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The Flavor Bender Recipes All Breakfast & Brunch Quick Breads, Scones & Muffins Whole Wheat Banana Bread (Perfect Results)

Whole Wheat Banana Bread (Perfect Results)

2 hrs 25 mins
Easy
Quick Breads, Scones & Muffins
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
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Author: Dini K.
Posted: 10/29/2020
Updated: 10/29/2020
Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pin

Whole wheat banana bread that is still super moist and delicious? I got you covered! This whole wheat pecan banana bread is so good, my family actually prefers this over my classic banana bread!

Incredibly light and moist banana bread made with whole wheat flour!

Whole wheat banana bread on a cooling rack

This whole wheat banana bread that I make with a mixture of whole wheat flour and rye flour is my absolute favorite version of banana bread.

I adapted this recipe from my classic banana bread recipe, so it’s still a super easy, quick bread recipe to make, and you’ll get consistently fabulous results every time.

Why this recipe is my favorite

  • The whole wheat flour adds a lovely nutty flavor to the banana bread. And I love it even more when I add 50% rye flour!
  • Since I add less flour to compensate for the texture and heaviness of whole wheat flour, the banana bread still comes out really soft, moist, and delicious.
  • I love to make mine with brown butter, which adds even more flavor. You can do the same with the classic banana bread too.
  • You can easily adapt this recipe and use honey instead of sugar.
  • I increase the amount of baking powder to help the cake rise better and still maintain a nice crumb.
  • I use pecans which are my favorite type of nuts to eat, so the whole wheat banana bread has fantastic flavor from the nuts as well.

Making brown butter

I’ve written a separate post on how to make brown butter and the different stages the brown butter goes through.

I upgraded the caramelized brown butter flavor by adding 1.5 tbsp of dry milk powder to the butter while it’s cooking. The milk powder caramelizes, forming more caramelized milk solids, adding even more flavor to the butter.

This is of course an optional step, and you can use plain brown butter, melted butter, or just oil instead too. Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or vegetable/canola oil are all good options.

Brown butter in a white bowl

How to make whole wheat banana bread

First, preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. This batter comes together very quickly, so you need to make sure there’s enough time for the oven to preheat.

Mash up the ripe bananas in a medium bowl and set aside. I like to keep the mashed banana mixture pretty chunky.

In a large bowl, place the sugar, salt, and brown butter (or any other alternative), and whisk to mix together. Whisk in the sour cream. The batter should become creamy and smooth.

Stir in the banana, followed by the eggs and vanilla.

Adding brown butter to the sugar
The batter consistency after sour cream has been added
Adding mashed bananas to the wet ingredients
Eggs added to the batter

In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the spices.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold them in. Add any other additions you like before completely incorporating all of the flour. I added chopped pecans, but you can also add chocolate chips, chopped dates, or dried fruits like raisins.

Overhead view of the dry ingredients in a bowl, including the spices
Dry ingredients being mixed into the banana bread batter
Rye and whole wheat banana bread batter in a bowl
The batter poured into a prepared loaf pan

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Cut another banana lengthwise and lay it on top, cut side up, and sprinkle with some raw sugar AND salt (preferably maldon sea salt). The sliced banana makes the banana bread look pretty once baked, but you can leave it out, or top with nuts instead. I usually ALWAYS add some sea salt flakes though.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 60 – 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. The bake time is about 65 minutes for me.

Banana halves pressed into the top of the banana bread batter
A freshly baked whole wheat banana bread overhead view
Whole wheat banana bread cooling on a wire rack

Remove the banana bread from the oven, and carefully turn the loaf out onto a cooling wire rack. Let the whole wheat banana bread cool completely on the wire rack.

Enjoy this warm with a pat of salted butter (or more salt sprinkled on top). It’s just as delicious at room temperature or toasted!

Whole wheat banana bread variations

My favorite variation is adding chocolate chips. The added chocolate chips yield another layer of flavor to the nutty whole wheat banana bread.

I usually always make this with 50% Whole wheat flour and 50% rye flour. I prefer whole wheat and rye banana bread, because the rye flour adds even more flavor.

Instead of the sour cream, you can add peanut butter (plus 1 tsp apple cider vinegar) to add peanut butter flavor to your banana bread.

To keep the banana bread dairy free, substitute the butter with oil or a dairy free butter, and substitute the sour cream with vegan yogurt.

To make a healthy banana bread recipe, you can use olive oil instead of butter, and honey or maple syrup instead of sugar.

If you don’t have raw sugar to sprinkle on top, you can use granulated sugar or leave it out.

A cross section of the whole wheat banana bread

How to prevent the nuts from sinking to the bottom of the banana cake

Mix in a little flour with the chopped pecans. Mix until the nuts are lightly coated with flour. Place the flour coated chopped pecans in a strainer to sieve out any excess flour (that is not coating the nuts). This can then be folded into the batter.

Flour dusted chopped pecans in a bowl

I love this recipe! It’s my favorite version of banana bread. The nutty, wholesome flavor of whole wheat and rye banana bread is one of a kind!

You can adapt this recipe to either be not too sweet, or a sweet banana bread. We love the not too sweet version, and then sprinkle some more salt on top. This is a great recipe to pair with your morning coffee. 🙂

If you liked this recipe, you may also like,

The best homemade banana pudding

Banana layer cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting

Spiced banana cupcakes

Easy baked bananas foster

Easy basic muffins

Blueberry muffins with streusel topping

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Banana Bread social media
5 from 3 votes

Whole wheat banana bread

Author: Dini K.
Yield: One, 9 inch loaf pan banana bread
Cuisine: American, North American
Incredibly light & moist banana bread, made with whole wheat flour. Delicious whole wheat banana bread with pecans is delightfully nutty, easy to make, and tastes so good with rye flour!
EASY – This recipe is very easy and perfect for beginners. It's also a great way to use up overripe bananas.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
Prep: 20 minutes minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour hour
Cook: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 10 slices
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 300 g overripe bananas about 3 bananas, or 1 ½ cups
  • 115 g brown butter use avocado oil or olive oil if you prefer, see recipe notes
  • 1 ½ tbsp dry milk powder if making brown butter, optional
  • 130 g dark brown sugar ⅔ cups
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 60 g sour cream ¼ cup
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 225 g whole wheat flour 1 ⅓ cup spooned and leveled, I like to use half whole wheat and half rye flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 115 g pecans roughly chopped, about 1 cup

To decorate

  • Maldon sea flakes
  • Extra chopped nuts
  • Granulated sugar or raw sugar
  • 1 banana sliced into ½ inch slices, or sliced in half lengthwise

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C. Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan by buttering and flouring it, or lining it with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
  • Mash the bananas in a bowl using a fork. The banana mix can be smooth or chunky. Set aside.

To make brown butter

  • Melt about 115 g butter in a saucepan over medium heat. You can add dry milk powder when the butter starts to foam (optional). Stir the dry milk powder (if using) into the butter mixture, and continue to cook until the milk solids start to turn dark golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add an ice cube (about 1 – 3 tbsp of water) to cool down the butter mixture. It can be used while still warm.

To make the banana bread batter

  • Whisk the brown butter (or oil), sugar, and salt together in a bowl until you have a smooth mixture.
  • Add the sour cream, and whisk it in until well mixed.
  • Mix in the mashed bananas.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
  • Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg together (these are the dry ingredients).
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, in two additions, and fold them in until just combined.
  • Add the pecans before all of the flour is incorporated into the batter, and fold in the pecans. Do NOT overmix the batter as this can result in the banana bread being rubbery in texture.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and spread it evenly in the pan.
  • Sprinkle chopped pecans on top, along with a sprinkle of raw sugar and maldon salt (optional).
  • OR, place the sliced bananas on top with a sprinkle of raw sugar and maldon salt (optional).
  • Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 60 – 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling wire rack and let it cool more on the wire rack.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also toast room temperature or cold banana bread before serving.

Tips & Tricks

Storage
Banana bread will keep in an airtight container for about 5 – 7 days in the fridge, or 2 – 3 days at room temperature.
With both methods, make sure the banana bread is COMPLETELY COOLED DOWN before storing away. Also keep a piece of paper towel at the bottom of the container to prevent the banana bread from getting too soggy.
To store in the freezer – Banana bread should be well wrapped in plastic wrap, and then wrapped with foil, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. Slice the bread before freezing, so you can thaw out only a few slices at a time.
Replacing the butter
Instead of brown butter, you can also use regular melted or softened butter. You can also use oil instead.
Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are healthier options, but canola oil has a neutral taste. 
Replacing the sugar
If you prefer your banana bread to be less sweet, use 100 g of brown sugar. 
And instead of 125 g of brown sugar, you can also use the same amount of coconut sugar, or 100 g honey or maple syrup.
Replacing sour cream
Replace sour cream with full fat Greek yogurt.
For a dairy free or vegan option, use coconut yogurt.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 358kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 38g (13%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Cholesterol: 36mg (12%)Sodium: 264mg (11%)Potassium: 324mg (9%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 17g (19%)Vitamin A: 111IU (2%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 63mg (6%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

Course:Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Tea / coffee break
Cuisine:American, North American
Keyword:Banana Bread, Easy Breakfasts, Easy recipes, Quick Breads, Rye, Whole Wheat, Whole wheat banana bread
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

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  1. Diane says

    August 18, 2022 at 15:15

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe other than I did use a medium rye and whole wheat mix as suggested. Also had an additional 20g of banana. Came out really well and tasted great. Very similar to the King Arthur recipe but I did prefer this one.

    Reply
  2. Lana P says

    February 28, 2022 at 16:31

    5 stars
    This was so good! Used half white whole wheat flour and half dark rye. Substituted toasted walnuts for the pecans and whole milk Greek yogurt for the sour cream. Sprinkled turbanado sugar on top. Cut the recipe in half so my husband and I wouldn’t be such pigs (we were anyway) and made 10 muffins in a tin generously greased with salted butter and dusted with sugar. The muffins were done after 20 minutes at 350F. Can’t believe these are whole grain, they are so good! Thank you, Dini!!

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to Canada in 2019! My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

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