Healthy Banana Bread
by Sommer Collier — on Aug 29, 2025 This healthy banana bread is so fluffy, moist and delicious, it’s hard to believe the recipe is made without refined sugar, butter, or seed oil! Instead we use honey and cottage cheese for banana bread that’s more wholesome, naturally sweet, and packed with protein.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I don’t do a ton of baking during the week, but banana bread is definitely one of my specialities… And weaknesses! Sometimes I like to keep things simple with a moist 2-banana bread or 4 ingredient banana bread. Other times, I go more indulgent, like our Kahlua or chocolate banana bread recipes. But whether classic or decadent, the one downside of traditional banana bread recipes is that they tend to be on the heavier side. I.e., they are made with processed sugars and oils.
This simple healthy banana bread recipe is packed with nutritious ingredients like ripe banana bananas, eggs, high protein cottage cheese, natural sweeteners, and whole wheat flour. It’s a well-balanced banana bread that is super moist and tastes delicious – while keeping your diet clean!
Why You’ll Love This Healthier Banana Bread Recipe
- No refined sugar – We add just a bit of honey to enhance the natural sweetness of the bananas.
- No oil – The cottage cheese provides just the right amount of moisture and flavor, so there’s no need for any seed oils!
- 1-hour recipe – Prep takes barely any time, and the loaf bakes for less than 50 minutes. Perfect for those fluffy, tender, sweet, and carb-y banana bread cravings!
Go ahead and put a loaf in the oven, and in no time you’ll be slathering warm slices of fresh-baked banana bread with butter – or any of your favorite spreads!
Ingredients and Tips
- Bananas – Use bananas that are dark brown, almost black, so they are very sweet. Check out our guide for quick ripening bananas in the oven if your bananas are too yellow and ripe!
- Wet ingredients – You need large eggs, cottage cheese, pourable honey, and a quality vanilla extract.
- Dry ingredients – We use whole wheat flour, which has more fiber and minerals, compared to all-purpose flour or bread flour. Plus baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Recipe Variations
- Greek yogurt – We love including cottage cheese in our banana bread to incorporate additional protein into the recipe. However, if you have plain Greek yogurt on hand, you can use that as well.
- Flour – As noted above, we prefer the nutrient benefits of whole wheat flour. But feel free to use all-purpose flour, if you like.
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend in equal proportion.
- Add-ins – Stir in a couple of mix-ins like handfuls of mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, or fruits like raisins or chopped dried apricots.
For banana bread with extra EXTRA protein consider trying our high protein banana bread with chocolate chips.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
Tip for Success – To get a smooth, thick batter, we combine the wet ingredients in a blender before adding to the dry ingredients. You want to pulse the ingredients 4- 5 times until everything is incorporated and you see no clumps of cottage cheese.
It should be fully puréed, but do not overmix the ingredients.
Find the full Healthy Banana Bread recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Keep leftover banana bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing – Banana bread made with cottage cheese freezes very well! Wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the whole thing in a plastic ziploc freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then leave on the counter for 15-20 minutes so the bread comes to room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
Use a serrated knife to cut the loaf into thick, warm slices. Then enjoy as-is, or smear on spreads! Any of these highly-rated recipes are the best banana-bread worthy:
- Whipped Honey Butter
- Cinnamon Butter (AKA Texas Roadhouse Butter)
- Pistachio Butter
- Homemade Peanut Butter
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Peach Preserves
- Strawberry Freezer Jam
Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3-4 very ripe bananas 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups smashed banana
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Notes
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- Storing Leftovers – Keep leftover banana bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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- Freezing – Banana bread made with cottage cheese freezes very well! Wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the entire loaf in a plastic ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then leave it on the counter for 15-20 minutes to bring it to room temperature.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Really, “healthy” can mean so many different things to different people. When we say this is a healthy banana bread recipe, we mean healthier than traditional loaves made with processed sugar and fatty oils.
The moisture in cottage cheese is a fabulous replacement for cooking oils like vegetable or canola oil. Cottage cheese is nice and thick to make a hearty batter, without being oily or heavy.
