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Home Recipes Course Breakfast The Best Healthy Banana Recipes

The Best Healthy Banana Recipes

Posted:4/22/21
Updated:4/20/21

Banana lovers rejoice! If you love banana baked goods, banana bread or just banana recipes in general, get inspired by this list of healthy recipes!

If you know me personally, you know my love for banana goodies runs deep. Whether it’s a banana bread recipe, banana pancakes, cookies, or a banana cake recipe – I’m obsessed with all things banana.

Using bananas in baked goods adds delicious flavor, moisture and can often replace the need for extra oil or dairy in recipes like muffins and quick breads.

When using them in smoothies, they add a delicious creamy texture.

How to Flash Freeze Bananas

Bananas are best frozen when they begin to get soft and brown to have the best flavor for baked goods and other delicious goodies.

The best way to freeze bananas is to flash freeze them. This can be done by laying sliced or whole bananas on a baking pan lined with wax or parchment paper.

Leave the bananas in a freezer 1 to 2 hours, or until they’re firm. Once they are firm, transfer them to a freezer friendly bag to store until needed to future use.

Freezing Bananas For Later

  • Whole Frozen Bananas – If your bananas have gone super brown (great for banana bread), you can freeze whole, unpeeled bananas.
  • Sliced Frozen Bananas – Freezing bananas sliced into small circles is the best for recipes where you need specific measurements of bananas. They are also quicker to thaw when you need them. And sliced frozen bananas are great for smoothies as well.

If you’re in a hurry, you can choose a larger freezer bag then place a bananas broken in half inside. Be sure to squeeze out all the air, make sure the all bananas aren’t touching, and lay flat in the freezer. This way they can flash freeze quickly without the added work.

bananas, eggs, chips and flour on board

More Information on Freezing Bananas

How long can you freeze bananas

Bananas are best for up to 4 months after being frozen.

How to thaw frozen bananas

When you are ready to use bananas in a recipe that will be baked like banana bread, muffins, scones, pancakes, etc. be sure to pull them out to thaw ahead of time.

Once they are thawed place them in a colander or mesh strainer to drain extra liquid so you don’t add any extra liquid to the recipe.

How to make sure peeled bananas don’t brown

Flash freezing bananas as soon as they are peeled will help prevent them from browning. Once they are frozen be sure to place in a freezer bag as soon as possible.

Use Brown Bananas for Baking

Make sure to use extra spotty bananas, or even completely brown, when baking banana bread and banana muffins. This will give the bread the best flavor.

You can let the bananas sit on the counter until super spotty, then place in the fridge up to one week before using. Or, freeze once the peel has blackened and thaw, then drain excess liquid before using for baking.

The Best Banana Bread Recipes

Can you even have banana recipes without a classic liked banana bread?! It’s the best! These are healthy options with lots of variations like chocolate, cinnamon swirl, zucchini, and lots of dietary options.

Almond Flour Banana Bread

The BEST Almond Flour Paleo Banana Bread with chocolate chips – it’s simple, quick and perfect for the banana lovers in your life. Naturally gluten-free, no added sugar needed if you use extra extra ripe bananas! This is a top reader favorite!

stacked banana bread with chocolate chips placed on slate tray

More Healthy Banana Bread Recipes

  • Cassava Flour Banana Bread
  • Double Chocolate Banana Bread
  • Whole Grain Banana Zucchini Bread
  • Whole Wheat Banana Bread
  • Coconut Flour Banana Bread
  • Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread by Fit Foodie Finds

Healthy Banana Muffins

Muffins are a staple! They’re perfect for a quick breakfast or a midday snack. You can bake a batch to for the best healthy snacking all week long.

Almond Flour Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

A simple paleo recipe for Almond Flour Banana Muffins – sweetened with bananas and mini chocolate chips. These healthy gluten free muffins are loved by both kids and adults!

banana muffin in wrapper on cooling rack

More Banana Muffin Recipes

  • Yogurt Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Yogurt Banana Blueberry Muffins
  • Healthy Classic Banana Muffins
  • Paleo Banana Muffins
  • Mini Vegan Banana Muffins

Breakfast Goodies

There’s something about banana pancakes that has me humming Jack Johnson’s song. And everyone needs a good banana pancake recipe.

But there are lots of delicious banana breakfast recipes to make like waffles, oatmeal, granola, cinnamon rolls (the best!), and more.

Blender Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes made healthy with oats, bananas, unsweetened non-dairy milk and no added sugar. Gluten-free friendly and you can even sub flaxseed meal in place of the egg for vegan friends. Perfect for slow weekend mornings but freezer-friendly for weekdays too!

stack of pancakes on a plate with syrup pouring

More Banana Breakfast Recipes

  • Banana Baked Oatmeal (3 Ways)
  • Vegan Banana Breakfast Cookies
  • Vegan Banana Scones
  • Cashew Butter Banana Granola
  • Fluffy Banana Cinnamon Rolls
  • Banana Bread Overnight Oats
  • Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies by The Toasted Pine Nut
  • Banana Bread Waffles by Jessica in the Kitchen

Healthier Banana Desserts

DESSERTS – My favorite meal. (Only kidding.) But truly desserts are one of my favorite things to make. These balanced banana desserts have options for all kinds of diets.

Healthier Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This Healthier Whole Wheat Banana Cake is dairy-free friendly, refined sugar-free and so moist you will not believe it. Plus it’s covered with a healthy 3-ingredient peanut butter frosting that is bowl-licking good.

frosted cake on a stand with iced bananas on top

More Banana Dessert Recipes

  • Banana Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Banana Chocolate Chip Skillet Cake
  • Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Pudding Parfait
  • Banana Bread Buckeyes by The Toasted Pine Nut
  • Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream by Fit Foodie Finds
  • Chocolate Banana Mug Cake by The Almond Eater
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites by The Almond Eater
  • Blueberry Banana Nice Cream Tart by Little Bits of Real Food
  • Banana Bread Chia Pudding by All the Healthy Things
  • Banana Bread Mug Cake by Jessica in the Kitchen
stack of banana bread energy bars with dried fruit and nuts

More Banana Recipes & Snacks

  • Banana Bread Energy Bars
  • Vegan Baked Banana Protein Bars
  • Vanilla Bean Banana Cashew Butter
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie by Fit Foodie Finds
  • Chia Banana Bread Energy Bites by Ambitious Kitchen
  • Green Banana Bread Smoothie by The Almond Eater

Let me know if you make any of these recipes! Head to the recipe post and leave a comment with a review. XO, Ashley

About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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