This roasted banana, walnut, and chocolate bread is a real winner. It gets its natural sweetness from roasted bananas, honey, and chocolate.
We all know that when things get stressful, it’s easy to reach for sugary, high-fat foods. But those don’t offer much in the way of nutrition. The good news is, you don’t have to give up your sweet tooth just because you’re trying to eat healthier.
This recipe has everything you could want in banana bread: it’s moist, packed with walnuts and chocolate, and full of flavor. It’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even lunch. I often serve it with summer fruits or nonfat Greek yogurt, or homemade Quark
Say No to Food Waste:
I dislike throwing food away, and there are many ways to use bananas before they are discarded. Overripe bananas are excellent for smoothies, overnight oatmeal, banana bread, and more. The reasons people discard food can range from a lack of planning to poor food storage practices. Currently, the United States is the global leader in food waste generation, with most wasted food ending up in landfills.
The reality of food waste in America is that we live in a nation where more than 54 million people are food insecure (18 million of whom are children), according to 2020 data collected by Feeding America.
Why is this Banana Bread different?
Experts find that gaining control over your sugar habit is the most important step you can take for your health. Most banana bread loaves are packed with sugar, and while you might think you’re consuming a small amount, you are likely eating much more than you realize.
My recipe contains no oil, is low in sugar, uses nonfat Greek yogurt, unsweetened apple sauce, and a touch of honey. Did you know that many store-bought or restaurant banana bread loaves are loaded with oil to keep the bread moist?
Fat Replacer with Baking:
No low-sugar plum marmalade in your pantry? No problem! Unsweetened applesauce is a fantastic stand-in. Both are champions at replacing fat, which means fewer calories in your baked treats.
Whole Wheat Flour:
You can take your recipes and start substituting whole-wheat flour for a portion of the white flour,” the team at King Arthur Flour writes in Whole Grain Baking.
With my banana bread, I use 50% all-purpose and 50% whole wheat; it gives me that nutty flavor and balances the natural sweetness. creates a dark brown, soft, and moist bread. You can use only whole wheat bread to bake the banana bread; it will be a little denser, with the same great flavor.
Yogurt:
Yogurt adds moisture and tenderness, leading to things like super moist cakes and muffins. It also helps to activate baking soda, which can give your treats a lovely lift and a more tender crumb.
So, instead of dense and dry, you get light and airy.
Yogurt seems like a healthy snack, but it can have a ton of added sugar. Yogurt contains the natural sugar lactose, but most yogurts also contain added sugar in a variety of forms. They appear as straight-up cane sugar, cane syrup, and corn syrup. This can equate to upwards of 3 teaspoons of added sugar in one 4-ounce serving of even the plain flavored yogurt. So always read the label.
A healthy yogurt should have no added sugar and contain two ingredients: milk (or a milk substitute, like coconut cream) and a bacterial culture.
Look for brands with the simplest ingredient list to get the most nutrition per serving.
My go-to yogurt is my homemade yogurt, easy to make with no preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, thickeners, dyes, or sugars. If you feel like purchasing a good plain yogurt that is made only with milk and yogurt cultures, I recommend the Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt.
So, whether you’re looking for better texture, more nuanced flavor, or a way to bake a bit healthier, reaching for that tub of yogurt is a pretty smart move!
How much Sugar is too much?
The sugar-laden, high-fat foods we often crave when we are stressed or depressed, as comforting as they are, may be the least likely to benefit our mental health.
Experts agree that some added sugar in your diet is fine, but we all know that eating too much sugar can have many negative health effects and that you should limit your sugar intake.
There is a difference between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods.
When experts say you should limit your sugar intake, they’re talking about added sugars. The sugar that is added to baked goods, candy, cereal, fruit drinks, tomato sauce, soda, and the like.
Bananas:
One medium banana has about 14 grams of sugar. If that seems like more than you bargained for, keep in mind we are not talking about added sugar.
The magic with this recipe comes from bananas. As bananas ripen, the starch turns into sugars, making the banana sweeter. In addition, you also get vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients.
In addition, by roasting the bananas, the inner moisture of the banana evaporates, and the natural sugars caramelize and intensify the flavor.
You want to use overripe bananas for the roasting. Unripe bananas will be hard and starchy and will not release their natural sugars and flavors.
Give it a try, it’s mind-blowing how much natural sweetness and intense flavor roasted bananas can generate. You might be surprised.
The American Heart Association recommends:
- Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day.
- For women, the number is lower: 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day.
- Consider that one 12-ounce can of soda contains 8 teaspoons (32 grams) of added sugar! There goes your whole day’s allotment in one slurp.
To determine if a packaged food contains added sugars and how much, read the Nutrition Facts panel. Look for “Added Sugars” under “Total Sugars.” There are four calories in one gram. So, if a product has 15 grams of sugar per serving, that’s 60 calories from the sugar, not counting the other ingredients.
Walnuts :
To say that walnuts are a nutritious food is a bit of an understatement.
Adding chopped walnuts to the banana bread adds healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and that’s just the beginning of how they may support your health. There are plenty of reasons to include walnuts in your diet. Walnuts are easy to add to your diet since they’re widely available in stores and a great addition to countless dishes.
Dark Chocolate:
There is considerable evidence that cocoa can provide powerful health benefits, especially protection against heart disease. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should go all out and consume lots of chocolate every day. In my recipe, to reduce the sugar intake, I use Lily’s No Sugar Added Chocolate Chips.
The Taste
Great flavor, very moist, not too sweet,
Just right with the natural sweetness from the roasted bananas, honey, and chocolate.
The Process
I genuinely hope you’ll seize the opportunity
to bake and savor this roasted banana, walnut, and chocolate bread.
It’s a breeze to make, and chances are, you already have all the ingredients waiting in your kitchen!
What are you waiting for? Let’s get baking!
The Verdict
The sweetness and banana flavor in this bread come mainly from roasted bananas and just a touch of honey.
Baking with yogurt is a smart move for a few reasons:
it helps create a better texture, adds a more nuanced flavor, and even makes for a healthier bake.
I prefer my go-to homemade Yogurt because it’s easy to prepare and contains only milk and live cultures, avoiding preservatives and other additives.
However if you buy yogurt, Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt is a good option,
as it is also made with just milk and cultures.
Additionally, incorporating almond flour into baking or cooking enhances the texture, making it more tender, and adds beneficial protein and fiber.
Enjoy
Roasted Banana, Walnut, Chocolate Bread
Ingredients
- 4 medium banana The bananas should be black, and over ripe
- 1 1/4 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 each egg white
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple sauce unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt nonfat
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips dark, no sugar added, Lily's
- 1 medium banana peeled
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F and roast the Bananas.
- Place the bananas (with skin) on a parchment-lined 1/2 sheet pan in the oven, and roast for 40 minutes. The bananas should blacken and be very soft to the touch. Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes, peel and mash. Set aside.4 medium banana
Make Banana Bread
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt and set aside.1 1/4 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour, 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 cup almond flour
- In a bowl, beat egg whites, honey, non-fat Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract for 2 minutes. Add the mashed roasted bananas, apple sauce, and the liquid mix to the flour mixture, fold in the chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts, and blend.2 each egg white, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup walnuts , 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup apple sauce
Bake banana bread
- Spray a loaf pan (9x5 inch) with canola oil. Pour mixture into loaf pan, garnish with lengthwise sliced bananas, and bake at 350°F for approximately 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.1 medium banana
Cool the bread, slice and enjoy
- Remove bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. Once the bread is cool, remove it from the pan, slice it, and enjoy it with quark or yogurt, seasonal fruit, and honey.
Chef Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate