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    Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free Muffins and Bread Recipes

    Healthy Gluten Free Banana Bread with White Beans

    Aug 5, 2022 · 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Healthy and Gluten-Free Banana Bread with White Beans is a perfect way to get some delicious nutrition into you first thing in the morning. A moist and tasty banana bread made with simple ingredients found in your pantry and fridge, including - white kidney beans for a protein kick! Make a loaf today and enjoy it all week😄

    Healthy Banana Bread with White Beans in a loaf pan after baking with a gold knife

    Got bananas in your freezer?

    Then make this banana bread!

    This healthy and gluten-free banana bread is easy to make and is so delicious😋

    If you're looking for a moist, filling and healthy alternative to "traditional" banana bread, you've gotta check this one out.

    The recipe is based on one from this pretty cool cookbook: Spilling the Beans - Cooking and baking with beans and grains every day.

    Don't forget to check out the other healthy muffin recipes like: Healthy Chocolate Muffins with Greek Yogurt (Gluten Free), Healthy Zucchini Bread (Delicious and Gluten Free), and this recipe for Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins too.

    There's no shortage of delicious and easy to make gluten-free, healthy muffins and breads on this site!

    Jump to:
    • 📝 Ingredients for this healthy banana bread recipe
    • 🔪Instructions
    • 🥣Equipment
    • 🥡Storage and Freezing
    • 🍌Tips for making this banana bread
    • ✅What makes this a healthier banana bread?
    • Want more?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    📝 Ingredients for this healthy banana bread recipe

    • Gluten-free flour - I have been using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour lately
    • Baking soda - helps to give the banana bread a little height
    • Salt
    • 2 large and very ripe bananas - gives that hint of sweetness, banana taste and some structure
    • Sugar - you can use white or brown sugar
    • Olive oil
    • Eggs
    • White kidney beans - aka cannellini beans, give a protein and fibre boost to this bread; plus the beans make the loaf denser (no fluffy loafs here!)
    • Vanilla
    • Blueberries - fresh or frozen will work
    Healthy Banana Bread with White Beans after baking in a loaf pan with a colour tea towel and gold knife
    This healthy banana bread has less sugar and fat than most out there - plus, a protein kick from white kidney beans!

    🔪Instructions

    Making this gluten-free banana bread is easy peasy!

    Check out the web story with full instructions in the recipe card below:

    Healthy Gluten Free Banana Bread

    Here's the high level steps:

    • Prep your loaf pan by lining with parchment paper or brushing on olive oil to prevent the banana bread from sticking and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
    • Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine
    Dry ingredients for banana bread in a mixing bowl.
    • Then to your food processor or blender add the bananas, white kidney beans, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Blend until just smooth. Takes about 20 seconds of pulsing on a medium speed
    Blended bananas and other ingredients in a blender.
    • Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the blueberries and stir one more time
    Pouring blueberries in the banana bread batter.
    • Pour the banana loaf batter into the prepared pan and bake in a pre-heated oven for 55 minutes.
    Healthy Banana Bread with White Beans done baking.
    In this version that I made, I added a few blueberries to the top of the loaf before baking.

    More instructions and tips within the recipe card below.

    🥣Equipment

    To make this healthy banana bread, you'll need your food processor or blender; 2 mixing bowls (1 large and 1 smaller mixing bowl); some measuring cups and measuring spoons, an 8x4" loaf pan, a spatula and a cooling rack.

    🥡Storage and Freezing

    This banana bread will be good for up to 4 days on the counter in an air-tight container. It also freezes beautifully.

    Before freezing, slice the banana bread up and wrap individually and store in the freezer in an air tight container.

    The bread will store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Take it out the night before you want to eat it and heat gently in the microwave if you'd like.

    🍌Tips for making this banana bread

    • For the bananas in this recipe, you can use fresh (non-frozen) overripe bananas that are browning. When the bananas are this ripe, they provide a lot a lovely, natural sweetness. I recommend staying away from very firm bananas or bananas with green in the peel because they're just not sweet enough.
    • For the blueberries, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries, I recommend stirring them into the batter before the blueberries thaw out or you'll have some pretty blue-tinged batter😄
    • Cooking time: I find 55 minutes works really well for me and I've made this recipe a LOT. For your first time making it, to tell if it's done, you can bake the loaf to the 55 minutes and then stick a toothpick into the baked loaf. If it comes out without any goopy batter on it, the banana bread is done.

    ✅What makes this a healthier banana bread?

    It kinda blows my mind when you look at the difference between store-bought banana bread and something like this healthy banana bread.

    When you compare to a "traditional" banana bread (let's say at a very popular coffee shop), you're looking at a whole of NON-nutrition.

    Per slice, a more "main stream" banana bread will set you back:

    • 380 calories
    • 17 grams of fat
    • 29 grams of sugar

    And it's only providing you with 2 g of fibre and 5 g of protein😢

    And it kinda seems like well hey, it's not a doughnut. It's banana bread! It must be healthy. But alas, no.

    But this Healthy Banana Bread can be a part of your healthy lifestyle with its source of fibre, protein and antioxidants from the blueberries (or dark chocolate - depending on what you add in.)

    All for under 200 calories per slice.

    I hope you love the Healthy Banana Bread!

    If you make this recipe and love it like we do, please rate and comment below. I love hearing from you🙋‍♀️

    ~April

    If you like the sound of this recipe, then definitely check these out too:

    • Healthy Gluten-Free Granola
    • Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
    • Gluten-Free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars with Chocolate
    • Healthy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
    • Puffed Quinoa Bars with Almond Butter

    Published on March 5th, 2020. Updated and re-published on August 5th, 2022.

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    A loaf of banana bread in a silver loaf pan on a white countertop

    📖 Recipe

    Healthy Banana Bread with White Beans in a loaf pan after baking with a gold knife

    Healthy Banana Bread with White Beans

    This Healthy and Gluten-Free Banana Bread with White Beans is a perfect way to get some delicious nutrition into you first thing in the morning. A moist and tasty banana bread made with simple ingredients found in your pantry and fridge, including - white kidney beans for a protein kick! Make a loaf today and enjoy it all week😄
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: banana bread
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 8 slices
    Calories: 231kcal
    Author: April Saunders

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 cups gluten-free flour blend I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 large very ripe bananas
    • 1 cup canned white kidney beans (cannellini beans) drained and rinsed
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup canola oil
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • ½ cup blueberries

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and brush sides of an 8x4 inch loaf pan with oil or spray with non-stick spray.
    • Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir.
    • Add bananas, beans, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times - chunks are ok!
    • Pour the banana mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
    • Add the blueberries and stir once or twice through.
    • Pour this mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes. Sprinkle a few blueberries on the top if you want.
    • It's done when the top is springy to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then take it out of the pan. Slice and enjoy warm.

    Notes

    Instead of blueberries, try adding chocolate chips.
    Freeze a cooled then sliced loaf for up to 3 months.
    Makes 1 loaf - approx. 8-10 slices.
    Adapted from Spilling the Beans - Cooking and Baking with Beans and Grains Every Day.
    Nutrition information is approximate.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g

    More Gluten-Free Muffins and Breads

    • Healthy Breakfast Bars {gluten-free}
    • Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins
    • Baked Oatmeal with Peaches
    • Gluten Free Pumpkin Loaf Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Francine Wilson says

      May 29, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it😄
      I often put bananas that are overripe in my freezer for future use in a recipe just like this one!

      Reply
      • April Saunders says

        May 29, 2018 at 11:18 am

        Thanks Francine! I hope you like it. Me too-my freezer is full of those brown bananas🍌

        Reply
    2. Gerarda says

      February 21, 2019 at 8:32 am

      I will try this, just use an egg substitute 🙂 thanks April

      Reply
      • April Saunders says

        February 21, 2019 at 11:56 am

        Awesome Gerarda! Hope you love it????

        Reply
    3. Nadine says

      November 10, 2019 at 9:32 am

      I only had spelled flour at home and no blueberries. I added half of a chopped banana to it and a few chopped walnuts and almonds. It’s in the oven now😄

      Reply
      • April Saunders says

        November 10, 2019 at 11:04 am

        Nice Nadine! Sounds like a yummy combo 🙂

        Reply
        • Nadine says

          November 10, 2019 at 11:45 am

          It was. My 8 year old son ate 3 big slices. He said it’s sooo delicious. Next time I add frozen blueberries.
          I baked on low for 1h10min and it was perfect. Thank you for such a great recipe that is so versatile.

          Reply
          • April Saunders says

            November 10, 2019 at 2:51 pm

            That's awesome! I wish my 7 year old would eat it lol You're so welcome and thank you for letting me know the delicious variation.

            Reply
    4. Leslie-Jo says

      April 02, 2020 at 12:52 am

      I just made it! Delicious but my blueberries all sunk to the bottom....
      Any idea how much fibre per slice?

      Reply
      • April says

        April 02, 2020 at 6:55 am

        Hi Leslie-Jo - so glad you liked it! Oh no! Sorry about that re: the blueberries 🙁

        Maybe next time you could try tossing the blueberries with a very small amount of flour (~1 Tbsp) before adding them to the batter. The light coating of flour around the berries will absorb some of the fruit's liquid, making them less likely to sink. Hopefully that will help!

        Fibre is approx. 4g per slice. Thanks again for commenting and trying it out 🙂

        Reply
    5. Cathy Hoover says

      April 11, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      This is a great recipe! I didn't have any blueberries but I put in about a 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts which tasted great. I am glad I discovered this recipe because I have a weakness for baked goods such as muffins and quick breads, although I know they tend to be high in fat and sugar. I love the fact that it uses those white beans.
      Also I also discovered that it freezes well ( just slice first); this is helpful for those of us who live alone.

      Reply
      • April says

        April 15, 2020 at 10:39 am

        Hey Cathy! Thanks so much for commenting! So glad you like the banana bread and I love that you added the walnuts in there. Also, super good to know it freezes well. Thanks again!

        Reply
    6. Antonella says

      September 02, 2022 at 9:16 am

      I just made my second loaf! I used chocolate chips because I didn't have any blueberries. This bread is absolutely delicious, light and fluffy. I love that it is low in added sugar but remains true to the flavour of a banana bread. My new favourite banana bread recipe!

      Reply
      • April says

        September 03, 2022 at 1:17 pm

        Thank you for commenting, Antonella. And that's awesome to hear! So glad you loved it😄

        Reply

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    Hey there! I’m April, a Registered Dietitian and mum of 2 young boys. I beat my years of painful bloating and unsightly burping by going gluten-free and I'm here to show you how to #BeattheBloat too! Join in for healthy and simple gluten-free recipes. Let's do this!

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