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Healthy blueberry banana bread recipe

Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe

This healthy blueberry banana bread recipe is moist, delicious, and made with simple ingredients. Perfect for breakfast, meal prep, or dessert.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ cups mashed banana (360g) — about 3–4 very ripe bananas
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey (120g)
  • ¼ cup water (60g)
  • ¼ cup oil or additional water (48g)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (10g)
  • 1½ cups flour (180g) — spelt, white, or oat flour all work
  • ½ cup protein powder or additional flour (60g)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp cardamom (optional, but adds a lovely warmth)
  • 1 cup blueberries (120g) — fresh or thawed frozen

Method
 

  1. Step 1: Preheat the Oven

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). This temperature ensures even baking without drying out the loaf.

  2. Step 2: Prepare Your Pan

    Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and set it aside. You can use cooking spray, coconut oil, or a light coat of butter.

  3. Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, maple syrup (or honey), water, oil (or additional water), and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.

  4. Step 4: Add the Dry Ingredients

    Stir in the flour, protein powder (or extra flour), baking soda, baking powder, salt, and optional cardamom. Mix until just evenly combined — don't overmix, or you'll develop the gluten and end up with a tough loaf.

  5. Step 5: Fold in the Blueberries

    Very gently fold in the blueberries using a spatula. Be careful not to burst them — intact berries create beautiful pockets of jammy fruit throughout the loaf.

  6. Step 6: Bake

    Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Place it on the center rack of your oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine; wet batter means it needs more time).

  7. Step 7: Cool Before Slicing

    Let the loaf cool on the counter completely before slicing. Once cooled, run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto a plate, or simply slice it directly in the pan.

  8. Step 8: The Overnight Trick (Highly Recommended!)

    Once fully cooled, loosely cover the loaf with a clean cloth towel and refrigerate overnight. The taste and texture genuinely improve after resting — the banana flavor deepens and the crumb becomes even more tender. This step is optional but well worth the wait!