over-mix that flour!
Slow, gentle, steady mixing is key.
Are these healthy? Or just “healthy-ish”?
This banana bread is healthy-ish. While it uses a healthier flour and offers options for flax eggs, vegan butter and oat milk, it still uses wheat flour and sugar. This isn’t a diet food, but it’s part of a balanced diet, and it’s designed to help you feel full longer than a traditional piece of banana bread would, while absolutely hitting all the right delicious notes that will keep you from feeling deprived.
Got more questions? Feel free to send an email to bakingbestie@beginwithbutter.com and you’ll get a real answer from a real person! We’re here to help you improve your baking knowledge so that you can be a more confident baker with all of your future bakes!
The Recipe
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Whole Wheat Banana Bread
This 100% Whole Wheat Banana Bread won’t just be your favorite “whole wheat” anything…it is destined to become your absolute favorite banana bread ever.
Ingredients
- 255 grams (2 1/4 cups) white whole wheat flour (if using red whole wheat flour, do 127 grams whole wheat flour and 144 grams all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 114 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (vegan butter also works well!)
- 1/2 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon banana extract or banana liqueur (optional, but works well if your bananas are not yet super ripe or if you want to add a more sweet banana flavor)
- 3 tablespoons flax meal, hulls sifted out (see note about flax eggs and chicken eggs)
- 90 grams (6 tablespoons) water (in lieu of flax meal and water, you can also use 3 large chicken eggs, room temperature)
- 188 grams whole milk (you can also use 2% milk or oat milk)
- 23 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) white vinegar
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) pure maple syrup (optional)
- 313 grams (1 1/4 cups) ripe mashed bananas (about 2–3 large bananas)
- 55 grams (1/2 cup) pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to a true 350°F. An oven thermometer will help you determine where you need to set your oven in order to reach this true temperature.
- Place butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt until just liquefied and allow to cool.
- Add sifted flax meal and water to a small bowl. Stir well to combine. Allow to sit for about ten minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. (Want to learn more about flax eggs? Check out this blog post!)
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl or deli cup. Allow to sit for ten minutes to “sour”. It will curdle and that’s desirable! The more curdling the better!
- Place bananas in a small bowl or deli cup. Use a fork to mash bananas together. The chunkiness level is up to you! (I’m a medium chunky banana girl, myself)
- Sift together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add sugar, butter, pure vanilla extract (or vanilla beans), and banana liqueur (if using) to a medium bowl. Stir together until the mix is fully combined, the extracts are distributed evenly, and the mixture is slightly lighter in color.
- Add flax eggs, soured milk, and maple syrup (if using) to the butter/sugar mixture. Gently whisk together until the ingredients are fully combined. Do not mix too aggressively, as you will cause gluten formation and tough, chewy banana bread.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently whisk together until the ingredients are fully combined. Do not mix too aggressively, as you will cause gluten formation and tough, chewy banana bread. together until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl during mixing so that there is no unmixed flour.
- Fold the bananas and nuts (if using) into the batter until evenly distributed. The batter will be very chunky at this point. ❤️
- Spray loaf pan with baking spray and brush the pan to distribute the spray.
- Add the batter to the loaf pan and place into the oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and beautifully domed. Remove from the oven test for doneness: perfect doneness is 210°F.
- Allow the loaf to rest in the muffin pan for 5-7 minutes, then remove immediately to a cooling rack. Allow the banana bread to cool fully before cutting, as the banana flavors will deepen upon resting. (This is a great make-ahead recipe; you can make the day before and get perfect flavor on the second day!)
- Once fully cooled, slice into individual servings and freeze leftovers for up to two months. To reheat: place a slice of banana bread in the microwave for 45-60 seconds on 70% heat. Then, heat at 10-second intervals on 100% power until the desired temperature is reached.
Equipment
Buy Now → Conclusion: It’s Not Just My Favorite “Whole Wheat Banana Bread”
There’s a common misconception that choosing whole wheat means compromising on taste or texture – that somehow, choosing a “healthier” option means accepting less satisfaction. But this banana bread completely shatters that myth. With its perfectly moist crumb, deep banana flavor enhanced by maple syrup and vanilla, and that gorgeous golden-brown crust, this isn’t just a “good whole wheat banana bread” – it’s become my absolute favorite banana bread, period.
Whether you’re enjoying a slice warm from the toaster oven for breakfast, serving it to friends at coffee, or wrapping it up as a heartfelt homemade gift, this recipe proves that wholesome ingredients can create something truly extraordinary. This is the kind of recipe that becomes a kitchen staple, the one your family requests by name, and the one that’ll fill your home with the most incredible aroma every time you bake it. It’s not just a healthier alternative – it’s simply the best version of banana bread I’ve ever made, and I hope you make splendid memories while enjoying this special classic.
Don’t forget to tag @beginwithbutter on Instagram when you make this tremendous recipe so that I can celebrate your baking wins with you! Got questions? You can always email me at bakingbestie@beginwithbutter.com and get a real answer from a real person!
See you next time, BB!