We have been making this whole wheat banana bread for years and it never fails to disappoint. It’s made in one bowl and filled with chocolate chips, nuts and shredded coconut. It is delicious!
Banana bread is one of those things that goes over really well, anytime, anywhere. And the smell of fresh baked banana bread may be the best thing in the world…. right up there next to the smell of rain!
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We try to keep bananas on hand with the hopes that some of them will get overripe so we can make delicious banana treats. Moist whole wheat banana bread is definitely at the top of that list, but some other recipes we love that use overripe bananas are banana muffins, banana snack cake, chocolate banana muffins (out of this world 🤤), and yogurt banana cake.
When we don’t have bananas on hand for making this whole wheat banana nut bread recipe, you can find us making other quick breads like this delicious blueberry bread or whole wheat pumpkin bread.
What's Cool About This Recipe
- 100% Whole Grain: As with all our recipes, this banana bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour.
- Great banana flavor: If you use extra ripe bananas the sweet banana flavor really comes through.
- Has extra goodies: We have loaded this up with chocolate chips, nuts and shredded coconut. You can do them all or pick which ones you like or leave them all out. It’s up to you.
Is banana bread good for you
Whether banana bread is good for you or not will come down to personal opinion. We believe that banana bread made with wholesome ingredients like less processed sugar and whole grain flour is good for you, or at least way better for you than banana bread made with all purpose flour and highly refined sugar.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Whole white wheat flour: You can use fresh milled flour from hard white wheat or high quality store bought white whole wheat flour. Whole spelt flour also works great.
- Sugar: We like to use organic cane sugar like florida crystals. You can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar or sucanat.
- Salt: Sea salt or fine textured salt
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Over-ripe Bananas: Make sure the bananas are very ripe (soft with lots of brown spots) to get a rich banana flavor.
- Oil: Avocado oil and light olive oil are our go-to’s but any neutral flavored oil will do.
- Eggs
- Milk: We use cows milk but you can also use plant milk.
- Walnuts or Pecans: To make this banana nut bread we like walnuts or pecans, whichever we have on hand.
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips: We like using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips but you can use whatever you like.
- Shredded Coconut (optional): When we do coconut we use unsweetened shredded coconut.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Loaf pan
- Whisk
Variations
- Make frosted banana bread.
- Bake mini banana loaves: This recipe will make 2-3 mini loaves. Baking time will be around 35-45 minutes, depending on the size of your pans and how full they are.
- To make low sugar banana bread reduce the amount of sugar to ⅓ cup.
Instructions
In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add the wet ingredients (including the mashed banana) and stir until combined.
Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut.
Pour the batter into a greased or parchment lined loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serving Suggestions
Banana bread is great eaten on its own but, here are a few serving ideas.
- Toasted slices with butter (our favorite 😋)
- Serve for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt or eggs
- Use it for a dessert base and top it with ice cream
- Frost the top with chocolate cream cheese frosting
Storage
Store the cooled loaf in an airtight container or resealable bag.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Wrap the loaf (sliced or unsliced) tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap. Place into a resealable freezer bag or wrap with aluminum foil or freezer paper. Label and freeze for up to 3-4 months. To thaw, remove the wrapping and cover lightly, let set at room temperature to thaw. Store in an airtight container or bag after thawing.
Tips From Our Kitchen
Use well ripened bananas, please don’t even attempt this recipe with yellow bananas 😁.
A thin knife or wooden skewer works better than a toothpick to test for doneness.
Mash the bananas really well. Using a fork or an electric hand beater works well.
FAQ
You will usually need 2-4 medium bananas for one loaf of banana bread, depending on the recipe you use. Our recipe uses 2 bananas.
Absolutely, banana bread is one of the easiest, and yummiest things to make with whole wheat flour.
Bananas should be soft, with lots of brown spots, or completely brown to use in banana bread and other banana baked goods.
As long as there is no mold or funny smell then black bananas are perfectly fine to use.
Take note that you may need more bananas because as they ripen they lose volume. So a large banana that has ripened to the point that it is black in color will probably only be about ¼-⅓ cup when mashed, whereas a large banana that is soft and brown will probably be about ½ cup mashed.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (192 g) White whole wheat flour hard white wheat
- ½ cup (105 g) Organic cane sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Mashed ripe Bananas 2 medium/large bananas
- ½ cup (108 g) Oil avocado or light olive oil
- 2 large Eggs
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) Milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
- ⅓ cup Chocolate Chips
- ⅓ cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened) optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the center.
- Stir the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.1½ cups (192 g) White whole wheat flour, ½ cup (105 g) Organic cane sugar, ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined.1 cup Mashed ripe Bananas, ½ cup (108 g) Oil, 2 large Eggs, 3 tablespoons (45 g) Milk, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Fold in the chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut.⅓ cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans, ⅓ cup Chocolate Chips, ⅓ cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)
- Pour the batter into a 9x5 inch or an 8x4 inch loaf pan that has been greased or lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes for a 9×5 inch and 60-70 for an 8×4 inch or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out barely clean. Let rest in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!