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Ultra-Moist Healthy Banana Bread (made with Olive Oil)

Name: Ultra-Moist Healthy Banana Bread (made with Olive Oil)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed); 2 eggs; 4 bananas (mashed, about 2 cups (see notes)); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup whole wheat flour; 1 cup all-purpose flour

Published August 28, 2019. Last updated October 4, 2021 By Elizabeth Lindemann / This post may contain affiliate links.

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4.96 from 102 votes

The trick to making ultra-moist, healthy banana bread is to use extra-virgin olive oil and FOUR WHOLE BANANAS, with both white and whole wheat flour in the recipe!

A sliced loaf of banana bread with bananas in the background.

I loveeee a good banana bread. But it’s easy to try to bake one and have it come out dry and bland. Not with this recipe! This recipe for super moist banana bread is not only DELICIOUS, but it’s healthy too!

There are a few tricks to making the ultimate moist banana bread. Using olive oil helps keep it moist, as does using LOTS of bananas– I used four, which also helps sweeten the bread naturally. This means that there isn’t a lot of sugar in the recipe, but it’s still decadently sweet.

This banana bread recipe also uses both white AND whole wheat flour, which helps take the nutrition up a notch but still maintain a light and fluffy texture.

How to make moist banana bread

Grease a loaf pan generously with olive oil- it’s OK if some pools up in the bottom!
Mix together your wet ingredients in a large bowl- olive oil, a little bit of brown sugar, eggs, and mashed bananas.
Add your spices- baking soda, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Then, mix whole wheat and white flour in, pour in the prepared loaf pan, and bake! It’s so easy and you only need ONE bowl, which makes clean-up a breeze.

warm banana bread with salted butter spread on top.

Making banana bread with olive oil vs. butter

I LOVE using olive oil to bake with. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that olive oil is one of the healthiest fats out there, and baking with olive oil is big with Mediterranean food. But health benefits aside, I just like it better than butter in a lot of circumstances.

Using oil to bake keeps things much more moist than using butter. And best of all, it STAYS moist for days later, whereas baked goods with butter have a tendency to dry out faster.

I also love that you don’t have to soften it or melt it from it’s solid state- just pour the olive oil into the bowl and you’re good to go!

And since the banana bread batter gets poured into a greased loaf pan, it makes removing the banana bread a breeze. Just flip the pan upside down (after it cools a bit) and it should just pop right out cleanly!

That said, butter is also delicious. Feel free to use it, or another oil such as coconut or canola, in this recipe. And I do recommend serving the final product warm, slathered with a generous helping of salted butter. YUM.

A loaf of banana bread on a cutting board sliced.

How to use frozen bananas for baking

I like to freeze my bananas, whole, inside the peel, in the freezer.

Then, when I’m ready to bake, I pop them in the microwave, cut off the tops, and slide the banana right out of the peel!

Full disclosure: it looks absolutely disgusting when it comes out. It’s mushy and quite unnerving. BUT, I swear, this trick is life changing when it comes to baking with bananas!

Best of all- when it’s frozen like that, it becomes very mushy, so you don’t need to worry about mashing the banana separately. Just slide it right into the bowl and mix away!

What kind of loaf pan to use

I recommend using a glass loaf pan to make banana bread. I’ve used metal before, and almost every time, the edges of the bread come out dry and burnt-tasting.

The reason for this is the darker the pan, the hotter it gets in the oven. And if it’s too hot, it will overcook the edges of the banana bread before the inside has had a chance to cook completely.

Enter: GLASS bakeware. I love it for the same way I like using white ceramic baking dishes– they won’t get too hot and overcook some parts of whatever you’re making. I have these and they’ve served me well!

How can I tell if it’s cooked all the way through?

Cooking time will vary depending on a few factors- elevation, how big the bananas are, how big the eggs are, how hot your oven runs, etc.

This banana bread will usually take 50-60 minutes to cook, but sometimes it may take longer.

You should make sure you check for doneness by inserting a toothpick (or cake tester) in the center of the bread and removing it. If it comes out clean- the bread is done! If raw dough sticks to it, it needs more time.

A loaf of healthy banana bread in a glass loaf pan.

Other baked goods that use olive oil (or other oils)

Cardamom Spiced Orange Olive Oil Cake
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Vasilopita (Greek New Year’s Bread)
Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins
Healthy Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Maple Banana Oat Muffins
Whole Wheat Focaccia with Rosemary and Sea Salt
Greek Olive Oil Nut and Spice Cookies (from Diane Kochilas)

You can store this olive oil banana bread at room temperature for a few days and it will stay super moist and delicious. Just make sure you keep it in an airtight container. You can also refrigerate it for longer, and even freeze it for a few months.

I usually slice it and then store it, so I can grab a piece in the morning for breakfast without worrying about getting the cutting board out. I do like popping it in the microwave though if I have time, because warm banana bread is soooo good.

Did you make this Ultra-Moist Healthy Banana Bread? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe!