This healthier Greek Yogurt Banana Bread is made without butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! Naturally sweetened and loaded with banana flavour, it makes a great healthier alternative to a traditional favourite!
I realized an embarrassing thing the other day. Well, two embarrassing things.
The first was that I somehow managed to miss a few patches when I was shaving my right leg. Which wouldn’t have been horrible had I not had someone else point it out to me two days after the fact. Awkward.
The second was that, for how much I adore it, I don’t really have any banana bread recipes here on Spoons. I mean, I do, but I basically posted them as recipes in passing without really giving them the kind of attention they deserved. So it’s time to rectify that mistake…
Banana bread is one of two three sweet treats that hold a special place in my heart — the other two being chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and Black Forest cake. And if you’re wondering what those three things could possibly have in common, the answer is: almost nothing other than the fact that they’re delicious and basically epitomize my childhood. Well, the homemade baked goodie portion of my childhood, anyways.
I’ve been baking for pretty much as long as I can remember, and almost all of those early baking memories involve hanging out in the kitchen and “helping” Mom make one of the aforementioned treats, with cookies being the most common, Black Forest happening for every.single special occasion, and the elusive banana bread making an appearance on the off-chance that we had some ripe bananas lying around… which wasn’t really that often.
I actually remember not believing my mom when she said that we couldn’t make banana bread because the bananas weren’t ripe enough. My little 7 year-old self saw yellow bananas on the counter and couldn’t understand what more my mom wanted from them. Bananas were bananas… weren’t they? It wasn’t until many years later when I realized that there actually was a huge difference in not only the sweetness, but the texture that properly ripe bananas add to whatever you throw them in. Not to mention the increased health benefits.
Anywho, maybe it’s because it was such a rare occurrence, or maybe it’s because it’s just plain delicious, but banana bread secured one of the coveted top 3 spots in my heart, and it continues to hold that spot to this day. Which makes the fact that I couldn’t even remember the last time I had a slice of it that much more embarrassing…
But like I said… it’s been rectified.
I originally posted a slightly modified version of this recipe a couple years ago, but it pretty much got lost in the archives since I wasn’t serious about food blogging at that point, and had no idea about photography, SEO, social media promotion, etc… which is a shame because it’s really kind of amazing. And by “really kind of amazing” I mean it’s easily my favourite recipe for healthy banana bread.
Soft, tender, subtly sweet, and loaded with banana flavour, you’d never be able to tell that this banana bread is made without butter or oil. Instead, it’s got Greek yogurt to keep it moist, with an extra egg and some coconut sugar to help out.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but you’d be fine cutting that down to 1/3 cup if you like your breads a little less sweet. And this is especially true if you were planning on tossing in some chocolate chips. I like my banana bread without any add-ins, so I passed on the chocolate (I know, I know) and played around with the sweetness instead. Both versions were delicious — it really depends on how sweet you like it!
Happy eating!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium-sized ripe bananas (200 g or 1 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
- Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips/raisins/nuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC), and lightly grease a 9 x 5 (23cm x 13cm) loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until the yolks break apart. Whisk in the mashed bananas, yogurt, maple syrup, and sugar (if using), mixing until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined. Do not overmix. If you’re adding any mix-ins, fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
* You can also use coconut sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Recipe was edited in March 2020 but reverted to original by popular demand.
Looking for more healthy banana recipes? Try one of these!
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
Flourless Banana Bread Muffins
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
Flourless Vegan Banana Muffins
Flourless Chocolate Banana Bread
I had been looking for a healthy, simple, yet still delicious banana bread recipe for quite some time, and yours is absolutely amazing. I’ve made it twice in the past few weeks and will definitely continue to do so. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! 😊
PS- For some reason it won’t let me rate this, but 5 stars for sure!
I’m so glad you liked it, Natalie! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
This is what i was looking for, I just need to decorate it little and this is perfect for tonight 🙂
I tried making this banana bread last night. I was so excited because it looked so yummy on your blog. I stuck a toothpick in it.and it came out clean. After it cooled I sliced a piece and it was good. Them later I went to slice another piece and noticed the rest of it looked raw inside. It mostly looked like raw banana. The only thing I can think of is it was slightly over 1 cup of banana I used. Any ideas as to what happened?
I have been trying to make healthier choices with my diet so when I found this recipe I was super excited to try it. However, when made this recipe tonight it didn’t cook in the middle. I followed directions to a “T” and uses a metal loaf pan. Any suggestion on what happened and how to fix it?
Hello! I have a tried and true banana bread recipe but it is full of refined sugar and oil. Although it is tasty, I wanted to try a healthier recipe and came across this one. I made the recipe as follows. I decided to omit the brown sugar and add chocolate chips. I baked in a muffin tin for 22 minutes. The muffins were very good, moist on the inside just the right amount of sweetness. My 10 year old loved them! It’s a great recipe and I will be making it again . Thank you!
I tried this banana bread recipe and it tastes just awesome. I also recommend everyone to try this recipe at least one time you will love it.
Thanks for sharing these recipes.
So i made this recipe today, here is my experience.
4 bananas, therefore doubled everything. The batter was *super* thick so I used milk to thin it out enough to mix. It made three muffins short of 2 dozen, bake time 17 min. 4/5 kids said it was good but likes my first banana recipe better. 1/5 said they hated it. I think it could be more moist but overall it’s a nice recipe.
I am glad I found this recipe because with my go-to, it calls for applesauce and I don’t have any in the house! I’d run to the store but it’s storming bad right now.
I don’t normally do breads, I do muffins. How long would you think to bake them for?
HI Amanda,
I just want to let you know that I’ve been using this recipe for years now and it comes out perfect every time! It’s so quick, effortless and scores compliments every time. When I don’t have maple syrup handy I use just brown sugar but it comes out just as good. Over the years I’ve tried with different type of yogurts – baking with the thinner versions just need a wee bit more cooking time (but oh the lovely crisp crust!) As additions go my favourites are walnuts and a bit of vanilla extract 🙂
THANK YOU!
– R.
Hi Amanda,
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I was just wondering: Would you say that honey would be an okay substitute for syrup for this recipe, as well as white sugar instead of brown sugar? I also was thinking of adding a little vanilla extract; what do you think?
Thank you!
-Maria
I made this loaf and only added 1tbsp of the “brown sugar” but instead I used raw sugar. I also used a GF flour blend and I have to say a lot of times my breads done rise but this was AMAZING. Definetly the best banana bread I’ve made and it’s going to be my go to. If you want to see it you can go to my Instagram @bakingsam where I posted a picture of the final result. Thanks for he great recipe
I always have a problem with banana bread baking all the way through–the edges get brown but the middle (especially that “poof” that rises in the middle) is gloopy and takes forever to bake! My loaf ended up a deep, dark brown all the way through with very a very crispy and crunchy crust. But it tastes very good! I used honey instead of syrup and no brown sugar, but plenty of chocolate chips yumm 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julia! Honey actually browns a lot faster than other sweeteners, which is probably what contributed to the darker colour. And do you bake in a glass dish? Because I know those can actually contribute to loaves not cooking properly in the middle and getting too crisp on the outside.
In an earlier reply, you mentioned to sub out maple syrup using honey. If so, do you suggest the same quantity of honey, more or less?
It would be the same amount.
Tried this recipe and the bread is DELICIOUS! This is going to be great for a quick breakfast with some yogurt in the morning! Thanks, Amanda!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jocelyn!
This banana bread is delicious!! I used oat flour and left out the maple syrup. It was light and fluffy and just sweet enough. Thank you!
This is delicious! I love it warm, with some fresh fruit and yogurt. Thank you for your recipe 🙂
Could i replace the maple syrup with honey?
You definitely can, Sarah.
Hi Amanda! Absolutely LOVE this recipe!! This is the second time I’m making this…the first time my kids devoured it!! I did add spices to it though and it tasted delicious! I was wondering how packed pumpkin would do well and how much? Thank you!
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Wilma! For pumpkin, I would do 1 cup of puree, so about 240 g. I actually have a really similar recipe that uses pumpkin that you could try! – http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2016/08/30/one-bowl-greek-yogurt-pumpkin-bread/
Absolutely love that this recipe is low sugar! Do you have to drain the greek yogurt? Going to make this soon since I have tons of ripe bananas in the freezer!
Nope not at all, Melinda! Just use it straight from the tub.
Hi, i’ve already tried making it. It’really delicious! but I wonder how long can I keep it? I wanna give it to my friend in next 3 days ><
It should keep fine at room temperature for about 5 days, Eve.
The conversion of 1 1/2 cups flour to 180g is wrong!! Only realised this after I made the banana bread…and wondered why it was so gooey! Oops! Think it should be 360g? Just in case any one else was going by the gram measurements!
Hi Lauren, most websites actually state that 1 cup of flour is 120g, and I use a food scale when measuring out my own recipes, so 180g is correct. I’m sorry yours didn’t come out properly, but it might have been because your bananas were larger, you have a gas oven, you used a glass baking dish, or you just needed to leave it in a little bit longer. I always put a toothpick into the centre to make sure it’s cooked all the way through, and if not, I just leave it in longer.
Hi Amanda! Can I use 0% fat Greek yougurt?
Thanks
Yup! That should be fine, Rachele 🙂
Hello, Love your blog. Can I use whole wheat flour instead of All purpose flour?
Hi Bridget, the texture might be a little bit different, but several readers have commented that they used whole wheat flour with great results. I hope you like it!
It actually came out perfect. Tried it yesterday. Thanks. Great work..
I made this last weekend and it was delicious! I made a couple tweaks: I used whole wheat flour, three ripe bananas, about a 1/2 cup (real) maple syrup, and a bunch of chopped walnuts/pecans. Using more maple syrup, I was able to cut out the processed sugar completely, and the extra banana added additional sweetness as well. My husband who isn’t even a huge banana bread fan loved it. This will be my go-to recipe from now on!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it, Rachel! And thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and share your substitution tips – I’m sure other readers will find it helpful!
Dear Amanda,
This bread is so perfect, thank you for this amazing recipe. My husband doesn’t like sweets like this but when he tasted it he said the same mmm this is perfect where did you buy it:-) I make this almost every day that is how much my family likes it. I can’t wait to try other recipies from your website.
That’s so awesome, Kinga! I’m so glad your family loved it – thanks for sharing!
Finally got a chance to make this today and it turned out great…loved it since there’s no butter!!!
My mom doesn’t take sugar well…diabetic, so she tries to find recipes that are low in butter and sugar. Would you know if the recipe would be okay if all sugars were to be left out? I was afraid if the 1/4 cup of maple syrup was left out it would be drier. Any suggestions?
Hi May! If you don’t mind that it won’t come out as sweet, you could probably replace the syrup with an equal amount of applesauce, or an extra half a banana.
Cool….thanks!
Just wanted to add…that I replaced the regular flour w/all whole wheat and left out the added brown sugar (which is dependent on each and everyone’s sweet tooth)…..but the banana bread turned out great still.
Thanks again!!!! Sending out loads of smiles…..
That’s really great to know! Thanks, May 🙂
Can I replace the maple syrup with same amount of raw honey?
Definitely!