This healthy banana walnut bread swaps butter and sugar for flavorful and nutritious extra virgin olive oil and honey. Warming spices and Medjool dates bring a Mediterranean flair, and the oil keeps this not-too-sweet treat fluffy and delicious for days!
This walnut banana bread is a total game-changer: delicious, super moist, and perfectly sweetened. I make a mean baklava if I do say so myself, but when it comes to cakes I am all for easy options that require one bowl and one pan. That’s why this healthy banana bread is one of my favorite goodies to make.
Three super-ripe bananas turning brown on your counter are not much to celebrate. But just as a day-old loaf can become pan con tomate, overripe bananas can become a healthy breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up that still feels like a special indulgence. Particularly with freshly brewed coffee or Arabic tea!
Table of Contents
Banana Walnut Bread Ingredients
You likely already have a lot of what you’ll need for this healthy banana bread on hand. Here are the ingredients for banana walnut bread:
- Extra virgin olive oil: Replaces the butter which is more traditional. Olive oil has a stronger flavor than butter so it’s essential to use a smooth, high-quality oil with a pleasant flavor. I like our extra smooth Private Reserve Greek or buttery Italian Nocellara.
- Honey: Sweetens and holds the batter together. Use high quality, full flavored honey–I like our Greek Alfa Honey.
- Eggs: Hold the batter together.
- Bananas: Allow the bananas to ripen on your counter until they turn brown; the delightful sweetness and tender texture of overripe bananas are best for banana bread.
- Dairy: Fat free plain yogurt and low fat or nonfat milk add richness.
- Baking soda: Gives the banana bread a nice rise.
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth.
- Spices: Ground cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg are the major flavor-makers for this recipe.
- All purpose flour: You can substitute one for one with gluten free flour if you’d like.
- Medjool dates: Add bursts of sweetness and a pleasant gummy texture. They are also high in fiber, and packed with antioxidants and essential nutrients. You can substitute with other dried fruit, like raisins or blueberries, if you’d like.
- Walnuts: Unsalted, unroasted walnuts–sometimes labeled “raw”–add crunch and protein.
How to Make Banana Walnut Bread
Making healthy banana bread is easy, just be careful not to overmix the batter once you add the flour. This will keep your bread light and fluffy! Here’s how to make banana bread:
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a non-stick 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Begin combining the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of honey. Add 2 eggs and whisk again to combine.
- Season. Mash 3 extra ripe bananas with a fork and add, along with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and 1/4 cup of milk. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and vanilla extract, 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom (start small if you’re unsure), and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the flour, dates, and walnuts. Using a spatula, fold in 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour until just combined. Add 6 chopped dates and 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts and gently stir the batter once more.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and shake or tap on your counter so it evens out. Bake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes or so. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Banana Bread
This healthy banana bread will keep very well for up to one week in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months in your freezer. In fact, I often make an extra loaf or two to freeze for later use.
First, allow the bread to cool completely. Then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. From there, here’s how you store banana bread:
- On the counter: Set the wrapped bread in an airtight container and enjoy within four days.
- In the refrigerator: Set the wrapped bread in an airtight container and enjoy within one week.
- In the freezer: Wrap it with freezer plastic wrap or heavy-duty freezer bags. Enjoy within three months, allowing it to thaw overnight at room temperature.
What to Serve with Banana Walnut Bread
I love healthy banana bread as a quick breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up. Serve at room temperature. Or, warm banana bread slices in your oven right on the rack at 325°F, in your toaster or toaster oven.
Delicious on its own, this walnut banana bread doesn’t need any embellishment. If you’d like to dress it up a little, try a drizzle of olive oil, some quick berry compote, and/or a scoop of Greek yogurt. If you’re feeling indulgent, spread on some butter, mascarpone, or cream cheese for a special treat, and serve alongside freshly brewed coffee or Arabic tea with fresh mint.
More Not-Too-Sweet Treats
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
Buttery, Smooth Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil–Perfect for Baking!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil from hand-picked, cold-extracted Nocellara olives.
Banana Walnut Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 tablespoons low fat plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup low fat milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (if you're not sure you'll like it, start with the smaller amount)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about 1/2 cup chopped dates)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a non-stick 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Begin combining the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil and honey. Add the eggs and whisk again to combine.
- Season. Now add the bananas, yogurt, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk again.
- Add the flour, dates, and walnuts. Using a spatula, fold in the flour until just combined; then add the dates and walnuts and gently stir the batter once more.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and shake very gently so it evens out. Bake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes or so. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can or you may risk a rancid or bitter-tasting loaf. I used our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil here; it adds great depth and keeps the loaf tasty and moist.
- To store: Properly-stored, fresh banana bread will keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge. Allow to cool completely, then wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap, then store it in an air-tight container to keep it moist. And because I use olive oil in this banana bread recipe, it is even more rich and moist the next day! I often make an extra loaf or two to freeze for later use.
- To freeze: Let your freshly-baked banana bread cool completely, then wrap it with freezer plastic wrap or heavy-duty freezer bags. Properly stored, it will keep well in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
Note: This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in the fall of 2018 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
Mine felt apart…but I am not used to cups. Feel more comfortable with metric system.
Hi! This looks delicious and I am excited to try the recipe. All your recipes look amazing and following the Mediterranean Diet is very appealing. There doesn’t seem to be any information about portions for each meal, or total calories etc to consume per day. Css as n you explain that for me? Thank you
Thank you so much, Gwen! The Mediterranean Diet is less of a traditional “diet” and more of a healthy way of eating/living. It’s known for its emphasis on fresh, whole foods and a balanced approach to nutrition. There are really no specific portion sizes or calorie counts; the Mediterranean diet simply offers general guidelines that prioritize certain food groups (you can find more information about that here and here). If you have particular health or weight management goals, we always recommend consulting with a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or other medical professional. They’ll be able to provide more personalized advice based on your individual needs and lifestyle.
can you give a cup amount for the bananas_ They can be different sizes.
Hi, Dee. Unfortunately we don’t have the measurement for the exact amount of cups of bananas needed. I would stick with medium-sized bananas for this one… around 7-8 inches long.
I made your banana bread recipe, I have to say it is one of the nicest banana breads I have ever made. I made mine with GF flour, the flavours are amazing with the dates in there
Aww! Thanks, Jen!
I’m curious about why all-purpose flour is used in so many of these recipes, since we are trying to eat healthier foods, less sugar, healthy fats, etc. Wouldn’t white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour work and be “healthier?” For Ex, in the Banana Bread or the Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies. I haven’t tried these yet but have been making banana bread with those whole wheat flours for years. Thanks!
Hi, Anita! I’m Summer and I work here at The Mediterranean Dish. Sometimes making things healthier is about swapping a few things rather than EVERYTHING. You can absolutely use whole wheat flours in this recipe as you mentioned, but for most people switching from their more familiar high refined sugar, white flour, saturated fat based baked goods to whole wheat, low sugar, no saturated fat would be too big of a change all at once. In this recipe, we replace butter, which is high in saturated fat, with olive oil, which has good healthy fats and polyphenols, and we also use honey and dates for natural sweetness (and fiber for dates) and Greek yogurt to maintain moisture but also add a little protein. The other reason you might see all-purpose flour used in some recipes is because this site features Mediterranean Diet recipes and cultural or traditional recipes of Mediterranean Countries, some of which do use white flour. I hope this helps to answer your question.
I have made this recipe so many times and everyone loves it now I’m curious I’m on a sour dough kick and how would you suggest adding sourdough?
I actually made it from the cookbook, but I think it is about the same. It was incredible! So moist and scrumptious. It did not last three days here. I did throw in some dark chocolate chips in addition to the dates, used gluten-free all-purpose flour (King Arthur’s), and your Early Harvest EVOO. So tasty, I can’t wait to have some overripe bananas to make it again!
Perfect first time, will make this again and again. I used Greek yogurt, wholmeal flour and only added walnuts as I had no dates but will try it with dates one of these days!
I made the banana bread and it does not taste nice with the honey plus the texture is not right – now I have been making for 60 years and all my cakes rise up but this one did not do it but your texture is wrong in this cake – I make great sponges and pavlovas so I know how the texture of a good cake but this is not what I like in a cake – thanks for the recipe – I was wondering if you changed the original recipe and this might be why it is not right but thanks for sharing
This is our go-to banana bread every since we began making it from your book! I do have to vary it for our gluten free family members and it still comes out perfect every time! I have used both the King Arthur gluten free flour and the Pillsbury brand (both with xanthum gum) or a mix of the two gluten-free flours and no one can tell it’s gluten free! I also use a goat’s milk dairy or almond/coconut milk with still no fail results! We all can’t wait for our bananas to ripen to make this delicious and healthier banana bread! 😄
As a person who loves butter too much, I am so impressed with this recipie. Easy, absolutely delicious. Olive oil not overwhelming. Left out cardamom, thought nutmeg and cinnamon sufficient. Cooked much longer than 50 min, prob because my bananas were almost liquid 😉 thank you!
Made this recipe many times. Can you substitute zucchini for the bananas and would it be equal amounts?
Hi, Sherry. Yes, I think it would work to replace the the bananas with zucchini in this recipe. We’ve never tested it ourselves, though, so I can’t really advise on how much you would need. If you give it a try, please stop back and share you thoughts!
Can I use plain greek yogurt in this?
I made this exactly as described. It is delicious! Super moist and flavorful. Not quite as sweet as regular banana bread but wonderful nonetheless. I recommend the full 3/4 tsp. of cardamom the extra spices add so much flavor.
Dear Suzy,
Thank you for all your beautiful recipes. Whenever it’s possible would you please write the ingredients also in gramms for your european followers? Greetings from France 💋
Hi, Sheren. This is definitely something we’re starting to add, especially with the baking recipes.
Just made this today and it is the best Banana Bread I have ever had!!
Wow! Thank you so much, Cindy!