Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar): 6 Tasty Options, Including A Vegan Recipe

Banana bread is a traditional favorite that leaves your mouth watering when you think about it. Unsurprisingly, your imagination takes you to eat warm banana bread with yummy nut butter while on a diet. Spoiler alert, the banana bread recipe with no sugar fills the gap. Various banana bread recipes without sugar allow you to enjoy that tingling slice of fruit-filled clouds in your mouth. Moist, added sugar-free, healthy, or vegan banana bread recipes offer benefits and none of the dietary setbacks. Let’s see which loaves work.

Can You Make Banana Bread Without Sugar?

Belgium’s Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Center explains how sugar works in baking bread (22). The yeast ferments the sugar, creating carbon dioxide, which allows the bread to rise. The good news is that banana bread doesn’t use yeast to rise. 

Honey, molasses, and brown sugar react like white or refined sugar. And maple syrup is a beautiful substitute for vegans. 

Banana bread recipes typically don’t use yeast but use baking powder or soda as a leavening agent. If using baking soda, you also need an acidic ingredient to react with the baking soda (3). 

Baking soda and baking powder both allow banana bread to rise with an airy texture and crisp edges. If using either baking powder or baking soda as the leavening agent, you don’t necessarily need to add sugar to the mix.

The Top Banana Bread Recipes Using No Sugar

It’s time to wet your taste buds with healthy, simple, delicious banana bread recipes without sugar. Each recipe has a unique quality that makes it healthier or vegan-friendly. John Hopkins Medicine suggests that cutting added sugar from your diet may be helpful(9). Let’s do that in these recipes.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

Replacing added sugar with something that sweetens banana bread slightly more than ripe bananas is a brilliantly easy way to make tasty loaves. With that in mind, what can you replace to help sweeten the deal with an easy banana bread recipe without sugar?

WebMD states that raisins have around 60% natural sugars to sweeten food further (20). Also, WebMD suggests adding coconut milk or cream to sweeten things naturally (6). WebMD further describes agave syrup as a natural but optional ultra-sweet alternative (1).

• Time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 8 slices
• Calories: 214
• Carbs: 31.7 g
• Fat: 7.6 g
• Protein: 3.8 g
• Fiber: 3.6 g

Ingredients:

• 4.4 oz. self-raising whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup of Sultana raisins (20)
• ⅕ cup melted organic unsalted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp coconut milk (6)
• 3 ripe mashed bananas
• Optional agave syrup to drizzle (1)

Directions:

1. Warm your oven to 400°F before you grease and line a 1 lb. baking tin,
2. Mix the flour, sultanas, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl,
3. Add the egg, organic butter, vanilla extract, bananas, and coconut milk,
4. Mix everything thoroughly with a wooden spoon,
5. Pour the runny mixture into the tin and bake for 30 minutes before resting for 10.

Read More: Banana Bread Overnight Oats Recipe And 6 Reasons To Eat This For Breakfast Often

Simple Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

Let’s look at another recipe with easy substitutes for sugar in banana bread. Honey has more calories than sugar, but since it’s sweeter, you use less. The University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, says honey may be slightly healthier than sugar because you need less (13). 

Additionally, WebMD recommends using Ceylon cinnamon to add natural sweetness (11). Remember, the correct replacements enhance sweetness without adding refined sugar.

• Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Servings: 12 slices
• Calories: 193
• Carbs: 33 g
• Fat: 5 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fiber: 2 g

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon (11)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 tbsp melted unsalted butter
• 3 ½ mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup raw organic honey (13)

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F while lining a bread tin with parchment paper, 
2. Whisk the honey, butter, eggs, and bananas together,
3. Add the salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and baking soda,
4. Mix the flour into the wet ingredients until simply combined but not over-mixed,
5. Bake the loaf for 60 minutes, and let it cool for 10 minutes.

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Fruity Banana Bread Recipe (No Added Sugar)

John Hopkins Medicine explains how added and natural sugars differ (9). Added sugar is processed and human-made. Natural sugars are found in fruit, honey, maple syrup, and molasses.

WebMD suggests adding dried dates to make banana bread sweeter with added health benefits (7). Dates are naturally high in fructose, fiber, and polyphenols.

• Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Servings: 8 slices
• Calories: 247
• Carbs: 52.3 g
• Fat: 2.8 g
• Protein: 5.1 g
• Fiber: 5.4 g

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 mashed bananas
• 1 cup dried dates (7)
• ½ cup almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Let your oven heat to 350°F while you spray a bread tin,
2. Whisk the baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour, and cinnamon together,
3. Blend the dates, almond milk, vanilla, and vinegar on high speed,
4. Add the bananas and eggs to blend for another minute,
5. Form a batter with the fry and wet ingredients,
6. Bake it for 50 minutes and rest for 10 minutes.

Read More: Banana Baked Oatmeal: The Perfect Nutritional Start To Your Day

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar)

The Philadelphia Tribune has stated that olive oil and butter have similar calories (21). Olive oil has no dietary cholesterol and much less saturated fat. The NHS says diets high in saturated fat increase the risk of heart attacks (8). Let’s see how many more ingredients are healthier. 

• Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 12 slices
• Calories: 233
• Carbs: 36.3 g
• Fat: 8.9 g
• Protein: 4.6 g
• Fiber: 3.1 g

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (21)
• ½ cup maple syrup (18)
• 2 eggs
• 3 mashed bananas
• ¼ cup almond milk (15)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups coconut flour (12)
• ½ cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Warm your oven to 325°F while spraying a bread tin,
2. Beat the syrup, eggs, bananas, vanilla, oil, and milk in a bowl,
3. Whisk the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the bowl,
4. Stir the flour and nuts  into your bowl slowly and just evenly,
5. Bake for 60 minutes and rest for 10.

Ultra-Healthy Low-Calorie Banana Bread Recipe (No Refined Sugar)

Harvard states how added sugar should be limited in your diet (23). Furthermore, WebMD explains how cutting calories can help you lose weight (2). Finally, the Mayo Clinic confirms that low-carb diets can help some people lose weight (17). This recipe addresses all three problems.

• Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Servings: 12 slices
• Calories: 150
• Carbs: 22 g
• Fat: 6 g
• Protein: 4 g 
• Fiber: 3 g

Ingredients:

• 5 mashed bananas
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp banana extract
• 1 ⅓ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
• ½ cup pecan nuts

Directions:

1. Warm your oven to 325°F before spraying a bread tin,
2. Whisk the oil, eggs, extract, and bananas in a bowl,
3. Mix the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, soda, flour, and nuts until combined,
4. Bake the loaf for 70 minutes and rest for 10.

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How To Make Vegan Banana Bread

The NHS defines vegans as those who eat no animal byproducts, including eggs or dairy (24). This recipe uses maple syrup, which is vegan-friendly (16). It also uses almond milk. Medicine Net mentions almond milk as a plant-derived product (15).

WebMD confirms how flaxseeds are a source of fiber and healthy fats (10). The recipe calls for flax eggs, a vegan product from ground flaxseeds. Replace regular flour with oat flour for a nice flavor(19). 

• Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 12 slices
• Calories: 238
• Carbs: 29 g
• Fat: 12 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fiber: 2 g

Ingredients:

• 2 flax eggs mixed in water (10)
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup (16)
• ¼ cup almond milk (15)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 mashed bananas
• 2 cups oat flour (19)
• ½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup walnuts or pecan nuts

Directions:

1. Warm your oven to 325°F before spraying a bread tin,
2. Whisk the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, flour, and nuts in a bowl,
3. Blend the syrup, eggs, oil, milk, bananas, and vanilla in another bowl,
4. Mix the two bowls until you have a rough mixture,
5. Bake the loaf for 55 minutes before resting for 10.

FAQs

How Ripe Should Bananas Be For Banana Bread?

Some sweetness in banana bread comes from the ripened bananas. Harvard University suggests using bananas with golden yellow skin and some brown spots (4). This way, you use bananas in their prime flavor period to naturally enhance the bread’s sweetness.

Harvard also shares a method to ripen your bananas sooner (4). Store bananas in a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process. It allows the ethene to release within the bag, quickly ripening your banana (14). 

How Many Calories Does Banana Bread With No Sugar Have?

The ultra-healthy low-carb banana bread recipe only has 150 calories per slice. In addition, it cuts the hazards of refined sugars Harvard warns to limit (23). Additionally, it slashes the carbs, which may help with weight loss (17).

What Is The Best Banana Bread Recipe With No Sugar?

Our favorite t sugar-free banana bread replaces various ingredients. For example, it has almond milk to substitute regular milk (15).  Also, it changes butter for olive oil to be more heart-healthy (21).

The Bottom Line

Bananas always pop into the kitchen, leaving a few ripe ones behind. Turning them into sugar-free bread is a tasty and healthy way to use them. Use any of these recipes to eat banana bread on a diet or count calories.