Easy Fresh Apple Banana Bread (Healthier Recipe)
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Our Fresh Apple Banana Bread recipe is easy to make. It’s a healthier option than many of the banana bread recipes you’ll find. We’ve added whole grains using whole wheat flour to our dairy-free recipe, reduced the amount of refined sugar with maple syrup, and fresh apples replaced the oil and butter. This delicious easy quick bread recipe is tender and delicious and sure to become your go-to recipe.
We love the sweet banana flavor of ripe bananas. Besides Homemade Banana Bread, they’re delicious in Bananas Foster Cake, Banana Blueberry Muffins, or a delicious Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl.
During the fall season, We crave the flavor of apples so it was a no-brainer to combine the two flavors in this delicious apple banana bread recipe. The flavors of fresh apple, warm cinnamon, plump raisins, and chopped pecans are like bringing the fall harvest into a soft and tender healthy apple banana bread that’s easy to make.
We try not to waste food, so when I had some bananas threatening to go over to the dark side, it was a great time to use them up. I often use applesauce in my baked treats instead of oil and it also allows us to use less sugar in our recipes, so I decided to grate an apple instead of apple sauce. Finally, I added some raisins, pecans, and yummy spices that remind me of fall.
I ate a slice of this banana apple bread at every meal until it was gone. We enjoy eating sweet bread with savory meals and soups.
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This is a simple recipe that we mixed by hand. You’ll need mixing bowls, a 9×5 bread loaf pan, a whisk, and a spatula.
Ingredients for Apple Banana Bread
- All-Purpose Flour. You can use bleached or unbleached flour. One doesn’t act or taste any differently from the other. Unbleached flour is less processed since it doesn’t go through the step of bleaching it.
- White Whole Wheat Flour. We love adding some whole wheat flour because it noticeably improves the crumb of the bread. We don’t recommend replacing the all-purpose flour with all wheat flour because it creates a dense bread that can be drier since we don’t add additional dairy or oil.
- Leavening. Baking Powder, and Baking Soda.
- Warm Spices. Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Nutmeg, Ground Cloves. Kosher Salt.
- Vanilla. We use pure vanilla extract. However, you can use imitation vanilla extract if that’s what you have.
- Egg Whites. Add structure to the bread. Optionally you can add the whole large eggs.
- Mashed Bananas. If you have bananas on the cusp of overripeness, you can mash them and measure cupfuls to freeze for later use in recipes. When you need a cup of banana, simply thaw at room temperature or microwave very briefly.
- Pure Maple Syrup. This adds so much flavor without adding refined sugar.
- Brown Sugar. The moisture in brown sugar improves this bread. Optionally you can replace it with white granulated sugar.
- Grated Apple. You could substitute it with applesauce.
- Raisins and Pecans. Optional add-ins that add flavor and texture.
Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.
How to Make Apple Banana Bread
Preparation is key for the perfect Apple Banana Bread.
This recipe comes together quickly so it’s helpful to preheat your oven and prepare your pan with a coating of canola oil or non-stick cooking spray before you get started.
Mix the wet ingredients and spices.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas and then add the apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, egg whites, salt, and spices.
Mix the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together. Add raisins and pecans and toss to coat.
Combine the two mixtures.
Add the dry flour mixture to the banana mixture. Mix until just combined.
Bake your Banana Apple Bread.
Pour the Banana Apple Bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes away with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove the bread from the pan to finish cooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep leftover Banana Apple Bread?
Place completely cooled bread in a freezer-quality plastic zipper bag and store it at room temperature for up to five days. If you store the bread before it’s completely cool, the steam will make it soggy.
Can I freeze Banana Bread with Apples?
Yes, this bread freezes beautifully. Freeze by wrapping the cooled bread in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, a reclosable freezer-quality plastic bag, or an airtight container as a whole loaf or individual slices. Thaw for thirty seconds per slice in the microwave, or let the loaf sit at room temperature to thaw.
Can I use apple sauce instead of grated apples?
Yes. Your bread may be slightly more moist, and you may need to lengthen the baking time by a few minutes. If it’s more moist than you think it should be, you can add a tablespoon of flour.
How do I reheat Apple Banana Bread?
Ten seconds in the microwave should be sufficient. If you want bread warm enough to melt butter, you may need to add ten additional seconds. Alternatively, place a slice in the toaster if yours holds thick slices.
Hostess Tips and Tricks
Do not overmix this easy apple banana bread recipe when combining the wet and dry ingredient mixtures. Stir until just combined. Over-mixing will dry out the bread and make it tough, dense, or dry.
We recommend mixing everything in this recipe by hand using a wooden spoon instead of a mixer. This will keep the batter from being over-mixed.
If you have an extra banana, add it. If the batter appears too thick you can add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water.
Use a potato masher to mash up the bananas. You can also use this handy tool to mash avocados. It is not a single-purpose tool! If you don’t have one, you can use the back of a fork instead.
Variations
The fun thing about quick breads is that you can make them with different kinds of fruit or veggies. For instance, this recipe could be made with shredded zucchini instead of apples. You could also use apple sauce instead of grated apples. Pureed carrots, pureed pumpkin, or even pureed sweet potato all make excellent quick breads. For a fun twist, add a handful of chocolate chips.
For more fall baking, check out our Apple Cake, Pear Pie recipe, or Cinnamon Raisin Bread. They’re amazing!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
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Originally released on September 22, 2015, this Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread has undergone updates to enhance our readers’ experience by adding helpful tips and variations. No changes were made to the actual recipe.
This loaf sounds and looks so good, I love all of the spices 🙂
I appreciate a great comment from a great bread baker Elaine! This bread is so versatile. I know the lady who owns a bakery in town and she said they only make it for St. Patricks day and season it with caraway seed. That would be good too. Thanks for stopping by!
That does sound good, great idea! 😉
Banana bread and banana muffins are a regular in my home. I have never tried adding apple though! Your bread looks delicious and I love the idea of adding grated apples instead of oil/butter! I am definitely trying this one!
Thank you Su! Please let me know what you think! Enjoy your day my friend. 🙂
Beautiful flavours! And I love the name you gave it 🙂
Thank you! I love piling the goodies in these breads. It’s like eating cake for breakfast! Thank a great day!
Oh, I bet this smelled so good when it was baking! It is not feeling very much like fall here lately, so I think I need to make this bread so at least I can pretend. It is supposed to be 108 degrees here on the first day of October! 🙁 I love all the goodies that you put in this bread and that it has some whole wheat flour in it. I am putting this on my to make list! Thanks, Julie!
Thank you Shari! It’s 82 here today and then after today we are headed for the 50’s and 60’s. I love this weather! I can’t believe that it’s still so hot there! Stay cool my friend and thanks for stopping by!
Okay when you see my post tomorrow I Didn’t steal it from you. It was already written I promise. :)) Different recipe but close to the same name. It is apple picking time of year. Looks awesome Julie as always. Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday link party. Please join us again next week and invite your friends to come along.
Ha! I am looking forward to seeing your recipe. The same thing happens to me. There are some great posts on Throwback Thursday, and I really appreciated the invite!
Now there’s a beauty of a quick bread! Perfect for my fall overload of apples! I’m with you on the bananas. They are great fresh but I’m not a big fan of them in other recipes. This one is so intriguing though, I may give it a try!. Looks wonderful!
Thank you! I am really loving the apples too. I appreciate your stopping by, enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Thanks for the reminder that I have a bushel of apples to do something with today. This should take care of at least a few of them. Looks delicious.
A bushel? How wonderful Hilda! I just love baking with them. Enjoy your day!
How funny, I was thinking about an apple-banana combination recently too. It’s the time of year with all these great apples about! Your bread looks delicious and I can imagine it is wonderfully moist.
I just love apples. Especially baked in the fall but enjoy them year around. This bread was very moist and yummy. Thanks for stopping Caroline!
Apple season is my favorite after blueberry season. I love the idea of added grated apples! We use applesauce a lot in our fruity breads, so I’m sure this goes well too. Thanks for sharing, I may just have to try this out in a banana bread sometime soon! Hope you have a fabulous weekend. 🙂
Thank you Kaila! I am an applesauce user too and really liked the grated apple. I love blueberries too, but they are better frozen than fresh here. The fresh ones just don’t have much flavor. 🙁 I think the grated apple gave it more of an apple flavor. Enjoy your weekend too!
If I were you Julie I wouldn’t wait till mealtime. They would be devoured right on their way out of the oven
Ha! Thank you skd! I’ve got to tell you that the aroma in the oven makes you want to dig right in! Have a great evening!
You have a lot of goodies in your bread Julie with many of the traditional Fall flavors. Like the addition of raisins – never add them but maybe I should!
Thank you Judi. I really love all of the goodies and spices.
oooh yes please! Would love a slice x
Thank you! I would gladly share :).
Sounds yummy, Julie! Those bananas do like to go to the dark side rather quickly! LOL
Thank you Patti! I swear that there is a code telling bananas to ripen as soon as they get put in the grocery bag!
I want all the bread! And I would pay for delivery :). Looks great!
Thank you so much Janelle! I love these breads that I can load up with stuff I really like.
I love the sweet chunks of apples. What a great transitional bread for the season.
Thank you so much Jamie! I appreciate your stopping by!
Yum! I love banana bread. Love this variation idea. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Cheri! I love apple for it’s natural sweetness and fiber! I appreciate you stopping by!
Thank you!
This looks so hearty and delicious! Might have to make one today!! 😉 Thank you!
Thank you Josette! I hope you’ll let me know what you think? I’ll be making another one for sure!
This bread sounds so delicious, Julie! I love the flavor combinations, and the addition of pure maple syrup and pecans sounds amazing! 😀
Thank you Anna! I loved all of the goodies packed into this bread. Have a great day!
Wowee apple, BANANA combo sounds droolsome Julie…. and the bread looks spongy abd perfect. ..
Thank you so much Chitra! It’s a delicious bread!
I love this, I love all of the spices, apples, pecans and everything in this! I am sure it is just amazing!!
Thank you so much Lynz! Wonderful of you to stop by. It is delicious. The more stuff I can put in it the more I like it. 🙂
Omg I truly love this☺☺
Thank you Lina! It was really delicious. I will be adding this one to my favorites! Enjoy your day!
Wish I could eat bananas… the only food I believe I am allergic to. 🙁
Oh heavens allergic? That can be tough. I use them but not like a lot of folks. Enjoy your day Debbie and thanks for stopping by!
I also use whole wheat flour and oat bran in my banana muffins. I like the apple in your recipe – it gives some moisture to the bread. I’m sure it was delicious. 🙂
Thank you Ana! I love the idea of oat bran! I am sure it adds a great flavor and great fiber! Muffins are perfect to take on the run too. Have a great day!
Thank you, Julie. Same to you. 🙂
Mmmmm! Apple Harvest Banana Bread sounds so yummy, Julie! I love the addition of grated apple. I will definitely bake it one Autumn day very soon. Your whole kitchen must have smelled so wonderful! Thank you for sharing another tempting recipe with us, Julie! ♡