A delicious loaf of banana bread with no added sugar. This fruit-sweetened banana bread is great for breakfast or a snack, served with butter or your favorite nut butter. Plus, there’s a gluten-free and vegan option!
This banana bread is one of the most popular recipes on Nourished by Caroline and it just got a makeover! Don’t worry, it’s the same recipe that you love.
If you’ve been making this recipe for years, you’ll notice that I added new photos, including many step-by-step photos (something that had been requested!). I also added a few extra notes to the recipe to make it easier to follow.
If this recipe is new to you, I hope you’ll love it! See why it’s been a favorite on the blog since I first posted it in 2017.
It turns out that banana bread can be perfectly sweetened with bananas only. Now, I should specify that this bread is NOT sweet enough to be considered dessert for most of us. It is however, perfectly sweetened to be eaten at breakfast or as a snack with a thin (or thick) layer of sunflower seed butter, peanut butter, almond butter, jam and/or margarine/butter. Think of it as eating a sweeter version of toasts in the morning. I must say, it’s also delicious eaten on its own and it does taste sweeter once it’s cooled off – It’s still delicious eaten warm with melted butter.
The best part about this recipe, other than the fact that it’s sweetened with fruits, is that it’s highly versatile! Here are several variations that have been tried with success:
Each variation had slightly different results, but all were perfectly delicious! The only noticeable difference was that the egg-free version, the buckwheat version and the all-purpose gluten-free version all rose a little less. Really, it’s not a big deal and it tastes just as good to me and my recipe testers (my old roommate and Shaun of course). My go-to version nowadays is the vegan option with whole wheat flour and olive oil, but it all depends on what I have on hand.
If you’re wondering: Yes, I tried all of these variations and yes, I made this recipe more times than I can count.
Here are the simple steps to help you make a delicious fruit-sweetened banana bread.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a loaf pan with oil or butter/margarine or line with parchment paper.
Add the mashed bananas, milk, oil, vanilla and egg (if using) in a bowl and stir until combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to a different bowl (or you can make this a one-bowl recipe). Stir to combine.
Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Don’t overmix!
Transfer the mixture to the grease loaf pan. You can also top the loaf with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts or a sliced banana if desired. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing.
You can easily make this recipe into 12 muffins! Simply bake them 20-25 minutes at 350°F. Every oven is different. You can check the muffins after 18 minutes. They’ll be ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You can also try these lightly sweetened chocolate chip banana muffins.
Yes! To make this recipe vegan, replace the egg with 2 additional tablespoons of milk. You don’t need to use a flax egg as the bananas add the needed moisture.
Yes! Replace the flour with the same amount of light buckwheat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour. I recommend using this 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.
And if you want a sweeter muffin recipe, check out these chocolate chip banana muffins.
If you make this banana bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
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View Comments
How lovely is this!! And I adore the idea of leaving out the sugar and just letting the banana flavor steal the flavor show. It is funny how we add sugar to everything baked without even thinking, but subtly sweet breads are just as delicious. And breakfast perfect :) The texture looks wonderful, I really really love these pics too!
Thank you Natalie! It definitely doesn't need the sugar and like you said, it makes for a perfect breakfast bread. :) You could also add chocolate chips for a little treat!
Just made this. I used only oat flour for the flour component and was a bit scared how it would turn out, but it is so good! ? I'm so stoked to have found a sugar-free banana bread recipe. Thanks Caroline!
Hi Celia,
That's great, I'm so happy that it worked out! Thank you for letting me know, I'll be sure to note it in the recipe. Enjoy! :)
Thank you so much, Natalie. I just made this with wholemeal flour and it is so light and delicious! I was worried I had over-mixed as it took a fair bit of stirring to incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients but it is perfect and so moist with a lovely texture. It’s so great to see a recipe without added sugar or even syrup or honey, which I usually leave out anyway. Simple to make too. I added chopped walnuts on top and covered lightly with foil after about 30 minutes. Will be making this every time I have ripe bananas, and probably more often!
Hi Julie, that's so good to hear! Thank you for the feedback, I'm so happy you liked it. I just happened to have some for breakfast this morning. :) Enjoy!
Thank you for this versatile recipe! It ticks all the boxes for me - Gluten-free, sugar-free and eggless. I used GF flour, unsweetened coconut milk, added some raisins and it turned out absolutely delicious. A keeper for sure! Next time, I'd try replacing ½ cup flour with Oats as suggested. Just wondering is 1 cup = 250ml?
I'm so happy you loved the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. And yes, 1 cup is equal to 250ml. I haven't tried gluten-free flour specifically with the oats (I tried it using whole wheat and spelt flours), but it's definitely worth a try! :)
Vraiment bon Caro ! Même mes parents ont aimé !!! :D
J'adore essayer tes recette !!
Ahh merci, je suis contente d'entendre ça! :D C'est une de mes préféré, enjoy!
Just made this with half wholemeal flour, half buckwheat flour, and I swapped 1 banana for mashed pumpkin. So delish and truly moist! Love it warm, slathered with butter ? Will be making it again, maybe as muffins with some walnuts or dark choc chips.
Hi Erica, I'm so happy you like it! Thank you for sharing your modifications, I love the sound of pumpkin in there. :)
Hi! Do you have the macro nutrients for each slice? I love the sugar free aspect of the recipe and count my macros so would love to be able to include this in my daily regiment. Thanks!
Hi Dan, sorry, but I only have the calories for this recipe. It's 180 calories per slice (using the portion indicated in the recipe). Sorry for the inconvenience. I'd recommend using a recipe analyzer, such as My Fitness Pal! :)
Hello. Would you suggest adding a little xanthan gum if making the gluten free all purpose flour from scratch? Or have you tried it without it with good results?
Thanks so much.
Amber
Hi Amber, my roommate back then tried it without xanthan gum and it turned out well (I believe she just used the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour). It rose a little less, but the texture and taste were good from what I remember. That being said, gluten-free baking is not my area of expertise. If you want to try it with xanthan gum, you can, but I can't guide you on amounts. Sorry!
I love your recipes and this banana bread one especially! I've made it quite a few times now, it's definitely become my go to! Sometimes I throw in some shredded coconut or some blueberries if I've got them kicking around. Yesterday I made it and put a small swirl of date caramel on top. I know, it defeats the low-sugar aspect - but that date caramel was just staring at me, asking to be included :) Thanks again for all your lovely, sugar free & vegan options on your site!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for the lovely comment. I'm happy to hear that you love the recipe! Date caramel sounds like a great idea, I'm not against a little treat. ;) Thank you again and enjoy.
Hey, Caroline! I tried it (with buckwheat flour) and I loved it! I'm so happy because I medically cannot eat gluten or sugar and this time of year I have so many cravings for like muffins and other sweets. :) Ty so much for the recipe!
Hi Sarah! Thank you, I'm so happy you liked it! Enjoy. :)
Hi. Looks lovely. Can I use a flax egg?
There is the option to omit the egg and use additional milk for an egg-free version. You don't need to use a flax egg. If you want to try the flax egg, it may work, but I've never tried it myself. Hope this helps!
A genius idea for a recipe! I have shared this recipe with a lot of my clients and have received nothing but positive feedback. I enjoy this recipe a lot as well!
Thank you so much Catherine! It makes me so happy that your patients are loving the recipe. :)
I can't believe I hadn't made these before! These were amazing . I might have eaten the whole thing in one day..because it was just too good. Thanks for another great recipe!
I'm so happy you loved it Danica! Thank you for the sweet comment. :)
Five star rating!
Using this particular recipe to say how much I appreciate your whole blog, your recipes, your story - has helped me so much. I was so relieved to find your blog because it seems to be the only one out there of its kind (I follow the same dietary restrictions). This recipe is such a winner it's crazy! Love love love. Thank you.
Hi Gabby, thank you so much for the sweet comment, it means a lot! I'm so happy to hear you're loving the recipes. I certainly found it hard to find fruit-sweetened recipes before I started the blog, so I love to share my experiments with others. Thanks again and have a great weekend!
Looks awesome! I would make this vegan, but I was wondering if I could leave out of subsitute the oil?
Thanks.
PS: Just wanted to let you know I’m from Belgium, I think it’s nice to hear that there are people from all over the world visiting your blog and Instagram! ;)
Hi Olivia, I never made it without oil, but you could try substituting the oil for applesauce? I can't guarantee it will work, but if you try it, let me know how it turns out! You're not the only person who asked, so I may have to try it next time too. :)
And I love to hear that people from around the world are visiting! Hello from Canada!
Had regular buckwheat flour on hand , extra almond milk to replace the egg and regular unsweetened applesauce to replace the oil and it came out delicious, just very dark from the buckwheat. Love your website !
Hi Trenda! Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm so happy to hear it turned out well with the substitutions. Enjoy. :)
Hi Caroline! I was so excited to find this recipe and your website in general. I am unable to eat sugar and can only have a very low amount of fat. I absolutely love baking and was so depressed, thinking that because of these restrictions that I wouldn’t be able to bake anymore. But now I see that I can! And this is something that both I and my kids (who are not on a restricted diet) will be able to enjoy. May I ask if you have the nutrition information for this bread? I keep track of everything I eat so that would be very helpful.
Hi Nicky, I'm so happy you found my recipes! I hope they'll help. I actually don't include calories for my recipes as it's not something I personally encourage. However, I completely understand that it's important for some. From a previous calculation, one slice would have about 184 calories, based on the number of portions indicated in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Can I replace the oil with applesauce?