Banana bread makes it easy to get your potassium fix.
Comfort food isn’t always synonymous with healthfulness — but banana bread can be a delicious exception. Thanks to its star main ingredient, banana bread offers a bounty of potential health perks.
The Proven Health Benefits of Bananas
A medium-size banana offers 422 milligrams (mg) of potassium, or nearly 9 percent of the daily value (DV), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Indulging in a fresh slice of the fruit-based dessert can help you get your fix of the mineral, which may help reduce blood pressure, according to Medline Plus. Because high blood pressure is linked to a greater risk for heart disease, that’s great news for your ticker. A meta-analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests eating a potassium-rich diet may reduce the risk for heart disease by 27 percent.
The USDA points out that most Americans fall short of getting the adequate intake of potassium, which is 4,700 mg per day.
But the health benefits of bananas don’t end with its potassium profile, or with the fact that the fruit is a boon to the heart. According to the USDA, that same medium-size banana offers 3 grams (g) of fiber, a nutrient that can help you lose or maintain body weight. The fiber in bananas appears to come from resistant starch. This form of fiber can help reduce appetite after eating, notes a past study.
A large banana also provides some magnesium, is a good source of vitamin C, and is rich in vitamin B6. Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), magnesium plays a key role in many body functions, including blood sugar control and blood pressure regulation; vitamin C is an antioxidant that aids iron absorption; and vitamin B6 supports metabolism and immunity.
RELATED: 9 Common Questions About Bananas, Answered
More Reasons to Go Bananas for Bananas
Other things that make bananas stand out? Their convenience and versatility.
It’s easy to grab a banana and go — and they’re certainly healthier than most packaged snacks that tend to have added sugar, such as dried fruit and granola bars, notes the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In the kitchen, you can also use bananas to sweeten recipes in lieu of white sugar. Fresh, homemade banana bread recipes offer proof that it’s possible. To create the most nutritious loaf possible, you’ll want to swap sugar for the naturally sweet fruit, and ditch fatty butter in favor of a healthy oil or other creative ingredients.
For some sweet inspiration, peruse this list of 12 healthy banana bread recipes that are the perfect treat for this weekend (or any day, really).
Vegan Coconut Banana Bread With Walnut Streusel
If you’re vegan, chances are you’ve come across more than a few appealing-sounding banana bread recipes online only to discover that eggs and butter appear in the ingredients list. Let go of that disappointment now by opting to make this animal-product-free version from Emily Kyle, RDN, of Livonia, New York. It calls for coconut milk and oil as plant-based substitutes. Bonus: The crumbled walnut streusel provides the omega-3 fatty acid AHA, which a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition associates with a reduced risk of heart disease.
Gluten-Free Carrot Banana Breakfast Bread
Take the nutritional value of your banana bread up a notch by throwing in a veggie that’s similar to bananas. Thanks to their fiber and vitamin A, carrots are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, as well as heart disease, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts, among other benefits, notes a review published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology. This recipe from Minneapolis-based Lizzie Streit, RDN, of It’s a Veg World After All, makes it easy to reap this veggie’s perks. As a bonus for those with celiac disease, it’s gluten-free!
Reduced-Sugar Banana Bread
As mentioned, bananas offer a natural sweetness, and yet some recipes go overboard by adding additional granulated white sugar, which can harm heart health, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Not so with this option. By adding ground flaxseed to provide a fiber-rich source of plant-based fat, per the Mayo Clinic, this recipe creates the same moisture and texture of traditional banana bread. Meanwhile, it slashes the added sugar in the typical loaf by almost half, says the recipe’s creator, Marie Dittmer, RD.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Banana Bread
Put an autumnal twist on your banana bread by mixing in mashed pumpkin, which, like banana, adds a touch of natural sweetness. Beyond the delicious taste of this fall staple, pumpkin offers a boost of antioxidants from beta-carotene (aka the component that gives fruit and veggies their red and orange color, per an article in Molecules). Beta-carotene is linked with a reduced risk of cataracts and nighttime blindness, according to a meta-analysis published in October 2014 in Nutrition. Fittingly, this recipe comes from Chicago-based Maggie Michalczyk, RDN, founder of the blog Once Upon a Pumpkin.
High-Protein Banana Walnut Bread
If you’re preparing banana bread for breakfast, you’ll want to choose a recipe that’ll fill you up and keep your energy level steady till lunch. This recipe, from Judy Barbe, RDN, a culinary dietitian based in Casper, Wyoming, is packed with protein (from the yogurt) and fiber, and fits that bill. The addition of prunes naturally sweetens the recipe while increasing the fiber in your slice. And, because prunes may help prevent bone loss, as a May 2017 study in Nutrients suggests, this recipe can do more than just make your taste buds happy.
Espresso Banana Bread With Dark Chocolate
What’s better than a warm slice of banana bread? How about a dark chocolate slice of banana bread, from Denver-based Leanne Ray, RDN, with a kick of espresso to kick-start your day? Not only does the whole-grain flour and flaxseed in this recipe boost the fiber content, but the addition of dark chocolate may help to lower total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, notes a meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Banana Bread Overnight Oats
From NYC-based Chelsey Amer, RDN, this new take on a classic not only provides all the taste that you love but also essentially makes itself while you sleep overnight. Using only five simple ingredients, you can whip this recipe together in a mason jar and bring it with you for a quick meal or snack. And if you’re looking to add more heart-healthy foods to your diet, the rolled oats are rich in the fiber beta-glucan, which may help lower LDL cholesterol, according to a review published in April 2018 in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.
Oat Banana Date Quick Bread
Whether you are looking to limit added sugar, avoid gluten, or simply want to boost your protein and fiber intake, this banana bread recipe checks all the boxes. Using a blend of almond meal, and oat and coconut flours, this sweet bread from Lauren O’Connor, RD, a yoga teacher in Los Angeles, provides the same texture as a typical traditional loaf with more nutrition. It gets its natural sweetness from the dates and, of course, the fresh banana!
Olive Oil Almond Banana Bread
Many banana bread recipes use butter as the main source of fat, but just 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of butter contains 7 g of saturated fat, or 36 percent of the DV, per the USDA. In excess, saturated fat can increase LDL cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association. This recipe, which is from Athens, Greece–based Mediterranean diet blogger Elena Paravantes, RD, swaps out the saturated fat and replaces it with olive oil, which, unlike butter, is associated with better heart health, notes the Mayo Clinic. What’s more, this recipe contains dark chocolate — which Harvard notes is rich in iron, magnesium, and zinc — and almonds, which an April 2018 review in Nutrients notes supply fiber, potassium, and a variety of other heart-healthy nutrients.
RELATED: A Complete Mediterranean Diet Food List and 14-Day Meal Plan
Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
If you’ve never baked with tahini before, you are missing out on both flavor and nutrition. Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, which a July–December 2014 review published in Pharmacognosy Reviews notes offers protein, fiber, vitamin B1, calcium, and more key nutrients. In this recipe from Boston-based yoga teacher Kara Lydon, RD, tahini provides a delicious nutty taste that pairs perfectly with chocolate, making for an exciting new take on the classic banana bread.
Golden Keto Banana Bread
If you’re following the ketogenic diet, bananas and bread are two foods (whether separate or together) you likely swore off when you started the high-fat, low-carb meal plan. Luckily, this tempting recipe from Salt Lake City–based nutritionist Lindsay Cotter is allowed! And you better believe it will satisfy your cravings without throwing your body out of ketosis. (Per serving, you’ll find 5.8 g of net carbs, which is total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols.) This golden banana bread gets a low-carb — and gluten-free — spin, thanks to almond and coconut flours subbed in for the all-purpose variety. Turmeric gives this gorgeous loaf its orange-yellow color. The herb is a major source of curcumin, a plant compound noted for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, per a review published in Foods in October 2017. Also in the mix: flaxseed, a superfood that is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, per a May 2019 review published in Nutrients.
RELATED: What Are the Best Low-Carb Fruits to Eat on a Keto Diet?
Healthy Chocolate Brownie Banana Bread
At first glance, this fudgy chocolate banana bread from Chicago-based blogger Monique Volz looks too indulgent to be nutritious. Fortunately, that’s not the case! A mix of almond flour and unsweetened cocoa powder replaces plain flour to boost protein content, while mashed bananas and maple syrup provide natural sweetness, thanks to their unrefined sugars. The recipe calls for dark chocolate chips; opt for dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa solids, as this will contain the most heart-healthy flavonols, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. You can also sprinkle in a small handful of your favorite nuts — Volz recommends walnuts or pecans — to add healthy fats and plant-based protein to the loaf. Bonus: This loaf is paleo-friendly, as well as dairy- and gluten-free.