Sugar-Free Banana Bread
A moist, tender sugar-free banana bread made with ripe bananas and sugar-free sweetener. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a light dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This banana bread is naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and enhanced with a sugar-free sweetener for a healthier twist. It’s moist, tender, and easy to make, perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (canola, avocado) or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup sugar-free sweetener (erythritol, monk fruit blend, or adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sugar-free dark chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas until mostly smooth. Whisk in eggs, applesauce, oil, sweetener, and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips if using.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Baking Tips
- Use very ripe bananas (plenty of brown spots) for maximum natural sweetness and moisture.
- If using a granular erythritol that recrystallizes, consider a blended sweetener labeled for baking to avoid cooling effects.
- For a denser, moister loaf, bake 5–10 minutes less; for a firmer crumb, bake slightly longer.
- Check doneness at the earliest time to prevent drying.
Variations and Swaps
- Whole wheat: Substitute half the flour with whole wheat pastry flour.
- Keto: Use almond flour (reduce quantity and add 1–2 eggs or 2–3 tbsp psyllium husk/ground flax to adjust texture) and a compliant sweetener.
- Vegan: Replace eggs with 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water) and use a vegan sweetener and oil.
Storage
- Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Freeze sliced or whole loaf up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature or warm gently.
Nutrition (approx. per slice, 12 slices)
- Calories: ~150–180
- Carbs: variable depending on sweetener; significantly lower than traditional banana bread when using noncaloric sweeteners
- Protein & fat: moderate from eggs, oil, and optional nuts
