This healthier banana bread is so moist and soft. You only need 4 ingredients to make it and it doesn’t contain any eggs, refined sugar, butter or oil. It only takes about five minutes to prepare and then it’s ready to bake.
This quick and easy banana bread has been on a regular rotation in my house. I love that the bread is so moist and soft and not too sweet.
Ingredients
- Bananas
- Cottage cheese
- Maple syrup
- Self-rising flour
Bananas: This recipe works best with overripe bananas which have more moisture and sweetness.
Cottage cheese: I recommend using whole milk 4% cottage cheese. Low fat cottage cheese is more watery and will add too much moisture to the bread.
Maple syrup: A little maple syrup is used to sweeten the bread.
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is a flour blend that already contains a leavening agent. You can also make your own self-rising flour with all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
How to Make Healthier Banana Bread
- The bananas, cottage cheese, and syrup to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and fold in the flour with a spatula.
- Transfer batter to your prepared baking pan. Bake until done.
Texture
This bread has a similar crumb to classic banana bread, which is more like a cake-type quick bread. It is not quite as sweet as classic banana bread.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to only fold in the flour with a spatula. This will prevent overworking the batter which can make the bread tough or dense.
- You can reduce the amount of maple syrup to 1/2 cup if you are trying to lower the amount of sugar in the bread.
More Healthier Banana Recipes
- 4 Ingredient Healthier Chocolate Banana Cake
- 4 Ingredient Healthy Banana Donuts
- 3 Ingredient Healthy Banana Brownies
4 Ingredient Healthier Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large (436 g) overripe bananas see note
- 1/2 cup (123 g) cottage cheese 4%
- 1/2 cup -3/4 cup (4-6 fl oz/118-177 ml) maple syrup depending on sweetness preference
- 2 1/2 cups (329 g) self-rising flour see note before starting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Add the bananas, cottage cheese and maple syrup to a blender. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Add the self-rising flour to a large mixing bowl and pour the blended mixture over the flour. Gently fold the flour into the wet mixture using a silicone spatula until the flour is incorporated and no dry flour streaks remain. Do your best not to overmix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When you apply light pressure to the surface of the bread, it should also bounce back.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Store uneaten banana bread in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Banana note: It's best to measure the bananas with a scale. If you don't own a scale, you can mash the bananas and add approximately 1.75 cups + 1 tbsp of mashed bananas to your blender. 436 grams is the weight of peeled bananas.
- Maple syrup note: If you only want the bread lightly sweet, you can use 1/2 cup of maple syrup. For more sweetness, add 3/4 cup maple syrup. My current favorite maple syrup to use is Member's Mark Organic Maple syrup.* It's one of the most affordable I've seen and it is organic.
- Self-rising flour note: There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: If you don't have self-rising flour you can also make homemade self-rising flour. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill which will not work well for this recipe.
- Combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 4 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 tsp salt. Whisk together until evenly combined. Measure out 2.5 cups for the recipe.
- Nutrition estimate assumes 1/2 cup of maple syrup used.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Would it be okay to add either walnuts or pecans to this recipe?
We haven’t tested that but it should work just fine! Let us know if you give it a try!
This is nice l like it. Good deliciuos food.
Thank you! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe!
Hi! I am so grateful for these recipes! The cost of eggs are outrageous, but your website is helping me to scale back on unwanted calories.
Thank you for all you do!
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