Easy Banana Applesauce Bread is a tasty go-to healthy quick bread for the holidays. A super moist, flavorful lightened up Banana Bread with no mixer needed!
Easy Banana Bread is one of the best go-to Bread Recipes for so many reasons! It’s delicious, made with no mixer, and all you need are one or two extra ingredients to make it extra special!
BANANA APPLESAUCE BREAD
When you have over-ripe bananas, it’s hard not to immediately to make them into Banana Bread recipe. Sure you could put them in a smoothie or make them into dairy free ice cream, but deep down what you really want is a slice of warm, rich, melt-in-your-mouth Banana Bread. This healthy Banana Bread will indulge that craving guilt free!
Now, this is not a site known for diet or particularly “good-for-you” recipes, especially when it comes to breakfast foods. But every once in a while, we create magic in the kitchen with a lightened up recipe that tastes just as good (if not better!) as the original.
You don’t have to sacrifice time or taste or your budget to get delicious Healthy Banana Applesauce Bread! It uses the same pantry ingredients as other banana bread recipes and you can swap a cored, pureed apple for the applesauce if you don’t have any on hand!
Healthy but Moist!
The key to getting the best Banana Applesauce Bread that doesn’t taste like health food is not over-mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. To keep from over-mixing, sift your dry ingredients before adding so you only have to stir a handful of times to combine.
There are so many ways to make this low-fat Applesauce Banana Bread recipe even more healthy. Our Banana Applesauce Bread recipe uses regular all purpose flour instead of whole wheat, but you can easily swap them. Keep in mind if you use whole wheat flour your loaf will be denser and darker. For a sugar-free Banana Bread swap in honey, maple syrup, or a sugar substitute for the sugars.
OTHER DELICIOUS QUICK BREAD RECIPES
Easy Banana Bread (No Mixer!)
Pumpkin Bread
Zucchini Bread
Blueberry Lemon Bread
What to serve with this quick bread:
Banana Applesauce Bread is a great recipe to mix in with heavier holiday baking. Serve it with greek yogurt and Strawberry Jam for a healthy Christmas morning breakfast. Or since you are saving on calories and fat, serve a small slice with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or frost your loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting!
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VARIATIONS ON BANANA APPLESAUCE BREAD
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- Nuts: Make Applesauce Banana Nut Bread by gently folding ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the bread batter. Toast the chopped walnuts or pecans for even more flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: Add in a ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips. Sprinkle the top with 2-3 tablespoons chocolate chips to get chocolate flavor all the way through!
- Mix-Ins: You can add-in up to ¾ cup total volume of mix-ins without overwhelming your bread batter. Try add-ins like shredded coconut, raisins, fresh berries, or chopped dried fruit like apricots or apples.
- Muffins: To make Banana Applesauce Muffins, bake in a lined (or well greased) muffin tin for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Whole Grain: Make this healthy Banana Bread recipe even more good for you by substituting the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Add a ½ cup rolled oats or oat flour for more whole grain fiber.
- Sour Cream: You need to use an acid like sour cream, buttermilk, or greek yogurt to help the bread rise. If you use whole milk or non-dairy milk (like almond milk), add a teaspoon baking powder.
- Applesauce: Use any unsweetened applesauce flavor like cinnamon applesauce or strawberry applesauce, or use homemade applesauce. Try other fruit purees like pineapple puree, apricot puree, or peach puree, too!
OTHER GREAT BANANA BREADS
Banana Bread Coffee Cake
Cake Mix Banana Bread
Banana Bread Muffins
Chocolate Banana Bread
HOW TO STORE BANANA APPLESAUCE BREAD
- Serve: Keep Banana Applesauce Bread at room temperature up to 3 days in a cool, dry place. Store in a baggie or container with paper towels to absorb moisture.
- Store: Refrigerate Banana Applesauce Bread in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving for best taste.
- Freeze: Cool Banana Applesauce Bread loaf, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. You can also freeze slices individually wrapped in plastic for easier serving.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 ripe bananas , mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with baking spray.
- Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In large bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and bananas until smooth.
- Whisk in brown sugar, white sugar, and applesauce until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined then pour into loaf pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean
Nutrition
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Your recipes never fail me. I had two bananas left and decided to make banana bread. Then when I found your recipe I remembered that one applesauce cup that had been in the pantry a while. Thanks. ?
Made this recipe this morning exactly the way it was recommended. I made no changes except that the last 15 minutes. I covered the top with foil to prevent over browning. I think I will be entering this recipe in the fair this summer I have done lots of banana bread recipes, but this is the best one so far. It did not cave-in in the top. It’s moist yet light and tastes delicious.
This Banana Bread recipe is one of my favorite! Real moist and flavorful. Thank you!
The house never smelled so great as when this bread is cooking
Couldn’t agree more!
Don’t have brown sugar, can I use regular sugar?
you can; however, it will change the taste of the final product.
Only a few changes as I was just diagnosed with pancreatitis and have to be careful about what I eat.
I used whole wheat flour, halved the sugars and used 1 cup of applesauce. And I didn’t have cinnamon so I used allspice.
Moist and delicious! And, no oils or butter! I saved your recipe 🙂
Wonderful! My families favorite banana bread recipe! Thank you 🙂
Such a wonderful recipe
That seems like a lot of sugar. Could I cut the amount in half?
Thank you!
Hi Sandra, sure, you can try it that way.
Try halving the sugar too 1/4 cup each and use a cup of applesauce. Mine is in the oven, fingers crossed!
Absolutely the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made!!!
Love it!
Made this banana bread without any alterations, additions etc. It was easily made and turned out wonderfully. Dense, moist and with great banana flavor. This is a keeper.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times, exactly as the recipe states, and it turned out super moist and tasty every time! And it’s SUPER easy, it’s almost fool-proof.
Some tips:
– Use full fat sour cream. On the second time I’ve made this, I used “light” sour cream with half fat since it was all I had at the time. Still turned out tasty and moist, just not AS moist as it could have been compared to the first time and third time I made this.
– Make extra sure you’re baking no longer than needed and at the exact temperature. 5 minutes too long can make a difference. I checked mine right at the 55 mark at precisely 350 (I have a mini oven thermometer, the one you hang on the rack, since my oven tends to run 5 degrees hotter)
Honestly, I can’t think of any reason why this recipe would fail you unless if you:
1) Did not follow the instructions
2) Subbed in an ingredient that shouldn’t have been subbed (do your research before subbing ingredients. Google is your friend)
3) Your oven temp runs hotter/colder than you think. This is very common and a lot of people don’t pay attention to this. Get an oven thermometer, they’re super cheap and you’d be surprised at how inaccurate your built-in oven heating settings can be.
4) You left the bread in for too long (basically #1)
5) You over measured an ingredient, like the flour. For dry ingredients like flour, don’t even bother with measuring cups, just use a kitchen scale and measure to the gram.
6) You way overmixed the batter. I can imagine this making the bread have a different than expected texture.
Made it last night, turned out hard like a rock. 🙁
I made these with just a few modifications to increase the nutrition and to make them light and fluffy and they were SO YUMMY!
My modifications were
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour instead of 2 cups of white flour (more protein)
Three bananas
Light sour cream
Added ½ cup buttermilk (this helps make them super light and fluffy and more protein)
Added 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (extra protein)
Added 1 tablespoon of flax meal (extra fiber and protein)
Added 1 tablespoon of toasted wheat germ (extra fiber and protein)
Muffins instead of bread (to better manage the serving size and to share with others)
I used a large scoop (6 cm) and topped each row with different items to make them different. The toppings I used were
Lily’s Chocolate Chips
Toasted Walnut Pieces
Dried Cranberries and Pecan Pieces
A sprinkling of brown sugar (I mean a scan sprinkling)
For those who have had a dense muffin/bread. I will give you these tips I used that worked well.
1. Room temp ingredients always when baking.
2. Hotter Oven
I baked mine in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes with my muffin pan on a sheet pan to protect the bottom from burning. A higher heat oven activates the leavening agents (buttermilk, salt and soda) to create a lighter, fluffier muffin that rises higher.
3. Immediately put bread/muffins into the oven after mixing. Waiting can make for a dense outcome.
4. Make sure your batter is not to runny. Add extras (seeds, nuts, etc.) to help make it a thicker batter. You don’t’ want your batter like soup.
Uh….. that’s a totally different recipe then ?
This recipe was delicious and very easy to make! I was looking for a lightened version of banana bread, especially after all of the rich Christmas holiday food and sweets. I was a little skeptical at first when I saw that there were no fats used (I often substitute coconut oil for butter in my baking) however it turned out moist and had just the right amount of sweetness. Everyone in our home loved it! Definitely a keeper!
Good Heavens! Why would you “review” a recipe in which you changed it so completely?
Easy to make.
Delicious and moist. I added about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans.
Came out tasting great! However, my oven runs slightly higher than the temperature it reads, and it took me about an hour and 10 minutes for the toothpick to come out clean. When I ate it, it taster great, but it was a bit “gummy”. Is that usual and okay to eat, or should I have baked it for longer and it’s not okay to eat?
Tyler I made these last night with some modifications to make them light and fluffy (see my review above) but I’d suggest you turn your oven up to keep them from being gummy or dense. Hope this helps.
Sad to say I didn’t enjoy this recipe. Came out gummy and dense.
Wow! This was delicious. Nice and moist. I substituted with Greek yogurt and 3 bananas. I also added the chocolate chips because my son is allergic to nuts. Although it took me 1 hr and 20 mins to bake making sure it’s nicely baked. This will be added to my favorite list. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
How would you need to adjust if you only had frozen banana? Thanks!
Hi! You would need to thaw and then drain them.
This recipe was great, especially considering the lack of butter/oil. I often have bananas and applesauce that I need to use up and this is the perfect way to get my family to eat those items. I did put a glaze on the bread composed of powdered sugar, cream and vanilla. The “frosting” makes it more of a cake that a bread to the troops.
This is honestly the BEST Banana Bread/Muffin recipe I’ve ever tried! So moist, and I love the fact that there is no oil or butter in it. 10/10 ??
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you enjoyed it, Jacquie.
How many small loaves will this make and how long do I bake it. I am very excited about making it.
It will make approximately 5 mini loaves but it will cook faster so keep an eye on your time.
This is the best banana bread ever! I love the recipe, so simple and basic measurements, it is easy to cut the recipe in half. Followed the recipe exactly (just cut everything by a half) and love it! Thank you so much for a terrific recipe I can stop searching. And no oil I can’t believe it.
:)! Thank you so much Mike!
I made this today after a while and it’s been an hour and it’s not done. Any idea why?
I’m so sorry I just saw this message so obviously your bread is long gone. It could’ve been your oven running even slightly lower in temperature. If it is browning too much I would tent with foil and give it another ten minutes.
By far the BEST banana bread recipe I’ve ever made! 5 star!
Wow! Thank you so much, Jacquie.
I love that you provide so many alternatives to making this recipe! Going to try it later today – looks and sounds yummy! Thank You!
You’re welcome, Janice.
I absolutely loved the simplicity of this recipe. This is my first time making banana bread and my bread turned out delicious. The bread was just right- not too sweet at all. Best of all, it was moist. I will definitely try the variations as suggested.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Miah.
The simplicity of this recipe turned out to be absolutely terrific! This my first time making banana bread and my children and I loved it! It is not too sweet at all. Best of all, it is moist. I will definitely try the variations you suggested. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Could I sub Gluten free flour in this recipe?
I’ve not tested it but just make sure to use an all purpose gluten free flour. You also may need to add 1 teaspoon of xantan gum as well. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what worked for you. Thanks!
I made the banana applesauce bread today using plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. My husband & I really liked the bread. My husband said to keep making it. (I finally told him there isn’t any fat in the recipe. And he didn’t care. He liked it that much.
Fantastic!
i made these into muffins today and the tops are whitish and not the beautiful brown that i get when i make bread out of it. Any tips? I can’t cook it longer bc they were done at 20 min.
Did you adjust the temperature higher since you were making muffins instead of bread? If not, try that next time and that should allow the tops to brown.
Can I add zucchini to this recipe as is?
Yes, though you’ll want to make sure all the extra moisture from the zucchini is removed before adding. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes after grating it and dry it. Enjoy!
We loved this recipe! It was perfectly moist from applesauce and high in protein from the greek yogurt suggestion, with no added unhealthy fats and sugar free by substituting stevia! (This was almost the perfect snack if I could make it low carb somehow haha.) One question: the second time around, I’m trying a hybrid of version if your zucchini bread and this recipe. What amount flour would I do, 1 1/2 cups or 2? Can i do 1 cup zucchini and 1 banana? I also can’t decide if I use just baking soda or powder and soda like the zucchini bread recipe calls for? Also can will using bread flour change the density of these breads?
I’m so sorry this comment got stuck in the spam filter and I just came across it. I’m so sorry I don’t want to guess with such varying amounts of liquid content. I would have to recipe test these variations.
I made these into muffins, they were delicious and much healthier than the butter or oil versions. I added chocolate chips to the top of a few of them and left the other plain. It made ~18 muffins. So easy, my 3 year old son even helped me!
Adding chips is never a bad idea. Thanks for the 5 stars, Wendy.
I cut the recipe in half, I used unsweetened applesauce in place of oil & used half almond flour/half gluten free flour and added walnuts & flaxseed before putting into muffin tins! I also sifted the two flours together and gently folded them in as you suggested to the wet mixture. I used stevia blend brown sugar and stevia baking sugar instead of cane sugar. It made 14 muffins and stayed moist and delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. My hubby had no idea these were heart healthy! I will be using this recipe again.
Thanks for the feedback, Ellie. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This is definitely one of the best banana bread recipes that I have tried. It’s so moist, so easy to make and the ingredients are all easy to get. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Natasha.
This looks delicious! I know my family will love this.
Thanks for the 5 stars, Katie.
The texture of this bread looks like absolute perfection, love the addition of the applesauce!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Kimberly.
Followed as written, absolutely the easiest and most consistent banana bread I’ve made/eaten. I made in my toaster oven even since I didn’t want to heat up the entire house. Very durable and flavorful.
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much!
Aug.2020 – Buttered/floured the pan (allergic to cooking spray). Used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream & added ½ cup moist raisins for chewy factor. Dusted the top with cinnamon sugar. Batter was delicious. This is a keeper for me and will try all the different variations in future. Thank you!
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Donela. I appreciate the 5 star rating.