Healthy yet indulgent, this yummy bread makes the perfect sweet tooth satisfier!
Have your bananas browned? Think twice before tossing them in the trash! This Olive Oil Honey Banana Bread gives you the perfect opportunity to make use of overripe fruit. Our recipe abandons butter and refined sweeteners. Instead, it uses 100% clean, feel-good ingredients like honey, olive oil, and whole-wheat flour.
Cinnamon adds incredible warmth and subtle sweetness to the decadent loaf while promoting stable blood sugar levels. Olive oil delivers incredible moistness to each slice and offers a host of health benefits. Throw in chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips for crunchy, chocolatey deliciousness. Healthy yet indulgent, this yummy bread makes the perfect sweet tooth satisfier!
Olive Oil Honey Banana Bread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 brown bananas overripe, peeled and mashed with potato masher
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 egg large, beaten
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup clean eating dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until well combined.
- In a separate large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon, until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Fold in walnuts and/or chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick or the tip of a knife come out clean.
- Allow to cool in loaf pan on rack before slicing.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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Adore the banana bread? Have some healthy tips and tricks to share with the SkinnyMs. community? Leave a comment in the section below.
Would regular all purpose white flour work?
Yes! Regular four will work just fine.
No olive oil quaratined. No oli at all. Can I use butter
Unfortunately the oil is needed for this recipe.
Super yummy & moist. Easy to put together as well. I only had two “fresh” ripe banana so I added one that I had frozen & that worked great. Just mashed it with the other two. Did add the walnuts & chocolate chips (my husband & teenage son would say those are “essential”. Thanx!
Syndie, My husband too. :). Glad you and family enjoy the banana bread recipe.
Can you use just whole wheat flour vs white whole wheat?
Windy, Yes you can. 🙂
Can I use gluten free 1 to 1 flour?
Mary, Bob’s Red mill 1:1 should be fine. I have not tried it yet but would love to hear how well it works.
Can a diabetic with high cholesterol eat this cake?
I can’t say for certain as we do not give medical advice. Please check with your doctor. 🙂
I just saw this recipe for Olive oil Honey Banana Bread, however I do not see the points for 1 slice, it makes 12 slices per loaf. I am on Blue. Thanks
Hi Pat, one serving of this bread is 8 points. For our recipes we only provide Freestyle points.
Can coconut or grapeseed oil be used instead of olive oil?
Maggie, Sure can!
Can I use almond flour instead? Thanks!
Almond flour in place of the 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour:
Use about the same volume (1 ½ cups almond flour), but
Add 2–3 tablespoons coconut flour or 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed to help absorb liquid and provide some structure.
Consider adding 1 extra egg (or egg white) to help bind the batter.
🧁 What to Expect
The bread will be moister and heavier.
The flavor will be richer and nuttier.
It won’t rise as high — it will be more like a banana-almond cake than traditional banana bread.
✅ If You Want Best Results
Instead of a straight swap, I’d suggest:
Replace ½ to 1 cup of the wheat flour with almond flour (so you get the nutty flavor and extra moisture but still keep some structure).
Keep at least ½ cup whole wheat flour in the mix to help it rise.
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Almond Flour Banana Bread
Dry Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but great with banana)
Wet Ingredients
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 to 1 ¼ cups)
3 large eggs
¼ cup maple syrup or honey (optional — bananas sweeten naturally)
¼ cup melted coconut oil or avocado oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Mix-ins
½ cup walnuts or pecans
½ cup dark chocolate chips
🥣 Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or grease lightly.
In one bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, mash bananas well, then stir in eggs, maple syrup/honey, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips if using.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top.
Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Slice once fully cooled (almond flour breads are delicate when hot).
✅ Notes
Texture: moist, tender, a little denser than wheat flour banana bread, but delicious.
Storage: Wrap and keep at room temp up to 2 days, in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze slices.