A Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

Banana Bread is a perennial favorite. It’s easy to make, delicious and satisfying – but is it healthy? Our friend Peter Sidwell uses prune purée in his healthy Banana Bread recipe, which adds a gorgeous caramel flavor and allows him to use less sugar.

What ingredients do you need to make healthy (or at least healthier) Banana Bread?

Prune purée

Butter

Sugar

Eggs

Flour

Baking powder

Salt

Sesame seeds (optional topping)

How to make Banana Bread

This delicious loaf takes just a few minutes to make!

Start by beating the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.

Then, add the bananas and sesame seeds (if desired) until incorporated.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350F (160C) for about 55 minutes.

See! We told you it was super simple!

Baking with Prunes

You probably know that prunes are great for gut health. But did you know that they can add moisture and depth of flavor to your favorite baked goods? And that’s not all…with the addition of prune purée, bakers can reduce refined sugar by up to one-third, as well as reducing the amount of needed eggs and fats. Whether you are trying to reduce refined sugar, cut unhealthy fats, or simply make healthier baked goods, California Prunes and Prune Purée are ingredients more and more bakers are relying on to enhance their cakes, cookies, muffins, and more.

How to make Prune Purée

Whipping up a loaf of healthy Banana Bread? You might want to make a double batch?

It’s easy to scale this recipe up! If you’re making one loaf, why not make two….or three?

How long is Banana Bread good for?

In theory, Banana Bread will stay fresh stored in an air tight container for about four days.

Note: Unless you’ve got some incredibly impressive willpower, this loaf will be gobbled up in much less time.

Can you freeze Banana Bread?

Banana Bread freezes beautifully. You can freeze the loaf whole, or cut into slices (try separating slices with parchment paper so they don’t stick together).

Banana Bread

Peter Sidwell

This banana bread recipe is lower in sugar thanks to the addition of California Prune Puree.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 8

Calories 308 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Loaf pan

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup prune purée
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 ripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 TBSP each white and black sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (160C). Spray a standard loaf pan with cooking spray, line with parchment, and spray again with cooking spray.
• Beat the butter, sugar, and California Prune Purée in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat once or twice to mix. Then add the banana and sesame seeds and continue to beat until all ingredients are well combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle additional sesame seeds on top if desired. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Notes

Love this healthy banana bread recipe? Try Peter Sidwell’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread next – it’s made with whole wheat flour + chopped prunes!

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 412mgPotassium: 256mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 499IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 2mg

Keyword banana bread, Chef Created, Kid Friendly, quick bread

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Let’s bake with prune purée!

Once you’ve tried this healthy Banana Bread recipe, you’ll want to add prune purée to all of your favorite baked goods. Here’s a handy guide to healthy swaps from our friends at Bake From Scratch!

• Swap for sugar: Use prune purée to replace anywhere from one-third to half of the sugar in a recipe.
• Swap out eggs: To replace 1 large egg, use ¼ cup (60 ml) prune purée. Keep in mind that this works best in recipes that call for no more than 3 large eggs.
• Lose the fat: To cut down on fat, replace up to half of the butter or oil with an equal amount of prune purée.

If you loved our recipe for banana bread, try these healthier baking recipes.

Roasted Banana Prune Bundt Cake

Our friends at Bake From Scratch shared their recipe for Roasted Banana Prune Bundt Cake. It’s a sophisticated take on a traditional banana bread recipe that’s sure to “wow” your taste buds (and your guests).

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

These Almond Thumbprint Cookies by Meg of This Mess is Ours are a sweet twist on a classic favorite. Prune Butter is the secret ingredient! Bonus: this sweet treat is grain + gluten free!

Gluten-Free Blondies with Prunes & Red Wine Swirl

Teri from No Crumbs Left simmers prunes in red wine and coconut sugar, and then adds them to her Gluten Free Blondies with Prunes & Red Wine Swirl. You might want to make a double batch.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

You’d never guess that this rich chocolate cake is gluten and grain-free! This healthier take on traditional chocolate cake is truly the perfect dessert.

Did you try this recipe? Maybe you’ve got a favorite recipe using California Prunes that you’d like to share with us? Snap a pic and share it on social using #caprunes.

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